Issue #65

In a week full of unsolicited texts, here's one message you actually signed up for, welcome to Flip Weekly. With the Australian Federal Election now behind us, it’s time for us thrifters, flippers, and yes, even politicians, to get back to what we do best: making money. Our job descriptions might differ, but the goal remains the same: scoop up what we can from the people and flip it for a tidy profit. And yes, I did a lot of scooping this week.

We have a new segment this week called Secondhand Opinions. It’s cheesy, it’s a novelty but it should spark some conversation. Once a week I’ll put up a topic, present my thoughts and you’ll write in with your own. These topics might be controversial, they might start a fight but it’ll be fun to see which side people land on. This weeks topic is below, let’s see how we go. But first!

In This Issue

• What I Bought

• What I Sold

• Secondhand Opinions

• Win a Free $200 Mystery Box

• Podcast

• Social Media

• 100% Free Resources to Help You

What I Bought

Scoring good quality video games in a thrift store is pretty rare, what we’re used to seeing as a million copies of Wii Fit, decades of FIFA and the occassional Brain Training on the Nintendo DS. However… for the 2nd time this year I’ve found not just good games, but factory sealed games that will make me a lot of money, and quickly.

This is the 1st time I’ve ever found and bought PS Vita games before however there’s always a market for video games, especially when they’re niche titles and brand new. The games were by the same publisher and are called War Theatre and Mecho Wars: Desert Ashes. The games appear to sell for around $80 each but as they’re by the same publisher we have the option of listing them together in a bundle which is what others have done.

I’ve decided to list them both up in a bundle for $149.95 on eBay and if they sell, we’ll secure ourselves over $100 in profit. I’ve also posted them on Marketplace for an even $100 which would secure a $90 profit. As I said, it’s rare to find any good video games in a thrift store but it’s certainly not impossible. Video games in the thrift to me are mostly a luxury, it’s not what I’m going in looking for (because you’re bound to be disappointed) but you just never know when it’s your lucky day.

Speaking of lucky days, I definitely had my tinfoil hat on when I came across this next item. Call me paranoid, call me suspicious, I just didn’t think something so valuable would be priced so low.

We have a high quality digital camera, inside the box, priced at just $15. What’s the catch? I opened up the box and we had everything inside: the camera, wrist strap, charger, instructions, battery… even a 4GB SD card. I look over the camera and can’t see any cosmetic damage so I go to turn it on. Nothing. Hmm. Possibly out of charge but also possibly completely faulty. I look up comps and the first one that pops up is this:

I immediately think this just doesn’t work, I mean Vinnies sometimes puts “WORKING“ stickers on items and I’m sure they would have tested this out. I go on to look at comps to see what it sells for if it actually works…

Given the camera has a good sell through rate with very few active listings, I decide to take a gamble. I’m betting on the thrift store either not fully testing or the camera having maybe a dud battery, or even just out of charge and all of this is easily fixable and worth a gamble for just $15. I take it home and the first thing I do is put it on charge and see a red light on the charging cable. Looking over the instruction manual this means it’s actively charging. Okay, nothing wrong thus far. I give it 30 minutes and go back and attempt to power it on.

Success! Not only does it turn on, but it holds its charge and all of the buttons seem to be working. I go ahead and delete all of the existing photos from the SD card and list it up on eBay for $199.95. Cameras tend to sell quickly so expect to see this in What’s Sold next week.

I described Issue #55 titled “Sealed Pokemon Cards In A Thrift Store For Just $4?!” a once in a lifetime find. Sealed packs of Pokemon cards in a thrift store for just $4 was something I’d never experience again. In a way I was right, I haven’t found booster packs for $4. Instead, on a lazy Sunday, I found something even better.

Just picture this. Disheveled Mat on a Sunday afternoon after a big Saturday night, all I want is to get some greasy food and crawl back home, but FOMO kicks in and I need to stop at the Vinnies that’s conveniently on the way home. I poke my head inside knowing I wont spot anyone I know who will judge me for my sluggish demeanor only to rub my eyes and pinch myself when I spot what I think is a box of sealed Pokemon booster packs for $15.

