Best Things to Resell: Ultimate Guide 2023

Reselling 101

By RC Staff

14 March 2023

Every reseller has struggled with sourcing items. With a whole world of items out there to flip, how do you tell which ones are worth your time and money? Maybe you have an idea of what you’d like to sell, but it feels impossible to actually get your hands on it.

In this article, we’ll break down what makes for the best items to resell, and give some examples of good flips, as well as items to avoid. Stick around as we dive into the world of reselling.

What makes an item good to resell?

For starters, every item you resell MUST be profitable. Unless you feel like operating a charity, or you’re flipping items for fun, profit is your first goal. That said, there are other factors that go into choosing items to flip.

How easy will it be to resell this item? Will you need to hold it for a long time, or will it sell the same day you list it? How much does it cost? Even if it’s a profitable item to resell, can you afford to invest in it?

What about risk? Are you sure you can flip this item? Is it restricted? Can you store it in your home, your garage, or will you need to make space? Can you ship the item cheaply? If you’re not careful, you could end up turning your room into a warehouse:

@kickswithfrank

The inside look of my sneaker warehouse, aka the living room 💀😭 #sneakerreseller #sneakercollection #sneakertok2023 #sneakercollector #sneakerreselling

♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show

Additionally, you should also ask yourself whether you want to flip items locally, or resell them online (or both). As you can see, there’s a lot more to reselling items than just the price tag.

Here’s a rule of thumb:

The best items to resell will be produced in limited numbers, intended for dedicated, wealthy fanbases. Usually, they will be decorative/sentimental, rather than functional. This is why reselling collectibles can be so lucrative.

Limited production items like these produce the perfect ratio of supply to demand that resellers feast on, and as long as you can get your hands on one, you’ll generally be walking away with profit.

First, let’s look at online sales, as these are generally the most profitable.

The best items to sell online

When you flip items online, you are able to show off your listings to the widest customer base possible. With buyers from around the globe competing for your item, the chances of someone purchasing it for your listed price is increased. Essentially, selling online = selling for the most profit.

You’ll need to balance that against the added costs and hassle of shipping. For smaller items, this can be negligible. When items are larger, or more expensive, shipping can become a serious obstacle. Additionally, when flipping items on eBay or other online marketplaces, you will likely have to deal with refund attempts and chargebacks at some point down the road.

The best items to flip online are the most expensive you can reasonably afford. Here are some ideas:

• Designer clothes and shoes are a great example. There’s a reason sneakerheads and resellers have such a big overlap! We cover the Halo X Wolverine Boot here.
• Collectibles are very lucrative as well, as fans of a particular hobby or niche will compete to buy them. Resident Evil fans will pay hundreds for a collector’s edition of RE4.
•  Limited edition vinyl pressings of popular albums have exploded recently. We’ve written about a few of these. When an artist releases a new album, they may choose to put out a small offering of vinyl records for sale, with an inflated price tag. Check out our coverage of Taylor Swift’s recent vinyl release.
• You can resell watches. While many of them are extremely expensive, some are cheap, and still resell well. Additionally, there are opportunities to purchase them below retail, like with the M.A.D.1 RED.

Basically, the ideal products for reselling online are hyped, limited, and expensive. Consumers willing to buy them at a high retail price will be less likely to balk at a reseller.

The best items to flip on eBay

For resellers, eBay is a great platform. Compared to reselling on Amazon, eBay has significantly less restrictions on items. You do not need to be an authorized reseller to sell branded goods on eBay.

If you have a surplus of branded goods like Nike or Apple products, you can list them on eBay and make a quick profit.

You can also sell used items on eBay, as long as you disclose their status. While Amazon will restrict certain categories of items to new listings only, eBay has no such requirement.

The best items to resell locally

Alternatively, you may prefer to resell your items locally, by flipping on Craigslist, Offerup, or your local Facebook Marketplace. Local sales have the potential to save money and hassle on shipping, and there’s no risk of a chargeback when dealing with cash.

You will want to take advantage of local sales in two situations:

1) The item is extremely popular, and in demand with the general public. Reselling PS5s and other game consoles are by far the best items to flip locally. In these cases, there will be a sizable amount of people in your area willing to pay the resell price, so you can simply trade the item for cash, and pocket the extra money that would have gone towards shipping.

