{"id":918574,"date":"2026-07-09T13:14:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T18:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/09\/inspired-by-his-dads-1990s-ebay-business-hes-flipping-products-into-millions-of-dollars-a-year-i-was-hooked-on-selling\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T13:14:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T18:14:15","slug":"inspired-by-his-dads-1990s-ebay-business-hes-flipping-products-into-millions-of-dollars-a-year-i-was-hooked-on-selling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/09\/inspired-by-his-dads-1990s-ebay-business-hes-flipping-products-into-millions-of-dollars-a-year-i-was-hooked-on-selling\/","title":{"rendered":"Inspired By His Dad\u2019s 1990s eBay Business, He\u2019s Flipping Products Into Millions of Dollars a Year: \u2018I Was Hooked On Selling\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Bruni helped his dad sell coins online, then did the same with his Pok\u00e9mon collection.<\/li>\n<li>After graduating from college, he turned his part-time hobby into a full-time business. <\/li>\n<li>Now, Bruni sees millions in annual sales and is eyeing his first brick-and-mortar store.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Growing up in Milford, Massachusetts in the 1990s, Nick Bruni attended local coin shows with his father. Occasionally, Bruni would help his dad sell the collectibles online, back in the early days of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/starting-a-business\/this-founders-ebay-side-hustle-led-to-a-92m-acquisition\/499534\">eBay<\/a> \u2014 listing items and packing orders.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"1024\" width=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/EXT-eBay_ChicagoOpen_SellersSpotlight_Nick_Still2_v01_LD.jpg?w=576\" alt  ><figcaption>Image Credit: Courtesy of Old Skool Pokemon. Nick Bruni.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201c\u200aI was never hugely passionate about coins,\u201d Bruni, 34, tells <em>Entrepreneur<\/em>. \u201cBut I liked the idea of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/starting-a-business\/the-simple-recipe-for-being-your-own-boss-vision-people\/425769\">being your own boss<\/a> and selling your own stuff to make a living.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In high school, Bruni was cleaning out his room one day when he stumbled upon his Pok\u00e9mon collection from the 1990s. He wondered what the cards were worth and asked his dad to help him list them on eBay to find out. They organized the cards, took pictures and put together the offering.\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I fell in love with the eBay process.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201c\u200aI fell in love with the eBay process,\u201d Bruni recalls. \u201cI would come home from school every day checking the view count, the number of watchers, what the bid was at and answer any questions. Seven days later, when the auction ended, we shipped the order out, and I was hooked on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/starting-a-business\/how-to-find-the-right-product-to-sell\/450382\">selling <\/a>something.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After Bruni sold his first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/money-finance\/10-reasons-to-invest-in-rare-pokemon-cards\/358626?itm_campaign=wp-parsely&#038;itm_medium=smart-link&#038;itm_term=e3e7952c913454d3a6f1667efa32c1c0&#038;itm_source=smart-linking\" title=\"10 Reasons to Invest in Rare Pok\u00e9mon Cards\" data-smartlink=\"e3e7952c913454d3a6f1667efa32c1c0\">Pok\u00e9mon collection<\/a> online, he reinvested the earnings into another Pok\u00e9mon collection, which he broke apart to sell as individual cards.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For years, through high school and college, Bruni continued <a title=\"Your Home Likely Has $4,000 Worth of Sellable Items Just Collecting Dust, According to eBay\u2019s CEO\" data-smartlink=\"f2803b3813bf8e92ec54ab65231992dd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/business-news\/items-on-display-in-your-home-are-worth-thousands-ebay-ceo\/496977?itm_campaign=wp-parsely&#038;itm_medium=smart-link&#038;itm_term=f2803b3813bf8e92ec54ab65231992dd&#038;itm_source=smart-linking\">flipping Pok\u00e9mon collectibles<\/a> on eBay as a part-time hobby.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-from-part-time-hobby-to-full-time-ebay-resale-business\">From part-time hobby to full-time eBay resale business<\/h2>\n<p>When Bruni graduated from college in 2016, he began to take his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/growing-a-business\/how-to-sell-more-online-i\">online sales<\/a> more seriously. Bruni was working in the Merchant Marine on a cargo ship, which meant three to four months on, followed by three to four months off.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u200aSo that\u2019s when I would focus on the eBay business,\u201d Bruni explains. \u201cI needed something to occupy my time, and I also really enjoyed Pok\u00e9mon, so it was definitely a passion project and a secondary source of income.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>About five years later, at the beginning of 2021, Bruni decided to focus on flipping collectibles full-time \u2014 and his business, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.com\/str\/thecardcollectorsstop\">Old Skool Pokemon<\/a>, has seen steady growth since. In 2022, Bruni pulled in $660,000 in annual sales.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>By October 2023, the business had taken off to such an extent that Bruni <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/growing-a-business\/how-to-know-when-its-time-to-hire-your-first-employee\/251736\">hired<\/a> his first remote employee to keep up with demand. That year, annual sales surpassed $1 million, then increased to about $1.3 million the following year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Old Skool Pokemon achieved over $2 million in annual sales by 2025. What\u2019s more, the business has already generated $1.5 million in 2026, so Bruni is eyeing the $3 million milestone this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"683\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1233874342.jpg?w=1024\" alt  ><figcaption>Image Credit: Sara Stathas\/Bloomberg via Getty Images. A Pokemon Co. card collection in Random Lake, Wisconsin, U.S., on Thursday, July 1, 2021. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"h-high-volume-selling-in-a-competitive-collectibles-market\">High-volume selling in a competitive collectibles market<\/h2>\n<p>Pok\u00e9mon collectibles remain the business\u2019s bread and butter. Bruni sells vintage collections going back to the 1990s and current sets released today, typically as single cards.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The business relies on a significant volume of sales, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/growing-a-business\/find-ways-to-compete-when-margins-are-razor-thin\/411445\">margins<\/a> at about 15%, Bruni says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast year, when we did $2 million in sales, we sold 96,000 items,\u201d he adds. \u201cAverage sale price $21. So it\u2019s never a really high-value card, making a lot of money off one single item.