Issue #60

What’s up Flippers? Mat here and not only am I telling you exactly what I bought and sold this week including some hidden gems you can look out for, I’m going to tell you what you shouldn’t buy. This is stuff that should be a no brainer to experienced resellers, but fresh faces might be wasting some time looking over it. Last week I shared with you a discount for The Aussie Flipper’s new piece of software but thanks to this email newsletter platform automatically adding a UTM parater to the end of it, it didn’t work and you definitely let me know. Fun. Read my review in last weeks Issue here and if you want to take advantage of the 20% discount, copy and paste the below URL in your browser:

https://flippedit.com.au/register?ref=flipweekly

Hopefully that link isn’t screwed up.

If you can’t get enough of flipping content and want some banter, don’t forget to listen to the podcast here. Let’s get into things.

By the way, how cool is it calling you flippers?

In This Issue

• What I Bought

• What I Sold

• What You Shouldn’t Buy In A Vinnies

• Win a Free $200 Mystery Box

• Podcast

• Social Media

• 100% Free Resources to Help You

What I Bought

This is 2 weeks in a row where I’ve found something that I’d add to my personal collection if only it was factory sealed and in better condition. In last weeks Issue (#59 here) I found a really cool Sony CD Walkman for $25 that lists up for $150, and this week we have another piece of old tech that would make teenagers today roll their eyes in disgust.

We have my personal introduction to handheld gaming, the e-Star Brick Game E-23. For those unfamiliar or too young to appreciate what this is, it’s a portable Tetris device that was all the rage in the very early 90’s. The Nintendo Gameboy had just come out and this chunky, bland looking electronic game offered a cheaper, alternative way of gaming while on the go. Granted you couldn’t play anything other than Tetris, but for those of us fortunate to have one of these in our lives, this thing was hours of fun.

I’ve never found one in the wild before, but when you do you’ll realize that they’re priced at relatively cheap as there’s little information on the box and they appear like a worthless piece of tech. Luckily for you you now know that depending on the edition and a few other factors (condition, working, etc) you can ask for anywhere between $50-$100.

Doing a little bit of research I found that the version I picked up, the E-23 was one of the very earliest iterations of the device. After the initial launch, e-Star went on to create “consoles” that had a few more features such as 8 in 1 games, a talking version, 999 in 1 games and so on. As this is the older version, the plain old 1 lonely game of Tetris, we may be able to aim high, especially considering we have the box which collectors would love to display. I think $99.95 on eBay is the right price, a nice return from a $5 find!

When an item is sitting in the DVD section and is 30 times the size of a single DVD, it grabs your attention. Add to that, a handwritten note stuck to the front and on appearances it looks valuable I’m 100% going to go in for a quicker look.

It looks like a video game, it has the MA15+ rating plus the Diablo branding on the front. It’s 100% a video game. It’s a collectors edition and contains a CD, book, DVD, game plus a few other items. It says its unopened but we take a closer look and we can see that whilst majority are sealed, the game is actually opened. This causes a problem as we can’t sell as brand new and sealed, we can’t confirm that the activation code inside the game case is used or unused. That sucks.

Unfortunately I’ll have to list this up for $99.95 with free post and best case scenario is a profit of around $25. It’s really my fault, I should have dug deeper when I saw the piece of paper say “unopened”. I did open the box and look inside and it looked sealed, but the way the original buyer opened the game was like how letters were opened 50 years ago, the top sliced off and the game disc slid out.

Remember Ice Age? An animated bunch of movies centered around a group of mammals trying to survive… the Ice Age. The first movie was released in 2002 and we’re actually getting Ice Age 6 next year. I remember seeing one of these movies in the cinema as a kid and being concerned there would be no talking as it opened with a dialogue free squirrel hunting for a nut for what felt like an eternity. Young Mat was very concerned these animals couldn’t talk. Anyway, take a look at the find below.

This was such a cool find, we have 4 of the main characters from the 4th movie, Ice Age: Continental Drift which came out in 2012. These action figures felt high quality, were poseable and combined were just $14.

Looking online at comps, these are quite rare. Amongst the McDonalds’s toys that were launched in collaboration, we have only a few Sold Comps and even fewer Active Listings.

Okay, a bit weird. I wrote out all of the Sold Comps yesterday yet looking for them on eBay now they’re missing. Very weird, but I’ll tell you them below:

$64.00 + $12.50 post for Sid (the image above)

$64.00 + $12.50 post for Diego (the saber-toothed tiger)

$29.00 + $14.50 post for Manny (the mammoth)

$64.00 + $12.50 post for Scrat (the squirrel)

The irony is that the thrift store were asking the most for Manny the Mammoth yet on eBay he appears to be the cheapest. Sid and Diego both had Sold Comps, I have no idea where they went. Scrat didn’t have a single Active or Sold so because of that I decided he would be priced the same as the other more expensive ones. We could really list him up for a bit more money considering the shortage, but those prices combined equal up to $271.00 which is a lot of money.

