What's up Pro Flippers!On today's episode we have a special treat for you.We are talking to Melissa who had just recently finished her first freight shipment.
Yep, she's been in our community for a couple years now and she was kind of scared to do her first freight shipment so we're excited to dive into what that looked like for her, how she got past those fears and and did it and how it turned out.
So stay tuned! Welcome to the Pro Flipper Show.We're your hosts, Rob and Melissa Stephenson, founders of Flea Market Flipper and veteran resellers who have been selling on eBay for 27 years.
We're committed to helping you start, grow, and scale your flipping business while still having time to enjoy other things that you love.
Learn the strategies, tools, and tips you need to get ahead.Join us on this flipping journey to success.
So let's go. All right guys, today we are excited to talk to Melissa.Melissa is coming on and she's gonna talk about kind of her journey of flipping and some recent flips that she's had and just kind of her mindset through the whole process.
So Melissa, we greatly appreciate you and appreciate you jumping on with us and spending some time with us today.
Thank you so much for having me.
So let's go ahead and dive right in to how you got started.Like what did, what did you do before you started flipping?Kind of take us through that journey of where you were and kind of how you got started.
Sure.On eBay for a very, very long time and nothing that was really like hardcore, like what our life is now, but I worked for the post office for 26 years. And got done in 2020 for other reasons.
But anyway, in 2019, before everything went crazy, I found you guys on Facebook and I hemmed and hawed for a little bit.And, but not long because it just seemed like something that I really wanted to do.
I wanted to basically level up in what I was doing with eBay.And I'm so glad I did because all the.
the benefits of joining Flea Market Flipper, you know, you guys and your, your past and your experience and all of that, but also the, the group that we have of people that just will like literally take your hand and guide you through.
And you can, you know, throw out questions and everything and, and almost always there's an answer coming pretty quickly.And so that's really where I went from there.And having experience with the postal service and shipping that was
It was so easy for me and I feel bad for people that struggle with shipping because I had it in my back pocket there at that point.
Yeah, I loved that.Like that was one thing right when you first had joined our community that you would know if people would have you a postal service questions.And that's not something that we do a lot.
So it was great to have you be able to go in there and answer some of these people's questions.And I love that the community just gives back like that.So like you could have questions that they get answered, and then you have answers.
And that so that's pretty cool.
It is really cool.It is.Like you said, it's a community of helpful people.People always that that's really what their hearts are is to be able to help out.And you've seen that you've been you've experienced it.
You've been on both ends of it because you've helped as well.So it's really, really cool to have that in our back pocket for sure.
Yeah, it's been wonderful.
So how has your flipping now?This was a side hustle.Are you doing it on the side or are you doing it full time now?
I am, this is all I do now.I don't have another job, but I don't do it full time.It's, it's probably, I don't know, maybe it will definitely vary, but usually between five and 20 hours a week, depending on how my week is.My dad is in a nursing home.
It's an hour away.So depending on what he has going on, that's, that's where we are.
I, that is one cool thing about this whole thing too, as the flexibility.Cause I feel like you can put more hours into it when you want to, or you can back off.So I think we've done that.
Summers, like we try to back off in the summers and not do as much and spend time with the kids and then get back at it and do more.So it's pretty cool.
And the cool thing is the more time you put into it, the more you get out of it.
So if you are taking time off, sometimes you can still sell stuff while you're taking time off, but at the same time, the more that you actually dig into it, you have that option to do with the business, which is really, really cool.
Absolutely.So one of the things, I think I remember one of your posts a while back when you kind of first joined the group, something about like paying off a credit card.Is that correct?Like you were able to pay off some with your flipping money?
Yes.Yes.That definitely has helped immensely having the extra income, you know, not knowing what it's going to be, but you know, per month or over there ever because of the flexibility that I'm able to do, but.
Just having that extra in order to be able to sock it away into debt and pay down debt, it's pretty pivotal, actually, in our budget.
Yeah.I don't know.Debt is something that is so, I don't know, what is the word?Soul crushing.It's just something lingering over your head.
So when you have that, there's a lot of people that use their flipping side hustle money to pay down their debt, pay off their credit cards.And it's just such a relief, I feel like.
