Amazon Flipping: A Complete Guide for Beginners
You've probably heard a lot about people flipping items like cars. Fortunately, this business model also applies to the online realm, allowing you to flip products on Amazon and generate a profit. Flipping items isn't illegal, contrary to what many people think. It's actually a legitimate way to make money by buying low and selling high.
In this guide, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about how to start flipping items on Amazon. We’ll also discuss some of the best things to flip so you can make money fast.
Table of contents
What is Flipping on Amazon?
Amazon flipping involves buying products at a low price and reselling them on Amazon for a higher price to earn a profit. Sellers typically source discounted, clearance, or secondhand items and then list them at market value. This is a fast, low-risk way to start an online business. It’s also quicker than launching your own brand and more affordable than wholesale.
How Do You Find Products to Flip on Amazon?
Achieving profitability through buying and reselling items on Amazon requires identifying the right products, making thorough research an essential step. The best way to do this is to use AMZScout’s product research tools.
Finding and Evaluating Product Ideas
To predict profits and prioritize money-making ideas, AMZScout’s Amazon Dropshipping, Arbitrage, and Wholesale extension is an excellent tool. Checking out the steps below will help you get started, so pay close attention.
So, here’s how to find the most profitable items to flip:
Step 1: Open the AMZScout Amazon Dropshipping, Arbitrage, and Wholesale extension.
Step 2: Start your free trial.
Step 3: Browse Amazon for a product or niche that you would like to analyze. Go to Amazon.com to search for product categories like the following:
Niches you appreciate and know about
Trending Amazon Products (Movers & Shakers)
Promising products from other marketplaces that are great for Amazon
Step 4: Review the product information. The Amazon Dropshipping, Arbitrage, and Wholesale extension will show you data from each product directly on Amazon product result pages.
Margins (good margins are over 50%)
Number and type of sellers (FBA sellers (and Amazon) have a higher chance to win the buy box. If Amazon is among the sellers you’ll see an AMZ(YES) flag on the product page. Sellers should stick to targeting products that have third-party sellers (FBA and FBM).
Make note of these as you choose the most suitable products.
Step 5: Take a closer look at products with promising metrics. Once you open the product page, you will have access to valuable information regarding labels and potential profits. Scroll down a bit on the product page and look on the right half with the AMZScout data. Private label, hazmat, and gated products require additional allowances from Amazon. Read more about these specifications below.
If the product is a Private Label. These sellers have ownership of the product, making it impossible for third parties to resell.
If the product is in a gated category or it has hazardous materials (hazmat). Any products considered gated or hazardous will require additional certification from Amazon. Gated products take more time and effort, so account for them in your cost calculations.
Step 6: Check price fluctuations. By focusing on products with high fluctuations, you can sell during the best opportunities. Selling while the price is highest will give you the best earnings, so pay close attention to this historical data. You can hover over and click on Price History and Buy Box History to start. You can select periods leading back to two years in the upper-right-hand corner of the history screen.
Step 7: Find out how much potential profit it offers. Enter your costs into the calculator to quickly predict whether the item is profitable to sell. Finding the marginality trends tells you what to expect if you need to sell at minimum prices.
Deeper Analysis of Selected Products
Starting with basic product criteria using Amazon Dropshipping, Arbitrage, and Wholesale extension is great. Below, we will go through how the AMZScout PRO AI Extension can provide you with more information on profitable products.
Track price trends to predict which items will go up in price, see sales so you know which products have the highest demand, and spy on sellers’ inventory levels to see when a particular product will run out of stock.
Here is how it works:
Step 1: Install the AMZScout PRO AI Extension.
Step 2: Start your free trial by entering some quick info.
Step 3: Open Amazon and search for the items you already identified. You’ll go to these product pages and click the AMZScout icon.
Step 4: Click on the Product History icon for historical data.
Step 5: Look how its price fluctuates throughout the year to see when and if you can make a profit. Focus on products with heavily fluctuating prices to reduce the risk of losing profits.
Step 6: You can also check the product score (should be at or above seven) for reselling, the number of sellers, net margin, and more.
If You Have no Idea What to Sell
If you do not have a list of products you wish to sell, AMZScout offers a solution to address that. Check out the AMZScout Product Database to find even more profitable options. Follow these steps to get started:
Step 1: Go to the AMZScout Product Database.
Step 2: Sign up with basic info to start your free trial.
Step 3: Use the search filters to find what works for you. You can search based on prices, the number of sellers, categories, and more. Use the Product Selections features to find a good combination of the best features.
Step 4: Click “Find Products” to get your results.
Step 5: Make a list of the items you’re most interested in.
By using these tools you’ll have an edge over other sellers and be ready to take advantage of opportunities in the market.
Top Items to Flip on Amazon
When it comes to flipping products on Amazon, certain categories and items tend to offer the best opportunities for success.
In general, certain types of products are well-suited for resale on Amazon:
New Items: If there’s a lot of buzz around a new product it might sell out fast. This allows you to resell it at a higher price once it becomes hard to find.
Limited Editions: Some items are manufactured in limited quantities. If you buy them when they first come out and then resell them when they’re out of stock you can sell them for a premium.
High-Demand Products: If there’s enough demand for a product prices will naturally go up. If you can buy a product early on before the price increases you can make a nice profit.