Selling separate might be the best solution as $80 for an Ice Age action figure would be easier to swallow than close to $300 for a set. Or maybe I should just decide screw it, let’s aim for $250, we only need 1 buyer. I’ll let you know what I decide to do.

Here’s something you don’t see everyday, Lord of the Rings miniature metal figurines all the way from Ireland.

Whenever you see metal miniature figurines, think expensive hobby. Hobbyists buy this figures, put them together and sometimes if they’re plastic they give ‘em a paint. You can get this brand new from the manufacturer in Ireland for €36.95 which is about $63AUD. Add on shipping and they’re worth around $80. I’m hopeful these guys sell on Marketplace for an even $50 however if there’s no movement, anything less than $80 on eBay should do the trick.

What I Sold

When I receive an international order, the money I receive is from the subtotal. I don’t receive a single cent if there’s any taxes, GST or VAT which is why I want to show off this next order. It’s a plush toy, it honestly looks like something bought from McDonalds yet the total price paid is close to $100.

This plush toy that I found in a thrift store for a couple of dollars is off to Hungary for a total order value of $97.48. Basically $100 just for a plush toy! I can’t believe it. The plush is from an animated show called “Regular Show“ which ran for 8 seasons from 2010 to 2017 on the Cartoon Network channel. I’m not 100% sure why it’s so collectible however if you find anything Regular Show in the wild, it’s usually worth picking up. Familiarize yourself with the characters, even watch an episode, it could make you a ton of money.

Next is something with a huge return, an NRL Cronulla Sharks jersey that I picked up in February for just $5 (Issue #53) and has sold for $150 on Marketplace.

I was sort of impatient with this sale, I had it on eBay for $300 with 5 watchers and $200 on Marketplace with enough saves, yet a persistent buyer who offered $160 wore me down and I opted for the quick cash on a Saturday afternoon. At the end of a day, an offer is an offer and there’s no guarantees that I would get $300 on eBay anyway, I had no sold or active comps as it’s a 24 year old jersey so I was really just testing the waters. I guess $160 is really what it was worth.

In Issue #41 I found this vintage Bundaberg Rum t-shirt in a Vinnies. I don’t know what it is about Bundy Rum but the merchandise and the knick knacks tend to sell quickly and for decent coin. It’s not something I understand, I enjoy a Corona on a hot summer day or a nip of Woodford Reserve if I’m in a celebratory mood, but you wouldn’t catch me ever wearing a bourbon or beer t-shirt. I dunno… maybe it’s for a laugh, either way $10 into $64.95 isn’t too bad, and I do admit the shirt looks pretty cool, it’s also lightweight and airy, wouldn’t be too bad to wear to a beach. Okay, maybe I’m all for the shirt now.

See something Pokemon, buy something Pokemon. Listed for $2 is this Pokemon card holder from 2016 that was dismissed by thrift store employees as a worthless folder. Open it up, see the sleeves are empty and put it back down with a $2 sticker. However, I’ve harped on time and time again about the vessels of carrying valuable items can at times be just as valuable. Think of old cases for handheld portable gaming systems like Nintendo’s, think of even empty makeup bags for luxurious brands or wine bottle bags that feature Moet logos. These are all valuable by themselves but they appear to be nothing as they’re technically empty.

The value with this card holder is that it’s from 2016 and no longer being manufactured. Eevee (the Pokemon on the front) is quite popular and Pokemon cards are as popular as ever. It’s not a surprise that this item which was listed on March 7th went on to sell before March came to an end.

In Issue #39 I had a huge score of Pokemon items in the thrift. I spent $73 and walked out with like 50 different figures. Adhering to my See Something Pokemon, Buy Something Pokemon I picked up everything I could find including this Charizard.

I honestly thought all of this Pokemon stuff would have sold much quicker but I guess it’s hard to sell individual figures, I would have been best to lot it all up. Anyway, if you find any Pokemon stuff in the wild, you hope that it’s one of the more popular… like Pikachu, or Charizard, or whatever is popular outside of the original 150. I have no idea. This Charizard (no idea what it actually does) was bought for $2 in November 2024 and sold for $49.95 in March 2025.

What You Shouldn’t Buy In A Vinnies

If you want to know what you need to avoid in a Vinnies thrift store, check out my latest video here. You can watch this video and consume it within 30 seconds or read the entire monologue below which will take 20 minutes.

There’s nothing I love more than having a little rant about thrift stores, this time Vinnies. It seems with each visit the amount of junk, shit and rubbish increases ten fold. Yes, there’s a difference between those 3 words. For people like me who are in thrift stores way too much, we have learnt to avoid these piles but new thrifters might be inquisitive enogh to spend time sifting through this stuff. Here’s a few things to avoid when you’re in a Vinnies and see if you spot them in your next visit.

I get irrationally angry seeing the sheer amount of Lightyear merchandise in Vinnies. It’s pretty obvious that someone screwed up because this stuff just doesn’t sell. There’s only 2 possibilities here:

1. Disney manufactured too much product. They thought the movie was going to be bigger than what it was, and when it flopped they ended up donating the items to thrift stores.

