2

You and I both know that the world of the internet changes every second of the day. I have tried my
best to provide information that is completely accurate (at least as of this writing). Chances are this
book will be updated as the world of flipping shoes changes. But please note that you are solely
responsible for any actions you take as a result of reading this book.
Any monetary claims or examples in these materials are historical and do not indicate or suggest
guarantees of future gains. Your level of success is dependent upon your unique situation, your
commitment level, your skills, and your buying power. I fully expect, however, that many of you will far
surpass my level of success. And then Ill be happy to buy your book.
The author and publisher shall in no event be held liable for any loss or other damages, including but not
limited to special, incidental, or other damages. As with any business, you are encouraged to seek the
advice of a competent legal, tax, and accounting or other professional. The author and publisher does
not warrant the performance, effectiveness, or applicability of any websites in this book. All links or
websites included are for informational purposes only. They are not warranted for content, accuracy, or
any other implied or explicit purpose.
Please note that the author receives referral fees from some of the links included in this book. So thank
you ahead of time should you decide to make purchases via the included links. They all represent super
products.
All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, resell, or copying of this material is unlawful. No portion
of this book may be copied or resold without written permission.

Copyright 2015 Ken Kelly/FlippingShoes.com

FLIPPING SHOES
How to Make Huge Profits Selling Shoes Online
My Story
The last seven years of my life have been a wild ride. I wont bore you with all the
details. But I truly believe there is always a story behind someones ride to
success. Yes, granted, some people are handed success on a silver platter. Lets
just say I dont fit into that category. I love to hear the details of someones
journey, especially when that journey includes blood, sweat, and tears. So, if
youre not into the journey part, feel free to jump ahead and read the how-to
sections. You will hurt my feelings by doing so; but Ill never know it.
In June of 2013, I passed the 60 year mark. So Ive been getting senior discounts
for some time now. That comes in handy on Tuesdays at Ross Dress for Less
stores. The reason I share my age is that I believe some people think theyre too
old to be a successful online seller. Nothing could be further from the truth.
For 30 years I served as full-time lead pastor in two churches. For six years I was
pastor in the little town of Melissa, Texas (just south of Anna, by the way), while
working on my PhD in Christian Ethics at Southwestern Baptist Theological
Seminary in Fort Worth. After completing my degree, I moved back home to
South Carolina where I served as senior pastor for almost 24 years. This particular
church was where I dreamed I would continue to serve until I retired.
Unfortunately, I lost my job there when the leadership of the church decided it
needed fresh leadership. Thankfully and gratefully the church gave me a generous
severance that allowed me time to find another job. Basically I had three options
before me. First, I could do the typical thingseek another job as pastor and
relocate. Or I could find a full-time job being a chaplain, college/seminary
professor, or some type of 9 to 5 job. Or, finally, I could help my son who is also a
pastor and who had started a new church in our city the previous year. With the
third option I could become what in church-speak is known as a bi-vocational
pastor, someone who works in a smaller church setting and carries on another
profession as well.

I think my family wanted me to pursue options one or two because those options
would have provided more financial security as well stability and medical benefits.
My wife would circle some items in the classified section of the daily newspaper
and hint that I should consider sending in my resume. Other members of my
family would occasionally ask what kind of progress I was making in finding a job.
But deep down I really believed God was leading me to take the bi-vocational
route. That way I could help my son in the new church start and I could try to
grow my online business at the same time. My three sons and their families all
lived close by and were heavily engaged in the new church. My first
granddaughter had been born (my second granddaughter has now been born). So
being gone four or five nights a week for meetings was losing its appeal. And
relocating to another city was becoming less and less desirable to me.
The move to being a bi-vocational pastor has been a huge blessing. Working with
my son has been a huger (is that a word?) blessing. Leading and serving in a small
congregation is a far cry difference from working in a larger setting. The ride has
been challenging, yet fulfilling.
While all this ministry transition was transpiring, I also formed an LLC that
encompasses my online business. It is called KPro Products. When people ask
what I do, you can see how complicated it would be to give a simple answer. So
my standard response now when people ask me what I do, I just say, I am a
flippin preacher. Of course, I go on and explain that Im a minister; but I also buy
things and flip them online for a profit.
Before I lost my job in 2010, I had started dabbling with online sales when a friend
told me that I could sell books for a huge profit on Amazon. I didnt believe him.
So I took some books from my ministers library that had been sitting on shelves
for years; and sure enough I was getting a ridiculous profit on something I was
passionate about anywaybooks!
From books I moved on to some of the other typical categories that sellers use as
their business expandsother media items, toys, home improvement, etc. In the
fall of 2013 I decided to submit my application to sell shoes on the Amazon
platform. Once approved, I started scanning for shoes and could not believe the
profits I was getting. And this success serves as the underlying basis for this ebook. Im a firm believer that good profits can be made selling online regardless

