What Sold on eBay: 5 Thrifted Finds & What I Made

One of my favorite things about reselling is finding something for next to nothing and discovering that it's worth a whole lot more than I paid for it.

For this round of what sold on eBay, I'm sharing five recent flips — including inexpensive finds that I probably paid $1 or less for.

That's actually pretty typical of how I source. I love finding cheap, overlooked things that other people might pass right by and seeing what I can turn them into.

What Sold on eBay: 5 Recent Flips

Here's a quick look at five things I bought to resell, what I paid for them, and what happened when I listed them on eBay.

Watch the five eBay flips ↓

The 5 Items I Sold on eBay

Here are the five finds from this batch. These are exactly the kinds of things I like sharing because sometimes the items worth picking up aren't necessarily the things that immediately look valuable.

eBay Flip #1

Flip #1 from this round of recent eBay sales.

eBay Flip #2

Flip #2 — another item that made it from a cheap find to an eBay sale.

eBay Flip #3

Flip #3 from this batch of what sold on eBay.

eBay Flip #4

Flip #4 — one more example of why I don't automatically overlook cheap secondhand finds.

eBay Flip #5

Flip #5 from this round of recent eBay sales.

One thing to keep in mind:

The selling price isn't the same thing as profit. eBay fees, shipping costs, supplies and the original cost of the item all matter. That's why I like looking at what I paid along with what something eventually sold for.

Most of My Inventory Costs $1 or Less

One thing that surprises people about my eBay sales is how little I often have invested in the items I'm selling.

I usually pay around $1 or less for a lot of my inventory.

That doesn't mean I won't pay more. If I find something with enough resale value, I'm definitely willing to spend more to make more.

But I really like inexpensive inventory because keeping my cost low gives me much more room between what I paid and what the item eventually sells for.

What I Look for When Buying to Resell

I don't have one specific category that I'll buy.

That's actually part of the fun for me.

I'll look at clothing, home decor, vintage pieces, unusual items, recognizable brands and sometimes things I know absolutely nothing about until I look them up.

I try not to assume something has no value just because it's inexpensive or doesn't immediately look special.

Some of my favorite flips have been things that would have been very easy to overlook.

What Makes Me Stop and Look Something Up

• A recognizable or unusual brand
• Something vintage or hard to identify
• An item that looks unusually well made
• Something priced so cheaply that the risk is low
• An item I haven't seen before and am curious about

What I Paid Matters Just as Much as What It Sold For

The selling price is only half of the story when you're looking at a flip.

An item selling for $50 is a very different sale if you paid $40 for it than if you paid $1 for it.

That's why I like sharing both sides — what I actually spent to get the item and what someone eventually paid for it.

Of course, the difference between those two numbers isn't pure profit. There can still be eBay fees, shipping costs, supplies and other selling expenses.

But starting with a very low cost of goods gives me a lot more room to work with.

Cheap Doesn't Mean Worthless

That's probably one of the biggest things I've learned from years of buying and reselling.

The price on something at a thrift store, yard sale or other secondhand source doesn't necessarily tell you what it's worth to somebody else.

Sometimes something is cheap simply because the person selling it doesn't want it anymore, doesn't know what it's worth, or just wants it gone.

That's where knowing what to look for — and being willing to research things when you don't know — can make a difference.

I Definitely Don't Get Every Flip Right

Of course, not everything I buy turns into a great sale.

Sometimes something takes forever to sell. Sometimes I think I've found something great and later realize it isn't worth nearly as much as I thought. And some items end up making a pretty small profit.

That's part of reselling.

Keeping my purchase prices low on a lot of my inventory gives me more room for some misses along with the really good finds.

This Is Just the Start of My What Sold on eBay Series

This definitely won't be the last time I share what I've sold.

I plan to keep showing real eBay flips — what I bought, what I paid, what it sold for, and the things that surprise me along the way.

Some batches will probably have bigger profits than others, and I'm sure there will be plenty of weird finds mixed in too.

That's part of what makes reselling fun. You never really know what the next good flip is going to be.

Would You Have Picked These Up?

Now that you've seen all five, which one would you have picked up to resell?

And is there one you probably would have walked right past?

Follow Unlikely Flips for more real eBay sales, thrift finds, home makeovers, DIY projects and things that turn out to be worth more than they first appear.