Yeah. Now we have to dive into one of your more recent sales.Cause I'm curious to hear about this.So you have been in our community for a long time and you had kind of, you do smalls usually what they call it.
And we typically do some of the larger items and you kind of hesitated a little bit.Cause it's a little bit intimidating.Wouldn't you say?And, but you recently had two bigger sales.One ended up going local and your second one just went great.
So tell, talk about how like your mindset going through that and. how it went.
Okay all right so if I could dial back just a little bit further because I had we have a ton of stuff here to list for free we've been collecting all right and what I was doing in order to get myself geared up for that
I went back and on YouTube, I started at the very beginning, your humble beginnings, and I watched every single video that you guys have put out from the very beginning on up too.
I know, I know, at the beginning it was, I know you guys, you know, so there's a difference now, but just looking back then, we all laugh at our past selves, right?But anyway, that really helped me gear up for this.
You know, like I had to have it in my mind And I also knew so many people, not just you guys, this isn't like a flash in the pan.This is sustainable.This is a viable income.
And I know that there are naysayers in our lives sometimes that are like, you know, whatever, you know, but, but to be able to do that.And I was watching all of these people come into the group.
We have a welcome, you know, new members and things like that.And then I see these people that are flipping freight and
I know I can do this, I know I can do this and it got to the point our very first one that we listed was is an eye level power wheelchair still hasn't sold yet, but in you know that was harrowing to actually listen, you know, because then I knew that we stepped over a threshold that we weren't going to go back unless of course we unlisted it and I wasn't going to do that so.
I listed that and then listed the stair stepper, which is what went local and listed the trash compactor, which is what went freight.And you know what, I'm just like, at this point, you know, it had taken a couple of months to sell.
And I'm like, would somebody just hit that button?Because I was so ready to get over that hurdle of actually, you know, palleting something up and having Andrew as our broker and everything now having questions answered now.
But finally, somebody did.And actually it worked out really well because it's a Viking professional trash compactor.It was very small, only about the size of a dorm refrigerator, but super heavy, 210 pounds.So it had to go freight.
And it worked out exceedingly well.I had a lot of questions, and Gina and I goodness, I can't remember who the other one was that really helped walk me through the questions.
And it wasn't so much the packaging up on the pallet, Rob, because you have so many videos out there and I've watched them about how to, how to package and all of that.
I'm telling you what, you could have thrown a bomb on that crate by the time we got it done and it wasn't going to go anywhere.
But it was like filling out the bill of lading and those kinds of questions that seemed, you know, just outside of my comfort zone and They came in and helped, you know, those that go before us, they're so helpful.
So it went off and actually I just looked yesterday and it was delivered in the exact time that they said it would.It went all the way from Maine to California.So that was super expensive.I know.I'm like, yeah.
And then the person wanted residential delivery with liftgate and all of that.So, but the person was very, very good with communication. So when I was able to get ahold of him, yeah.
And I had to call, that's the first time I ever actually phoned a buyer.So that was, it went well.
And what did you pay for it and what did you sell it for?So we bought it for a hundred dollars and this is a super heavy duty machine and it requires a key because it's dangerous, you know?And unfortunately the key didn't come with it.We found one.
It ended up being $50 total, this little computer generated printed key. Anyway, and so $150, we're into it.And we sold it for $1,800 plus shipping.He paid $300 shipping.We absorbed some of that.And the net was a little over $1,200.Wow.
That is awesome. Yes, that was great.
So, you kind of talked about your mindset before going into that first freight shipment and you got an item listed and you're like, I'm not going back.I'm going to do this no matter what.
The other item sold after you actually shipped this out, you did the process, like you said, you had the group, you had people around you supporting you, helping you get through this.
What is your feeling about freight shipping after you did this first one?Will you do it again?Yeah, kind of explain that.Oh my gosh.
Yes, a hundred percent.I would do it again.And I'm pretty sure I went into the group and said, guys, why did I wait so long?You know, because it was, I mean, you know, getting the, the palette pulled together and everything.
I mean, there's the, the, the minutia there that, you know, you have to, I mean, it is a process too, but every time it's got to get easier because you're, you get more and more used to it with anything you do.Right.But.
wow, I would absolutely do it again.And I'll be honest with you, I had my husband come with me to drop it off because I was really scared of going to the freight center.
