There’s nothing like finding a great deal at a thrift shop or on Facebook Marketplace. But Rob and Melissa Stephenson, co-founders of Flea Market Flipper, have turned reselling on eBay into a full-time career.

Discover how the couple flipped their way to an annual net income of $100k. You’ll also get some of their insider tips on how to start flipping bargains of your own. 

Meet Rob and Melissa Stephenson

As the youngest of seven kids, Rob Stephenson was introduced to bargain hunting at an early age. His parents were big fans of flea markets and yard sales, where they often found secondhand deals for Rob and his six older sisters. 

But they also recognized that some of their finds were worth a lot more than what they paid. So they decided to turn re-selling into a side hustle–an idea that wasn’t lost on their young son. 

“I always had that in the back of my head, how to make a little bit of extra money,” recalls Rob, who first started flipping at 16 years old. 

As Rob got older, he learned two important things about reselling bargain buys. The first is that it makes for a great side hustle. The second is it’s not always an easy gig to explain. 

“When we were dating, I was like, ‘Wait, what do you do? I don't really understand,’” laughs his wife Melissa. It wasn’t until after the couple married in 2007 that Rob was able to prove to Melissa just how profitable reselling on eBay can be. 

How The Stephensons Started Reselling on eBay

Though the Stephensons both had outside jobs when they first married, Rob still turned to flipping to make extra cash. As Melissa soon learned, her husband’s passion for thrifting was matched only by his love of spontaneous vacationing. 

Unfortunately, Rob’s wanderlust didn’t always choose the most budget-friendly times to strike. So Melissa would make him a deal–they could go on a last-minute adventure as long as he could find the cash to fund it. 

Looking back, she remembers being both impressed and delighted that he managed to pull it off every time. Soon, Melissa began to realize just how profitable reselling on eBay could be. Before long, the couple had turned it into a part-time family job.  

But ultimately, the Stephensons had a very different motivation for upping their reselling game. “The kids are really the reason why we jumped in full-time,” Melissa says. “When I was pregnant with number three, I had decided to stop my personal training job because we had three kids that were going to be three and under.” 

Around the same time, Rob’s job announced that they’d be cutting benefits. That’s when Rob and Melissa knew they were at a crossroads. They were already pulling in $42k a year in gross profits from flipping part-time. 

Melissa recalls them thinking, “Okay, well now if we throw full-time hours at it, what could we do?” 

They decided to go all in and find out. The gamble paid off, as they were able to earn $130k reselling on eBay the next year, with a net profit of $100k. 

Flea Market Flipper Hacks

Rob and Melissa have enjoyed so much success with flipping that they now offer coaching services to flippers who want to follow in their footsteps. If you’re interested in learning more about whether flipping is for you, then be sure to start by checking out their free Flea Market Flipper workshop. 

Whether you’re interested in making part-time or full-time income reselling on eBay, the 75 minute workshop will introduce you to everything you need to know. In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at some of Rob and Melissa’s flipping tips for beginners. 

Choose Your Flipping Focus

The amount of time and energy it takes to make money reselling on eBay largely depends on the type of items you choose to focus on. 

While some sellers choose to focus on selling a larger number of small items, Rob and Melissa prefer the opposite approach. “We gravitate towards the higher-value items,” Melissa says. “It's less time sourcing, listing, and shipping–and it's less items.”

Flipping larger products also gives the couple more free time to spend with their family.

“You can say we're making full-time income, but we are doing it very, very part-time,” Rob says. “Probably five to ten hours a week.”

Last year, for instance, the Stephensons earned a gross profit of $92k for reselling just 46 items. That said, it’s important to consider logistics when deciding what type of items you want to resell. 

If you live in a tiny fifth-story studio apartment in New York City, then reselling large appliances may not be the best jumping-off point. On the other hand, if you do happen to have plenty of space, it may be a great goal to work up to. 

If you do choose to focus on larger products, then look into pallet shipping. The Stephenons have found it a cost-effective way to deliver products to buyers all over the country. 

It’s also a great way to set yourself apart from other resellers. “Most people won't do that,” Rob says. “But the profit and the high-value stuff that we're able to pick up that is way, very, very reasonable.”

If you prefer to focus on more mail-friendly finds, then look to your own interests for clues. A love of hunting for antiques, electronics, or designer handbags, may just be a reselling side hustle begging to happen. 

Check Your eBay Limit

Before you start purchasing major appliances on the cheap, it's important to check your eBay account limits. While existing eBay accounts shouldn’t give you any issues, new accounts tend to be limited to a certain number of listings or total value for the first month. 

The good news is that it’s pretty easy to get these limitations lifted. Each month, eBay will adjust your limits based on things like buyer feedback, sales volume, and active listings. To check your current limits, head to the “My eBay Selling” tab after logging into your account. 

In the meantime, Rob and Melissa advise starting out with smaller sales to get a feel for reselling. Not only will this give you an opportunity to test drive flipping, but to pinpoint initial mistakes to avoid later on. 

Want to try reselling without investing much money? Take a drive around town and see what you can find for free. “The amount of things that we have found on the side of the road is just crazy,” Melissa points out.

“We’re not dumpster divers by any means,” Rob laughs. “But if we see something good on the side of the road, I will go home and get my truck and come back and pick it up.”

Shop Locally, Flip Nationally

Much like any other business, the secret to reselling on eBay is to keep costs down and profits up. For example, Rob recently paid $150 for a stovetop that he resold on eBay for $2,250. 

How’d he do it? Notice that Rob bought the item on Facebook Marketplace, a local market of around 40,000 potential buyers. He then re-introduced it on eBay, a national market with 135 million users. 

You’ll soon discover that local marketplaces tend to be flooded with people who are simply looking to get rid of things quickly. Due to the magic of over-supply and under-demand, they’ll often charge far less for items than they’re actually worth. 

Finding such deals and reselling them in a larger market is the stuff that flipping magic is made of. The bonus of eBay is that you can pull it up on your phone any time to check out the market for nearly any product. 

When you come across a potential find, be sure to check out how much other sellers are currently asking. It can also be incredibly helpful to check sold listings to see how much people have actually paid for it in the past

Rob and Melissa’s Secret Weapon

At some point in your flipping adventures, you’re likely to come across broken items. While you can always resell them as-is, you’ll usually be able to charge more if you can fix them first.

But what if you don't know how? “So we’ll give you our biggest secret,” Rob says. “Jump on YouTube, and they’ll tell you how to do pretty much anything when it comes to testing or fixing or anything like that.”

If you are a DIY enthusiast or just love to figure out how things work, then flipping is the perfect venue to put your interests to work. Otherwise, you might consider looking into the prices at local repair shops. 

It may be worth paying for a new part or simple repair to give an old appliance a whole new life–and pricepoint. 

The Benefits of the Flipping Life

For the right person, reselling on eBay can come with plenty of benefits. Rob and Melissa have found that it allows them the flexibility to travel, spend time together, and be present for their kids. 

They also point out that reselling allows them to choose how much or little time they want to spend working each month. “The cool thing about this business is you can work more and make more, or you can put your store on vacation and take some time off, “ Melissa says.  

But how do you know if reselling on eBay is right for you? Thanks to Rob and Melissa Stephenson, you don’t have to figure it out alone. Be sure to sign up for their free Flea Market Flipper workshop to learn more about how to turn flipping into an income stream. You may just discover that your love of thrifting is a lot more valuable than you thought!

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