turn $5k into $50k

Please don’t skip this email. Trust me!

Today I’m teaching you about how to buy and flip overstock Costco items for pennies on the dollar, in 10 tactical steps.

But first, I’m announcing something amazing on Google Meet on April 30th. This will be something that will help anyone watching make more money. Register here! You’ll kick yourself if you miss it!

A few years ago, I sold millions of dollars worth of iPhones, iPhone repairs and iPhone parts. Some new, some used.

My margins were tight. The market was brutal. And the rules kept changing.

So I sold the business and started looking around. That's when I met Shannon.

The dude is a liquidation ninja. He’s flipped everything from handbags to hinges to hotel faucets - and sold $11 million of iPhones in one deal.

After hearing him break it down, I’m convinced: Liquidation is the most underrated path to real, sustainable income.

If I had to start over today with $5K? This is the game I'd play.

Let’s go!

Step 1: Understand the Liquidation Playbook (Not Just Buy Low, Sell High)

This isn't about gambling on pallets. It's not Storage Wars. This is about building a repeatable system that lets you:

• Spot undervalued assets

• De-risk your cash

• Build direct relationships with platforms

• Sell with margin and speed

The playbook looks like this:

1. Research high-potential categories

2. Source inventory through B-Stock, Grainger, Costco Liquidation, etc.

3. Use math to bid (not emotion)

4. Pre-identify potential buyers before you buy

5. Sell direct to buyers - skip middlemen

6. Repeat

Shannon made $557,000 in net profit selling handbags. Solo. No employees.
Then he got bored and moved on to industrial gear.

Because that’s the game. The product doesn’t matter. The system does.

Step 2: Choose the Right Category (And Then Forget About It)

Want to sell luxury handbags? Fine.
Industrial valves? Even better.
NFL gear in size 5XL? Weirdly profitable.

Category is 30 percent of the equation.

The other 70 percent? Your system.

Shannon’s rule: “You can plug the system into anything. But if you have no system, category doesn’t matter.”

That’s why he sold $4M in handbags… and then pivoted into liquidating door hinges.

The man once sold 1,000 industrial hinges that retail for $220 each. He paid $985 for the entire lot.

Then he taught a guy how to flip 200 hinges for $40 each and made $8K.
Still had 800 left.

That’s the game. Volume + margin + access.

Step 3: Study Platforms Like You Study Sports Teams

Every liquidation source is different. And every platform rewards power users.

Here are your starting points:

• B-Stock: Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart, GE Appliances

• Signature Hardware: industrial parts, bathroom fixtures

• Grainger: safety gear, tools, specialty hardware

• AlphaBroder: branded apparel, imprintable clothing

Study the manifests.
Study the auction patterns.
Study the resale value using eBay’s product research tool.

And most importantly:

Get known by the platforms.

Reach out to category managers.
Comment on their LinkedIn posts.
Speak at events. Get in their feed.

Why?

Because when your account gets flagged, the algorithm won't help you. But the product manager will.

And if they know your name before you need help, you’re good.

This is the difference between pros and hobbyists.

BTW, this was only Part 1! Part 2 will be released on my podcast this Monday. Watch or listen here to both parts here: Spotify - Apple Podcasts - YouTube

Step 4: The Product Equation That Keeps You Safe

Here’s Shannon’s math framework for bidding safely.

It’s called the Product Equation:

• Take the store price

• Cut it in half (because retail pricing is a lie)

• Multiply by 0.2 (20%) to set your max bid

• Factor in shipping to stay at or under 10% of the original MSRP

Example:

• Store price: $10,000

• Half: $5,000

• Max bid: $1,000

• Add $500 freight = $1,500 all-in

Now you’ve bought at 15% of MSRP.

Sell it at 30%-40% of MSRP and you’ve 2X–3X’d your money with margin for error.

He once bought $900K worth of industrial goods (retail value) for $13,000.
Sold four items and made his money back.
Still had 3,000 more items left to sell.

These deals happen every week.
But only if you’re watching.