All I could imagine was a bunch of guys on forklifts and ignoring me, you know, cause I've just got this little pallet, you know, and I walked in and it was an office.It was professional.
They were very nice and took it right off and no problem whatsoever.So that was probably my biggest thing was I was nervous about that. Yeah, I would absolutely do it again.I'd recommend it.Yeah.Yeah.
What did I'm curious if you know the first item you sold that and was going to go for eight, but then it ended up being local.How what was it?Or what did you buy it for?And what did you sell it for?
So that was a, it was a stair stepper and it was really tall, 59 inches tall.It had a kind of a smallish footprint and I got it locally for $75 and I sold it for, I believe $400 and it was local pickup.
The guy drove three hours and, and he was great in communicating and everything.I asked him, I messaged him and asked him if he was bringing a truck or a trailer because I wanted to make sure my vehicles were out of his way.
And he said, actually I'm bringing a Prius and I'm like,
What okay okay maybe he has a big Prius I don't know, but so I went back in after we got it loaded he drove three hours, there was no going back I just let everybody know that a stair stepper does fit in a Prius it was the smallest Prius they make yeah.
Well, there's a way you're going to make it happen.
That's right.That's right.He had done it before.So, so that's where he was sure that it was going to fit.Okay.Yeah.It worked out great and it was wonderful because there was no fee on the shipping and all of that.So it's great.Nice.
So one of the things that we're working on with this event that we're putting together is we're trying to get people from like getting over starting and like really getting up to their first $10,000.
What would be a tip that you would say that to help somebody to go from like thinking about starting to actually doing it and hitting that first $10,000?
Oh, well, you know, I would say just do it.You have to eBay loves activity, which we all know, and you just got to get in there and do it and don't procrastinate, don't overthink it.
There are always people in our group to help if you get in a bind, like Stacey said, everything is figureoutable.And I would just say, just do it, just do it.
Whether you're doing, you know, you're supplementing freight with smalls, or if you're only doing smalls, or if you're only doing a freight, whichever way you configure it, Just do it and keep doing it.
And I have friends that flip also that are not members of your group.And they, they are, they'll say something like it hasn't sold yet.
And I'm like, you know, put it on the shelf and list more, list more, you know, just let it sit on the shelf because it will sell.It will sell and the money comes in.
Yeah, such great advice.And this is what you're actually telling people is just do it, but you're doing the same thing.
So you're living out what you're saying, even like you just listing that first wheelchair, that power wheelchair, you're like, I, it's hard.It's a stepping stone in the right direction.And I don't. really want to do it, but I want to do it.
And I know I have to do it.So I do it.So I feel like that's such great advice for anybody because everybody gets hung up on the, the, the small stuff.But if you will get started, you will see the results.
And you're, I think it boils down to your consistent, like you said, eBay loves activity that boils down to consistency.
When you're consistent with what you're doing, you're going to see those consistent paychecks come in and come in and come in, which is really, really cool.
You absolutely do.There's no doubt about it.When I have a long stretch of listing, sometimes I'll go through like a, a period of time where I don't list much.
And yeah, it does slow down, but once you get listing again, it just starts cranking all over again.Definitely.
Yeah.And I do love that you, that you talked about listing that first thing, Freight, because that is, it's just, that's an obstacle in itself.Like it's something you had to overcome.
And I remember even Stacy's telling us before she listed something and she'd like, pray it wouldn't sell because she didn't want, like, she didn't want to go through the process and like, you can't make money if your stuff doesn't sell.
Absolutely.Absolutely.Weird.
People go over that hump.I think that is so cool to do it.
Yes.You just have to do it.You just have to do it.There's no other way.And like you just said, it's not going to sell if it's not listed.
Now, bring us back a little bit.So when you were doing this just on the side, you said you've been on eBay for a long time, but you wanted to take it to the next level.So what are some things that you had to do to want to take it to the next level?
Where were you at, and what kind of steps did you take?
Well, I hadn't really committed to a side hustle at that point.I, you know, I was working full-time at the postal service, so that was enough.And my husband and I really love to treasure hunt.
That's, and we had to justify it, you know, because otherwise you're just a hoarder, right?So you, you can't be that, you know, I mean, and, and not live in your house.So, you know, it was.
That's pretty much what it was, was that just going and searching for the gems, you know, we call them unicorns.
