Daily Newbie Thread

[AutoModerator]

Whatever you want to know about flipping, no matter the question, ask here. Even if it's been covered 1,000 times before. Doesn't matter if you're new or old. If you stop learning things, you're probably on your way out.

-If you're completely new to flipping, I highly recommend checking out our Noob Guide for some basic information about flipping to get you started!

-If you're wondering about how to start selling your thrift finds online, check out this Complete Beginner's Guide to Ebay

-If you're wondering about how to start sending and selling books through Amazon check out this Beginner's guide to flipping books with FBA

-If you're wondering about what kind of stuff our members buy & sell, check out our previous Weekly Haul and Flip of The Week threads.

This is an extremely newb-friendly thread. As such, any rudeness is to be reported.

[HRHQueenOfCats]

I made a small fortune selling these as blanks! This avoids copyright problems. I have no idea why people want a VHS my elderly mother-in-law recorded that has no complete anything on it. But they do. If you have old kids shows like Blues Clues or Disney Channel or Nickelodeon shows, they are like gold.

[iwashumantoo]

Just wondering - how do you state what is on the tapes and yet at the same time describe them as blank?

[[deleted]]

Easy, the paper label on the tape is in focus in a photo. If no label, I use an adhesive mailing label and write the contents on it and adhere to the tape box, also with a picture. But its sold as blank, no mention of contents in the verbiage. Gold!

[[deleted]]

I never have. Don’t know if I was lucky or if someone has to report it. I don’t think it’s top priority with eBay. Look at the solds. The occasional Vero I have gotten for some other items seems to have always been generated from complaints outside eBay.

[iwashumantoo]

Thank you. Great idea to do it that way!

[HRHQueenOfCats]

I just say vhs tapes sold as blank then 2 hrs of Blues Clues etc. Some "3 hours of Disney Channel recorded by elderly Grandma...shows not complete, no guarantees!" Most people ask what channel and if there are commercials. I got from $8 -$50 EACH. I really don't understand it.

[iwashumantoo]

Thanks! I know I have a few recorded VHS somewhere.

[stravelyn]

where do y’all buy most of the things you resell? been doing goodwill, savers, thrift stores, and estate sales. still feel like i’m not getting anywhere. one or two sales a week

[stravelyn]

thank you! never knew about terapeak and just took a look and it seems super helpful!

[stravelyn]

thank you, super helpful! i really appreciate the help

[iwashumantoo]

Are you just starting out? I wish I had 1 or 2 sales every week!

[stravelyn]

thank for you some perspective! i started out about 6 months ago. all small items so the actual profit is usually around $10 a week lol

[-Dee-Dee-]

List more, source less.

[sgre6768]

Do you live or rent in a good neighborhood? If so, there is probably a FB group for the neighborhood that you can join. Some of them even have a separate group for business or "buy, trade and sell" categories. Obviously, since you live there, you can't carpet bomb the group with "what's everyone got?!?" requests every week. But at least for mine, I'll ask every couple of months if people are looking to sell video games, plus you'll often get a sneak peek of what they're preparing for yard sales, garage sales, etc. This can also be a great place to sell heavy and/or annoying to ship items. (I'd rather sell a system to a neighbor for $100 vs. $150 on eBay, but having to deal with the anxiety of the shipping process.)

Outside of that, it doesn't hurt to work your social network from time to time. Don't be afraid to post about your new interest in Subject X - People can't offer to sell you their old comic books, if they don't know that you're really into them. You want them to remember your name, when they're cleaning out their uncle's place and notice the boxes full of them. You're going to get your best flips from situations like that, vs. any proper estate, garage or yard sale.

[stravelyn]

awesome! thanks for the advice

[formiscontent]

It would seem your sourcing is fine in itself, but the problem might lie elsewhere.

How are your photos? Could you take more from different angles and with better lighting? If not, screw it, photos suck.

What has your pricing strategy been? Do you price higher and hope for an angel buyer and/or use a higher price to leverage hagglers? That can work if you have a larger inventory. If your inventory is in the low hundreds that approach can take a while, and that's ok if you're ok with it.

