The TRUTH About Retail Arbitrage: How Steve Scaled to $3.6M/Year

$300,000 a month.That’s $3.6 million a year from mostly retail arbitrage—walking into stores, scanning products, and flipping them on Amazon.Sounds insane, right?But Steve French and his wife did it. And they did it without a big team, without a warehouse, and while raising a family.In this episode of The Clear the Shelf Podcast, Chris Grant and Chris Racic sit down with Steve to break down every step of how he scaled his retail arbitrage business to $300K per month and what YOU need to do if you want to follow in his footsteps.What you’ll learn in this episode:✔️ How Steve got started with retail arbitrage—and why it still works in 2025✔️ The exact strategies he uses to scale RA past six figures a month✔️ How much money you ACTUALLY need to start a serious RA business✔️ The biggest mistakes new RA sellers make (and how to avoid them)✔️ How to make high-ticket RA flips without worrying about price tanking✔️ Scaling without burnout: The systems that keep Steve’s business running smoothlyWhether you’re brand new to online arbitrage, retail arbitrage, or wholesale, or you’re looking to take your Amazon FBA business to the next level, this episode is packed with real, actionable insights from one of the most successful RA sellers in the game.

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RESOURCES FOR YOU:

🧰 https://www.ClearTheShelf.com (The Blog)

🧰 Keepa Academy - https://www.oachallenge.com/keepa-academy

🧰 OA Challenge - https://www.OAChallenge.com

🧰 Repricer Challenge (Free) - https://cleartheshelf.com/repricer-challenge

🧰 RabbitTrailChallenge (Free) - https://cleartheshelf.com/rabbit-trail-challenge

🧰 revROI Chrome Extension (Free) - https://cleartheshelf.com/revroi-extension

🧰 Goal Tracking Spreadsheet (Free) - https://cleartheshelf.com/goal-tracking

SOFTWARE & SERVICES I USE & RECOMMEND:

✅ IP Alert (Code YT30 to Save $30) - https://entreresource.com/ip-alert-2/

✅ Tactical Arbitrage (Code CLEARTHESHELF for a 10-Day Trial) - https://tacticalarbitrage.com/?frnd=12

✅ Boxem - https://cleartheshelf.com/BoxemLive

✅ AURA Repricer (Code CTS to Save 20% Off Your First 3 Months) - https://goaura.com/cts

✅ RevSeller (Code PRO20 to Save $20) - https://www.revseller.com/32851/258.html

✅ OA Buddy (Code CLEARTHESHELF Saves $20): https://cleartheshelf.com/OA-Buddy

FOLLOW US:

🐦 Twitter (Chris Grant): https://twitter.com/cleartheshelf

🐦 Twitter (Chris Racic): https://twitter.com/ChrisRacic

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0:00 - Introduction: How Steve Built a $300K/Month Retail Arbitrage Business

3:45 - Steve’s Background: How He Got Started in Retail Arbitrage

7:30 - Why Retail Arbitrage Still Works in 2025

11:15 - The Turning Point: Scaling from Side Hustle to Full-Time Income

15:50 - Tools and Strategies Steve Uses for Retail Arbitrage

20:10 - How to Identify Profitable Products in Stores

24:30 - Managing Inventory & Staying Organized at Scale

29:15 - How Steve Handles Repricing & Avoids Price Wars

34:00 - The Role of Sales Rank & Keepa in Sourcing Smart

38:45 - How to Handle Returns and Minimize Risk in Retail Arbitrage

43:20 - Common Mistakes RA Sellers Make & How to Avoid Them

47:50 - Balancing Retail Arbitrage with Family & Personal Life

52:10 - The Best Stores for Retail Arbitrage in 2025

57:00 - How Steve Finds High-Ticket Retail Arbitrage Flips

1:02:15 - How Much Money You Need to Start a Profitable RA Business

1:06:30 - The Mindset Needed to Scale to $300K/Month

1:11:45 - When to Outsource Prep & Shipping in Retail Arbitrage

1:16:10 - Steve’s Best Advice for New RA Sellers

1:21:40 - How to Adapt to Amazon’s Constant Changes

1:26:20 - The Future of Retail Arbitrage & Where It’s Headed

1:30:45 - Final Thoughts: The Most Important Lessons from Steve’s Journey

1:36:20 - Closing Remarks & Where to Follow Steve’s Journey