Hey everyone, my name is Stephen Smotherman and I’m really thankful to Bob Willey – SellerCoaching, for inviting me to write this guest 
post. I currently live in Fort Worth, Texas, with my wife and kids, and I love selling on Amazon. In fact, since 2012 I’ve been able to turn part-time hours into a full-time income with Amazon FBA.
A few years ago, I was looking for a new niche to add to my online selling business. I needed something that was both profitable and abundant. I needed something I could buy for $1 to $5… and sell for $20-$80. The niche I discovered ended up being better than I ever expected. What niche had I discovered? Board games.
For the past five years, I have found thousands of board games, both new and used (collectible), to sell online. Take a look at just a few examples of some recent sales:
Snorta – Bought this board game brand new for $3 and sold it for $99.99
Trivial Pursuit: Master Game Genius Edition – Bought this board game new for $5 and it sold for $69.99
Excalibur King Master III Electronic Chess & Checkers Game – Bought this game for $15 and it sold for $199.99
These are just a few examples of the board games I sell on a weekly basis. The board games above are obviously my home runs, but I seem to find them all the time. On average, I’ll easily triple my investment in the board games that I sell.
With five years of experience with sourcing board games, I’ve made my share of mistakes… and I want to pass on what I’ve learned to you! Today, I’d love to share with you my top 7 tips and tricks on buying and selling both new and used/collectible board games:
- You can find great board games to resell at garage sales and thrift stores, but the best place to find multiple brand new board games to sell on Amazon is eBay! Yes, you can easily double your money (or more) when you buy on eBay to sell on Amazon.
- Selling used board games can be very profitable! Some new board games are just too expensive on Amazon, and many buyers are very happy with buying a used board game. When selling a used board game on Amazon, be sure you categorize it as “collectible.” Amazon does not sell “used” games and your “used” game will only sell if it’s labeled as “collectible.”
- Double and triple check that ALL of the board game pieces are included in the game. You can check sites like boardgamegeek.com to find detailed information on how many of each piece is included in most board games. Are you missing a piece? You can find individual replacement pieces on eBay, as well as other websites that will help you complete your game.
4. When selling a used electronic board game (The old Mall Madness game is one of my best sellers) double check that the battery compartment is not corroded. Put fresh batteries in the game and make sure all of the buttons still work. I even include the new batteries in the board game box and make sure that I note that fresh batteries are included in my condition notes or item description. Note: Don’t keep the batteries in the battery compartment, as they may corrode while shipping or storage. Just include them in the box.
5. Q4 is coming up. Many board games, both new and used, sell for much, much more during the months of November and December. Check CamelCamelCamel or Keepa for pricing history, and if you see spikes of prices during Q4, price accordingly and enjoy increased profits!
6. Just like some cars are worth more when you sell them part by part, there are many board games that are worth more when you sell them piece by piece on eBay.
7. When you find a board game that you’ve never heard of, you may have just found a pot of gold. I once found a used board game called Space Hulk… I had never heard of it, and to be honest, the game looked really weird. I looked it up, and it was currently selling for around $219. When I sent it to FBA, I was the only FBA seller, and four weeks later it sold for $249.99. Oh yeah, I only paid $2 for it.
Selling board games is a great niche to add to your online selling business. Whether you sell on eBay or Amazon, board games with great ROIs are all over the place. Seriously, I’ll run out of money before I run out of board games to resell online. It is the abundance of such a profitable niche that has led me to share my all of my secrets in my course, The Reseller’s Guide to Board Games: How to Turn Play Money into Real Money.
The course is a combination ebook (16 chapters over 90 pages) a video course (over 4 hours), and includes 5 bonuses. It’s packed with all the information you need to find, buy, prepare, and sell board games for maximum profits.
I just updated the Board Games course, so all of the information is up-to-date with today’s Amazon and eBay’s landscape. Since I just updated the course, I decided to raise the price. But don’t worry, you still have some time to get the 2018 updated edition at the old price, but hurry, because the price goes up after September 19th at midnight.
In the course, I’ll share with you all of my most profitable secrets and even tell you some great board games to be on the lookout for that always seem to sell quickly at a nice price.
For more information about The Reseller’s Guide to Board Games, click here.
If you’re looking to add a niche to your online selling business that is both affordable and abundant, board games just might be what you’re looking for. I hope that the tips I’ve shared with you today have helped.
For more tips, tricks, video tutorials, and freebies focused on turning part-time hours into a full-time income, come hang out with me on my blog over at Fulltimefba. Subscribe and you’ll get some free PDFs that will help save you both time and money in your Amazon FBA business.
