What not everyone may know is that I side hustle by flipping items I buy at thrift stores, garage sales, auctions, and free crap I pick up off the side of the road. You’d be surprised at what you can get for stuff you pick up for free.

This side hustle is one of the reasons why I upgraded my car last year from a Chevy HHR to a Dodge Grand Caravan. I could fit a TON of stuff in my HHR. Super versatile. But I lost out on several opportunities that would have brought in money because my car was too small, or too full, too many times!
I managed to snag my 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan with stow and go seats (converts from seating for 7 to a cargo van) for just $1,000 over what I sold my 2009 Chevy HHR for. I bought it at auction using my credit card (I got the points on my card to help pay for my next travel adventure), and after fees, registration and what not, still walked out $1,500 under blue book.

Even with 2019 being such a bogusly difficult year and being sick all the time, I managed to recoup that $1,000 invested in the vehicle with flipping sales I was only able to do because of the van. People are calling me because their grandparent is selling their home and moving into retirement and they are purging stuff out and just don’t want to deal with it.

Yes, I will come and fill my van 4 times with things to flip, gift on Buy Nothing, or keep myself. I have a porch swing in my front yard now, and it is THE.BEST.THING.EVER. And would not have fit in my HHR. 🙂

This new Flippin’ Friday themed post will feature an item I successfully flipped. I will share how and where I bought it, where I listed it, and what I sold it for. I’m pretty good at this. If I can help other people bring in some cash to get a little bit ahead, I’m glad to help.

Are you ready for our first Flippin’ Friday item? Here we go:

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So there I was in my local thrift store when I spot a neon green hand full of holes. What, the what, is this thing? I see a name on it, and I google. I’m astonished at what comes back.

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This neon green hand full of holes retails for $50! Bananas!

I purchase the hand for $0.99 plus tax. $1.10. I post it on FaceBook Marketplace as well as OfferUp. These are the two platforms that work best for me. I listed it for $25. 50% of retail is a good place to start.

Listen: People will talk you down. Practically no one pays asking. This is why margins are so important. You need HUGE margins people. Don’t buy something for $5 to sell for $10. You’ll sell it for $7 if you are lucky, and waste your time.

A woman messaged me that she could meet in an hour less than 5 minutes from my home and offered me $20. DONE. SOLD. I will write a future article about meet up safety. Please use caution friends.

Final stats for this Flippin’ Friday Item:
Purchased: $1.10
Sold: $20
Profit: $18.90

That’s like, an ROI of 1,718%? BAM.

Best part was there was little to no time involved. I was already looking for stuff at a thrift store for myself, and it didn’t require a bunch of time cleaning. Maybe 5 minutes to wash it, and 5 minutes to photograph and post it?

Very good deal!

Flipping can be great indeed. I like to keep my investment small, so my losses are small. Also: That’s the kind of money I have available. Start small, my friends!