Make Money by Flipping Thrift Store Finds | Rob & Melissa Stephenson

Guests: Rob & Melissa Stephenson — Founders of Flea Market Flipper, full-time eBay resellers and educators

• Getting Started in Flipping:

  • Rob began flipping nearly 30 years ago, inspired by his parents selling yard sale finds in the newspaper classifieds—long before eBay existed.

  • Melissa joined the business 17 years ago after marrying Rob, initially unsure but quickly realizing the side hustle’s earning potential as Rob “always found a way to pay for everything.”

  • What began as a part-time venture became their full-time business in 2016, jumping from ~$42,000/year (part-time) to $133,000 in their first year full-time.

• Making the Leap to Full-Time:

  • A turning point came when a change in Rob’s day job benefits forced them to decide whether to search for another job or go “all in” on flipping.

  • Committed to scaling, they switched from low-value, high-volume items to a high-profit, low-volume model—focusing on big-ticket items with $1,000–$2,000 profit per sale.

• How They Source and Sell:

  • They look for high-retail-value used goods—commercial appliances, gym equipment, cooktops, and other hard-to-find, high-end items—that are undervalued in local markets but sell quickly on eBay to a national/global audience.

  • Classic finds include a $5,000 parking lot security tower bought at auction and flipped for $25,000, and a $500 bus wash resold for $14,500.

  • They source from Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, OfferUp, local auctions, garage sales, and thrift stores, then leverage eBay (global reach) for sales.

• Education & Flea Market Flipper:

  • In 2015, Rob & Melissa launched their blog and eventually the Flipper University course to teach others their system.

  • Their community has grown to over 1,500 students; many members have built part-time or even full-time incomes through flipping.

• Top Advice for Beginners:

  • Start by flipping unused items around your house to get a feel for platforms and shipping without any risk.

  • Build 50+ positive feedbacks on eBay with smaller items before jumping into high-ticket sales.

  • The “secret weapon”: Learn to fix/repair items with YouTube or local help—often a simple repair makes an item much more valuable.

  • “The money is made in the buy”—always look for great deals, not just selling skills.

• Industry & Business Model Insights:

  • COVID and Gary Vee’s embrace of flipping brought a surge in public interest, but the space is much more competitive and “noisier” now.

  • Rob & Melissa focus on high-touch, high-value flipping to keep their business defensible against both AI/digital disruption and cheaper/lower-value competitors.

  • Flipping teaches valuable life skills: negotiation, logistics, shipping, sales, research, and business management.

Connect with Rob & Melissa:

• https://fleamarketflipper.com/

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