of the category. And because people have helped me along the way, I share these
recent experiences of mine in hopes that they can help you be more successful,
especially if youre interested in flipping shoes.
Speaking of those who have helped me along the way, I unashamedly give all the
thanks and glory to my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ for how He has provided for
my familys needs, especially during the period of transition after my job loss. As
of this writing I have been married for 38 years. And, yes, all 38 of them have
been wonderful because Anita, the love of my life, is absolutely wonderful. She
pitches in and has learned and is learning many aspects of the online business.
She has been a huge help to me. Im grateful to all my family. They are such an
encouragement to me.
In the online world I would be amiss if I did not mention Jim Cockrum. Every
investment I have made in the products he offers has resulted in manifold
dividends. And I know that what has made him so successful is his own personal
faith and his belief in adding value to others. He gives and gives and gives. If
youre new to the Amazon world, you need to check out his Proven Amazon
Course (click here for link). It is the Cadillac of all the projects Jim has initiated.
And youll need the expertise taught in this course to be successful selling shoes.
Although I am more connected to Jim, I also want to thank Skip McGrath. When I
lost my job, honestly, it was a difficult decision to fork out a few thousand dollars
to receive coaching from his network. But the things he and his team taught me
five years ago are still reaping huge benefits for me.
John Bullard, Jr., has been another huge blessing in my life. Here is another
example of someone who gives and gives and gives. His whole business model is
based on adding value to others and helping them be successful. There are 30
years difference in our age. He could have easily spent his energy pouring into
someone younger and more knowledgeable of all the ins and outs of the online
world. But he and his family have been a huge asset not just to my business but to
my life. I am grateful for the Bullards.
And, finally, let me give a big shout out to the Mastermind 8 Group (MM8 Group),
my second family. This is a group of sellers that John helped form in November
2013. These eight men have formed a bond that is completely unheard of in the
online world. We feed off each other. We have an abundance mentality that

believes if we share ideas and help each other, well reap huge benefits. And that
absolutely has been the case. Seven days a week we communicate with each
other. So to John Bullard, Eric Hardwick, Barrington McIntosh, Mike Pimco, Ryan
Reger, Roy Stroud, and Lance Wolf, thank you for adding great value to my life.
What a blessing you guys are! We each have our own online businesses, and we
help one another expand our businesses. But we also partner together on
projects. And words cannot express how much these guys have taught me. You
can check out some of the services we offer on our website
www.mm8group.com.
Well, enough of the life story stuff. Lets get on with talking about flipping shoes!

The Proof Is in the Pudding

Why am I so jacked up about flipping shoes? Well, as the old saying goes, The
proof is in the pudding. I started in the Amazon business selling books and other
media products. Id stand in library sale lines for three hours, join the mad rush
with other gun-totin (or rather I should say scanner totin) sellers, get physically
knocked around for an hour, spend a couple hundred dollars, go home, list my
books, and gain a great sense of satisfaction as customers began buying my
books. The return on investment was actually pretty good. But the competition
got so fierce, and libraries began hiring the big companies to come in ahead of the
sales and cherry pick the good books to the point that I concluded, There has to
be a better way.
Some of my friends still use that model. And after every sale, I hear the familiar
words, Thats going to be my last sale. But like an alcoholic returning to the
bottle, theyre back in line several hours ahead of the start time for the next sale.
Jump forward through my success of selling toys, home improvement, and the
other standard categories to my newly found passion for sourcing shoes. I was
talking on my cell with John Bullard, Jr. one day, and in passing he told me he had
gotten approval to sell shoes. What? I thought that was a totally forbidden
category that Amazon would never consider opening up to sellers like me. But
after a little coaching from John, I did the leg work and received my approval and
couldnt wait to start scanning.

My first serious shoe scouting occurred on our way home from Jim Cockrums first
CES Conference in Orlando in 2013. Anita and I stopped at a couple of stores and
didnt really have much luck. But then we hit the jackpot. We came across a store
that was having a huge clearance sale. And $1700 later we walked out the door
with a Prius-load full of shoes (I sure wish we had brought the SUV). That first
major purchase took place in November.
Here is a pic of an Adidas Golf shoe we purchased multiples of.

I believe we paid around $25 for these pairs. They all sold for around $100 each.
And, believe it or not, every single shoe we purchased that day had sold by March
(four months later) for a net ROI (return on investment) of 130%. I dont know
about you, but I can get into those types of numbers.

Take a look at the numbers on this first major shoe purchase.

