This is the 3rd update of the Amazon FBA road trip that I took last summer. Some of the lodging and gas expenses were left out in the previous update; and, therefore included in this one. Also, I went into more detail about the day to day book sale/thrift store schedule.
Last summer I took a road trip to NY City to see if it was possible to travel and pay all expenses using Amazon FBA. I bought used books at library book sales and thrift stores, and then I shipped them to Amazon from motel rooms and campsites. I recorded the events as they happened from day to day.
Ninety-five percent of the items that I purchased were books. The rest were games, electronics, etc. I used a scanner to help determine the resale value of the books.
Here’s how it happened.
Warning: I am not responsible if you decide to quit your job and leave your spouse so you can travel around the world and become an Amazon Vagabond.
Day One: Thursday June 6th, 2013
From North Carolina, I drove up to Edgewood, Maryland, and I stopped at 4 thrift stores and purchased 68 items. I stayed the night at the Days Inn.
Inventory Purchases:
I bought:
29 books for $39 at the Goodwill in Petersburg, VA.
18 books for $15.90 at the ROC Thrift Store in Petersburg, VA.
9 books for $6.47 at a Goodwill in Wilson, NC
12 books for $14.16 at a Goodwill in Fredericksburg, VA
Gas: $36.72
Lodging: Days Inn at Edgewood, Maryland for $74.17
Day Two: Friday June 7th, 2013
I drove from Maryland to Greenwich, CT. I attended a book sale in Greenwich, CT at 5:30 pm.
Inventory: Spent: $115 on several used books (over 50)
Lodging: Stayed the night at the Hampton Inn for $115.36
Day Three: Saturday, June 8th, 2003
I went to the second day of the book sale. The books were 50% off from the night before. I bought over 100 books. Afterwards, I took a train to Manhattan from the Greenwich train station (within walking distance from my motel).
Inventory: Spent $78 on several more books (over to 100)
Lodging: Spent $115.36 at the Hampton Inn for the second night
Day 4: Sunday June 9th, 2013
Woke up and went to the last day of the Greenwich book sale. They were having a bag sale and (again) bought over 100 books. I then drove up to the college town of New Paltz, NY with a car load of books. I decided to go camping that night and figure what to do next.
Inventory: Spent $41 on several used books (over 100)
Gas: $35.04
Lodging: $25 for camping
Day 5: Monday June 10th, 2013
Drove up to Albany, NY and got a motel room. I got to work and prepared the books for Amazon.
Lodging: Days Inn $102.59
Day 6: Tuesday, June 11, 2013.
I woke up and packed my car with the boxes of books. Then I dropped them off at the UPS Store.
I decided to head to Cambridge, MA to see the Harvard Campus. I stopped at a Goodwill and Salvation Army on the way there.
Inventory:
Spent $17 on 11 books at a Goodwill in Chicopee, MA
Spent $12.69 on 16 books at a Salvation Army in East Wareham, MA.
Lodging: I considered staying the night in my car since most of the motels were booked. But I found a vacancy at a bed and breakfast called, A Friendly Inn at Cambridge, MA for $145.35
Day 7: Wednesday, June 12th, 2013
I woke up refreshed and excited to see the Harvard Campus. I found a book store and thrift store while walking around. I bought 20 used books. I then drove to Boston to see Fenway Park. Finally, I headed west to get ready for another book sale.
Inventory:
I bought 12 books for $19.13 at the Harvard Campus Bookstore.
I bought 14 items for $37.66 at the Boomerangs Thrift Store.
Gas: $42.21
Lodging: Quality Inn at Waterbury, CT for $102.35
Day 8: Thursday, June 13th
I spent the entire day listing books in the motel room. It was a rainy day anyway.
. 
Lodging: $102.35 at the Quality Inn in Waterbury, CT
Day 9: Friday, June 14th
I woke up early to get to the Poughkeepsie, NY book sale that started at 8 am. I got there in time and purchased over 200 books.
I then headed to a state park and did some listing and camping at the same time.
Inventory: I spent $270.50 on 234 books.
Lodging: Camping $35
Day 10: Saturday, June 15th, 2013
I woke up from camping and headed to the UPS Store to drop off the packages from the book sale. Then started my journey back home. I drove to Virginia and stopped at one thrift store on the way.
Inventory: Spent $9.59 at a Goodwill in Belmar, NJ.
Gas: $42.48
Lodging: Days Inn in Dumfries, VA for $87.99
Day 11: Sunday, June 16th, 2013
I woke up and headed home. I hit several thrift stores on the last day.
Inventory:
I bought 20 books for $21 at a Goodwill in Ashland, VA.
I bought 18 books for $19 at a Goodwill in Richmond, VA.
I bought 15 items for $10 at a Goodwill in Rocky Mount, NC.
Gas: $38.06
HOME!
Here are the final numbers from the trip.