And so that's what we're really trying to do now is we're trying very hard to purge by selling the smalls that we do have and only looking for the unicorns, you know, and we bounce back and forth with our minimum return on investment.
I know you guys have a 10 X minimum, I believe.Right.And, but we, I don't know, it's hard to walk away with money on the table.I do know that.
I don't know if you all deal with that, but when you know that you can just throw that on eBay and it's gonna bring you 20, 30, $50, it's hard to walk away, but you gotta do it.
Yeah, no, and I think we've gotten now to a point where we'd only purchase the stuff that's gonna bring in the bigger money.But still, it's funny, because it's like we almost now,
Kind of like $1,000 is the lowest, unless it's something with our kids that we're helping them with.But unless it's something in the trash, if we walk by something, he cannot not get it because I don't know.
It's just... Even if it's 50 bucks, it's 50 bucks and it's something that we can throw on marketplace.I totally get you.Yes.Yes. So we have to do it, absolutely.
Yeah, it's like you can't walk past it, first of all.It's like, oh, calling my name, I have to get it.I have, it's gotta, can't go to the landfill.
And it's two-part, really.Because it's in the trash, you know it's going to the landfill.Nobody else is gonna be able to use it, do anything with it.
So versus us getting it, taking it home, taking a picture of it, listing it on eBay or Marketplace or something and getting it, I mean, we're recycling it, which is really cool, but it's really cool just to find that money in the trash and be able to get 50 bucks in your pocket to pay for a tank of gas or a lunch or something.
That's really, really cool.It's cool that we're able to do that stuff.
It is.It is.And, and just as soon as we commit to no more sourcing, there's like tons of stuff on the side of the road and it's like, and it's so hard.
It's the junker necking, you know, you just drive by and you're like, Oh, we got to, we have to stop.We have to get it.
So what are some of your next steps, your goals in your flipping business?Are you like, just keep doing what you're doing and having fun?And what are you, what are your goals?
We really want to move. to almost exclusively freight.The goal is to get up and running and be almost exclusively freight because That's where the money is, really.Yeah.Yeah.
And you're in such a great spot after this freight shipment that you've already navigated, you've done it, you understand how it works, and you're already excited from it.You're excited.A $1,200 profit is insane.
When you think about doing a $20 profit versus a $1,200 profit, that's just amazing.And that's why you're like, okay, I want to get rid of what we have.I want to really go into these high profit, because you can see where it's at.
So that's really, really exciting.And it's an exciting place where you're at, even with the inventory that you have.That's awesome.
Yeah.Yeah.We're looking forward to getting, getting that ball rolling.
Once you, now you've done it.So like you said, you know, the first time is takes a little longer.It's a little scary, but then you start to do it more and it gets easier and it gets faster.You don't have to spend as much time.It's pretty cool.
I'm glad to hear you say that.Cause you were so scared for so long to do it and you finally did it.
I know it's almost five years.That's crazy.That's crazy watching everybody else.And, and Rob, you just did an eye level.You just sold an eye level and I'm like, ah, you know, but yes, definitely.Just do it.
So you said that when you were starting, we're Sorry.So you said when you were just starting that, or when you were trying to go to the next level, you found us on YouTube or you found us on Facebook.
And then you were, you wanted to take your business to the next level, but you were hesitant to kind of jump in to Flipper University.What was the hesitation and what made you finally decide that I'm all in?
Oh, well, I mean, it's a little bit of an investment.
It's not terrible, but a little bit of an investment, but I, I made it back very, very quickly, you know, and I know that that's you guys' goal to be able to help people make back their investment and then they reap the benefits of the group, you know, and all the knowledge and all the help that's there and everything.
It, it wasn't a big hurdle.It really wasn't a big hurdle to, to do it.It, I had just seen you guys. quite some time and just had to think about it, that's all.And then once we did it, we were all in, so.
I love it.I totally love it.That's for sure.So yeah, that investment, a lot of people, and they might think about that.What did you use any kind of, how did you reason in your head?
Because I, and I've heard Stacy say this, I've heard multiple people say this, and even in this industry, we're trying to make more money.
I mean, a lot of people are, they have a full-time job, they have something, they're trying to save to pay off credit cards, to go on vacation, to do this other stuff.They're trying to make more money.
