5 Travel Sourcing Tips

How to's

Jun 25

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Thinking about taking a travel sourcing trip and not sure where to start? I’m going to share my 5 Travel Sourcing Tips with you!

Here’s what we will cover -

What is Travel Sourcing?
TIP #1 Make A Plan
TIP #2 What to Pack
Tip #3 Create a Route
Tip #4 Get Help!
Tip #5 Track Expenses

What is Travel sourcing?

Travel sourcing is when you travel outside your normal retail sourcing area to to find products to sell on Amazon. This could also come in handy for selling on Mercari, Poshmark, eBay or whatever platform you like to sell on!

I LOVE Travel sourcing. It’s fun, it’s exciting, and you can find a lot of really great inventory out there!

Below are a few travel sourcing videos available on my YouTube -

Tip #1 Make a Plan

You’ve heard the saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”

The optimist in me believes this is NOT 100% true, BUT I do recommend making some sort of plan!

Ask yourself these questions -

Where are you going? You will want to research the area so you know what types of stores are available in that area.

How are you getting there? Are you driving, flying, taking a train, a boat? This is important to know because this will determine what you pack ( or don’t pack ).We will get more into that soon.

Will you need a rental car when you get there? Are you are borrowing a car from family or friends? If so, determine what days and times the vehicle will be available to you.

When will you have time to source?

Be sure to carve out designated times/days to source. If you are exploring a new area, you will want to unleash your inner tourist and squeeze in some fun too!

It’s all about balance, ya’ll. ⚖️

These are not only good questions to ask yourself for logistical purposes, but you need to know how much this trip will be costing so you can calculate an accurate profit.

Tip #2 What to Pack?

As mentioned above, what you pack will depend on where you are going and how you are getting there.

For example, when I am taking my car and driving I don’t pack any prepping supplies at all! I simply take the inventory back to my house and prep it there like normal.

When I am flying, things get a little more strategic.

I take some prepping supplies with me like my computer, rollo printer and blank labels. I print my “Do not separate” and “Fragile” labels as I need them so I don’t have to pack extra rolls. Those files are available HERE.

I purchase some prepping supplies when I get to my destination like shipping boxes.

If you are going somewhere near family or friends, ask if you can store and keep supplies at their home.

My in-laws keep a small drawer of poly bags and tape for me which makes packing a lot easier!

BONUS TIP - Order supplies and have them delivered to your destination!

Here is my complete printable list of supplies that will help you pack.

Thinking about what you can pack, what you can get when you arrive, and what you can have shipped to your destination will help you decide what to pack.

Reminder! Check your airline bag fees.

Tip #3 Create a Route

If you’ve completed Step #1 you will have researched the area you are visiting by now and discovered what kind of stores are in that area.

Which ones do you want to visit? Time to make a list and create your route!

I like using Google Maps to create my route for FREE! Check out the quick “how to” video below for a demonstration.

You can also use other apps like Road Warrior, inRoute just to name a couple.

Once you start sourcing on your route, you may want to adjust as you go along. If there is a store that you aren’t finding much inventory, don’t be afraid to cross it off your list. Try a new store instead!

If you are running low of time, focus on sourcing the stores you’ve had more success with.

If you come across a new store and have time, check it out, adventure is out there!

Tip #4 Get Help!

Another great strategy when sourcing a new area is to get some help! This includes…

Reaching out to other sellers in the area for tips, leads, or to meet up. The FREE Coast to Coast Hangout Group is a great place to reach out to other sellers for support.

You could also join a lead sharing group like the Coast to Coast FLIPS Group for leads and opportunities in stores you might not have sourced before.

For example, I am headed to Florida and looking forward to sourcing Ollies. I will start by looking for the Ollies leads that are shared in the Flips group and talking with members who source there often.

I will also be looking for those leads from stores that can be found almost everywhere like Marshalls, Home Goods, Ross, Walmart and so on.

Having a list to start with helps A LOT!

TIP - Keep a shopping list like the one I have available for FREE HERE!

Tip #5 Track Expenses

I want to start this topic off by saying I am not a tax expert AT ALL! Not even close.

Please do your own research and consult your tax expert, CPA or accountant before making any decisions that affect your personal accounting or tax needs!

With that being said, this is what I have been doing to help with tax deductions daily and while traveling.

I track all my miles when traveling in my vehicle with my Quickbooks app. The app makes it very simple because it can track all my mileage automatically. I can also turn it off when I am traveling by airplane so it doesn’t track those miles.

I keep my gas, hotels, and travel meal receipts organized with my Quickbooks app! I quickly snap a picture of them in the app so I don’t loose them and they can be categorized.

Quickbooks can also help you track the profitability of your trip by creating tags shown in the video below.

I love Quickbooks so much I do have a separate blog post about it HERE