With anything Pokémon related either locked behind glass or priced above retail in most thrift stores, the chances of stumbling across a sealed box of booster packs feels like one in a million. But finding one for just $15 when comps show the below, that’s more like one in ten million.

The lady at the cash register commented that this was the last one that I was buying. I asked her how many had come in and she said 3, and that a couple had bought 2 just moments before me. So if this was you who left one behind for me, thank you! $15 into $200 is a nice little return for a Sunday arvo flip and for the people before me, they’re certain to turn $30 into around $400 with relative ease. By the way.. why did you leave 1 behind? Why didn’t you take all 3? I know if the shoe was on the other foot I’d 100% take all three… sorry!

Besides selling the full pack, the other option someone can take if they’re wanting to make money with Pokemon cards, is to open the packs up and hope there’s a rare inside. When the buy price is so low at $15, there’s a good chance you can make a profit. But would it be over $200? Judging by the 10 most valuable cards in this particular series, the odds don’t look that good, best to sell unopened.

Reminder you can watch me finding items like this on social media including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

I listed the entire pack up on eBay for $219.95 which is $60 cheaper than the only other active Australian comp. Given how popular Pokemon is, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this sell this week.

What I Sold

I told you this item was going to sell fast.

I found this working microcassette recorder in the thrift for $8 and I just knew it was going to sell quickly. Despite zero sold comps in the $100 range I decided to list it up for $99.95 and a buyer has snatched it up within 24 hours. I told you in the podcast that these cassette recorders are still being used and they’re getting harder and harder to find so if you spot one, grab it.

Big box PC games continue to line my pockets with huge profits, this week having a game called Homeworld selling for $129.95 with a purchase price of just $3. Time and time again these valuable games are mistaken for board games and it’s us resellers who reap the rewards from those mistakes.

I found this Teletubbies backpack in November’s Garage Sale Trail and had to have him for $10 knowing that anything from the show is usually snatched up quite quickly. Initially I listed it up for $99.95 and the item proved to be annoying, having a watcher added to the listing practically every day yet no-one pulling the trigger; usually the sign of an overpriced item. Nevertheless, I decided to drop the price to $89.95 and that seemed to do the trick with a buyer snatching it up.

Tip: some of the most desirable Teletubbies items aren’t toys, but baby clothes. Keep an eye out in the kids clothing section for Teletubbies jumpsuits, rompers and overalls.

Next up is something that sold in only a few hours.

I chucked the games up on eBay for $149.95 and Marketplace for $100. Didn’t take long for an incredibly friendly buyer to scoop them up, dude kept calling me boss man.

Secondhand Opinions

The concept is simple, we’ll throw up a controversial, or at least spicy reselling topic, I’ll present my argument whether it’s poorly thought out or not and you’ll provide your own. We might do some voting, you can email in, submit a form on the website or even get in touch via social media with your own thoughts.

This weeks topic: Is It Okay to Haggle at a Charity Op Shop?

Voting is open below.

I don’t think it’s okay to haggle at a charity op shop for a few reasons.

1) Staff aren’t prepared.

In my area, the people behind the counters at thrift stores are usually elderly staff members, people with a disability or volunteers. They’re not salespeople that are trained on pricing or how to negotiate with members of the public.

2) Haggling can create disagreements.

We’ve all seen how people can treat retail employees. YouTube is full of videos of McDonalds staff getting abused because they forgot to put 1 nugget in a meal, imagine adding on a price tag that isn’t consistent with the rest of the buyers. Or better yet, picture an 80 year old Vinnies volunteer saying “Sorry, I can’t sell this $100 item for $5“ to some jacked up bogan.

3) As much as I moan, most prices are already pretty low.

Yeah, we complain about high prices but that’s usually to do with flipping, where we try and make money. If you’re buying the item for personal use, in most cases, it’s cheaper than retail. I mean have you gone to a book store lately? Most books in thrift stores range from $1-$5 and then you go into Harry Hartog and see Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone illustrated edition selling for $65!

What do you think?

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