Golfing News & Blog Articles
How to Make Money Flipping Golf Gear
Welcome back. I hope you enjoyed my piece on building a golf outfit for less than $100 at Ross.
Not only is Ross (and other similar discount stores) a great place to buy golf gear for yourself, it’s also a fantastic resource to help you earn a little extra cash.
Here’s what I mean.
While a lot of the merchandise at Ross can be “trashy” and not worth a second look, if you’re patient you can find some hidden gems that are not only valuable but super easy to flip for a profit.
I’ve spent years buying and flipping (mostly golf) shoes and apparel from Ross, As someone without a lot of discretionary income, this has provided me with a secondary way to make money and, in turn, buy new shoes, new golf clubs, etc. (This method is definitely spouse-approved.)
If you know what you’re looking for it’s relatively risk-free. And, with Ross’s generous return window of 30 days, you can always send the item back if it’s not garnering any interest on various resale markets.
Reselling gear has become rather mainstream as of late. This, along with the explosion of social media personalities that do this for a living, has made it more difficult to find resell-worthy stuff before the scalpers get it.
That said, with a little practice and a lot of patience, you should be able to find a system that works for you and pull in a little extra income.
Tips and Tricks for Flipping Golf Gear at Ross
I’ve learned a lot over the past four years or so. I’ve learned a lot of what works but, more importantly, what doesn’t work.
While buying and flipping golf apparel, accessories and shoes at Ross is a relatively low-scale operation, it still stings to get burnt and lose $20 or $30. My goal is to ensure that doesn’t happen to you.
Even still, it can (and more than likely will) happen once or twice. Keep in mind that my advice here is not a replacement for your own judgment nor the advice of your financial advisor. I’m just sharing my own personal experiences in the hopes that you can find a fun (and lucrative) hobby.
Tip #1: Golf Shoes Are Cash Cows
The majority of my successful Ross flips have been golf shoes. Why? They’re so darn cheap.
Ross generally lists all golf shoes (regardless of style, color and size) in the $25-$35 price range. With a lot of pairs, this means you’re looking at nearly and instant 2x or 3x profit.
Take, for example, the Air Max 1 G. This two-year old golf shoe was just $30 at Ross when I scooped up a few pairs to sell. Within weeks, I was able to sell them on Mercari for around $60 each. After fees, this netted me about $20-25 per pair. Heck, if I’d held on to them instead of selling them quickly, I’d be looking at over $100 per pair, based on recent eBay sales.
The profit seems fairly small, sure, but it can add up over time.
Most every golf shoe I’ve found at Ross, I’ve been able to flip for nearly double what I paid. The only case I can remember of breaking even was a pair of the NIKE Air Zoom Victory Tour 2 shoes. These were in a small size (8.5M) so they just weren’t fast movers at all.
This brings me to another point: Size matters.
Tip #2: Size Matters
When talking size, I’m mostly referring to shoes. The size of a shoe matters nearly as much (if not more) than the price.
For example, the size 13+ section is always chock-full of great golf shoes, Jordan and NIKE galore. The same can be said about the tiny sizes (5-7M). That said, there’s a reason you’ll often see limited or rare styles in this section: they don’t sell.
If NIKE couldn’t get rid of them on their own site, there’s no reason to think they’ll sell for you on eBay.
Stick with average sizes, meaning 9-12 in men’s shoes and 6-9 in women’s. Outside of this, you’re taking a bigger risk incurring the cost of the shoes with a lesser chance of actually flipping for a profit.
Hint: Check the large youth sizes, too. A 6Y equates to a 7.5W. Just make sure you list the shoe as both to capture both audiences.
Tip #3: Apparel is Tricky
In general, I tend to focus more on golf shoes instead of golf apparel. In my experience, Ross is great for buying golf apparel for personal use. It is, however, much trickier to make money on golf apparel for your own gain.
The one caveat here (and this applies to most every category) is limited stuff. If an apparel item you find at Ross is sold out everywhere online, there’s a better chance you can make a couple of bucks.
Tip #4: Restocks
When does Ross put out new stock? There’s not really one great answer. And the internet isn’t very convinced one way or another. The consensus seems to be, though, that they don’t put out new stock on weekends.
In my experience, shopping on weekdays is generally more fruitful than weekends. Fewer people to deal with, less picked through. If you’ve got the time to get to Ross right when they open, this will up your chances of finding a hidden gem.
Even still, I’ve made plenty of Ross runs after work on a Friday (don’t tell my boss) and come away with great gear.