<aside> ⚡ Objective: Master the fundamentals of why used books and media represent a low-risk, high-potential business—and decide if this model fits your goals.
Time to complete: 8 min video + 20 min action
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Most resellers walk past the book section at Goodwill without a second glance. They assume books are low-margin, slow-selling commodities. Kyle Preston thought the same—until he scanned his first $1 thrift store find and discovered it was worth over $100.
That single moment changed everything. Within a year, Kyle quit his day job. Within two years, he had a warehouse and employees. Today, his operation processes 44,000-pound truckloads weekly, generating over $2 million in annual revenue.
The barrier isn't capital, it's knowledge. You're typically paying $1-3 per item, and with scanning tools, you know BEFORE you buy whether an item is profitable.
Unlike sneakers, electronics, or designer goods requiring significant capital, books offer an almost embarrassingly low entry point. Kyle's entire initial investment was $1,000—and he considers even that conservative. The economics: pay $1-3 per book at thrift stores, library sales, and garage sales. With scanning software, you know the profit potential BEFORE you buy. You're not gambling—you're buying inventory you already know sells.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1phl6wbwsc_iEbi9UuP_E6hAkyTRQyfZj/view?usp=sharing
<aside> ✏️ 🛠️ Action Item #1: Count books/DVDs you own but haven't touched in 2+ years, these could be your first items to list:
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Your answer:
Kyle's $2M+ annual business is 70% disc media—DVDs, CDs, and video games. 'If I was to tell people I sell DVDs for a living, they would look at me like, man, are you in 2005?' But sales in physical media were actually up in 2024. Books are selling as strong as ever with trends like BookTok. Categories that 'everyone knows' are dead often have profitable niches hiding in plain sight.