There are a LOT of side hustles out there. And I have shown you my experiences with several of the m here. Today is another one! I’ll show you my experience with pallet flipping. How much it cost me and how much profit I made.
But to be clear, this is MY EXPERIENCE with this. Your experience may differ from mine. 🙂
What is Pallet Flipping?
This awesome side hustle is buying pallets of merchandise from pallet and truck wholesalers. These pallets of merchandise can comprise a lot of different types of items. Some pallets are all returned items. Some are simply overstock. But most of them (in my experience) seem to be a blend of the two.
This is what one of the pallets looked like that I purchased from a local wholesaler in the Kansas City area.
This particular pallet cost me $450 and it had about 50 items in it.
Each pallet is different and unique and you will not know most of the items that are on it. Some of the pallets are shrink wrapped and you can see what is on the outside but not on the inside. And even the items on the outside could potentially be broken or damaged.
In my experience, about 80% of the items in each purchase are new and about 20% of the items are obvious returns. Of the total items in the purchase, usually about 10% of them are not resellable because they are damaged beyond repair or or no one wants to buy them.
So if I buy a pallet with 50 items, about 40 of those items are new (or very close to new) and easily resalable. About 10 are obvious returns. And about 5 are not sellable and will have to be donated or thrown away.
I will sell these items almost exclusively on Facebook Marketplace in my area.
Just know that if you decide to do this side hustle, make sure that you have some room to go with the items until they sell. Have a spare room, garage, shed, or something.
My biggest complaint is that flipping pallets takes up a lot of room in our garage.
A really great place to learn more about pallet flipping is on Jamie and Sarah’s Youtube page. Their videos will give you a really good idea of what the process is like. 🙂
Where Can You Buy Return Pallets?
I personally do not trust any online return pallet vendor. I have heard several stories where people were scammed, shipping was not available, and the pallets really sucked.
So I personally would not purchase one online.
I have bought several of these pallets from a few different local vendors in the Kansas City area.
Just Google or search on Facebook Marketplace to see where they are being sold in your area and you shouldn’t have a problem finding some.
When you go to purchase your pallet, put your hands on it and do what you can to try to find the one that you assume will be the most profitable.
You might not always get it right (I know I have chosen poorly a couple times). But do your best.
How Much Do These Cost?
This, again, will depend. There are several different types of pallets you can buy. The price will be determined on:
- The size of the pallet
- The retailer (Walmart, Home Depot, CVS, etc.)
- The overall quality of the items in the pallet
- The wholesaler that you go through
- The quantity of pallets that you purchase (there is usually a bulk discount from wholesalers)
I have purchased pallets for as cheap as $250 and the most expensive one I have purchased was $650.
I purchased a small item pallet (it had games, shoes, coffee, holiday decorations, drones, headphones, etc. on it) that had 305 items in it for $300.
I also purchased an Amazon “monster” that was about 9 feet tall for $650. (This was my most profitable pallet by far btw.)
I have also purchased several pallets in the middle somewhere.
How Do You Sell the Items in Them?
For me, I sell almost all of the items on Facebook Marketplace. I know of other people who sell on Ebay, thrift stores, and flea markets.
I have found it the easiest to sell on Facebook Marketplace because it is connected to my phone and I can easily message people to accept or decline their offers, schedule meetups, etc. Also, it seems to me that there are the most people on FB Marketplace as well.
This brings up one of the ugly sides of pallet flipping. You have to deal with the public. People will message you and ask you if the item is available and then never respond. They will tell you that they will meet you at a particular time and location and ghost you. It happens. It’s just part of the ride.
How Much Money Can You Make?
This, again, depends. The biggest thing it depends on is what is in your pallet. Did you buy a gold mine or a dud? I have bought both of them.
However, I will say that I have NEVER lost money on a pallet. I have ALWAYS made my money back . The smallest profit I made was $45 on a $350 pallet. And the most I have made was about $1,500 on a $650 pallet.
Most of the people I have known who do this somewhat consistently, consistently make a profit. Probably not enough to quit their job, but enough to help them get out of debt or pay for their next vacation.
Here is a breakdown of one of the pallets that I purchased and how much money I made from it.
| Item | Retail Price | Selling Price |
| Pet House | $70 | $50 |
| Oven Heating Element | $50 | Did Not Sell |
| Large Gold Mirror | $179 | $135 |
| Tokeshimi Mirror | $209 | $125 |
| Glass Church Table | $150 | $15 |
| Office Chair | $225 | $50 |
| Pink Kids Chair | $90 | $35 |
| Breville Espresso Machine | $600 | $400 |
| Side Table (2 Pack) | $30 | $40 |
| Balloon Arch Kit | $55 | $40 |
| Standing Desk | $210 | $50 |
| Side Table with Outlet | $80 | $40 |
| 50×30 Tarp | $330 | $75 |
| Keurig | $160 | $70 |
| Chandelier | $277 | $150 |
| Pipe Wall Shelf | $95 | $50 |
| Gold Balloon Arch | $60 | $30 |
| Foam Gun | $57 | Did Not Sell |
| Curtain Rod (Missing Parts) | $42 | $10 |
| Corner Desk | $129 | $75 |
| Sofa Table | $140 | $70 |
| Bathroom Cabinet | $210 | $100 |
| Mattress | $225 | $150 |
| Under Desk Treadmill | $275 | $200 |
| Leather Chairs (Pair) | $200 | $75 |
| Leather Stools | $120 | $60 |
| Makeup Mirror | $120 | $80 |
| Razor Keyboard | $200 | $65 |
| Portable Solar Panel | $150 | Family Christmas |
| Garden Rake | $25 | Family Christmas |
| Shelf | $50 | Family Christmas |
| Mattress Pad | $90 | Family Christmas |
| Electric hot Pot | $66 | Family Christmas |
| HP Computer | $156 | Family Christmas |
I spent $650 on this pallet and it had a total retail value of $5,150.
I took a few items off and used them in a family Christmas white elephant game.
And after all that (and not being able to sell two additional items), I was able to sell everything else for $2,250.
This gave me a profit of $1,575!
This was the best pallet that I have had. On average, I double my money on a pallet.
Final Thoughts
Pallet flipping is a really creative way to make some extra money. Just know that you will have to front a little money to buy the pallet itself.
And also know that you will have to have the room to store all of the items and that you will have to deal with people on FB Marketplace.
But all in all, I really enjoy doing this and it has proven to be a pretty lucrative side hustle.
If you are looking for some other side hustles, here are some others that I have done myself.
You can do this!
I am here for you!
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