Sourcing Trip ROI Calculator
Is that thrift run or estate sale worth the drive? Calculate your break-even number of finds and know if a trip will be profitable before you burn the gas.
The True Cost of Sourcing
Sourcing Strategy
Batch Your Trips: One trip hitting 5 stores beats 5 separate trips to 1 store each. Fixed costs (gas, setup time) get amortized across more potential finds.
Know Your Stores: Track which stores consistently yield finds. A 70% hit rate store is worth driving past a 30% store even if it's farther. Data beats intuition.
Compare to Death Pile: Before any sourcing trip, ask: "Could I make more money listing items I already own?" Sometimes staying home and listing is higher ROI than finding new inventory.
Common Questions
How do I calculate if a sourcing trip is worth it?
Add up all costs: gas (distance × cost/mile), time (hours × your hourly value), and any fees. Then calculate expected profit (finds × profit/find × hit rate). If expected profit > costs, the trip is worth it. This calculator does the math for you.
What's a realistic "hit rate" for sourcing trips?
Hit rate varies by store type and your experience. Goodwill: 60-80% of trips find something worthwhile. Estate sales: 70-90% but higher variance. Garage sales: 30-50% hit rate. Retail clearance: 40-60%. Track your own data to refine.
Should I count my time when calculating sourcing ROI?
Absolutely. If a 3-hour trip yields $30 profit but you value your time at $20/hour, you effectively "paid" $60 in time for $30 in profit—a net loss. Your time has value even if you enjoy the hunt.
How many finds do I need per trip to break even?
It depends on your costs and profit per item. A 30-mile round trip ($15-20 in vehicle costs) taking 3 hours ($60 at $20/hr) = ~$75-80 cost. At $15 profit per find, you need 5-6 good items just to break even.
Related Tools
Sourcing outcomes vary significantly by location, season, competition, and luck. Track your actual results over time to refine hit rate and profit-per-find assumptions.