Inside a $13K Amazon Returns Pallet: Did This Guy Actually Make Money?
Buying pallets of returned merchandise has become a popular side hustle, especially for people hoping to flip discounted items for a profit. But how risky is it really?
One YouTuber decided to find out the hard way.
Harrison Nevel spent $3,345 on a massive pallet of returned electronics that originally retailed for $13,252. The pallet came packed with items that had been sent back to Amazon — meaning some might be perfectly fine, while others could be completely broken.
So the big question: Was it worth the gamble?
The Treasure Hunt Begins
Before opening the pallet, Harrison pointed out that buying returns is always a risk. There’s no guarantee the products will work, and sometimes they’re damaged beyond repair.
Still, he dove in.
Inside the pallet was a mixed bag of tech and household items, including:
The massive gaming monitor alone was a promising start. It normally sells for around $1,184 new, and luckily it worked. Harrison estimated he could resell it for about $400 on the secondary market.
Some Hits… and a Lot of Misses
As he kept digging, the results were mixed.
Two electric guitars were inside the pallet, but neither was perfect. One had significant damage and was only worth about $225, while the other was missing a backplate, dropping its resale value to roughly $350.
Then there were the smaller household items:
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A barely functioning Roomba robot vacuum worth about $45
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A panini press valued around $65
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A toaster that could sell for roughly $20
Unfortunately, several other appliances were simply too dirty or damaged to sell at all, including a vacuum cleaner and a fan.
The coffee machines were another mixed result. One was completely broken, while the other had clearly seen better days but could still sell for about $75.
The Biggest Finds
A couple of items really helped boost the potential profit.
The Nintendo Switch turned on and worked perfectly, which meant it could likely be resold for around $460.
But the real jackpot came from a Canon camera and lens buried in the pallet. Harrison estimated the camera could resell for about $1,250, while the lens alone might fetch $1,800.
So… Did He Actually Make Money?
After testing everything, Harrison discovered that only about 30–40% of the items actually worked.
Still, once he added up the estimated resale prices, the total came to $5,281.
Considering he paid $3,345 for the pallet, that leaves a potential profit of $1,936.
Of course, that doesn’t include selling fees, shipping costs, or the time it takes to list and sell everything. But even after those expenses, it looks like the gamble might have paid off.
The Takeaway
Buying return pallets can definitely be profitable, but it’s far from guaranteed. As this experiment shows, you might strike gold with a few valuable items — but you’ll also end up with plenty of junk along the way.
For Harrison, though, the $3,000 gamble turned out to be a pretty solid score.
Frank
