Best Things to Buy and Sell for Profit
Reselling stuff you find online or at markets and auctions can be a fantastic way to make extra money.
Buying and selling things for profit is a great side hustle you can do in your own time.
But it’s also something that can grow to a full-time job with a little expertise and dedication.
Many people who do this successfully started off with a passion for the particular thing that they specialise in reselling.
Whether it’s shoes, furniture or even books, if someone loved it enough once to buy it, you can find someone who loves it enough to buy it again! And make a little extra cash from it too!
What is reselling?
While reselling may be done by a few different routes, ultimately it means buying stuff that you sell on for a profit (if you’re doing it right!).
Some people may resell brand new items that they purchase wholesale (in bulk) from a manufacturer or third party.
Others may resell secondhand stuff, making a profit by either upcycling/fixing them or finding buyers who will pay a decent amount of money for them.
To get started with reselling you will need some cash to invest upfront to buy your first few items to resell.
Then you’ll want to take any early profits you make and reinvest that in purchasing more items for resale.
Once you have established a decent supply chain or method of finding great items for resale, you can start to pocket some of the profits. Rinse and repeat!
How much can you make from flipping items?
The amount you can make from buying and selling stuff for profit varies depending on how much money you put into buying stuff, what type of things you flip and how much time you spend on this side hustle.
But it’s possible to make between £500 and £2,500+ per month.
This person here says they can make £10,000 a month from buying and selling items for profit.
Things to buy and sell for profit in the UK
These are some of the top things to make a profit from when it comes to buying and selling.
It could be that you specialise with just one thing, or that you find yourself reselling all sorts of different items.
1. Designer clothes
People love designer clothes, but don’t necessarily want to pay designer prices from the source.
Plus shoppers may also want to get their hands on limited edition items that were snapped up by other fashionistas before they could buy them.
There is a big market for second-hand designer clothes and some people have even managed to turn this into a full-time career.
This mum has made a small fortune reselling clothes on eBay.
You’ll need to have a keen eye for fashion and know what could sell for a decent profit.
You may find designer clothes that you could resell at online auctions, but charity shops are also a great place to find bargains you could sell on for a profit.
There are lots more tips for selling pre-loved clothes here.
2. Shoes
If you have a passion for Louboutins or know a lot about must-have sneakers, then you could turn a profit at buying and selling shoes!
It’s very similar to reselling designer clothes. You need to seek out the shoes to sell – and it’s particularly important they are in a good condition – and then sell them on for a good profit.
This mum works part-time selling designer heels but makes £70k a year!
3. Books
Although ebooks have become popular in recent years, there’s still a huge demand for physical books!
You could make money flipping all kinds of books – from fiction to nonfiction and textbooks to kids books.
You’ll find huge numbers of unwanted books in charity shops and at car boot sales they will be sold at bargain prices.
They can then be sold online at eBay or Amazon. Do your research when it comes to pricing specific books – as some very rare books may be extremely valuable.
And don’t overlook textbooks just because they may be niche, the higher education textbook market is worth $8billion, with $5.5billion of that secondhand sales! https://www.bookbusinessmag.com/article/combating-higher-ed-used-book-market/all/
You may only sell books for as little as £1, so you’ll need to sell a high volume to make a profit. Don’t forget to charge postage too!
4. Furniture
Decent wooden furniture has brilliant resell potential.
Some people give their furniture away completely free just to get rid of it! I’ve done this myself with a chest of drawers and an armchair we didn’t need any more.
You may well need a van or large car in order to collect items, as lots of sellers or people looking to offload furniture will expect you to come and collect it. By offering free collection you can often get your hands on items for free.
I really recommend Facebook Marketplace for finding free or very cheap furniture. That includes garden furniture as well as indoor items.
Some things may need to be repainted, or could be updated with just some simple changes like new feet or new door handles.
5. Antiques
It can be hard to find antiques you can turn a profit on, and having some specialist knowledge can really help with this.
First of all you need to have an eye for what you’re buying, and to pick something that has real value.
