Who This Is For
Indie resellers, solopreneurs, and digital entrepreneurs who want to automate the discovery of profitable eBay flipping opportunities using AI-driven search prompts and automated alerts.
What You Get
A ready-to-import n8n automation recipe that:
- Generates AI-powered eBay search queries based on trending or seasonal keywords.
- Monitors eBay for newly listed items matching those queries.
- Filters for undervalued items using a profit margin calculation after eBay/PayPal fees and shipping.
- Sends Discord and SMS alerts for items with positive ROI.
This is ideal for people who want to build a reseller business with minimal manual effort.
How It Works
Trigger → Steps → Outcome
- Trigger: Cron job (runs every 15 minutes)
- Steps:
- AI Prompt Generator: Uses OpenAI to generate eBay search terms (e.g., “iPhone 13 unlocked new”)
- eBay API Call: Fetches new listings matching the prompt
- Fee Calculator: Computes profit after eBay/PayPal fees and estimated shipping
- Filter: Only items with >20% ROI pass through
- Formatter: Prepares message for alert
- Discord Webhook: Sends alert
- Twilio SMS: Sends SMS alert (optional)
- Outcome: You receive real-time alerts of high-ROI eBay items to flip.
Prerequisites
- n8n cloud or self-hosted instance
- eBay developer account + API keys
- OpenAI API key
- Twilio account (optional)
- Discord webhook URL
Step-by-Step Setup
- Import the workflow JSON (see below).
- Set up credentials:
- eBay API
- OpenAI API
- Twilio (optional)
- Discord Webhook
- Customize search prompt logic (e.g., seasonal items, trending tech, etc.).
- Set cron trigger frequency (default is every 15 minutes).
- Test the workflow with sample inputs.
- Activate and monitor alerts.
n8n Workflow JSON
{
"nodes": [
{
"parameters": {},
"name": "Start",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.manualTrigger",
"typeVersion": 1,
"position": [250, 300]
},
{
"parameters": {
"httpMethod": "GET",
"path": "generate-prompt",
"responseMode": "lastNode",
"options": {}
},
"name": "AI Prompt Generator",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
"typeVersion": 1,
"position": [450, 300],
"credentials": {
"openAiApi": "OpenAI API Credentials"
}
},
{
"parameters": {
"operation": "findItemsByKeywords",
"keywords": "={{$json[\"prompt\"]}}",
"limit": 10,
"sortOrder": "StartTimeNewest"
},
"name": "eBay API",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.ebay",
"typeVersion": 1,
"position": [650, 300],
"credentials": {
"ebayOAuth2Api": "eBay API Credentials"
}
},
{
"parameters": {
"functionCode": "const items = $input.all();\nconst results = items.map(item => {\n const price = parseFloat(item.json.price?.value || 0);\n const shipping = parseFloat(item.json.shippingCost?.value || 0);\n const ebayFee = price * 0.1255;\n const paypalFee = price * 0.029 + 0.30;\n const totalFees = ebayFee + paypalFee;\n const netProfit = price - totalFees - shipping;\n const roi = ((netProfit / price) * 100).toFixed(2);\n return { ...item.json, netProfit, roi, totalFees };\n});\nreturn results.filter(item => item.roi > 20);"
},
"name": "Profit Calculator",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.function",
"typeVersion": 1,
"position": [850, 300]
},
{
"parameters": {
"message": "🔥 New Flip Alert: {{ $json.title }} - Est. Profit: ${{ $json.netProfit.toFixed(2) }} ({{ $json.roi }}% ROI)\n🔗 {{ $json.viewItemURL }}",
"webhookUri": "https://discord.com/api/webhooks/YOUR_WEBHOOK_URL"
},
"name": "Discord Alert",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.discord",
"typeVersion": 1,
"position": [1050, 300]
},
{
"parameters": {
"message": "🔥 New Flip: {{ $json.title }} - Est. Profit: ${{ $json.netProfit.toFixed(2) }} ({{ $json.roi }}% ROI)",
"to": "+1234567890",
"from": "+0987654321"
},
"name": "SMS Alert",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.twilio",
"typeVersion": 1,
"position": [1250, 300],
"credentials": {
"twilio": "Twilio Credentials"
}
}
],
"connections": {
"Start": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Schedule Trigger",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"Schedule Trigger": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "AI Prompt Generator",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"AI Prompt Generator": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "eBay API",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"eBay API": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Profit Calculator",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"Profit Calculator": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Discord Alert",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"Discord Alert": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "SMS Alert",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
}
}
}
Troubleshooting FAQ
Q: eBay API returns no results?
A: Check your search prompt logic or eBay API quota. Use fewer keywords or increase limit.
Q: Discord alerts are not sending?
A: Confirm the webhook URL is correct and the bot has permissions in the channel.
Q: SMS not working?
A: Verify Twilio credentials and ensure the phone number is verified or purchased in Twilio.
Q: How do I change the ROI threshold?
A: Edit the filter(item => item.roi > 20) line in the Profit Calculator node.
Q: Can I use this with other marketplaces?
A: Yes. Replace the eBay API node with Amazon, Mercari, or Poshmark API equivalents if available.
Monetize This
Want to scale this into a reseller business or SaaS?
👉 Check out our reseller fee calculator to build your own profit models. 👉 See more automation recipes for solopreneurs. 👉 Join our experiments to see how this idea evolves into a standalone business.
Next Step: Import this workflow into n8n and start flipping eBay items in minutes.