Date of Purchase
Total Cost (shoes + shipping to Amazon)
Total Sales (Sales less Amazon fees)
Net Profit

11/15/2013
$1,720.93
$3,961.21
$2,240.28

Notice on the chart that my cost includes the shoes plus what it cost me to ship
them to the FBA warehouse and includes my cost for purchasing boxes to ship
them in. The total sales figure has subtracted all Amazon fees. Net profit
communicates to me much better than gross profit. So this chart reflects my true
profit from that first shoe shopping trip.
In many ways I feel like Im still a new kid on the block when it comes to flipping
shoes. But with the major purchases Ive made, there seems to be a common
pattern developingdoubling my investment and then some. But even if this is
beginners luck, what if the ROI drops from 130% to 80%? Well, lets just say that
still aint bad, is it?
So, the proof is in the pudding. Below you will see a chart of a few other shoe
scouting trips. My biggest challenge is not the cash flow but carving out the time
to hit the shoe stores. With these numbers Im confident my trips will become
more frequent in the coming months.

Date of Purchase
Total Cost: shoes+shipping
Total Sales less AMZ Fees
Net Profit
% ROI

1/18/2014 2/18/2014
$1,738.11 $7,679.07
$4,681.97 $16,559.53
$2,943.86 $8,880.46
169.37%
115.64%

3/4/2014
$1,118.48
$2,632.00
$1,513.52
135.32%

4/24/2014
$820.69
$2,109.42
$1,288.73
157.03%

One good thing about the chart above is that the numbers keep rising because I
still have stock. So with every sale the net ROI and percentage ROI keep
increasing.

Getting Amazon Approval

Selling in the shoe category is a highly restricted category on Amazon. Most
sellers simply assume they dont qualify. So they never bother to do what it takes
to seek approval. And if I can let you in on a selfish secret, their fear and hesitancy
doesnt bother me in the least. The longer it takes sellers to flood the shoe
market, wellI think you understand what Im saying.
Quite frankly, seeking shoe approval was very intimidating for me. When I learned
that having an active website with a buying cart was part of the requirement, I
almost gave up before I started. On top of that I heard that Amazon was very,
very picky on their standards for photographs. I had finally gotten accustomed to
taking pictures of shoes for eBay sales. But anybody with a decent cell phone can
handle those pictures. Amazons standards were on the professional level, white
background and all. So my confidence level was very low. I really didnt think I
could pull it off.
But I was determined I would give it a shot. I purchased a subscription with a
company that hand-walked me through getting my web store up and running. I
went to a shoe store and took a bunch of pictures. I found a website that took my
pictures and transformed them into Amazon-ready photographs. And, lo and
behold, I got approved! Man, was I excited! And after all that fretting and after

10

spending all those hours trying to get approved, I discovered that there were
resources out there that for a fee would actually help you get approved.
If I had to do it over again, in the blink of an eye I would pay someone $2000 to do
the approval process for me. (By the way, I did pay someone to get me approved
in apparel; but that is another story for another time.) The group I highly
recommend for shoe approval can be found at www.categoryapproval.com. They
have helped me get approval in some of the other categories like watches,
jewelry, automotive, BISS, and luggage. These folks are highly professional and
provide a quick turnaround. Check them out.

Other Advantages for Flipping Shoes

So Ive already given you a huge advantage for flipping shoes. But what are some
other reasons for adding this business model to your multiple streams of income?
The hefty ROI might be reason enough. But lets add some gravy to the meat.
One of the things I love about sourcing shoes is that that typically there is very
little competition. Just the fact that you apply for and get approved in the Amazon
shoe category, you have separated yourself from the load of competition youve
experienced selling books and toys. Wouldnt you like to find yourself with a
business model where you didnt see your merchandise tank in 24 hours? How
many horror stories could you add to this discussion? Some of you probably could
identify a handful of Amazon store names that are notorious for low-balling your
products. My Q4 sales in 2014 would have been atrocious had I depended on
toys. Almost every toy I went deep on tanked in price and never recovered.
Im not saying such price wars cant happen selling shoes. But when you go to list
that box of Madden Girl dress shoes, you will breathe a huge sigh of relief when
you see that you have very little or no competition from other sellers. On top you
that you will breathe another huge sigh of relief when you notice that your
competitions prices are often close to or at retail, and most of them are
merchant fulfilled. And get this. It is very common that Im the only seller for
many of the shoes I list. I get pumped just writing about this market advantage.
And Im not exaggerating when I say that this happens very regularly. I know this
window wont be ever-present because more and more sellers are getting

