How a Florida Couple Turned Yard-Sale Finds Into a Six-Figure eBay Business

Rob and Melissa Stephenson, based in Orlando, built Flea Market Flipper into a six-figure eBay reselling business. Rob had been flipping since age 16, tagging along to yard sales with his mother, and by his 20s was buying used NordicTrack machines for $15-20 and reselling them for hundreds; Melissa had worked as an equestrian performer and personal trainer.

They went full-time in 2016 after Rob's employer cut health insurance, and that first year brought in $133,000 in sales -- roughly matching what they'd earned combined as employees. Sales dipped to $64,000 in 2017 and rebounded to $85,000 in 2018 and $79,000 in 2019, which after about $17,000 in overhead left $62,075 in profit; a recent 90-day stretch alone brought in $18,355 from 32 items sold.

Their strategy is to chase high-value items -- a 10x return or at least $300 in profit -- rather than high volume, focusing on commercial equipment and regionally undervalued goods with global eBay demand. "The money is made in the buy," Rob said. Notable flips included a Disney parking booth bought for $5,000 and sold for $25,000, a Harley sign bought for $250 and sold for $9,000, 60 Sleep Number mattresses bought at $60 each and resold averaging $605 each, and a prosthetic leg bought for $30 and sold for $999. A how-to flipping course they created now brings in about $150,000 a year from roughly 600 students paying $497 each.