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Cost check · 5 minute read
The flipping costs people forget to count
The short answer: The purchase price is only one cost. Transport, labour, cleaning, repairs, platform fees, storage, disposal and mistakes all reduce the money left in a flip.
Pickup costs
- Fuel, tolls, parking and vehicle hire
- A second person to lift safely
- Straps, blankets, ramps or a trolley
- A second trip when measurements or access were wrong
Make-ready costs
- Cleaning, testing and preparation
- Repair parts, tools and touch-up materials
- Replacement batteries, chargers, parts or packaging
- Disposal when the item is worse than described
Selling costs
- Marketplace, payment or promoted-listing fees
- Storage while the item waits for a buyer
- Postage, packaging, insurance or delivery offered to close the sale
- Your minimum return for the work and risk
Turn the list into a decision
Enter a real amount for every relevant cost, including zero when it truly costs nothing. Then add a contingency. If the remaining maximum buy price is unrealistic for the listing, pass before the pickup becomes the problem.
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Let FlipFirst do these checks for you.
Tell it what you could flip and where you can pick up. It finds the listings and shows what you’d keep after costs and the most to pay.
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