It’s Time to Rethink Christmas

Above: A very recent sourcing trip. I paid average 68% below retail, and I had help with where to go and what to buy.

Dear Reader:

Every Fall, I get an influx of emails from Amazon sellers in a panic, asking "What can I sell online to make money this Christmas?

The problem: By then, it's too late for most sellers to source products for the Holiday.

Instead, right now (Summer '19) is the time for you to start sourcing for products to resell Christmas/Q4 shopping season. This is whether you sell on Amazon or eBay (or anywhere else).

Why now?

Because every Summer, retail chains clear out their inventory to make way for new releases and stock for Christmas.

That means there are incredible bargains to be had by savvy online merchants like you and me.

In fact, for the past 2 weeks, I've been grabbing deeply discounted merchandise in stores (and online) at up to 75% off.

The above photo of my trunk shows just 1/4 of my haul from just one trip to Walmart.  And below is my garage chock full of merchandise I found in stores and online, that I will be also be selling on Amazon & eBay during the Holiday season:

Half of my garage contains products I'll be listing on Amazon this November

Don't believe me? Below is just a few of my recent receipts where I grabbed deals on toys - below wholesale:

And I'm scoring deals online, too. Here is a Target.com toy I bought Qty: 20 for ~$19.99 each. The current price on Amazon is $48+, and I'm expecting that price to increase to at least $69 during Christmas:

 

Now it's your turn: Take action! Below I provide some of the best resources for retail/online sourcing of products; and (if you're interested) tips for sourcing wholesale and private label.

Resell products from physical stores ('retail arbitrage')?

Hit your local retail stores now as many are clearing out discounted merchandise to make room for new products.

• What to buy now in 1 sentence: Well-known brand items - new and yes, used - that are marked down 65% or more of their MSRP

• Need help finding products? These excellent alerts from my trusted partners will tell you exactly what to buy:
  • BaLanceQ4 Mastermind (my top pick this year), with Barrington McIntosh & Lance Wolf
  • ProvenQ4Plan from Jim Cockrum's team at The Proven Amazon Course.
  • Q4 Profits Guide by Jessica Larrew's The Selling Family
  • Legends also from Jim Cockrum's Proven Amazon Course team.

• Look for clearance stickers, clearance aisles (Walmart) and clearance end-caps (Target). Look at shelving above your head and below your knees (Ed. note: I've referenced Walmart and Target a lot, but all major and smaller retailers are clearing out toys, clothes, household items, etc.)

• I just discovered this: Walmart employees can't/won't always keep up with discounted pricing. In other words, the price shown on the shelf may not reflect the most recent discount. So I use the official Walmart mobile app and scan the barcode with it to see the "real" discounted price. Walmart's POS (Point of Sale) systems in the stores are synced up with the info presented on the app! More details are in this helpful post

• Get to know Target's clearance pricing and schedule

• Remember some Amazon sellers may be restricted from selling some brands. See this blog post from The Selling Family for help. (If you're finding gated from many popular toy brands, also check out their Toy Ungating Workshop). Tip: When I can't get around an Amazon restriction, I'll post the item on eBay instead - I use the free Wowlister.com to instantly create an eBay listing

• If you've never bought products in stores to resell on Amazon, The Selling Family has an excellent free Retail Arbitrage guide too.

Resell products online (online arbitrage)

• What to buy now in 1 sentence: Well-known brand items that are marked down 65% or more of their MSRP

• Need help choosing products? Try these excellent "here's what to buy" alerts from my trusted partners:
  • BaLanceQ4 Mastermind (my top pick this year), with Barrington McIntosh & Lance Wolf
  • ProvenQ4Plan from Jim Cockrum's team at The Proven Amazon Course.  Get on their mailing list here)
  • Legends

• Start checking all major stores' clearance and sale sections online (free list here)

• • When you buy online, get more cash back and save more using my tactics here (free)

• Remember you may be restricted from selling some brands. See this blog post from The Selling Family for help. (If you're finding gated from many popular toy brands, also check out their Toy Ungating Workshop)

If you've never sold on Amazon before: 

Free getting started help right here and/or here.

If you've never sold on eBay before: 

Free getting started help right here.

Bonus tip:

If you plan on shipping anything from home direct to customers (like via eBay or Amazon Merchant Fulfilled), start getting your boxes, packaging tape, tape dispensers, poly bags, etc. from Amazon. I get my boxes from Uline. Order your free USPS priority mail supplies - including free boxes, as they can get delayed if you wait till after October.

Good luck and keep me posted!

-Jordan

Some links above may be affiliate links, where I may be compensated if you purchase from the provider/publisher.