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Start your workspace

Welcome to First Flip. In this walkthrough, we'll follow one example espresso machine from the first price check to a recorded sale. This video demonstrates the Plus workflow. These are real screens from an isolated demo workspace, using fictional sample data. There is no checkout in this video. Start with the overview, then open the playbook to learn the process before evaluating an item.

Research comparable prices

Open Marketplace comps and enter the exact model and condition. The search links help you research real marketplace listings. This tool does not automatically fetch live prices. For each comparable, record its title, source link, condition, sale status, item price, shipping and date checked. Verify that the model and contents match, and only mark a price as sold when you have confirmed the completed sale. Here, three demonstration sales at one hundred five, one hundred ten and one hundred fifteen dollars give a median item price of one hundred ten dollars. Save the research and your pricing notes. Then select Use sold median in calculator.

Calculate the deal

The researched item price is now in the calculator. Enter one purchased unit and one expected sellable unit. In this example, the purchase costs forty-five dollars, with a thirty-dollar profit target. Enter twelve dollars for shipping, one dollar for packaging, three dollars for preparation, and a five-dollar contingency allowance. The twelve percent fee here is just an example; use the actual fees for your account. The estimate is thirty dollars and eighty cents after the entered costs and contingency. The maximum buying price for this target is forty-five dollars and eighty cents. Lowering the expected sale price to ninety-five dollars reduces the estimate to seventeen dollars and sixty cents. That's why it helps to test a less optimistic outcome before buying.

Inspect before buying

Next, open the buying checklist and name the item. Work through the opportunity, the inspection, the seller's terms and your selling plan. Review the exact model, completed sales, essential functions, missing parts, safety and resale eligibility. Then check your costs, purchase ceiling, transport and listing plan. Only check a point after you've actually reviewed it. Add specific inspection notes and choose a decision. In this fictional example, the assessment is Buy. Save it so you can return to the reasoning behind your decision. A checked box is not a guarantee that an item is safe or profitable.

Record your inventory

After you actually buy the item, return to the calculator and select Save as purchased inventory. Do not use this button for a deal you're only considering. Your purchase now appears in Inventory, with one unit in stock and forty-five dollars of acquisition cost. Open Edit purchase to confirm the actual purchase date and costs, add a storage location, and choose the selling channel. Keep it unlisted until you've posted it. Save the purchase, then use the listing button on its row to begin the draft.

Prepare your listing

In Listing studio, the inventory item's name carries over. Enter the brand and model, confirm the condition, and choose a marketplace, local pickup or live auction template. Add the tests you actually performed, included accessories, defects and delivery details. Generate the listing, then review and edit the title and description. Check every statement against your inspection notes and photos. Save the draft. You can copy or download it and post it yourself through your selling account; First Flip does not publish it automatically. Once it's posted, return to Inventory and mark the item as listed.

Record the sale

When the item sells, choose Record sale. Enter the units sold and actual buyer payments, excluding tax collected for tax authorities. Our example sale brings in one hundred ten dollars, with thirteen dollars and twenty cents in fees, twelve dollars in shipping, one dollar in supplies and three dollars in preparation. Enter actual expenses here, not the calculator's contingency allowance. Save the sale. The item changes to Sold out, and the sales ledger shows thirty-five dollars and eighty cents of realized profit after the recorded costs. If you later need to correct an expense or record a refund, use Edit sale.

Review your results

Finally, return to Overview. You can now see the recorded profit, units sold and remaining stock. In this example, one unit sold, no units remain, and no acquisition cost is tied up in stock. Compare that actual outcome with your original estimate, then use what you learned on the next item. That's the complete First Flip workflow: research, calculate, inspect, record the purchase, prepare the listing, record the sale and review the result.