- Amazon resellers are looking to dollar stores for items they can flip for profit.
- Some are picking up penny items at overstocked Dollar General stores.
Dollar stores have become a favorite destination for some Amazon resellers looking for products to flip.
The shoppers are among those who make money by buying products, then selling them on Amazon as third-party sellers — a process known as retail arbitrage. Products that are worth flipping from Dollar Stores range from glow sticks to Twinkies, according to videos posted on TikTok.
User yassinhall, for example, posted a video in July saying that she has sold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of glow sticks in a single month. She said her source for the glow sticks was a Dollar Tree store.
@yassinhall I found an item in Dollar Tree that makes $319,000 in revenue a month selling in Amazon Men & women lie, but numbers do not❗️ When I saw this, I ran straight to Dollar Tree Comment "WANT IN" or click link in bio to sign up now❗️ Let me teach you how❗️#fyp #foryou #amazonseller #DollarTree #amazonfinds #amazonmusthaves #amazonfavorites ♬ original sound - THE BOSS CLASS
"You're probably now evaluating your whole life," the user says in the video.
Dollar Tree and Dollar General did not immediately respond to a request from Insider for comment on the videos in this article.
Another seller, who uses the name beezyesco574 on TikTok, posted a video in October showing two-packs of power strips for sale at a Dollar Tree store for $1.25 each. The same power strips were selling on Amazon at the time for $9.99 each, according to the video.
@beezyesco574 You Can Start Selling On Amazon With Very Little Money Even Dollar Tree Has Profits Inside Just Waiting For You✅ click the link in bio #amazon #fba #amazonfba #passiveincome #flip #dollartree #fyp #foryoupage ♬ Chichiquetere - HCTM
The video shows the user unpacking the power strips then apparently preparing to ship them to a warehouse to be sold through Fulfillment by Amazon, a service that allows sellers to sell products while letting Amazon ship them to customers.
Other shoppers take advantage of Dollar General items that sell for $0.01 each.
Many of Dollar General's stores are so overwhelmed with inventory that they are unable to remove items that have been written-off, leaving them to be scooped up by eagle-eyed customers.
According to a video posted in June, user forbiddenfruitreselling picked up several boxes of Orange Creme Pop-flavored Twinkies at a Dollar General store for $0.01 per box.
@forbiddenfruitreselling Twinkies #fyp #foryou #dollargeneral #dollargeneralpennyshopping #pennyshoppingatdollargeneral #clearance #reseller #amazon #amazonfba #twinkie #clearancefinds ♬ Cupid – Twin Ver. (FIFTY FIFTY) – Sped Up Version - sped up 8282
The boxes sold on Amazon for $16.99 each at the time, according to the video.
Retail arbitrage has become a side hustle for some. Others have made a full-time job out of scouring the shelves, especially clearance sections, of stores ranging from Walmart to Kohl's.
Do you work at a Dollar store and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@insider.com.