11

approved to sell shoes every day. In fact, with each passing season the
competition gets a little tougher. And, yes, unfortunately, there are some lowballers who have infiltrated the Amazon shoe world.
Also be aware that Amazon sells shoes just like they sell every object known to
mankind, and then some. I would estimate that they are on maybe 15-20 percent
of the shoes I list. But I dont hesitate to go up against this retail giant when it
comes to shoes because in most cases I can price lower and still make a great
profit. The key is finding those great closeout prices when you make your
purchases. Another common scenario is that Amazon may be selling at half of
retail. But they only have a few pairs in stock. I dont hesitate at all to buy, price
higher, and wait for them to sell out.
Another related advantage is that repricing becomes a very simple process. I
dont have to adjust prices every day or even every week. I cant tell you how
many times Ive gone in to check my prices and only have to adjust three or four
items among the hundreds I have listed. When there is little competition, your
price keeps sitting there with that beautiful green check mark beside it. I love it.
Do you need more incentives to start selling in this category? How many of you
love seeing your shipment of 200 items separated into six different orders? I hate
that; but it is the nature of the beast we all have to accept. Now I cant say what
will happen in your case. What I can say is that my shoe orders typically all go to
one location in Indiana. Recently, and unfortunately, Amazon is forcing me to ship
some shoes to California. That sure makes my shipping costs escalate. But I gripe
for a minute and move on because the shoe profits are still good enough to keep
pressing on. On one occasion I had a shoe order that had 55 pairs being shipped.
And when I clicked on the shipping button, Amazon wanted me to send 54 pairs
to Indiana and one pair to Chattanooga. So I just pulled that one. And the next
order I prepared, they allowed me to ship it with the rest to Indiana. (Note:
Amazon is making it harder to make these kinds of inventory adjustments.) I think
you will agree this is a huge advantage.
How many of you love taking price tags off your items? Especially those from
Tuesday Morning? Most brands of shoes put the retail price on the box. Guess
what? I just leave that factory price tag on. Why not? Most shoe buyers are not
going to pay over retail price for shoes unless they are an Air Jordan collectible or

12

something like that. Yes, I have to remove any sales price tags. But I just keep the
retail price tags on. And usually the sales price tags come off easily without even
using Un-Du.
I could probably add a few more advantages. But do you really need them after
hearing about all the others?

Okay, Whats the Catch?

If youre like me, you probably are wondering, Okay, sounds good. But whats
the catch? Ive yet to find the perfect stream of income. But so far, I can only
think of one disadvantage of flipping shoes. There is typically a higher rate of
customer returns than with most categories. Why? If you think about it, the rate
of returns makes common sense. When you go to the department or athletic
store to buy a pair of shoes, you may try on two or three pairs before you find the
right fit. After all, it seems that every brand of shoe fits a bit differently. Some
brands run small to size, some large to size, and some, thankfully, true to size.
But customers purchasing shoes online are buying without ever trying them on.
And with Amazons very generous return policy, customers are fully aware that if
they dont like the feel of the shoe, they have a window of time to return the pair
for a full refund. (By the way, the same scenario happens in the apparel category
as well.)
Since I started selling shoes online in November 2013, my return rate for this
category is hanging around 12 percent. Thankfully, my other Amazon categories
are much, much better. I dont fully understand Amazons metric system for seller
ratings. But certainly the Amazon powers-that-be understand there is a greater
percentage of returns with shoes and apparel than the other categories.
Even though I hate it when I get those emails informing me of a returned item,
especially when the refund is over $100, there is a positive spin on this otherwise
negative factor. Amazon puts the returns back in my inventory, and not many
days lapse before they are out the door again to another customer. So far I have
only had only a few pairs returned because of defects. One shoe had a faint
smudge on it. It was picky. But thats one of the joys of selling on multiple
platforms. I simply took a close-up shot of the smudge, listed it on ebay,

13

highlighting the smudge in my description, and in a few days the mail carrier was
picking it up to send it to its new owner.
Some readers may have already made up their minds that 12 percent return rates
are too high for them to take the plunge in selling shoes. But if you take a look at
the previous sales charts I posted, I think you will agree that the 12 percent return
rate becomes more like a pesty fly than a snake bite. And just so Im covering all
the bases, let me remind you that Amazon has implemented an assessed fee for
every return. For shoes I believe it is $3-$4 per return. I hate any kind of fee. But if
you do the math, again, I think you will agree the return rates and the return fees
shouldnt be a deal breaker for you.
Oh, I thought of one more negative about selling shoes. Amazon requires that you
use a rubber band or removable tape to secure lids on the shoe boxes. I prefer
the rubber band method instead of taping the boxes. Well, lets just say that some
shoe boxes are fairly large, and sometimes those rubber bands pop when trying
to put them around the boxes. And, yes, those suckers sting if they hit you just
right. Most of the time they just scare me. So, you be the judge. Does this
potential hazard qualify as a negative?

