How we estimate projected profit
Every find comes with its math, and every number in it is worked out the same way. Here’s the method, so you can check a find before you message the seller.
Projected profit = what it sells for − selling fees − shipping and packing − what you pay the seller
What it sells for
A typical price from real recent sales of the same item: same model, same version, similar condition. We use what buyers actually paid, not what other sellers are asking, because plenty of listings sit for weeks at prices nobody pays. Open any find and choose Sold prices to see those sales yourself.
Selling fees
We take off 15% of the sale price to be safe. Most resale sites keep less than that, so the estimate leans low rather than high.
Shipping and packing
We work out the item’s box size and weight, then use the higher end of real carrier prices across the U.S., plus the box, padding and tape. Shipping eats into cheap items fast, which is one reason small flips rarely clear the bar.
What you pay the seller
We don’t assume you’ll pay the asking price. The suggested offer is a bit under it: 75% of the asking price up to $500, 80% up to $1,000, 85% up to $2,500 and 90% above that, rounded up to the next $5. If the seller says the price is firm, we use the full price.
You can always offer more or less than the suggestion. Whatever you save on the purchase stays in your projected profit.
The two floors
We send a listing only if it clears both floors. By default they are:
- At least $50 projected profit after selling fees. Gas, messages, the drive and the occasional return all come out of what you make, and a small flip isn’t worth an evening.
- At least a 50% projected all-in return. That’s projected profit divided by everything you’d put in: the suggested offer, selling fees, and shipping and packing. It keeps you from tying up a lot of money for a thin margin.
On cheaper items the $50 floor usually decides. On expensive ones the 50% floor does.
A worked example
A Nintendo Switch console bundle listed at $135 that sells for about $482:
| What it sells for, from real recent sales | $482.00 |
|---|---|
| Selling fees, 15% | −$72.30 |
| Shipping and packing | −$29.70 |
| Suggested offer: 75% of the $135 asking price, rounded up to the next $5 | −$105.00 |
| Projected profit | $275.00 |
| All-in return: $275 divided by the $207 you’d put in | 133% |
It clears both floors comfortably. This is an example to show the math, not a typical result.
What an estimate can’t know
Projected profit is an estimate made when we send the find. Condition in person, what you end up paying, the fees where you resell and the final sale price can all move it, so check each find before you buy. If an estimate looks off, report it from the find, and if we confirm the problem, the find’s fee is refunded.
No card needed for the first one. Pricing has the details.