How One Woman’s Amazon Side Hustle Passively Makes $15,000 Each Month
Yamie Michelin has earned a following on TikTok for showcasing how she buys and resells items to turn a profit on the retailer. But is it ethical?
For small businesses looking to grow or make a splash, selling on Amazon is a preferred option, as independent sellers can set their own prices for their products and goods.
Some sellers, however, have seemed to crack a code by outsourcing products from wholesale companies or discount retailers where they can buy bulk products cheaper and then resell them for a higher price, turning a profit without minimum effort.
One TikToker, Yamie Michelin, broke down how she’s been able to make $15,000 a month by selling merchandise from discount retailer Marshalls on Amazon for a much higher price.
Michelin, who goes by @yamie_the_realtor on TikTok, first said she searches for products at discount stores. In one example, she purchased two primers from Sephora that she found at Marshalls for $3.99 and resold the items for $22.54 each.
In order to verify how much she can resell the Amazon items for, Michelin says that she scans the barcode on the item in the store she’s purchasing from with an Amazon scanner app to show instantly how much the item is selling for on the website.
She says that she has to take into account how much money she will have to spend on shipping the items before deciding whether or not to purchase the item to resell.
Michelin is now even selling her own e-book where she teaches others how to buy and resell with success on Amazon.
However, some commenters were not happy with Michelin’s business tactics, calling her out for being the reason that some Amazon “products are sketchy.”
“Never buying skincare from Amazon again,” one user said.
However, it hasn’t seemed to faze Michelin and her hundreds of fans who have asked for her help in getting their own businesses started.
Michelin gets paid bi-weekly in increments up to $7,000 per paycheck, according to her TikTok, and says she started with only $300 to her name.
Michelin told viewers: “Anything to improve appearance is always going to sell, wrinkle cream, acne, dark spot, make-up, etc,” and that when choosing an item to resell, “shoot for an item that’s selling 2-3x more than purchase price.”
The best stores, she claims, are Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, Ross, Walmart (clearance section), and liquidation stores.
Amazon selling is just her side gig, however — she is a realtor and credit specialist by day.