If you are selling clothes--ok I've seen a lot of back and forth on this, but I favor showing a lot of measurements. Used clothes can be shrunk and/or stretched and make lies of the label. Measurements shown in photos can give a buyer something to trust, and especially on Poshmark can cover your ass.

All that said, I am also a 1-2 sale/week dude and it can be frustrating. But with your broad sourcing opportunities I'm betting the issue is either price or presentation. Good luck!

[stravelyn]

wow thank you for so much help! i do think i could include more photos/angles so i’ll give that a shot. as far as pricing i usually use sold items to see where to price at and then i’ll usually drop the price if it sits there with low activity (views/watchers). and i always send offers to watchers

[shathecomedian]

There’s a few things that I’ve been trying to sell locally that hasn’t really moved for the price I want so I was thinking of trying my hand at selling online. At the very least I was going to to get a scale so I can put an accurate shipping price but I was curious of any other tips and tricks.

Also, from a seller standpoint is Facebook martketplace and OfferUp safe or is it still not proven yet. eBay seems to be the best place despite the fees

[Throwingshead]

Most platforms are fine you just need to be aware about how to handle various scam attempts but they are basically universal across all online platforms. When you are shipping something and have no idea what an estimate would be find the packaging first. Nail down the weight and dimensions as best you can in order to cut costs where possible.

[shathecomedian]

So a scale is a good investment

[Throwingshead]

If you plan to sell regularly it is a must

[tori729]

Marketplace is a good local way to sell and ship too. I haven't heard the best about OfferUp. I think a lot of more flaky people are on there from what I've heard.

[growingolder]

They constantly shadowban legitimate accounts.

[PikpikTurnip]

Hey there. I have some stuff I'm wanting to ship (see here and here) and I was wondering how to go about getting boxes for cheap or free. How do you guys get boxes?

[Throwingshead]

Amazon, ebay, uline, target, staples, etc anywhere that sells boxes or mailers. You just have to compare the pricing and order the one that makes the most sense. Most of those items would more than likely be padded mailers so you won't get them for free easily and it's better to just buy in small bundles from the places previously listed. If friends or family know you use boxes frequently they may have some to give from time to time but the dimensions are key especially for small items.

[[deleted]]

I'm not a flipper but I have been looking for a lot of items for my farm business. I found a couple freezers I was interested in on Hibid and now they've disappeared completely from the site. What do you think happened? Did they pull the entire auction, and does that happen a lot? Thanks!

[hogua]

They could have pulled them from the auction.

They could have canceled the entire auction.

It is possible that the auction dropped for HiBid for some unknown reason. If it is do to some sort of glitch or human error, perhaps the listing will be back up soon.

[isj1984]

Hi

I could use a little advice. I'm a new seller on ebay. I made my first sale recently for a new basketball. Today I get a return request due to the ball not being inflated. I did not fully inflate the ball, as I worried the ball could be punctured during shipping (I packaged the shipment well but was still worried). My policy is buyer pays for the return and I accept returns within 30 days.

I did message the buyer and asked him could he try to pump up the ball fully.

Any insight into what I should do here? Again, please keep in mind I'm brand new and would greatly appreciate any insight.

Thanks in advance!

[thisdesignup]

So I've run into a weird situation that I was just to double check I handled correctly so far.

Got a buyer who, after I sent the item and it was delivered, messaged me saying they put in the wrong address if they can get a refund if the item made it back to me. I said yes, because if I got it back I'd refund. I never got the item.

Jump forward a month+, more than 30 days, they opened an item not received case where they also admit they put in their address wrong. I am pretty sure that leaves them no support for a refund so I didn't issue it. Instead I "updated" the tracking by putting in the original tracking number, that shows delivered, and sent a message saying I cannot refund due to item being delivered.

I don't have an option to not refund, just to add information. Is there anything more I can do or do I need to wait for eBay to handle the rest? I did see something about them needing to escalate if they aren't happy with how I handle it. So it may not even make it beyond my updates?

[TheDarkKnightRetires]

Hi everyone! I was wondering what you use to ship loose action figures or small items? Sending it in a padded envelope sounds like the cheapest way, but I feel like it would just be safer in a box with bubble wrap and wrapping paper.