Rob and Melissa Stephenson, of Flea Market Flipper, talk about how to 10X your eBay sales.
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How To 10X Your eBay Sales
Rob: What's up, Pro Flippers? On today's episode, we are talking about how to 10x your eBay business or your eBay sales.
Melissa: And is it even possible?
Rob: All right, guys, on today's episode we just got back from a conference and we really are excited about today's episode. We're excited about our business. And we wanted to talk to you guys about if it is possible to 10x your business, your ebay sales right now where you're at.
Melissa: But before we dive into that we are excited to be back on the podcast.
We've taken a little bit of a break. We didn't want to stop the podcast. We do love doing it. It's just kind of you know seeing what, where is our energy best spent. You know, doing content takes time and effort and energy so if you want us to keep this podcast going we would absolutely love it if you would go leave us a review. And let us know that you want it to keep going and that you love it. It just helps us to know like where yeah, where are people learning from us?
What's the best place for us to put our energy in? But we do enjoy doing the podcast. So, we are back at it and excited to be talking to you today.
Rob: Absolutely. And any topics that you'd like us to cover on the podcast, please let us know. Happy to cover anything that will help you guys in your business. That's what we're here for is to actually help you guys grow and scale your business.
Melissa: Yeah.
So we just got back from a conference like Rob said. It was a marketing conference, but it's so much more than that. Like that's, it's like, it's hard to describe to people. It's hard when we come back from these things and like we talk to our friends and it's like, you don't understand.
You had to be there. It was, I don't know. There's just so much mindset that goes into all this. to, I don't know, how would you explain it? Like it's, it's a crazy event.
Rob: It was amazing. I mean, it was just a really, really cool thing because I feel like in business mindset is almost everything. It's, I don't know the actual stats of execution of what you're doing versus the mindset that you can totally do it.
But we know even in our own business, in our own lives, it's mindset. You have to get that mindset right. And in a world we're in right now, where recession, there's no money, prices are going up on groceries, on gas, on everything, it's just one of those things that if your mindset is right, you can figure a way to make money.
You can totally make it through recession. You can make it through anything if your mindset is right. So it's very, very important to always be investing into your mindset on how to have that proper mindset. Yeah.
Melissa: Yeah. And even just by listening to this podcast, like doing stuff like that, listening to books, listening to podcasts that can definitely help. Make sure you're following the right positive people.
Cause it is interesting. The different people that we get to talk to, like the people who are at the conference, who are in the room with us, like some of their businesses are exploding. And then, you know, we talked to other people and they're like scared of the economy and scared of the recession. And then they're scared their business is going to go away.
And it's like, there's, what is the difference in the two? Like, why do? We all live in the same world. Like we're, most of us are, some people are in other countries, but like, like, how is it so different just talking to different people? So it's crazy. Yeah. It's very interesting. And this morning I was actually reading a book that one of our mentors, suggested we read, cause somebody was talking about at the conference, these quantum leaps, I'm like, this is way over my head.
I don't understand this stuff. He's like, go read this book. It's super simple, and so I, I got it on Amazon and I read it. And one of the stories this morning and which I was talking to you about. Yeah. Which kind of, spurred this whole thing he was talking about, a fly. So one of the analogies was like, think of a fly going to, like it's trying to get out. It's trying to, it hits and it's hitting the window. So it's trying to escape. It's hitting the window. You've heard it, you know, buzz, buzz, buzz, hit the window, hit the window, not going anywhere, but 10 foot away from it is an open door. And if it would just change its course, change its direction, it would be free with no effort. But it's trying as hard as it can and putting all of its effort and all of its strength and willpower into getting out through this window that is never going to happen.
So that was, it just puts stuff into perspective. Like are we doing things that are super hard and just trying all this stuff and it's not working when there could be another way that it could make it work. So.
Rob: It could just be where you're at right now with whatever your profession, whatever your career is.
I mean, who hasn't seen a fly up against the window and it just sits there until it dies. It tries to get out of that window. And that's the case. Maybe you're sitting there and you're pushing at that window when all you got to do is course correct and go around the window to the open door to get out and have the freedom.
And that was a really, really powerful. When she told me about that analogy this morning, I was like, that's powerful. That is really, really cool to think about that's what we all have at our fingertips. We might be at that window trying to get out the window because we can see freedom, but we can't reach freedom. And all we have to do is figure out how to course correct and find how to get to that freedom.
Somebody else used the analogy too of an open door versus going through a wall. Yeah. Just recently, another conference or something we were at. I don't remember it. But, that's one of those things that, is that where you're at right now in your life? For 10, 20, 30 years you've been at that window trying to get out, and all you have to do is go around the window to the open door.
So, I mean, that spoke volumes to me. I was like, man, that is very, very powerful. That's really, really cool to think of the analogy that way. That that is all you have to do is figure out how to course correct and go around, and then you can get out to freedom.
