PITTSBURGH — Ricky Smith has successfully negotiated an unexpected career turn from salesman to merchant of unexpected merchandise. After getting his start selling Kirby vacuum cleaners and progressing to other direct sales jobs through his 20s, Smith realized he needed a new venture when the pandemic hit and all but ended direct sales. So he took up a business strategy of tracking down undervalued merchandise at garage sales and thrift stores and worked to resell it on eBay, Facebook Marketplace and elsewhere. The approach culminated in Box Flipz as a store that debuted on Smithfield Street downtown last year, with all merchandise priced the same and reduced each day, a mystery treasure hunt shoppers aren’t likely to find online. Smith cites industry figures that more than 20% of Amazon sales are returned, resulting in a pipeline for the inventory at Box Flipz. In addition to the downtown store, Smith operates a website, a warehouse where he sells everything from pallets to scratch and dent appliances, and a second store in McDonald.
When did you start Box Flipz?
That was my Covid project. … I think it was February 8, 2021, the day we started the website. And that’s when it all started.
Click here to read more from our partners at the Pittsburgh Business Times.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
