How to flip items on DonutSMP

A flip is buying an item for less than someone else will pay for it, then selling it to them. On DonutSMP the cleanest version is buying from the auction house and delivering the items to a buy order that pays more per item. You never have to wait for a buyer to show up, because the buyer is already there.

The Flips page lists every item where that gap exists right now, with what you spend, what orders pay and the profit left on the table.

This is the simplest flip. An item sits on the auction house at, say, $90 each, and a buy order wants 500 of the same item at $120 each. Buying 500 costs $45,000 and delivering them pays $60,000, a profit of $15,000 for a few minutes of clicking.

The catch is quantity. The cheap listings rarely cover the whole order, so the price you pay climbs as you buy through the cheapest auctions. The Flips page accounts for this by only counting the items you can buy below what the orders pay.

Some items are worth more crafted than as ingredients. If a buy order pays more for a finished item than the cheapest ingredients cost on the auction house, you can buy the ingredients, craft and deliver. Crafting flips tend to last longer than auction flips because fewer players bother with the extra step.

Before you commit money, run through the full trip:

1. Add up what you will actually pay, including the more expensive listings you need.
2. Check how many items the order still wants, not just its price.
3. Subtract any fees or taxes the server charges on the trade.
4. Ask whether the profit is worth the time it takes to do it.

A flip that makes $2,000 on a $200,000 outlay ties up a lot of money for very little. Margin, the profit as a share of what you spend, is usually a better guide than the raw profit, which is why the Flips page can sort by best margin as well as by most profit.

• Someone gets there first. Good flips are visible to everyone. If the listing or the order is gone when you arrive, do not chase the next one at a worse price.
• Bait orders. An order with a huge price for a tiny amount can tempt you into buying far more than it will take.
• Wrong version of the item. Enchantments, potion types and other details change the price completely. Match the exact item before buying.
• Stale numbers. Markets move. Always confirm the listing and the order in game before you spend.

Start small. Pick one or two items you understand, check the price history to see whether the gap is normal or a one off, and flip a small amount first. Once you know how quickly the item trades, scale up. Players who flip well usually stick to a handful of items they know inside out rather than chasing every opportunity on the list.

The price reading guide explains every number you will see along the way.