Step 5: Sell Smarter Than the Algorithm

Selling is the hard part. But it’s also where the upside lives.

Here’s how Shannon wins on resale:

• Sells to businesses, not individuals

• Makes phone calls (because nobody else does)

• Builds repeat buyer relationships

• Doesn’t compete on price. Competes on speed, story, and trust

If you're flipping NFL gear, reach out to card shops and merch stores.

Selling bathroom fixtures? Hit up contractors, flippers, and designers.

Bulk apparel? Reach out to local screen printers and embroidery shops.

Here’s the actual pitch:

You’re not asking them to buy. You’re building demand before the next auction hits.

Then you match the deal to the buyer and lock it in.

Step 6: Play the Long Game on Relationships

Your unfair advantage is not your margins.
It’s your network.

Shannon built relationships at eBay and Poshmark before he needed them.
He got invited to speak at eBay Live.
He got in commercials.
He got selling limits raised to $5 billion.

All because they knew him.

If you’re worried about platform risk, this is your insurance policy.

It’s not optional. It’s strategic.

You don’t reach out when your account gets suspended.
You reach out six months earlier.

Step 7: Reduce Friction, Earn Trust, Own the Experience

This part’s critical.

Your buyers expect to be scammed.
Your job is to flip that assumption.

Here’s how:

• Offer free returns (even if it costs you a little)

• Package like a luxury brand - even if it’s a used hinge

• Include handwritten notes or coupons

• Take full responsibility, even when it’s UPS’s fault

• Use Shannon’s “two tokens” strategy:

“I’m so sorry. That’s unacceptable. Let me fix this right now.”

It disarms people. They stop trying to fight you. They become allies.

That’s how you go from 99% feedback to 100 repeat buyers.

Step 8: Run A/B Tests on Buyers, Not Just Products

Just like with Facebook Ads, liquidation is a game of controlled tests.

Here’s how to test:

• Same product

• Same offer

• Different buyer types

One ad to contractors. One ad to designers.
One DM to a flipper. One call to a retailer.

Track who responds. Who buys. Who ghosts.

Then double down.

Another tip:
Before bidding on an auction, list the product hypothetically on Facebook Marketplace and eBay.

Use a stock photo. Write a clean description.
See how much traffic you get in 24 hours.

You’re not trying to sell it yet.
You’re testing demand.

That’s the liquidation version of running the ad before building the product.

Step 9: Mistakes Will Happen. That’s the Toll to Play

You will get burned. You will lose money.

Shannon bought truckloads of TVs without a manifest and lost $12K.
Another time he missed a spreadsheet cell and bought 20,000 units of 5XL NFL gear. Thought it was a bust.
Turned out to be one of his best flips. He sold it all.

These are not failures. They’re tuition.

You’re paying to level up.

The profits come in the average, not in every deal.

You want 100% hit rate? Buy bonds.

You want 3X returns and cash flow? Learn to take a punch.

Step 10: If You Had to Start Over Tomorrow…

Shannon’s play:

• Start with $5K

• Register for B-Stock

• Study patio furniture, pressure washers, barbecues

• Find a product with high resale velocity

• Bid using the Product Equation

• Sell local on Facebook and national on eBay

• Package like a gift

• Take every return

• Build trust and stack wins

Because when you flip that first $1,000 into $2,000, something clicks in your brain.

You realize:
You don’t need a boss.
You don’t need funding.
You just need a system.

And that system starts with action.

By the way, this playbook came from Monday’s podcast episode with Shannon. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s one of the 3 best podcasts I’ve ever recorded - out of 160!

And this was only Part 1! Part 2 is this Monday. Watch or listen here: Spotify - Apple Podcasts - YouTube

Every day that goes by that you don’t listen to my podcast is a zillion dollars worth of opportunity cost!

Don’t forget to check out my podcast! Watch/listen here: YouTube - Apple Podcasts - Spotify - Other Podcasts

Thanks for reading!

Chris Koerner
TKOPOD.COM