Flipping Electronics: A Profitable Niche to Explore

Reselling 101

By RC Staff

15 July 2023

If you’ve been reselling for a while, you know just how profitable electronics can be. We’ve seen a wide variety of products resell, from the days of GPUs and game consoles flipping for triple their retail price, to niche gadgets enthusiasts will pay out the nose for. There’s more ways to make money from reselling electronics than just the obvious products, so stick with us as we explore some of the most popular and profitable electronics to flip, and what to look for when evaluating items.

Why resell electronics?

When you compare flipping electronics to other items that resell, there are some important distinctions that give electronics an edge.

For one, electronics tend to be expensive. This can be both good and bad, but for a reseller, a higher retail price is generally an advantage. It means your buyers will already be prepared to spend a fair bit of cash, so you can set your price higher. That generally shakes out to higher profit margins and more money in your wallet at the end of the day.

The smart device evolution has also greatly expanded the definition of electronics. Devices that would have been quite simple only a few years ago now feature a computer and network integration. This has not only inflated prices, but also expanded the pool of items you can resell. Now blenders, juicers, and exercise equipment are just as profitable to resell as a computer.

There are a wide selection of niche electronics popular with hobbyists. Items like these are perfect for resellers, as they tend to be underproduced and in high demand. Combine that with the small size and high unit value of electronics, it represents tons of profit off of just a few sales.

Finally, electronics are in a constant state of churn. This is a double-edged sword for resellers. Consumers are always seeking out new products to replace their outdated models, but it also means a reseller can’t expect to hold an item for too long and expect to profit. Speed is the name of the game.

All together, flipping electronics is an ideal choice for any resellers. They have some of the highest profit potentials among any item, and are much less risky than many other products.

What are the best electronics to resell?

Keep in mind that “electronics” is quite a broad term. It can apply to anything from gaming consoles, home computers, gadgets and devices, appliances, and handheld tools.

That said, reselling electronics can provide you with quite a few opportunities to make a profit. As with any product, the best electronics to resell will be items where demand has outpaced supply. There’s a variety of ways that this can happen, from very popular items to the very niche.

You’ll also want to focus on items towards the top of the price range for their respective category. For example, if you want to resell a computer, you would be going after the expensive gaming PCs with powerful components, rather than trying to flip a Chromebook. Items that sell for more at retail will also resell for more as a rule of thumb.

Gaming consoles like the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S were great opportunities for resellers. They are luxury products, meaning anyone buying one doesn’t necessarily need it but are willing to hand over cash for one anyway. Combined with the intense demand that led to stock completely selling out for months at a time, reselling consoles was incredibly easy and profitable.

Here are some more examples of recent electronics that have resold:

• Flipper Zero: Produced by a Russian team in early 2020, the Flipper Zero started reselling for significantly over its $120 early price. The device blew up in tech circles and became extremely hyped. Preorders sold out extremely fast, and resellers were selling them for more than $1,000.
• XIM Matrix: A plug-in device for PCs and gaming consoles to give players an edge. The Matrix is the latest development from XIM, whose devices have resold in the past. You can check out our article on the XIM Matrix here, but the TL;DR is these $125 devices have flipped for $500.
• Panic Playdate: This was a really cool product from Panic, who are mainly known for being a video game publisher. When the Playdate was announced it became popular overnight, and preorders sold out and resold in minutes. Read our article on the Panic Playdate here for more details.

What do these three products have in common? They’re popular among hobbyists, they’re niche offerings for $100+, and produced by relatively small manufacturers. Combined, these factors led to the products selling out quickly and reselling for huge profits

Are GPUs still reselling?

You probably heard a lot about GPU prices during the pandemic, even if you weren’t trying to buy or sell one. While they were certainly the hot topic at the time, things have changed since then.

Many resellers have more or less sworn of GPUs and CPUs because they have become much harder to resell. The issue isn’t that demand suddenly fell off, or that manufactures magically ramped up production.

Instead, Nvidia and AMD jacked up their prices, enough so that the average retail price for a GPU resembled what resellers were asking for the previous generation.

Right now, Nvidia 4090 GPUs have an MSRP of $1,500, while the upcoming 4090 Ti has a rumored price of more than $2,000.

Compare that to prices for 20 series GPUs, the primary graphics card being traded prior to the pandemic. These retailed for under $1,000 for most models, with resellers making hundreds in profit.

Additionally, much of the demand around high-end GPUs was built off the back off the cryptocurrency market, which was absolutely booming at the time. Miners were buying up every GPU available and contributed to the shortage. As crypto has slowed down, so have sales for GPUs.

In the end, it’s a lose-lose scenario for consumers and resellers; the only party happy under the new situation are the manufacturers who are now making more money in the end. Isn’t 2023 fun?

Where to resell electronics

This isn’t terribly complicated. There’s no specialized marketplaces or methods for reselling electronics. Wherever you list your items currently is fine. Most resellers prefer to use eBay or set up an Amazon store. For more info on these platforms, you can check out our guides to reselling on eBay and Amazon here.

Local sales are also an option to resell electronics. For popular and in demand items like gaming consoles, TVs, or gaming PCs, and tend to be ideal. Any time you can avoid shipping an item you should.

That said, it’s pretty difficult to move hobbyist and niche electronics locally. Stuff like the XIM Matrix or Flipper Zero tend to be more popular online, where you can find a buyer willing to fork over the most cash possible. Fortunately, electronics tend to be light and compact relative to their price, so shipping is rarely as a hassle.

Reselling used electronics

This is an option for experienced resellers and those with an eye for the right products. There are plenty of people out there willing to pay a premium for quality vintage electronics, but finding them in good condition is not easy.

Generally speaking, buying any kind of used electronic device to resell is a risk, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. If you’re just starting out reselling, or you don’t have much knowledge about vintage electronics, we recommend sticking to new products only.

That said, there are a few categories of older electronics that can be quite profitable. Vintage video game consoles are probably the best example, as hobbyists have been known to pay thousands for examples in good condition. Finding products like these is never easy, but they can be worth their weight in gold with a little luck.

Earlier this year, a sealed box containing a first edition iPhone sold at an auction for $63,000. This record-breaking sale comes just a few months after a string of prior auctions, all of which saw early 2000s electronics sell for incredible prices.

These examples are special and quite rare because of the condition of the devices. Most of them were not only unused, but unopened and still wrapped up in the original packaging. Finding and selling an item like this is the dream of every reseller, but it requires more than a little luck

To wrap things up

Flipping electronics is a great opportunity for any reseller. Whether it’s consumer products or niche gadgets, electronic devices represent some of the highest profit margins achievable by any reseller, comparable to designer clothes and shoes.

Unlike designer clothes, electronics tend to be low risk. While there’s a chance the latest sneaker might end up a total brick, most hyped devices will live up to the demand, and you can expect to resell them for more than you paid if you get hold of one.

We recommend every reseller make room in their budget for electronics. While they do tend to be pricy, the fact is that reselling even one electronic device can make you the same profit as several smaller flips. All in one sale to one buyer means a whole lot less hassle, and isn’t that what reselling is all about? Avoiding hassle?

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