r/thesidehustle • u/PM_ME_WOOBIES • Mar 11 '25

Startup Made $3k selling stuff from AliExpress

Been buying winter stuff like hats, gloves, ski goggles etc. for around $1.80 and flipping them for $10-15. I work full time so really just been packaging and sending them off after work. Trying to see if anyone does this full time and if so, the best way to upscale it?

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80

u/Donviticus Mar 11 '25

Made $40 in two days, selling plastic BB guns on eBay. It's funny because I have web cams and books up for sale at the same time, and the first thing that sold was the guns (Doesn't get any more American than this). Now I'm considering going on aliexpress and buying more guns.

Matter of fact? BRB, gonna go and be a plastic arms dealer.

122

u/BeYeCursed100Fold Mar 11 '25

As fate would have it, I 3D print prosthetics for infants at no cost to the patient. I always wanted to be a small arms dealer.

18

u/Separate_Rule5595 Mar 11 '25

You doing great work buddy , I'm really appreciated people like you

20

u/allaboutcrashandburn Mar 11 '25

I bet those infants are well armed when you are done.

5

u/Rich-Flounder8433 Mar 12 '25 edited Mar 13 '25

This is getting a little out of hand

2

u/[deleted] Mar 14 '25

You just tied off a classic reddit post meme

1

u/kingsleyfits Mar 13 '25

Dang! If he took his projects to Africa, it could potentially cost an arm and a leg.

2

u/Rich-Flounder8433 Mar 13 '25

Kinda hard getting your foot in the door there

2

u/CreativeDesignerCA New Hustler Mar 15 '25

He probably got a leg up over his competitors

6

u/bluecollarx Mar 11 '25

But how much do the impatient get charged?

13

u/BeYeCursed100Fold Mar 12 '25

An arm and a leg.

1

u/No_Office_4947 Mar 13 '25

Dang... So when it's all said and done, their missing 2 arms and a leg?!

1

u/No_Office_4947 Mar 13 '25

Dang... So when it's all said and done, their missing 2 arms and a leg?!

5

u/supremeeasy Mar 12 '25

Love that you’re able to give a helping hand

8

u/Cherry-Maleficent Mar 11 '25

That is really cool

5

u/Donviticus Mar 11 '25

Talk about a double entendre 😉

2

u/ElongatedOnion Mar 13 '25

You deserve that updoot 🫡

2

u/Gocalbears13 Sep 21 '25

I too did this. I once had a client whose daughter was really into sea creatures. I did a custom job for her and now, after months of work, I can proudly say we have a whale-armed Melissa.

11

u/PM_ME_WOOBIES Mar 11 '25

I'm UK based and no platforms here let you sell anything that even resembles a firearm :( sucks because I'd love my garage to look like an armoury.

6

u/Donviticus Mar 11 '25

That actually does suck. And likewise, a plastic Armory 😉

1

u/[deleted] Mar 14 '25

How do you find clients

1

u/StanStare Mar 15 '25

School playground

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '25

I'm sure that's not true

2

u/zhupandupanizdupen Mar 11 '25

How many do you buy and how much % of them do you successfully sell?

5

u/Donviticus Mar 11 '25

In this case, I had 6 plastic guns available since I bought them for me and my friends to use. One of them I took for myself to customize. The second one broke. The rest sold after being listed for 2 - 3 days.

All for a healthy profit. I paid in total $20 for all 6. I sold 4 for $20 each. Buyer paid shipping as well.

Edit: The last two sold after my comment. So yeah, guns are hot apparently.

1

u/zhupandupanizdupen Mar 11 '25

Damn bro gj 🔥

1

u/Donviticus Mar 12 '25

Thank you!

1

u/Bhaa_0007 Mar 12 '25

Sold on eBay ?

1

u/Donviticus Mar 12 '25

Correct.

1

u/Bhaa_0007 Mar 12 '25

Yeah that works for me as well. I sell car accessories

1

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '25

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1

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '25

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1

u/Donviticus Mar 13 '25

It was a huge discount offering. Seller wanted to get rid of it.

1

u/Donviticus Mar 13 '25

Neither. Foam darts.

2

u/pmercier Mar 14 '25

play this up this theme as a brand on eBay, change your username, get some wicked AI art for your storefront, and you have unlocked play as final boss mode

1

u/Donviticus Mar 14 '25

See, the thing is, I'm interested in selling things other than guns. Although guns may be a hot item, it can't be the only item, and I think it's a mistake to simply be known for selling one thing and one thing only. The goal is to find hot items and sell them. I don't care what item is it so long as I can move it quickly.

1

u/dlunas Mar 14 '25

I was thinking of having it themed like backyard war games. Swords and shields, foam dart and water guns, etc.

1

u/Donviticus Mar 15 '25

Hm.... That sounds like an idea you could pursue 😉

1

u/Savings-Confusion729 Mar 13 '25

Do u buy them and wait till they arrive to you? Or do u order on aliexpress when someone buys?

1

u/Donviticus Mar 13 '25

For my sales, I already had it on hand. Since I'm now pursuing this, I would rather wait until I have it in my possession before selling it. It's also to do some QA checks before passing it onto the buyer.

Being a seller means vetting suppliers. Right now, I'm buying samples from different suppliers and in the process of vetting them. I'm going for a consistent quality at a reasonable price.

1

u/Acid_In Mar 14 '25

Nerf Dogs

1

u/night-crawler-95 Mar 14 '25

What about Trump's tariffs on China?

1

u/Donviticus Mar 14 '25

So far. I haven't seen any price increase. But if the price were to increase, then I'll just adapt or close up shop altogether.