When it comes to pricing the item for resale you may want to seek out an expert opinion to get it accurately valued. Good valuers should be accredited by a recognised body, like the National Association of Valuers and Auctioneers.
A great place to sell antiques is at auction. I’ve attended an auction at our local auction house before and it is so fascinating. There is a huge range of items for sale, from toys to furniture and crockery.
An auction house is a good place to find buyers for particularly specialist items.
6. Electrical appliances and gadgets
There’s huge demand for secondhand appliances, as new items can be so expensive.
Items will need to work and include the manual. For some appliances you can find manuals to download and print online.
You may find you’ll be able to pick up appliances for free if you’re prepared to go and collect them.
Some people may be looking to offload their unwanted dishwashers and washing machines etc for free, as stores usually charge around £50 to take old appliances away when delivering the new ones.
Other electrical goods you can sell include cameras, computers, phones, video games consoles and kitchen gadgets.
7. Blogs
This one is highly specialist but I wanted to mention it because I know people making an absolute fortune flipping blogs.
Blogs, or niche websites as some people call them, can be sold for profit depending on how much traffic they get.
The higher the traffic, and the amount of money the blog is already making, will make all the difference when it comes to making a profit on selling the blog.
The secret to flipping blogs fast is to find a rough diamond that just needs a few months of work to really smooth out the rough edges – improving content and adding new articles.
There are specific broker websites that will help you find a buyer. You could try Flippa or Blogs for Sale.
8. Rare coins
The change in your pocket could be worth more than just a few pennies!
If you ever spot an unusual coin in your change it’s well worth checking it out to see if it’s a rare or limited edition coin that you could sell for greater than its face value.
I have an entire post about the most rare coins you can find to sell for profit.
9. Building materials
Tiles, bathroom furniture, sinks, kitchens, bricks, paving slabs, timber, fence panels. The list of building materials that is in demand is pretty endless.
Many building projects have a little excess building materials leftover that people need to get rid of.
You can find excess building materials to buy, or even pick up for free, on Facebook Marketplace or on sites like XS Trade.
10. Buggies
A pushchair is one of the highest ticket items new parents need to buy, so there’s a huge market for secondhand buggies.
Big brands like Bugaboo and iCandy have among the highest resale value, however you’ll find a market for any pushchair that’s in great condition.
They can be sold through Facebook Marketplace, eBay or local NCT sales.
11. Toys
I’ve made hundreds of pounds from selling on our old toys! You can sell anything that is in good working order.
I’ve sold bundles of LEGO, a play kitchen, scooters, a tricycle and puzzles.
You can bundle together certain toys – for example puzzles aimed at a similar age or Sylvanian Families toys – to make it easier to sell them.
Keep an eye out for collectible toys still in their packaging as these can have great resell value!
12. Tools
DIYers need to be kitted out with certain tools to carry out projects on their home.
Secondhand tools have great resale value as long as they’re in good working order and include all the relevant parts such as drill bits.
13. Wedding dresses
Brand new wedding dresses can cost £4,000 and beyond.
As the dress is only worn once, there is great potential to resell people’s old wedding dresses to customers looking for a designer gown without the designer price.
14. Homes
Flipping homes is not the the faint-hearted and requires a decent budget to spend up front.
People who flip homes need to add value to the property, so it suits experienced DIYers or tradesmen who can do up a derelict property and sell it on at a profit.
This isn’t an entry level reselling side hustle, however if you have the right skills and the money to invest then the profits are much bigger than with pretty much any other item on our list.
Where to find stuff to buy and resell
When it comes to finding things you can resell there are a variety of online and in person places you can seek out great bargains.
Charity shops
Your local charity shop is a potential Aladdin’s Cave of goodies.
From books and toys to collectibles and handbags, you’ll find many of the items listed above that can be resold here.
Remember to drop by regularly to check for new stock, as rare finds may be snapped up very quickly.
Car boot sales
Lots of people use car boot sales as an opportunity to clear out old stuff from their loft and garage. They may not know what treasures they have!