How to Prepare Your Shipment

So youve bought your carload of shoes. (Okay, I know I havent told you where to
get the shoes. But that will come later.) How do you get them shipped off to
Amazon? Actually, you get the shipment ready just like you do any other. But
there are a few tips I can offer that will help you along the way.
First, make sure that the pair of shoes in the box matches the style label on the
outside of the box. Ideally, you want to make sure everything is a match before
you walk out of the store. But you can waste a lot of valuable scouting time doing
that. There have been a few occasions where I didnt realize there was a
mismatch until I went to list. Although that can be frustrating, Ive learned to keep
pressing on without any anxiety because I can just list those pairs on eBay as
brand new without box. And without fail they sell at a decent profit. I guess I
could sell the pair without a box on Amazon. But I prefer to stick with new in

14

boxes on that platform. The only exception would be shoes that typically dont
come packaged in boxes like flip flops or some kids shoes.
If you still use the 30 per sheet method of labeling your products, here is a tip that
I need to preach loud and clear. Be sure to keep your shoe boxes in perfect order
as you list them. I promise you this will make your life a lot easier when you go to
put those labels on. Otherwise, it becomes very tedious and nerve-racking to
make sure you put the right label on the right style and right size.
Before you begin listing, go ahead and get every pair of shoes stacked and laid out
in orderly fashion. Separate them first by brand. Get all your Nikes together, then
your Pumas, then your Laurens, etc. Next, separate each brand into the various
styles. You will learn quickly that every brand carries a million different styles. And
actually the same styles can come in various colors. (If you ever get into creating
your own shoe listings on Amazon, you will learn very quickly what parent and
child means.) Then separate the styles/colors into sizes. If you follow these
simple steps, it will save you a lot of headaches when you start peeling those
Amazon labels off. You can peel and stick and simply glance to make sure they are
going on the right boxes.
Most retail boxes have the MSRP printed on the box. I prefer to keep that
information on the box. Why? Im not sure. Maybe its just gut. But why remove
it? I believe keeping it there lends credibility to the genuineness of the product.
When it comes to shoes, there are lots of counterfeits out there. When a
customer sees the retail tag, it provides assurance that they arent buying from a
seller who unloads shoes from the trunk of his car. On the other hand, if there are
sales price tags on the box, be sure to remove them. You certainly dont want
your customers to know they paid $150 for a pair of shoes that you only paid $30
for. (Sidebar: Just today I received a 2 feedback on a pair of Asics. The customer
complained that I left a $49.99 price tag on the shoes; and he paid $90 for them.
So he returned them and gave me negative feedback. I didnt have the heart to do
the math for him and tell him how much net profit I would have made on the
shoes. And I didnt have the heart to email him and let him know that I actually
only paid $18 for the shoes. And I didnt have the heart to notify him that Amazon
actually removed his ridiculous feedback.)

15

For sandals, flip flops, and others types of shoes that dont typically come in
boxes, I put them in a zip-lock poly bag. Be sure to put the choking hazard label on
the outside of the polybag. I also polybag any pair that is new in box but without
lids. Boxes without lids are common when you purchase clearance items. Dont
take the shoes out of the box. Polybag the box as well. Even without a lid, the
presence of a box gives assurance to customers that they are buying a brand new
pair of shoes. When a box doesnt have a lid, I will include a comment on my
listing that indicates such. Something like: Brand new in box. No lid. Lid removed
by genuine {brand name} factory store. (But I am hearing from some sellers that
Amazon is slapping them on the wrist for writing anything in the comments
section for a new item.)
Before shipping off your load of shoes, Amazon requires that you put a rubber
band around the box. Or you may tape the lid down. The reason for this step is
obvious. Without this step it is easy for lids to become displaced from their boxes.
And Amazon certainly doesnt want the responsibility of matching up lids with
their mates. Moreover, unless the lids are secured to the boxes, chances become
much greater that they will be damaged in transit. I prefer to use rubber bands.
My favorite size for rubber bands is #117B. I purchase them from Amazon.

A Few Helpful Tips

One of the most common questions I am asked relates to shoe size. Does it
matter what sizes you purchase? Do you concentrate on the average sizes? What
about the odd sizes? What about the EEEs widths? Do you stay away from them?
Everyone has his/her own strategies for sourcing products. But personally I dont
let size be a factor in what I purchase. The average sizes will probably sell faster.
But there may be more competition on them; so the price may be driven down
some. The odd sizes may not sell as quickly; but there is a demand for them. For
example, say someone is size 14 EEE. Thats a huge shoe. What are the chances
that person will find what hes looking for in his size at his local shoe store? Slim
to none. But if he goes shopping online, chances are he will find what hes looking
for.

16

Heres another common question. What sells better? Mens, womens, or kids?
Yes is the answer to that question. Seriously, buy them all as long as the profit
margins are there. I buy them all. Mens, womens, boys, girls, babies, dress
shoes, athletic shoes, boots, casual shoes, flip flops, and even ugly shoes. Ive sold
some shoes that what we in the South would call ugly as homemade sin. But to
each his own, I guess.
Let me show you what I mean when I say all types of shoes sell.
Here is one of my favorites.

