Reference • 30 Terms
Thrift Flipping Glossary
The language of reselling. Every term defined in plain English with context for how it applies to your day-to-day flipping.
BOLO
Be On The Lookout. An item or category known to have high resale value that resellers actively hunt for at thrift stores.
Comps (Comparable Sales)
Recently sold listings for identical or similar items. Used to determine a realistic selling price based on actual market data rather than guesswork.
Sell-Through Rate
The percentage of listed items that actually sell within a given time period. A healthy sell-through rate for most resellers is 30-50% per month.
Dead Stock
Brand-new, never-used items still in original packaging. Dead stock items typically command premium prices, especially in vintage clothing and sneakers.
EUC (Excellent Used Condition)
An item that shows minimal signs of wear. No stains, tears, or significant flaws. Close to new but has been previously owned.
GUC (Good Used Condition)
An item with noticeable but minor signs of wear. May have light pilling, minor fading, or small cosmetic flaws that do not affect function.
Best Offer
A listing feature on eBay that allows buyers to submit a price below the listed amount. Sellers can accept, decline, or counter. Useful for negotiating without publicly lowering your price.
Promoted Listings
Paid advertising on eBay where sellers pay a percentage of the sale price (typically 2-10%) to boost their listing's visibility in search results.
Relisting
Ending and recreating a listing to reset its position in search results. Some resellers relist slow-moving items every 30 days to boost visibility.
Cross-Listing
Listing the same item on multiple selling platforms simultaneously (e.g., eBay, Poshmark, and Mercari) to maximize exposure and sell-through rate.
Sourcing
The act of finding and purchasing inventory to resell. Common sourcing locations include thrift stores, estate sales, garage sales, and liquidation auctions.
Sourcing Run
A planned trip to one or more sourcing locations. Efficient resellers build routes that hit multiple stores in geographic order to minimize drive time.
Death Pile
A backlog of purchased inventory that has not been photographed, listed, or processed. Keeping the death pile small is critical for cash flow.
Flat Lay
A photography technique where items (usually clothing) are laid flat on a clean surface and photographed from directly above. The standard listing photo style for apparel.
Mannequin Shot
Photographing clothing on a dress form or mannequin to show shape and fit. Often converts better than flat lays for structured garments like jackets and dresses.
Ship Weight
The total weight of the item plus packaging materials. Accurate ship weight is essential for pricing shipping correctly and avoiding losses on heavy items.
Poly Mailer
A lightweight, waterproof plastic envelope used to ship clothing and soft goods. The most cost-effective shipping material for apparel resellers.
Final Value Fee (FVF)
The commission eBay charges when an item sells. Currently around 13.25% of the total sale price (item + shipping) for most categories.
ROI (Return on Investment)
The profit earned relative to the amount invested. Calculated as (Sell Price - All Costs) / Total Costs x 100. A $5 buy that sells for $30 after fees has roughly a 300% ROI.
Margin
The profit remaining after all costs are subtracted from the selling price. Includes purchase price, platform fees, shipping materials, and shipping costs.
Long Tail
Items that may take weeks or months to sell but command strong prices when they do. Building a large inventory of long-tail items creates steady passive income over time.
Flipping
The core activity of buying an item at a low price and selling it at a higher price for profit. The speed of the turnaround varies from same-day to months.
Haul
The collection of items purchased during a single sourcing run. Resellers often document hauls on social media to share finds and educate their audience.
Bins (The Bins)
Goodwill outlet stores where unsold items are sold by the pound in large bins. Prices are extremely low but competition is intense and conditions are chaotic.
Color Tag Sale
A discount system used by thrift stores where items with a specific color tag are marked down (usually 50% off) on a rotating weekly schedule.
Lot
A group of similar items sold together as a single listing. Common for trading cards, clothing bundles, and accessories. Lots move slow inventory faster.
Comp Check
The act of searching sold listings on eBay or other platforms to verify an item's resale value before purchasing it. The single most important habit in reselling.
Arbitrage
Buying an item on one platform or location where it is priced low and selling it on another where demand (and price) is higher. Thrift-to-eBay is a form of retail arbitrage.
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