TIE #023: How I Made $7,832 in Profit on Amazon in April (while hardly working)
Show me a more efficient Amazon business... I'll wait.
Apparently you hate money. If you didn’t, you’d be using Rakuten every time you shop on websites like Walmart and Target to save money.
They have paid me over $8,000 for things I was already going to buy for my one-person business (click here for proof).
They are also the reason this post is free to read. Sign up here and get $30 for free after your first use.
I have been documenting how much money my personal Amazon business makes in this newsletter for over 2 years now.
While running an Amazon business was never a dream of mine, it is what laid the foundation for me to leave my full-time job and then reach financial freedom at a young age.
In 2023, an Amazon business is still the best option if you want to accomplish what I have.
This post is #28 of this series, you can read post #27 here.
My Amazon business has three branches:
Branch 1: Non-fiction book arbitrage
Branch 2: LEGO investment sales
Branch 3: Other random online arbitrage
Depending on the time of year, they all rise and fall independently from each other.
The common theme between them all is efficiency. I aim for higher than average profit margin while aiming to work as little as possible.
The three branches combined for the following numbers in April:
Total Sales: $18,777.09
Items Sold: 222
Cost of Goods + Fees: $10,944.27
Total Profit: $7,832.82
Hours Worked: ~11-13
Average Profit Per Item: $35.28
Total Profit for 2023: $42,242.53
After an amazing March, the strong performance continued in April with an eerily similar result.
The numbers of hours worked on the business increased a bit as I continue to add in some more random arbitrage opportunities.
It was the result of boredom and enjoyment more than anything. I still love this game as much as I did a decade ago.
If you are newer here, you might be asking yourself “wtf does ‘arbitrage’ mean?”.
Allow me to explain in three simple steps:
Step 1: Buy product online (often from a big box retailer)
Step 2: List on Amazon
Step 3: Sell for a profit
This is arbitrage.
Here is an example of me arbitraging a book:
You can’t just buy anything and make money. It takes effort to research and find items that have a high likelihood to make you money.
As you gain experience and add in software, the process becomes more efficient.
When I first started, I worked on my Amazon business for 40 hours/week on top of having a full-time job.
Was that required? No. However, I wanted to escape employment as soon as possible.
Today, instead of focusing on making more money, I focus on making the same amount of money in less time.
There is no “right way” to do it. It’s all about what your goals are.
You can keep chasing “get rich quick” fantasies or you can create an actual business that is proven to make money.
The choice is yours.
When you are ready, there are two different ways I can help you:
If you are interested in starting an efficient one-person online business, I recommend starting with one of the following:
Textbook Flipping Mastery - My in-depth guide on how to start a high-margin Amazon e-commerce business.
LEGO Investing Mastery - My in-depth guide on how to start a long-term “buy, hold, and sell” LEGO investing business.
The Conference Room - My private mentorship community that includes the two guides above, for free. Pay once and stay a member for life.
If you are interested following along with my personal LEGO investment portfolio and getting exclusive alerts when I add a new set to that portfolio:
Become a paid subscriber here (7-day free trial available)