Reselling
Thrift Flip Profit Calculator
Bought it cheap, selling it on. Enter the thrift price, clean-up cost and platform fee to see the flip's profit and return on your cash.
Profit is the selling price after the marketplace fee, any shipping you cover, and everything you put into the piece. Return on cash invested compares that profit with the thrift price plus clean-up — it tells you whether the flip was worth the cash and the trip, not just whether it sold above what you paid.
Formula
Marketplace fee = selling price × fee rate. Cash invested = purchase price + cleaning/repair cost. Profit = selling price − fee − shipping you cover − cash invested. Return = profit ÷ cash invested × 100.
How it works
Enter what you paid at the thrift store, what cleaning or repair cost, the price you sold (or plan to sell) at, the marketplace's fee rate and any shipping you cover. The fee rate is yours to set because the same flip earns differently on a 20% marketplace versus a 10% one — try both before choosing where to list.
Worked example
Bought for $8.00, cleaning $2.00, so $10.00 invested. Sold for $35.00 with a 20% fee = $7.00 fee, no shipping covered. Profit = $35.00 − $7.00 − $10.00 = $18.00. Return on cash invested = $18.00 ÷ $10.00 = 180.0%. The flip nearly triples the cash put in — before counting your time.
FAQs
What counts as cleaning or repair cost?
Anything you spent to make the piece sellable: cleaning supplies, a replacement button, shoe polish, steaming. If you already owned the supplies, use a fair share of their cost rather than zero.
Which fee rate do I use?
The rate of the marketplace where the item will sell — 20% for a Poshmark-style sale at $15 or more, 10% for Mercari, and so on. If you have not chosen, run the flip at both rates.
Does this include my time?
No, and for thrift flips time is the hidden cost: sourcing, cleaning, photographing and listing. A $18.00 profit is less exciting if it took three hours.
What if the item does not sell at my price?
Lower the selling price in the calculator until the profit still justifies the work — that is your floor price. Below it, the piece is better donated than discounted further.
Should unsold items count against a flip?
Yes, across your whole sourcing, not per item. If one in four thrift buys never sells, your winners have to cover the losers — track profit per trip, not just per piece.
Stand: October 2026. Pure arithmetic — no platform rate is used; enter your own figures.
Disclaimer: Results are estimates and general information only, not tax or financial advice. Platform fees change — always confirm the current fee in your seller account before you price an item.
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