THE PITCH
Power tool resellers make $200–800 per flip. Their sourcing workflow today: manually browse eBay, check Craigslist, scroll Facebook Marketplace. No alerts with comp context. No margin math. No velocity data. Just vibes and saved searches that only tell you something appeared — not whether it's actually a deal.
ToolFlipper monitors eBay and Craigslist RSS for Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita, and Ridgid lots. The moment something hits under your price threshold, you get a push notification with the asking price, the last 30-day sold comp, and your estimated net after fees and shipping. One card. Instant decision.
Free PWA, subscription on the website. No App Store cut. Push notifications built in.
WHAT THE ALERT LOOKS LIKE
⚡ NEW DEAL — Milwaukee M18 FUEL 5-Pc Kit
Platform: eBay · Listed 4 min ago
Asking: $185
30-day sold avg: $338
Est. net after fees + shipping: +$112
Avg days to sell: 3.2 days
WHY IT CLEARS THE FILTER
- Zero existing dedicated tooling — research confirmed no competitors in this specific niche
- eBay Finding API is documented, rate-limit friendly when keyword scope is fixed (20 brand terms, not arbitrary user inputs)
- Craigslist RSS feeds are publicly accessible — legal, stable, no API required
- Brand names are a finite keyword set: Milwaukee M18, DeWalt 20V MAX, Makita XGT, Ridgid Gen5X — no scope creep
- Resellers make $200–800/flip. $19/mo is a rounding error in their P&L
- Active communities for distribution: r/MilwaukeeTool (195K), r/Flipping (488K), tool-specific Facebook groups
- PWA delivery sidesteps App Store entirely — push notifications, home screen install, subscription on the web
- Set it and forget it once built — monitoring logic is stable, comps update from eBay sold data
THE FULL PRODUCT (BEYOND ALERTS)
The alert is the front door. The moat is everything after:
- Model intelligence — M18 vs M18 FUEL vs M18 FUEL HEX have meaningfully different price points; the tool knows the difference
- Velocity score — how fast does this category actually sell? Days-on-market history from eBay sold data
- Flip tracker — log what you paid, what you sold it for, see your real P&L. Resellers are doing this in spreadsheets today
- Margin calculator — accounts for eBay fees (13.25%), shipping weight estimate by category, PayPal/payment fees
- Lot valuation tool — price an incomplete kit by component; know if a "missing battery" lot is still worth buying
PLATFORM SCOPE
- v1: eBay (Finding API) + Craigslist (RSS). Legal, stable, covers majority of deal volume
- v2 candidate: Mercari — growing marketplace, more API-friendly than alternatives
- Future: Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp have no public APIs; monitored for changes. Local-to-national arbitrage (buy local FB deal, sell on national eBay) is the biggest unaddressed angle — contingent on Meta opening access
- Estate sales: MaxSold and EstateSales.net worth investigating for API access — tools go cheap through these
JUSTIN'S VERDICT
R&D · PURSUING
Green across the board. No existing tooling. Legal API path. Tight keyword scope that won't blow up rate limits. High-margin flippers who will actually pay for an edge. Communities ready for cold outreach. PWA delivery that sidesteps the App Store.
The product is the alert plus the comp — that's the wedge. The tracker and model intelligence are what keep people subscribed month two and beyond. The risk is low: if it doesn't convert, the build is contained and the audience signals are real.
Worth scoping to build. 👍
OPEN QUESTIONS FOR R&D
- eBay Finding API rate limits at scale — how many users before batching strategy is required?
- Craigslist RSS: does it cover enough markets reliably, or does geo-coverage drop off in smaller metros?
- Which brand/model combinations generate the most flip volume? Prioritize keyword set by actual eBay sold velocity
- PWA push notifications on iOS: still finicky pre-iOS 17 — what's the real-world install rate?
- MaxSold and EstateSales.net API access — worth a proper investigation
- Pricing tier: single flat $19/mo, or tiered by alert volume / number of watched brands?