How to Flip Lawn Mowers and Yard Equipment

Caleb Foster

Apr 16

2 min read

Updated: 3 hours ago

Lawn mowers are a great flip anywhere people have lawns. Tons of “broken” mowers just sat all winter with old gas in them. People give up, buy a new one, and sell the old one cheap or give it away. A little small-engine work turns those into easy money.

What to flip

Push mowers (gas). Most common, easiest to move and fix.
Self-propelled mowers. Sell for more.
Riding mowers. Bigger profit, but you need a trailer or a truck with a ramp.
Battery mowers. Only if the battery and charger are included. Batteries are expensive.
Trimmers, leaf blowers, edgers. Small, easy, and often in the same garage sale.
Snowblowers if you live where it snows. Same idea, opposite season.

What to check

Does it start? If it doesn’t, ask how long it’s been sitting. Months of old gas is the most common reason.
Pull the cord. If it won’t pull at all, the engine may be seized. Usually skip it.
Check the oil. Milky oil can mean water got in.
Look at the deck for rust-through
Spin the blade (with the spark plug wire pulled) and check it isn’t bent
Make sure the wheels and height adjusters work

The basic tune-up

Most mowers just need this:

Drain the old gas and add fresh gas
Change the oil
Replace the spark plug
Replace or clean the air filter
Sharpen or replace the blade
Scrape the grass buildup from under the deck
If it still won’t run right, clean or replace the carburetor (replacement carbs for common engines are cheap)

Always pull the spark plug wire before working near the blade.

If you’re not handy, there are thousands of free videos on small-engine repair. It’s a skill worth learning if you flip yard equipment.

When to buy and sell

Buy: fall and winter, when people clean out garages
Sell: spring, when the grass starts growing and everyone’s mower won’t start

If you have space, store a few over the winter and you’ll have inventory when demand hits. See Seasonal Flipping.

How to sell

Take a video of it starting on the first or second pull. That’s the #1 thing buyers want to see. List the brand, engine, deck size, self-propelled or not, and the work you did (“new plug, oil, filter, sharpened blade”). See How to Take Photos and Write Listings That Sell.

Finding them

Set alerts for “mower” and “lawn mower.” If “lawn” alone pulls in too much junk, “lawn mower” is the fix. See How to Set Up Deal Alerts. Free mowers show up a lot too. See How to Flip Free Stuff.