I paid $41.38 for this pair of Cole Haan shoes. Now orange is my favorite color
because I am a huge Clemson Tiger fan. In fact, one of my sons purchased a pair
of these to wear to the games. He wore them once because they are about as
uncomfortable a shoe as one can wear. But, hey! This pair of Cole Haan sold for
$149.95. Not bad, huh?
Take a look at this pair of Converse shoes I recently sold.

17

The rank wasnt all that good when I came across this shoe. But the store price
was around $8 going for $35. So I thought Id give it a try. When the cashier rang
them up, she immediately informed me they were ringing up for $2.99. Bingo! I
bought a ton of them. They arent selling quickly. But one sold yesterday for
$49.95. And before its all said and done, Im confident they will all sell. My ROI on
this set of shoes will probably be around 1000%.
The more deeply you get into the shoe business, the chances become greater and
greater that you will come across finds like these. It doesnt happen every trip.
But when it does, it sure is sweet.
Kids shoes? Take a look at this Reebok slide.

18

I paid $7.56. And I sold a bunch for $29.95. This is not one of my favorite finds.
But who would snub a nose at this? Not me. I will take as many of these as I can
find because they are great sellers.
What about higher end womens dress shoes. Heres an example of an Ivanka
Trump shoe that was a good find.

19

I paid $30.09 for this one. It sold fairly quickly for $99.95. I dont want to bore you
with all these pictures; but let me show you one more.

20

Ladies, I dont see how you do it. Those things make my feet hurt just looking at
them. But theres some young woman out there looking just for this shoe in her
size. It sold for $80.46. I paid $26.46 for it.
The main reason I have shared these pictures is to let you know that all types of
shoes, and I mean ALL types of shoes, sell on Amazon.

Insights on Sales Rank

Weve all read the articles that warn about letting sales rank be the sole
determining factor on whether or not you make a purchase. Theres a lot of value
in that premise. But, by and large, the ranking system can (and should) be an
attention grabber. So whats a good rank in the shoe category? A number of my

21

friends target shoes with a 15k rank or better. Buying shoes at that rank is a nobrainer for me. However, my rule of thumb is 30k or better. But after you sell
shoes for a while, you will get more comfortable buying a pair with a 60k rank and
even take caution with one that has a 10k rank.
I just checked my last ten shoe sales on Amazon. Here are the current rankings:
2524, 22374, 4895, 3620, 788, 16118, 66, 54166, 51334, and 49157. Two quick
observations here. First, finding great ranking shoes is not that difficult. How
about that ranking of 66? I love it. Second, shoes with less attractive rankings can
and usually will sell.
The other day I bought some shoes that were ranked more than 400k? Why
would I do such a stupid thing? Because I know the brand. And Im fully
confident they will sell. Keep in mind, one reason ranks are not that good is
because there are no sellers on the item. So if there are no sellers, no one is
buying it. If no one is buying it, the rank gets worse and worse. Just a thought.
On the other hand, I bought a bunch of K-Swiss athletic shoes that were ranked
around 100. I bought them more than a year ago. And Im still sitting on some of
them even though I have drastically reduced the price. Go figure.
But as you learn the ins and outs of the shoe business, youll learn styles that sell,
brands that sell, when to go deep, and when to experiment. Its like selling in any
other category. The more and the longer you sell in that category, the more
comfortable you will become.

Whats Next for Me?

Ill be the first to admit that Ive got tons still to learn about flipping shoes. After
all, its not like Ive been doing this for years. The obvious next step for me is that
Ive got to schedule my time better to hit my sweet-spot stores more frequently. I
still love doing retail arbitrage. And one day I know I will need to hire someone to
come in and get orders ready while I go out and do my thing.
Other next steps for me include exploring the wholesale market and trade shows
as well as online arbitrage. Profit margins may not be as strong with these other
models. But the value of buying in bulk and making purchases from the comfort of

