Most people have heard of a “side hustle.” It’s when you put a few of your extra hours each week toward a business venture, typically separate from your day job or other responsibilities, that earns you anywhere from a few extra hundred dollars per week to a few thousand.
If you’re looking to make some extra cash, there are lots of options out there these days that work for different people depending on ability, interests, skill sets, and materials. Flipping mattresses is just one of the most popular and potentially underrated side hustles around today.
Mattress flipping is purchasing a used mattress in good condition at a low price and reselling it at a higher price to create a desirable profit margin. Mattress flippers typically take care of product pickup and drop-off. Still, the extra money you can make depending on the quality of the mattress and pricing ability can make a huge difference in your monthly income.
How to Make Money Flipping Mattresses
Mattress flippers are essentially taking advantage of how difficult it is to return a mattress to the seller after purchase if you decide the new mattress isn’t for you. This is particularly true for the “bed in a box” style of mattress, which is nearly impossible to return to the box once opened. Therefore, third-party furniture flippers can easily fix and resell very lightly used mattresses.
Have Good Negotiation Techniques
In order to make a sizable profit flipping mattresses, it’s crucial to have good negotiation skills that allow you to acquire high-quality mattresses for a low cost. Then, your cleaning, sanitizing, labeling, and photo-taking skills will come into play to make sure you can create a high-value item that someone will buy at around 200% or 300% of what you paid for it.
Use Popular C2C eCommerce Sites
If you’re tech-savvy, you can see success selling your refurbished mattress on sites like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and eBay. These consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer e-commerce sites all have local selling options if you prefer to keep your delivery range small. Many mattress flippers have also seen success with in-person events such as garage sales, which allow you to sell directly to neighbors and members of your community.
Mattress Flipping FAQs
What Do I Need to Get Started Flipping Mattresses?
All you need to start flipping mattresses is a reliable vehicle with lots of storage space, some physical ability (in particular, the ability to lift king-sized mattresses), and a clean and dry area to store mattresses. Some negotiation and sales experience is helpful, and motivation to work hard will also increase the amount of income you can secure from mattress flipping.
Is There a Market for Used Mattresses?
As we mentioned before, it can be really difficult to return mattresses once they’re opened, even if they’ve only been used once or have never been used at all. While you may have some trouble creating a good profit margin for older, more heavily used mattresses, it’s generally pretty easy to find buyers for brand-new, already opened, conveniently delivered mattresses.
How Much Should I Sell Used Mattresses For?
In order to determine what your pricing should be, take note of several factors, including what you paid for the mattress, how old it is, and its condition. Some newer mattresses have already seen consistent or heavy use, and some older mattresses have rarely been used, so older age doesn’t automatically mean decreased value.
Most flipped mattresses will cost between $500 and $1000, and you should try to keep your sales prices around 200% to 300% of what you paid to make your time and effort worth the income.
Learn More About Making Money as a Sharetown Rep
Becoming a mattress flipper has never been easier than with Sharetown. Sharetown can provide you with a consistent stream of mattresses to keep your mattress flipping business bringing in cash.
As a Sharetown Rep, you will get paid to remove ‘like new’ mattresses from customers’ homes and resell them for a profit.
Sharetown was designed to help communities reuse and resell valuable items using members of the communities themselves, creating a friendly and insular experience that benefits everyone involved. Think of this app like Uber or Instacart, but instead of picking up and dropping off people, you’re working with furniture. Plus, Sharetown supports sustainability practices by making it easier to resell items that you may have simply thrown away. Sharetown also makes cash and item donations to charities to help local communities.
You can help further the Sharetown mission and make some extra cash along the way by becoming a Sharetown rep. Apply today to become a Sharetown rep!
