📘 1000 Side Hustle Ideas Home ← Reselling & Flipping ← Retail Arbitrage
HUSTLE #138 2.4 Retail Arbitrage

Flip Discounted Office Supplies on Amazon During Back-to-School

💰 Startup Cost $0-100
⏰ Time/wk 2-5 hrs
📊 Difficulty ★★☆☆☆
🏆 1st Month $ $150-400
💵 Monthly Range $400-1,200
⏱ First $ In 2-4 weeks
Amazon FBA, eBay
Stores run aggressive back-to-school sales in July and August. Buy Sharpies, Expo markers, Post-it notes, Crayola supplies, and Five Star notebooks at 50-75% off. These products sell year-round on Amazon, not just during school season. Office managers and teachers restock supplies monthly. Buy in bulk during the sale, ship to Amazon FBA, and let them sell steadily for the next 6-8 months.
🚀 First Step
Check Walmart and Target weekly ads online for back-to-school deals, then scan the top 5 discounted office supplies with the Amazon Seller app.
  • Back-to-school clearance hits deepest about 2-3 weeks after school starts, in mid-September
  • Sharpie markers, Expo dry-erase markers, and Post-it notes are year-round consistent sellers
  • Send inventory to Amazon FBA once and let it sell for months without relisting
🛠 Tools & Resources: Amazon Seller app, FBA revenue calculator, Walmart/Target weekly ads, poly mailers, barcode scanner, shipping scale