22

my home certainly has a lot of appeal. But if you read Jim Petersons ebook Trade
Show No Show (click here to purchase). Maybe you remember his story of the
load of shoes he purchased wholesale, received them into his garage, listed them
quickly, shipped them off to FBA, sat back and watched the sales roll in with
staggering profits. So I know it can be done. Another great resource for working
trade shows is the recent book titled Beyond Arbitrage by my colleagues Ryan
Reger and John Bullard, Sr. You can pick up a copy here.
I havent done a whole lot of shoe shopping online; although, I have talked with
people who have had great success doing so. Theres not much I can offer in this
arena since Ive yet to explore it extensively. But I will mention that the MM8
Group offers an online deal subscription that provides up to 21 online deals a day,
five days a week. One of those daily deals is a shoe find. I dont look at the deals
each day. But Im telling you I have seen some great shoe deals. The deal
subscription provides items you can purchase online in a wide variety of
categories (toys, home improvement, sports, kitchen, etc.) To learn more about
this service, you can check it out at www.mastermindsourcinggroup.com. On this
site you will also learn about some of the other services the MM8 Group offers.
Ive done some reading in the area of wholesale purchasing, a very hot business
model right now. But I just havent taken that step yet. If you want to explore this
arena in more depth, I encourage you to purchase Ryan Regers book Real
Wholesale Sources. Its a quick read and is loaded with simple steps on how to get
into the wholesale business. And he provides you with tons of websites to get you
started. Check it out here. Just apply Ryans principles as they relate to buying
shoes, and Im convinced you can discover another potentially lucrative business
model.
Buying closeouts is another venture that Id love to take. New styles of shoes
appear on the department store shelves every season. And you know as well as I
that everything doesnt sell. So what happens to these unsold shoes? They get
unloaded to companies who are willing to fork out the cash to buy lots of shoes at
closeout prices. I know my good friend John Bullard has purchased a closeout lot
of Reeboks. And, profit-wise, he did very, very well. Speaking of John, his
company provides a service that will do much of the Amazon prep work for you.
You can ship your shoes (or whatever) to My Inventory Team, and for a small fee

23

they will get your items ready for shipment to Amazon. Find out more about My
Inventory Team here.
Here is one more possibility Id like to explore. What about selling shoes in
international markets. I am already selling in other categories on the Amazon UK
platform. But I have yet to research the possibility of selling shoes on UK or any of
the other international marketplaces. One of my MM8 buddies Barrington
McIntosh is the guru when it comes to international selling. He helped get me up
and running in the United Kingdom. If you want to explore this whole new
revenue possibility, check out Barringtons services at
www.barringtonmcintosh.com. If flipping shoes can happen in the US, certainly
there must be ways to flip them in the UK, Canada, France, Germany, or Japan.
Heres the Bottom-line. Whether I stay in my current shoe niche or venture out
into some of these other possibilities, I am totally convinced that there is good
money to be made flipping shoes. And hopefully I have convinced you as well.

So Where Do You Find These Shoes?

Aha! I have a feeling some of you probably scanned quickly through this book in
search of this very section. Let me tell you before you read any further that Im
not going to pull the curtain all the way back and simply give away the secrets
that have been the key to my success in selling shoes. For arguments sake, lets
say that I do reveal all the secrets here. And lets say only 100 people read this
book with the serious desire to add this category to their income stream. Do I
really want 100 more people or, more realistically, 1000 more people competing
with me for the buy box? Not really. However, I have set up a coaching option
whereby I am willing to pull the curtain all the way back. More about that
momentarily.
I dont want to leave you completely in the dark. Let me ask you a question.
Where did you buy your last pair of athletic shoes? Heres another one. Where
did you buy your last pair of dress shoes? Chances are you can make a trip to
those very stores tomorrow and with your scanning app find shoes that you can
flip for at least 40-50 percent ROI. In fact, you can go online every day and find
similar profits. As I mentioned above, the MM8 Group runs a deal site that

24

includes a shoe find five days a week. All of these finds carry a minimum of 45
percent ROI. Actually, many of them can be flipped for double your money. Here
is the link again if you want to give it a try (www.mastermindsourcinggroup.com).
Okay, lets have 30 seconds of fun. Stop reading. Get your ten fingers ready. Give
me a list of the first ten brands of shoes that come to your mind. Believe it or not,
with diligent shopping, I would be very surprised if you could not find shoes with
that brand name that would flip for at least 50 percent net profit. The shoes are
out there, folks!
My business partners in the MM8 Group rib me regularly about my high
standards in buying shoes. They think Im too picky with my profit margins. And I
admit they may be right. But the way I figure it is if I have a certain amount of
dollars to spend, Id rather spend the loot on merchandise that will give me 100
percent ROI. And the good news is that so far Ive been able to find shoes
regularly that will double my money.
So here is the simplified answer to the question: Where do I find shoes to source?
You find them practically anywhere shoes are sold. Department stores, athletic
stores, malls, outlet stores, outdoor stores, designer stores, childrens stores, etc.
They are everywhere.