2) Resell heavy items locally. When you have an extremely bulky or large item to flip, the shipping costs can eat into your profits significantly. While you can try to offset this by raising the price, you may not be able to find anyone to buy it. Exercise equipment, weights, inflatable pools, and other large objects are examples of this.

How to find products for reselling

If you’re trying to find items to flip, you should check out our article that goes into more depth.

When you’re sourcing items for reselling, try to avoid competition. Sure, hyped shoe drops have the potential to make you thousands in profit, but what are the chances of you actually scoring a pair? There will be tons of other resellers, botters, and consumers competing with you. There’s no harm in trying, but keep your eyes open for less competitive avenues.

In-person events are a great opportunity. Online sales mean you’ll be competing against the whole world, but if you can find an exclusive item sold only at a particular event, you’ll stand much better odds of buying one. Last year’s D23 Disney Expo had a sale for their Lorcana cards for just $50. Now, a complete set can sell for almost $5,000.

Pay attention to your own hobbies. There may be new items put up for sale that other resellers are missing out on.

6 Tips to resell items for the most profit

1) Buy Low

Okay, duh, but it’s deeper than that. It’s not worth buying an item if you can’t find it for a good price. On the other, if you have a line on an item at a heavy discount, you can actually profit by reselling it for below the retail price.

2) Resell High

Before you pull the trigger on the sale, ask if this is the most you’ll get. There are plenty of instances where resellers quickly sell their items, only for them to appreciate further. Conversely, you may have an offer for an item, but find the market cools off. Some profit is always better than no profit

3) Manage Risk When Reselling

Before you buy an item, understand the risks PS5s? No risk. Taylor Swift vinyl? No risk. But when you get into seasonal releases primarily relying on hype, or items for developing fanbases, you are taking a gamble. The longer you hold an item the riskier it is.

4) Resell Local When Possible

List your items both locally and online. If you get a great offer from a local buyer, you are saving money, time, and effort.

5) Don't Get Tunnel Vision

Many resellers are too fixated on one particular niche like shoes or watches. The best resellers are flipping many different types of items because they are only interested in profit. Keep your eyes open for new flips outside your comfort zone.

6) Easy Flips Beat Hyped Drops

While you should still try to go for the big release, you have to realize you won’t be able to buy them every time. Other people will beat you out, so you should rely on simpler, lowkey flips to pay the bills.

The risks and challenges of reselling

Like we said at the start, every reseller’s biggest challenge is sourcing products. You might have a long list of products to resell, but it doesn’t matter if you can’t buy them in the first place. Whether they’re out of stock, overpriced, or bought up by other resellers first, getting ahold of stock will be your first priority.

Reselling also requires investing money. You’ll need to have some cash saved up to buy products with, and depending on what you’re reselling, that can be a lot or little. Some of the best items to flip cost less than $100, but others may require $1,000 or more up front.

Of course, since it’s your own money, you’re also assuming risk. To reduce risk when reselling items, avoid holding items for a long time, or investing in items without an existing aftermarket.

Finally, when you’re meeting up to resell an item locally, do it safely. While it’s unlikely, getting robbed is a real possibility. The safest place to meet for a sale is at a police station, and is quite common. Otherwise, always choose a public location. Go to a Starbucks or McDonalds, get a coffee, and make the sale.

Is reselling illegal?

Generally, no, reselling is not illegal. As long as you’re the lawful owner of an item, you’re free to sell it at any price you like.

Of course, some items have restrictions around their sale. Firearms and certain parts may have laws regarding private sales, depending on your state. If you’re reselling a car, make sure you submit the necessary info to your state as well.

Additionally, make sure you’re following the relevant rules for the marketplace you’re selling on. Selling restricted items may not be illegal, but it can result in a ban from the platform.

Get started reselling today!

As you can see, finding the best items to flip isn’t always so simple. You need to balance the potential profits against the ease of purchasing the item, shipping costs, and risk, as well as determining whether you will flip items locally or online.

That said, there’s no reason not to start reselling today. If you’re a student or a nine-to-fiver looking for a little extra cash, flipping items for profit is one of the easiest ways to make money from home. Once you get a taste for it, you can turn your reselling side hustle into a full-time job, and operate your own reselling business.

If you haven’t already, make sure you subscribe to our newsletter, and join the waitlist for RC Elite. The best things to flip are constantly changing, and the only way to stay on top of it is by connecting with the pros. We hope to see you there!