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bruni sources his products from wholesale distributors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.madal.com\/\">Mad Al<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.southernhobby.com\/\">Southern Hobby<\/a>. He notes that as Pok\u00e9mon has enjoyed a \u201cmassive resurgence\u201d in recent years, getting his hands on the newest sets can be difficult.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA couple years ago, you could buy collections all day at 65%, 70%,\u201d Bruni says. \u201cNowadays, you\u2019re having to pay 80%, 85%. So you\u2019re working on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/starting-a-business\/6-ways-to-identify-profitable-products-and-make-money-with\/333627\">razor-thin margins<\/a> and having to make up for that in the volume that you\u2019re selling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Pok\u00e9mon only works with eight distributors in the U.S., and demand has increased to the point that those distributors primarily accept new applications from sellers who have brick-and-mortar stores, Bruni notes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-live-streaming-unlocks-a-new-level-of-scale-first-hire\">Live streaming unlocks a new level of scale, first hire<\/h2>\n<p>One of the biggest recent changes \u2014 and boon for business \u2014 is Bruni\u2019s commitment to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/growing-a-business\/live-streaming-video-what-it-is-why-it-matters-and-how\/353396\">live streaming<\/a>, which allows him to <a title=\"After a 12-Year-Old\u2019s Side Hustle Made Over $4,000 in 1 Day, He and His Dad Grew the Business to Nearly $50,000 a Month: \u2018It Takes Commitment\u2019\" data-smartlink=\"94fdab91606113d2fd79499a67644b12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/starting-a-business\/how-a-12-year-olds-side-hustle-makes-nearly-50000-a-month\/493104?itm_campaign=wp-parsely&#038;itm_medium=smart-link&#038;itm_term=94fdab91606113d2fd79499a67644b12&#038;itm_source=smart-linking\">open and sell packs<\/a> to his audience in real time.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen eBay announced it was going to introduce a live streaming aspect [in June 2022], I knew I wanted to get on there,\u201d Bruni says. \u201cI liked the idea and knew that it could be a really big thing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Bruni\u2019s initial assessment has proven correct. Live streaming ramped the business up considerably in 2023, requiring that first hire, a fellow seller (<a href=\"https:\/\/ketchumallcollectibles.com\/\">KetchumAllCollectibles<\/a>) in Chicago whom Bruni had met through the Pok\u00e9mon community.\u00a0The duo also co-hosts the <em>PokeFlipz<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@pokeflipz\">podcast on YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8hMBiKsyPlI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Soon after, Bruni relocated from Massachusetts to Chicago to be closer to his friend, then brought on a second employee to help manage the fast-growing business and make it possible to live stream every day.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was tough to bring on additional help,\u201d Bruni admits. \u201cMy business is my baby. I would have to give up some control. But <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/leadership\/hiring-and-orienting-a-new-employee-entrepreneurcom\/80126\">hiring employees<\/a> to help you scale your business is very beneficial. I\u2019m at the point now where I would not be able to handle everything that\u2019s going on by myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Nowadays, Bruni estimates that he spends about 10 hours a day working on the business, seven days a week, with the occasional days off. That includes live streaming seven nights a week; a stream can last anywhere from three to eight hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u200aIt\u2019s a tremendous amount of work, but it\u2019s also a huge <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/starting-a-business\/make-money-doing-what-you-love-how-to-monetize-your\/470088\">passion<\/a> of mine,\u201d Bruni says. \u201cSo it\u2019s both my job and something that I really, really enjoy doing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-expanding-into-physical-retail-and-what-comes-next\">Expanding into physical retail and what comes next<\/h2>\n<p>Now, Bruni is preparing for an exciting next chapter for the business: opening his first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/franchises\/4-ways-to-deliver-an-authentic-experience-in-a-brick\/480365\">brick-and-mortar<\/a> store. He\u2019s currently deciding between a few places in the Chicago area and hopes to open in September.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, a physical storefront doesn\u2019t mean Bruni has any plans to leave eBay \u2014 in fact, he sees the expansion into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/building-a-business\/brick-mortar\/how-to-register-and-legally-operate-a-brickandmortar-business\">brick-and-mortar<\/a> as an opportunity to integrate in-person sales and virtual flips.<\/p>\n<p>Opening the physical store will allow Bruni to purchase Pok\u00e9mon products from people who stop by and provide an ideal live streaming set-up for his online <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/growing-a-business\/5-proven-strategies-for-retaining-your-best-customers\/478372\">customers<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can be walking around the shop, showing people in the stream, \u2018Hey, this is what we have available today. What do you guys want to bid on?\u2019\u201d Bruni says. \u201cIt will give a virtual card shop experience to the internet, the people that come into my streams.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/building-a-business\/inspired-by-his-dads-1990s-ebay-business-hes-flipping-products-into-millions\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Amanda Breen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Bruni helped his dad sell coins online, then did the same with his Pok\u00e9mon collection. After graduating from college, he turned his part-time hobby into a full-time business. Now, Bruni sees millions in annual sales and is eyeing his first brick-and-mortar store. Growing up in Milford, Massachusetts in the 1990s, Nick Bruni attended<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":918575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34342,1814],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-918574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dads","category-inspired"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/918574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=918574"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/918574\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/918575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=918574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=918574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=918574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}