Melissa: Yeah, and something I've been dealing with and struggling with, like, I'm very much like a, good work ethic like work harder do as much as you can and then I found myself more recently like I'm not even getting stuff accomplished. What am I doing?
Like I'm letting myself, I'm busy, but I'm not doing the right thing. So, like I, I seem busy. I feel overwhelmed I'm doing all this stuff but what is actually getting accomplished and when I kind of did that review and I was reading that I was like I'm not really doing the things that could move the needle in our business, then that could help.
So, we actually talked about this not that long ago on the podcast, maybe a couple months now. We were listening to, Ben Hardy and he talks about the same, it's kind of along the same lines, like 10X is easier than 2X. So that's what we were kind of talking about today. Like, is it easier to go double your business by like working hard and like, really pushing or could you think of another way to do it and actually 10x and it's actually easier? So.
Rob: At first glance when you think about 2xing your business, wherever you're at, maybe you're making $20,000 a year right now on your side hustle maybe if you're making $10,000 for you to go from $10,000 and 2x'ing it to $20,000 next year if you think about that that sounds like that There's no way you can go from $10,000 to $100,000. It seems like it's impossible.
We want to break that down for you and kind of give you an idea of how it is possible to do it. And if you can change your mindset and really, really dive into this, it is easier than trying to 2X your business. So, Ben Hardy, amazing, amazing, amazing guy.
Melissa: We heard him at our mastermind last year.
Rob: The same conference we were just at. He was at the one last year and spoke about it. And at first glance, I mean, I'm the same way. I'm like, okay, 2xing my business.
Melissa: That sounds great.
Rob: That I'm already at wits in where you're thinking. A lot of people are like, I don't have time to 10X my business.
Melissa: I'm already putting 20 hours. I can't do 40 hours or whatever it is.
Rob: I got so much time invested right now. There's no more time to go ahead and 10X the business, but that's where he talks about if you do the right stuff, Melissa just talked about being exhausted. She feels like she's busy and she's doing the wrong stuff to get to that next level. If you're doing the right stuff, you totally can 10X the business.
And how does that look in our business? So we had to come to this realization years ago that we wanted to make more money in the business, but spend less time. So last year, we've told you guys before, we did like $92,000 in sales. That which, that's top line. Net on the $92,000 was still over $70,000, $73,000 after eBay fees, after shipping, after all the stuff that we paid out.
All of that stuff. We still made over $70,000 on that. Now, how did we do it? We realized this years ago that we have to go after higher profit flips. We have to do that. Instead of making $50 a flip, we have to make $500 a flip instead of making, you know, $20 a flip, you got to make $200 flip. You have to 10X that portion of your business.And then that in turn will 10X your whole business. So last year our average sale for the whole year was over $2,000.
Melissa: $2,007 we only sold 46 items, but because their value was so high, it made things a lot easier. Like think of how much time you have to spend looking for the items, you know, sourcing your items.
Then you have to come home and get them all list pictured and listed. And then once they sell, you have to ship them out. And there's nothing wrong with doing like high volume. A lot of people do it. It's great. That's just not what we wanted for our business. Like 46 items to make $70,000 profit. And we're doing probably five hours a week.
Like we, it takes more time for us to like record videos and talk about it and do that. Like if you were just to hone in on just your flipping business, like it's so much easier cause that's what we've set up a couple of years ago. So, and that's what we like for our schedule.
Rob: Yeah, and we'll bring it even a little closer to home with a flip we just had.
So, we were at the flea market, this is probably a couple weeks ago, Melissa sees something. I saw it too and I thought it was a cheap one, but it was the panini press. I said we should go back and look at it. It was one of the sandwich press or a panini press and I looked at it and I know they make knock offs, brands that you can get for like $200 and $300.
And I thought that's what it was. And Melissa's like, why don't you check that out? And I was like, I think it's a cheap one, but because she said it, I plugged it in. I saw what the brand was. I saw what the model was. We started walking away from the vendor and all of a sudden I looked and it was like $2,000-$3,000 retail on this.
I was like, wow, that is more than I thought it was. And he was only asking like $50 for it. So we went back, we negotiated the deal. I think I paid $45 for it. We got it. We sold it like two weeks later for $1,500. Now the whole process of that from start to finish. If you think about 10X ing it, maybe I'm used to selling a $150 item, and I just made $1,500 on one sale.
All I did for that Panini press, I carried it out of the flea market. By myself, with my hands, I carried it out of the flea market, put it in the back of our car, brought it home, set it on a table, and took pictures. I wiped it down, I took some cleaner, just like anybody would do with anything that they're selling.
You make it presentable. I did take a video, because I feel like videos will set the stage.
