My first check of clearance deals was at a Walmart and they had lots of stuff on clearance. Most of the stuff didn’t look like it would sell for much. I did spot a Mint floor cleaner that had been marked down from $198 to $75. It looked to be in new condition. A quick check on my phone showed the floor cleaners were selling for over $150 on eBay. That seemed like a good profit to me so I went ahead and bought it. I figured if it didn’t work or didn’t sell I could just return it.
The floor cleaner ended up selling for just over $150 on eBay. After fees I made about $50 in profit. I was a little worried that there would be a problem with the cleaner. The cleaner worked fine though, and I received positive feedback from the buyer. It was a pretty good profit for maybe an hour’s worth of work.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find another deal anywhere near as good as that one. Maybe some stores have more stuff marked down low enough that you can resell them for a profit, but I haven’t found them. If you are in a store with a clearance section it might be worth taking a look though. It is one more way of possibly making a little extra money.
That’s a great profit, Andy! Congrats! I don’t think it has to be something you search for every day but maybe when you’re visiting each store for your weekly/monthly trip then you should meander over to the clearance section to scope out what they have.
Yes, I don’t think it is worth a special trip, but it could be worthwhile to check it out when you’re already at the store.
20 years ago, when I was living in St. Louis, Target was selling a plastic sports collectible called Starting Lineup. It was the starting 9 for the St. Louis Cardinals. Normally they were around $20, but Target wanted to move them and priced them at $1.99 or something. I went to a dozen different stores and bought everyone of them. I had about 400 of the things, brand new.
This was before the internet. I then went to every baseball card shop in the area and sold them in bunches for $9. Made a very nice profit.
I still have a couple of the collectibles and one sits on my desk to this day. I’ll start checking out the clearance sections too.
That sounds like it was a pretty good deal. The internet makes it much easier to find out what something is worth and to sell it, but your method worked well.
I did the same thing with iPhones last year. I purchased them cheap from local craigslist and sold them on Ebay/Amazon for a profit. For about 10 phones I made around $600. However did it only during Christmas break as I am in school full time. But that is another way to go. Same thing is about textbooks. A lot of college kids sell their textbooks for cheap on CL. I purchased them and sold it off on Amazon. Even if they don’t sell, you can turn them in for Amazon Gift Card.
There are lots of different things that can be bought to resell. You just have to know what they are and where to get them, which isn’t always easy.
That is a great idea. I too will be watching clearance items in our area. I presently sell on Ebay as a way to help me get some cash. This is another opportunity. Thanks.
I hope you are able to find some good deals.
Thats a very interesting idea. I have seen people buy things at Thrift stores, and sell it on Ebay for a decent profit.
You can do it at garage sales and thrift stores too. I’ve heard that a lot of thrift stores are checking their items more carefully so they know what their stuff is worth, but I’m sure there are still some bargains to be had.