Whether it’s old books or furniture or even antiques, there’s a chance to bag a bargain at a car boot sale if you’re prepared to put the time in wading through a large volume of items.
The great thing about car boot sales is you can haggle a little as well, so be sure to put in an offer before purchasing at the listed price.
Police auctions
You can legally buy stolen stuff on the cheap!
Seriously, there are some amazing bargains to be had, from designer sunglasses to perfume to cars.
Police auctions are held to sell off legally seized goods that have been taken from criminals by police officers.
Some of these auctions are held online only while others will be held in person.
eBay
You’ll need to wits about you and to spend a lot of time trawling lots on eBay in order to find decent bargains.
However there is a huge variety of items available on here.
It can sometimes be worth contacting sellers direct to see if they will do a deal with you without the item going through to the final hours of bidding, where the price can become inflated.
Facebook Marketplace
You can find cut price secondhand stuff that’s in great condition. Some people even offer large items like furniture for free as long as you collect it in person.
Get onto local Facebook buy and sell groups for your town and surrounding areas.
Our town also has a “don’t dump it” group that gives away stuff completely free. It’s a treasure trove of stuff with potential for great resale on eBay.
Vinted
This is a great online marketplace to sell clothes, shoes, bags, accessories and beauty products.
You can sell on your stuff, menswear, kids stuff and other items through this online auction site.
Wholesalers
With wholesalers you buy in bulk and then sell items individually for a profit.
You will need places to keep the stock while you are waiting to sell it, and you’ll need to look after it so a damp garden shed may not be appropriate.
Selling stuff on can be done through eBay, Amazon or Facebook. You could also set up your own website store.
Return pallets
Companies with a backlog of old inventory, returned items or stuff they just need to shift will sell a big bundle of items on a pallet at a cut price.
You can then split the items on the pallet up and sell them individually for a profit!
Some things may be damaged or have defects, so you could either fix them up or price them accordingly when selling them on.
This couple made a huge profit from an Amazon returns pallet.
How to make money from reselling
Don’t overpay
If you want reselling to be profitable for you then you need to treat it like a business from day one.
The key to making a profit from reselling is how much you pay for the item in the first place!
You also need to factor in hidden costs, such as your travel and transportation of the item, postage and anything else that may cost you money.
Do your research
Make sure you look into the items you are buying and selling to ensure you’re getting a genuine bargain and that you’re then pricing it accordingly.
This can be tricky with very rare items that don’t have much information about them online.
You may need to employ the help of an expert, in art or antiques for example, in order to value things accurately.
Start off small
You don’t want to dive right into the deep end and spend £1,000 on a bunch of stuff you can only sell for £500.
Start off with just a couple of things and see how that goes. As your reselling side hustle takes off you will soon get to grips with the pitfalls and figure out how to avoid them.
Specialise
It can help to have a niche item that you resell, as you’ll have a much clearer understanding of what is valuable and what you can sell easily.
If you read up on people who have been successful at reselling, most have specialised in a particular thing, whether it be rare books or collectible trainers.
Consider how you can add value
If you are a dab hand at decorating and interior design then upcycling furniture can be a brilliant way of adding value.
There are lots of sellers on Etsy doing amazing things with reclaimed wood – whether it be cool shelves for the kitchen or a new side table for the living room.
Think about how you can take items someone else doesn’t want, make it better for not too much expenditure, and then sell it on for a decent profit.
Modernising furniture and tapping into particular interiors trends can be really key here.
Take decent pictures
When reselling stuff online it is absolutely crucial to get good, clear pictures of the items you want to sell.
People looking to buy your items will want to see it at all angles in good light. You also don’t want to clutter the photos, so avoid having loads of things in the background.
It’s best to photograph items in front of a blank background.
Ensure your description is accurate
When listing items for sale online be very clear about the condition – otherwise the item will just be returned and it will cost you more in the long run.
Be as detailed as you can about the product in your description.
This can also help to hit particular key words people may be searching on auction sites, which can help you reach more potential customers.