Melissa: That might be an extra 5 to 10 minutes. I mean, how long is your video?
Rob: 40 or 50 seconds. That's all you can put into eBay is
Melissa: An extra five minutes setting it up.
Rob: Exactly. Doing it, taking a video, a 50 second video to put it in there.
It takes me a little bit longer to load it cause I can't do the whole process from my phone. I have to actually put the video on my laptop and then load it in my laptop, but maybe an extra couple of minutes to do the whole process. But still all that being said, and then the item sold in less than two weeks, the item sold for $1,500.
Now that $1,500. Now what does that mean for me? Am I going to spend hours and hours of packaging? The longest time of my packaging was setting up the cameras so I could record the whole thing for our students. So that was what took the longest to do. Other than that, I packaged it in a box, I picked it up, I took it out to the car, and I dropped it off at the local UPS store.
That was it. So nothing more than I would do for $150 item. A $20 item. I mean, even take it closer to home with what our kids, what did I do? Brody's mosquito magnet. Yeah. $175. Yeah. I spent probably less time with this because the mosquito magnet, I had to pull it apart. I had to wrap separate pieces with it and get it all into a box.
Melissa: More time with that one.
Rob: More time with the mosquito magnet for $175 item than I did for this $1,500 item. So it's possible, but it goes back to the beginning of this podcast. It's about changing your mindset. Is it really possible to 10x your business versus 2x'ing the business? So, can I find an item for, what is that, $350, or $ 300 if we're just doubling what we're doing?
Yes, you totally can. But what if you thought outside the box and you're like, well, I'm going to 10X it. I'm going to find a $1,500 item, and that's just one of the items that just happened. That's why I'm giving you the story. Because this just happened to us last week. I shipped this thing out. We bought it, we sold it, it, it flipped pretty quick.
But giving you an idea of what is possible. When you release that in your mind, your mind can accomplish some amazing stuff. And this wasn't me having a forklift. It wasn't me putting it on a pallet. Which we do that stuff now
Melissa: because the payoff is worth it, but
Rob: at the same time, you don't have to do that.
When you get your mind shift around this, you can really, really accomplish some amazing stuff and really take your business to the next level.
Melissa: Yeah. And one of the things I love that you have said in the past, too, if I know somebody can do it, I can do it. And I, you've talked about this before, if the, what's the guy's name?
Who broke the four minute mile. Oh, man. Roger Bannister. Bannister, that's it. He was the first one to break the four minute mile. And after he did it, how many people did it?
Rob: It took for, the beginning of time, for it being recorded, he was the first man to do it. And they thought before he did it,
Melissa: it wasn't possible.
Rob: You'd blow up your heart. You couldn't do it. They thought people would die if you did it under four minutes. And then after he actually broke the record, I think it was within the next couple months, his record was broken. I think it was like 40 or 50 times. Don't quote me on it. Cause I, I forgot the story.
It's been a little while since I've looked it up. But that's what happened after he did it. They saw the possibilities of it and then they broke it time and time and time and time again, like 40 times within a year. Whether in the first couple months or the first year that he broke it, how many people broke it after him?
Tons and tons of people. Because all they needed was that glimpse. They needed that, that glimpse of, hey, this is possible. And that's what they did. And then they just kept breaking the record. Now that's what we're trying to give you permission right now. It is possible. You can totally do it. You just have to believe in yourself, and you have to do it.
Melissa: Yeah, we're breaking that for you, so it is possible. So 1,400 people have done it now.
Rob: Since when he did it back in the, what was, do you know the day he did it?
Melissa: I don't know, it doesn't say right now.
Rob: Anyways, since he did it, From the beginning of time, it had never been broken or recorded under four minutes after he did it.
Fourteen hundred more people broke his record.
Melissa: Oh no, no, it says that must have been old because that says seventeen hundred. So anyway, a lot more people have broken it. Anyways.
Rob: That's a possibility. So we're just trying to open up your minds what possibility is, for 10xing your business.
Melissa: And, we'll give you a little sneak peek.
We have a really fun, live virtual event coming up in a couple weeks. We can't tell you exactly where to go just yet, but it's almost ready. It's gonna be a lot of fun and we're gonna talk more about this stuff. And we're super excited about it and excited to hang out with you. And yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun.
So it's coming soon. So keep listening to the podcast because we'll be talking about it in the next probably week in the next, we'll be, we'll be talking about it more.
Rob: Awesome. And like Melissa said at the beginning of this episode, guys, if you do get value from this, please show us some love, show us, leave a comment, let us know how it is a review.
We greatly would appreciate that from you guys.
Melissa: It helps us keep growing.
Rob: It does. It does. Absolutely. So you guys are amazing. Have an amazing day and we'll talk to you soon.
Melissa: Thank you.
Rob: See ya.