Coaching Offer
Now, back to the coaching option. Im a firm believer in helping others be
successful with their online business. And I hope that what you have read in this
book has opened your eyes to a possible new income stream. But Ill be honest
with you. Im not interested at all in seeing a thousand more competitors in the
shoe business. Just look at what has happened in the toys, health and beauty, and
grocery categories. I know the competition will eventually become fiercer,
especially if Amazon keeps the gate open for new approvals. And I could speed up
that competition pretty quickly if I revealed all of my top secrets in this book.
But I am willing to pull the curtain way back to help some eager sellers get a jump
start in this very promising category. And thats where the coaching comes in. For
a limited number of people I will offer one-on-one training to help get you on the
fast track of building a new income stream by selling shoes online. I will tell you

25

where you can find some of the best deals. I will reveal my sources and even give
you details on how I have some stores contacting me whenever they have BIG
sales going on.
For example, I actually have three stores that call me when they have heavily
discounted sales. They love to see me come in. If youre persistent in your quest
to add this niche to your income stream, youll find the similar things happening
to you. I got a call right after Christmas informing me that they were running a
sale of 70% off Nike and 90% off all non-Nike. I ended up buying about 500 pairs.
Im talking about paying $10 and selling for $80. At one of the other stores (a
large department store), the shoe department saleslady actually takes me to their
back storage area and allows me to scan the clearance shoes before they put
them out on the floor for the public. (Another sidebar: if an employee goes
overboard helping me, I tip generously.)
In addition to revealing the sources, I will also hand-walk you through the tips of
prepping, pricing, and shipping your items to Amazon. For three months I will be
available to provide advice and insights that will help you reach your goals.
How much will this cost you? Well, to find that out, youre going to have to email
me. And when you see the price tag, your first thought may be, Too much. I cant
afford that.
I remember when I bought my first PDA scanner for book scouting. Anita and I
really questioned if we could afford a couple hundred dollars for the hardware
and then a monthly subscription fee on top of that. But we were sure growing
weary of me being at a book sale or thrift store, calling her with a list of ISBNs,
and having her look them up for me to see if they could be flipped. Lets just say it
took one book sale with a scanner to recoup my investment.
Then I remember signing up to receive some coaching from Skip McGraths team.
I couldnt believe that I was getting ready to risk $2,700 and hope that I would
learn enough to make the investment worthwhile. Butwell, you know the story.
Oh, man, the return on that investment was and continues to be staggering.
As you grow in this business, it doesnt take long to figure out that the
investments keep getting larger and larger. My next major investment was $7,500
in one of Jim Cockrums opportunities. And the things I learned in this course have

26

certainly equipped me in arenas I never imagined. Every investment has brought

untold returns.
And let me be perfectly honest with you. The training I offer you can be learned
on your own through time. Just like I was able to learn how to get shoe category
approval on my own, you can decide simply to teach yourself and learn as you go.
Hindsight, however, I would have paid. But I didnt know there were groups out
there who offered these services. In the same way I know there are eager online
sellers out there who would much rather pay someone to coach them in order to
get them off to a quick jump start. The advantages of paying a coach are many.
The only down side is that it is money out of your pocket. But I hope you will see
it as an investment that should lead to possibly staggering returns.
For arguments sake, lets say I charged you $15,000 (Man, Id love that! But I
know Im not that good.) Is that too much money? Well, thats a matter of
perspective. If someone guaranteed they would triple your investment in one
year, would that be too much to pay? Id say not. A $15,000 investment with a
$45,000 return, thats a no-brainer. But Ive been in your shoes. I know the
feelings of fear and insecurity when I make those kinds of investments, especially
in an internet world full of people who will rip you off in a heartbeat.
No, I wont make any kind of guarantee of any level of return on investment. All I
can say is that I know Ive done marvelously and surprisingly well selling shoes.
And Im willing to share the deeper insights that have helped me be successful.
Now that the books are closed on 2014, my curiosity prompted me to check my
Amazon numbers for the year. In the shoe category for 2014, my sales grossed
$115,627.98. This exceeded my wildest imagination. That figure represents nearly
1600 pairs of shoes sold with an average of around $73 per shoe sale. Im
humbled at these results. But I feel like shouting from the rooftop as well.
Lets say my ROI in shoe sales was just 50%. Then my net profit just in shoes
would be around $30,000. Not too bad. I wouldnt snub my nose at that. But, to
be honest, my ROI was actually around 100%, meaning my net profit in this
category for 2014 was around $60,000. I wonder what I could potentially earn if I
sourced shoes on a full-time basis.
I think you get the idea. Thank you for reading. Im grateful that Ive been able to
share just a little about whats been going on in my life. This is not the point when

27

I give you 50 duplicate links to my email address just so you dont miss it. This is
not where I promise you retirement at age 40. Its simply where I sign off and say
if youre interested in learning more about the coaching end of things, here is my
email address: ken@mm8group.com. Or you may find a link to reach me at
www.flippingshoes.com. Pleaseonly serious inquirers.
I wish you great success in your online endeavors.
Ken Kelly
Chapin, SC
February 2015