How did you make sense in your reasoning or your logic to, I'm going to have to pay to get this course to learn how to do this flipping.How did you logically reason that out in your mind to be able to do that investment?
Well, I guess it's hard to say, but I just did it.We did have money, but I wanted to turn it from a hobby to an actual side hustle. That's where I was.And, and there's a degree of accountability once you're in a group as well.
It's not like you have people knocking on your door and saying, Hey, have you listed today or anything like that?
But it's very encouraging to see people sharing their, their sales, sharing their bolos and all of these different kinds of helps and everything. it definitely keeps you going.
There's been times when I've thought about maybe I should not do it anymore, but I always come back to it.Always come back to it because we love it.We just love it.
I feel like once it's in your blood, it's there.Like you love finding deals, you love going out there and hunting for stuff, and then you find treasure and it's just so much fun.
Absolutely.I have a similar story too.For years before Melissa and I went full-time into flipping, I ventured out, I did it, and I loved it, and then I would start doing something else.
It's shiny object syndrome.
Exactly.And I would go to something else and I'd come back to it.I would always come back to it and not realizing that it's such an amazing, amazing career, opportunity, whatever you want to call it.It's just got so much.It's fun.
It's just amazing to be able to do what we do and to make a really, really good money at it.So I totally relate to that as well.So that's awesome.
And I try to share it with people.I try to tell people about you guys, about the group, about selling on eBay, because there's a lot of people that can really benefit from it.
Selling on eBay is great if you're in between jobs or a stay at home mom, or there's a lot of things, say that maybe somebody that's dealing with an injury and they're not at work.There's a lot of things.
Look around your house and see what you can sell. It's truly, there's not many, but there's truly zero money down. employment to start something.That's truly it.So true.
I was just going to ask you, who do you recommend this program for?But you just answered like it's really for any, all, all different types of people, which is really cool.And what would you say to somebody who might be on the fence?
Like they're thinking about jumping in and they want to start doing this as a little bit more seriously and make some good money.What would you say to them that they're on the fence?
Well, a lot of times telling them that I'm not boasting, but I'll show them my numbers and I will, this, this is the facts.And I'll always, you know, eBay has that 90 day and I'll always tell them that like the fees are take it out.
And so that's not a true number, but looking at it, you can see what is selling in. A lot of times people just need information in order to be able to dig and make an informed decision.
And if they can see that the numbers add up, then perhaps they'll move towards that.Give it a shot at the very least.Give it a shot because what do you get to lose, right?Yeah.
I love it.We're super big on being as transparent as possible with our numbers.It drives us nuts seeing people on the internet when they say like, oh, we made this much money, but then how much did you spend?How much was fees?
What are all these other numbers that you're not telling us?People on the digital marketing aspect, they make a million dollars, but they just spend a million dollars in Facebook ads.You didn't make a million dollars.I don't understand.
The profit matters.And that's, I think one of our biggest, our biggest things and why we do this business model is because the profit matters.You got, at the end of the day, you got to be making money.
Yeah.That was really evident on all of your videos.As I went back to you, I could see that pattern even down to the penny.Cause you sell things at like 14 under 99 and 99 and say 15, but you clarify, you know, I love that about you guys.
You guys are, you guys are honest to fault.It's awesome.
Well, thank you.Thank you so much.So cool.
Well, Melissa, thanks for your time.We greatly appreciate you.We know you're going to motivate a lot of people who are able to watch this just to get out there and do it.Like you said, get out there and do it so you can get the results.
You can reap the benefits of it.So we're so impressed.We're so thankful for you and yeah, your growth and your story.It's just so it motivates us.It's so much fun.So thank you so much for spending some time with us today.
Hey guys, thanks so much for tuning in and listening with us.We love sharing stories like this to hopefully encourage you and motivate you to keep going in your flipping business.
And if you're curious on our business model and how it works and how you can get into freight shipping, some of these larger items, some of these higher value items, you can check out our free workshop that we put together for you and see if it could be a good fit for you.
We'll put the link below in the show notes.And thanks guys.You are awesome. Thank you so much for tuning in to The Pro Flipper Show.
It would mean the world to us if you could leave us a review so we could keep helping people make their flipping businesses more profitable.
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