Items with Fluctuating Prices: Some product prices fluctuate throughout the year. Buy these products when they’re priced low and then resell them once the price goes up.
To tailor your strategy effectively, it's important to focus on different product niches. For instance, consider the following products. These have proven to be some of the best items to resell on Amazon:
Laptop Shell Cases: There are many different types of shell cases available, and certain designs can become very popular. If you buy an in-demand case early you might be able to sell it later for a higher price.
Yoga Mats: The yoga industry is huge, which means there’s a lot of demand for these items. Because of this, people are willing to pay higher prices for the yoga mats they want.
LED Lights: These products tend to increase in price during the winter months. By purchasing them when they’re priced lower you’ll be able to resell them for a profit once the price goes up.
Face Rollers: This is another item that’s experienced some fairly sizable price fluctuations. Buy low and sell high to make some money with these.
White Cotton T-Shirts: Demand really picks up for t-shirts in the summer, which should allow you to take advantage of rising prices.
Wooden Utensils: Prices for these products have been trending up for a while, which could allow you to resell them for a higher price if you’re patient.
Gift Boxes: This is another item that experiences price fluctuations. In this case, prices go up during the holidays. So, buy these when prices are low and then resell them in November and December.
Vintage Jewelry: This could be watches, necklaces, rings, or other accessories. The right piece of vintage jewelry can sell for a lot of money, so keep your eyes out for quality items.
Vintage Lamps: As we already mentioned, when people are designing their ideal room they’re always looking for the perfect item to compliment the rest of the decor. A vintage lamp is a great accent piece and they can often go for a lot of money.
Vintage Record Players: Records are making a huge comeback, and the perfect way to play a vintage record is on a vintage record player. Just make sure if you buy a record player it still works.
Vintage Handbags: Vintage clothing and accessories are in style right now, and that includes handbags. If you can find a unique product that really speaks to someone they’ll be willing to pay a lot for it.
These are just a few options based on the best criteria. Below are a few more ideas based on retail and online arbitrage.
Get over 1000 Ready-to-Go Ideas for the Best Products to Sell
Want access to more popular product ideas like these? When you subscribe to the AMZScout bundle with an annual or lifetime plan, you’ll also receive 1,000+ product ideas. You’ll have access to:
The hottest trending items every month and Amazon news
Data-driven insights on 19 new product ideas each week
If you ever struggle to come up with ideas for new products, you can always refer to these reports. Obtain this bonus by purchasing a profitable annual bundle.
Sourcing Products for Flipping
Products aren’t always sold for the same price across every platform, and savvy entrepreneurs can use this knowledge to their advantage by flipping products on Amazon. Here are some great source ideas for finding items to resell:
Buy something on Amazon and then resell it there for a higher price. This method is the most convenient option because you’re buying and selling in the same place. Keep in mind, however, that it can be more difficult to find the right products here, and your profits might be lower.
Buy items on other websites (eBay, Walmart, Craigslist, etc.) that are selling for lower prices and then resell them on Amazon. This is fairly easy since you’re doing everything online. Price differences between marketplaces will be greater so your profits will be higher.
Take people’s free stuff. Many people are just looking to get rid of things they don’t need. These opportunities are less frequent, but sometimes you may stumble upon something that’s actually valuable.
Buy goods locally at stores or garage sales and then flip them for sale on Amazon. This method has the potential for the greatest profits, since you may find a rare item that not many know about. However, it also involves a lot of traveling and visiting stores, which can make it very time-consuming.
To find the best items to flip on Amazon, try combining multiple sourcing methods. This approach helps you identify more profitable opportunities, reduces reliance on any one source, and gives you greater flexibility to stay competitive.
Tips
Are you interested in flipping products on Amazon? Here are a few more tips to start you on your journey:
Sell Products You Know
Think about what your hobbies are and the product categories you’re familiar with. If there are certain items you know really well it’s a good idea to sell those. Since you already have experience with those types of products it will be easier to recognize a good deal. You’ll also have a better idea of what you can resell things for.
Target Products with Good Profit Margins
Keep in mind that Amazon takes a cut of every sale. And if you plan to use Fulfillment by Amazon to fulfill your orders there are even more fees to consider. That means that you need enough profit to cover your fees and still leave you with some money. We recommend targeting items that are selling for one-third of what they’re selling for on Amazon.
Avoid Competitive Niches
We’ve talked a lot about demand so far but competition is also an important factor. If there are too many other sellers offering your products it will take longer to sell them, leaving you with a lot of unsold items. There will also be more pressure to lower your prices, which cuts into your profits. Use a tool to measure competition before deciding to sell a product. For example, AMZScout’s PRO AI Extension has a Visibility Score that lets you know how competitive a niche is.
Use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)
With this program, you can send all your inventory to Amazon. They’ll store it in one of their warehouses and ship it to your customers when they place an order. This way you don’t have to worry about fulfilling orders and can spend more time finding new products. You’ll have to pay more fees, but the convenience is more than worth it. And assuming your profit margins are high enough you’ll still make plenty of money.
Conclusion
As you can see, this business model has a lot of potential. As long as you’re willing to put the work in there’s no reason why you can’t be successful. And if you want to give yourself a better chance of finding profitable products give AMZScout’s product research tools a try.