2. Vinnies thought the movie was going to be bigger than what it was, got a deal on some merch and went all in.

Let’s put on our tinfoil hats. The reason I’m leaning away from option number 1 is the same reason why bakeries and supermarkets throw out all of their leftover food at the end of the day instead of giving it away. If the product is everywhere for free (or in this case, 1 or 2 dollars) the perceived value of the brand decreases. I really don’t think a company like Disney would do this.

So I’m left with option number 2, that Vinnies got a deal on some Lightyear merch and invested in these interactive books and puzzles. I remember first seeing the piles and piles back in November just before Christmas so the theory is that they thought these would fly off the shelves in the Christmas rush but they just didn’t. It’s April now and I’m still seeing huge pallets full of this stuff. The lesson here is that if you suspect Vinnies has imported the item themselves, it’s not worth buying to resell.

Don’t be fooled thinking you’ve found a video game accessory, some thrift stores are rife with knockoff products, and this is exactly one of them. When you’re buying what you think is something legitimate, you need to check for logos and markings. This is a replica Xbox One controller so you should be able to find logos for both Xbox and Microsoft. Instead, you see just the word “One“ - a way to get around IP laws and at the same time tell you what it’s for.

Compare it to an actual Xbox One controller packaging:

Logos, markings, tags, all that sort of stuff is what you need to add to your mental checklist when inspecting items at thrift stores that you think are genuine. Just think… you wouldn’t buy a vacuum cleaner that just had the words “V8” on it and no mention whatsoever of Dyson. The company would want their branding all over the packaging.

Speaking of brands, this is another example of something you don’t want to buy. It’s Mario, a character from Nintendo yet the packaging makes no mention of either and instead describes this fellow as a “Plumber“. If you list this on eBay and mention Nintendo or Mario you’ll have your listing removed for copyright infringement. Best to stay away.

Going back to the first item, if it looks like Vinnies has imported pallets of the item themselves, it’s not something to resell. I would really love to know whether they’re doing this themselves or companies are donating unsold goods to them. I honestly think they’re doing it themselves, you see all the time signs up saying “No Donations“ yet companies can donate pallets and pallets of the same thing? Hmm, don’t think so. Again, we have the tinfoil hat on but this stuff is kriptonite for us resellers.

I remember these phone cases well. Let’s throwback to Issue #15, titled “I Should Not Have Bought A $15 Thrift Store Mystery Box”. This is when I was young and naive and thought a thrift store mystery box would be fun, something like random plush, a few books, maybe a bracelet and DVD. No. It wasn’t. It was 15kg of junk, shit and rubbish. Of that, I received 23 phone cases, each resembling this one. If you list this phone case on eBay, you would make no money and the over/under for the length of time it sits on eBay would be what? 2 years? Someone should try it out and report back.

Finally, and this should come as no surprise, anything that comes within this cheap plastic packaging with a barcode sticker on it is to be avoided like the plague.

Look it might be obvious, but anything that looks like this… is to be avoided. When we’re in a thrift store, we’re looking for high quality, valuable items that we can make a lot of money on. High quality, valuable items invest in their product packaging, not just clear plastic with cheap barcode stickers. I feel like this is common sense but it needs to be said. Once you become accustomed a thrift stores layout and you see where exactly they put these tubs of junk, shit and rubbish you’ll save yourself some time by steering clear.

Anyway, I really wish thrift stores would stop stocking up their stores with this sort of stuff. No-one is buying it, that’s why they suck people in with the Mystery Boxes. Their argument may be that they can get them for like 25 cents each offshore but I mean… all your other stock is donated to you completely free, you don’t pay anything for that, except I guess labor costs. Is that what this is? Reducing labor costs? Either way, I can’t wait to walk into a Vinnies next week and see the “No Donations“ sign out the front and then walk past pallets and pallets of Lightyear merchandise taking up all the room where bargains that are rightfully mine should be waiting. How fun.

That’s me signing off for the week, happy hunting and please don’t tag me in thrift store Lightyear posts on Instagram. Cheers!

Mat.

Win a Free $200 Mystery Box

What’s this? Click here for more information on how you can score a whole bunch of free prizes including a $200 Mystery Box!

Flip Weekly Podcast

Introduced as an accompaniment to the newsletter, the Flip Weekly podcast is for people who want even more reseller content. You can find the podcast on all major podcast streaming platforms or you can listen directly on the Flip Weekly website here.

Flip Weekly on Social Media

If you want more Flip Weekly content, don’t forget to follow us on both Facebook and Instagram.

• Flip Weekly on Facebook.

• Flip Weekly on Instagram.

100% Free Resources to Help You

Flip Weekly have created the following resources to help you become a better reseller.

• Ultimate List of YouTube Reseller Channels

• Google Sheets Reseller Spreadsheet

• Memorize Video Game Prices with Flip Vidya

• eBay Sell Through Rate Calculator