All Road Trip Expenses
12 Thrift/Book Stores: $289.82
Greenwich Library Sale: $339.11
Poughkeepsie Library Sale: $371.94
Food/Entertainment: $309.25
Lodging: $905.52
Gas: $194.51
Tolls: $100 (approximate)
Camping: $70
Train to NYC: $21
Cab: $10
Total Expenses for Trip: $2611.15
Revenue after First Six Months
12 Thrift Stores: $921.48 (118 of 165 items sold)
Greenwich Library Sale: $1268.34 (228 of 335 sold)
Poughkeepsie Library Sale: $1116.18 (160 of 234 sold)
Totals
Total Revenue for Road Trip: $3306.00
Total Expenses for Road Trip: ($2611.15)
Total Profit: $694.85
In Conclusion
In my opinion, this is an excellent way to travel and pay for the expenses. However, the travel needs to come first. You should want to travel for travel's sake. As Peter Valley said in his great book, FBA on the Road, “This is what this book [FBA on the Road] is really about. A trip you take for the experience of traveling, where the emphasis is on enjoying the destination – not making money. FBA is incorporated into the trip for the purpose of covering expenses (or turning a profit), and every effort is made to minimize time ‘working'.”
I don’t recommend doing this if your sole aim is to make money. The travel expenses are just too much. Unless, of course, you’re willing to completely rough it out for two weeks (i.e. sleep in your car, eat trail mix, and drink water). However, with that being said, here are some ways to save money if you decide to take similar FBA road trips. Thanks to my readers for providing suggestions.
1. Travel with a friend
2. Stay with friends and family
3. Keep a cooler with food and drinks
4. Research cheaper motels
5. Go Camping
6. Negotiate with the front-desk clerk at the motel
7. Get the Free Continental Breakfast at motel
8. Pack a hot plate
9. Get a motel room with a refrigerator
10. Use Airbnb.com for big cities
11. Plan ahead using TripAdvisor.com
If you have any other suggestions, please leave a comment below.
Here are some resources regarding Amazon FBA and travel:
FBA to Go by Steve Lindhorst
Amazon AutoPilot II: On the Road by Peter Valley
We plan to travel in an RV full-time in 2 years, so the travel expenses will be part of day-to-day life. We’ll be incorporating Amazon / Ebay sales with the travel and sightseeing, so it won’t be a trip just to buy stock. We’ll save some money by boondocking a few nights at Walmart or a truck stop. Right now I’m thinking 1 full sourcing day, 1 full listing / shipping day each week, then the rest of week we’ll work on other projects or enjoy the area.
Sounds like a plan! You should start a blog and document your journey:)
We have, but it’s more about the preparation stages right now. Our goal is to leave in 2 years.
Buy a diesel- go to Bluegrassfuels- buy a truck camper- get a copy of the koa campground book. Have a good time!
Thanks for the insight!
You don’t say whether you used cash or credit. What about putting some(or all) of those expenses on a credit card that gives you travel benefits? If a person had the cash to pay the credit card bill after the trip, it seems like a credit card with travel benefits would be good.
I used cash. Yes, using credit cards with the travel benefits can be a good idea. But like you said, only if you have the discipline and cash to pay off your balance each month. I personally try to stay away from buying things with credit, because I’m really bad at paying off my balance each month.
Looks like a fun way to travel on occasion. You obviously carry a printer with you. Can you set up the printer and desktop scanner in your motel room with no problem? What type of printer do you recommend if used for travel?
Yes, it’s easy to set up a printer and desktop scanner in the motel room. Getting a reliable internet connection is the biggest concern. I tell the front desk clerk to get a room with a good connection. I also have a personal hotspot on my smartphone as a backup.
For the printer, I just went to WalMart and bought the smallest and most inexpensive one. I ended up getting this one:
http://www.amazon.com/HP-Deskjet-Printer-CH340A-B1H/dp/B003YGZIY0
We’ve gone to Office Depot to print labels, packing slips and shipping labels since we don’t have a working printer at home. It takes a bit more time, especially on a day they’re busy, but it’s an option.
Cheaper motels is not recommended. The cheaper the motel, the higher the probability it will be infested with bed bugs. See http://www.bedbugregistry.com
Thanks for the website regarding the motels with bedbugs.
I love your post. I live in Newburgh, NY which is near new paltz and Poughkeepsie. You can get the Priceline app and book hotels for very cheap. I just stayed at a Sheraton for $50! Can’t beat that!
Hi Jacki,
I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for the Priceline tip!
Thanks for sharing. You have inspired me to take more trips. Also, I went to that Greenwich book sale and bought only a 1/4 of what you did. What are your sales ranking rules and how low would you buy a book to make profit.
Hi Allen,
Usually I will buy anything that 2 cents or higher (non-FBA price) with sales rank below 2 million. I went into more detail in this blog post.
Thanks for the content you provide. It is very helpful. I want to try out selling books on FBA and I was wondering if you have to take pictures of all the books that are not new. On eBay you have to include pictures of the actual media item if it is not in new condition. Is FBA the same?
Hello,
No, you do not need to take pictures of the item when you’re selling on Amazon. The only exception is when there is no photo available for an item (which is rare).
Hello,
With your experience, which books sell quicker? Cheaper books, like the penny books (7.95 – 9.95 asking price), or all the higher profit margin books? I ask because Walmart can sell cheap goods FAST, whereas a high-end store sells their goods much, much slower.
If I were to buy 100 penny books and 100 higher priced books, which ones would sell quicker?
Given the choice of the two, I would focus on high profit margin – slow moving books. The fast moving penny books will have alot of FBA competition.
Nathan,
I noticed that you purchased books each day of the one book sale. Did you just buy books that you didnt get too the first day or two or do you lower your profit margin each day and buy books that you wouldnt the first day? Hope that makes sense.
Hi Paul,
The organizers of the sale lowered the prices on every day of the sale. So, I was able to buy more books on each day of the sale. Much of my buying strategy depends on how much it costs to buy a book.