Buying stuff at Walmart and selling it on Amazon nets this guy millions of dollars

There may be untapped millions to be made in Walmart clearance racks.
 By 
Patrick Kulp
 on 
Buying stuff at Walmart and selling it on Amazon nets this guy millions of dollars
An Amazon fulfillment center in the UK. Credit: Getty Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

There may be untapped millions to be made in the clearance racks of your local Walmart.

That’s according to a 28-year-old former accountant who told CNBC that he makes six figures raiding the big-box store’s discount aisles and flipping the items on Amazon.

Ryan Grant told the site he simply browses the store, smartphone in hand, comparing the price tags to those listed in the Amazon Seller app to gauge potential profits. He then uses Amazon’s fulfillment service to ship items in bulk at cheaper rates afforded by the online shopping giant.

Grant, who lives in Minneapolis, first perfected this system selling textbooks in college. But it wasn’t until he quit his accounting job four years ago that he really ramped up the operation, eventually renting out a 725-square-foot warehouse to store the boxes upon boxes of products.

"Pretty early on I realized I wasn't in the career path that I wanted to be on," he told CNBC. "That experience really had me looking for other options and I was starting to explore ways that I could basically leave that job and have my own schedule and be on my own time."

From there, he started hiring employees and calculating the finer points of the resale strategy—a big moneymaker is holiday fare bought for cheap immediately after the day and then sold the next year, Grant told the site.

He claims his business is on track to pull in $8 million by the end of this year, though most of the money will be reinvested back into the operations. His own salary now only comes out to $60,000 per year from the business.

Walmart has been doubling down on efforts to challenge Amazon’s dominance of American e-commerce in recent months with its network of hundreds of stores playing a central role. But there’s clearly still enough of a difference between the two business models to make for some major arbitrage opportunities.

Grant also teaches e-commerce classes, blogs about selling strategy, and does consulting work.

Topics Amazon

Mashable Image
Patrick Kulp

Patrick Kulp is a Business Reporter at Mashable. Patrick covers digital advertising, online retail and the future of work. A graduate of UC Santa Barbara with a degree in political science and economics, he previously worked at the Pacific Coast Business Times.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You

More in Tech
How to watch Chelsea vs. Port Vale online for free
Alejandro Garnacho of Chelsea reacts

How to watch 'Wuthering Heights' at home: Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi's controversial romance now streaming
Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi embracing in still from "Wuthering Heights"

How to watch New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers online for free
Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders warms up

How to watch Mexico vs. Belgium online for free
Israel Reyes of Mexico reacts

How to watch Brazil vs. Croatia online for free
Vinicius Junior #10 of Brazil leaves

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Google launches Gemma 4, a new open-source model: How to try it
Google Gemma

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!