A business you run with AI

Start an online reselling business while you keep your day job

Charity shops, clearance sales and online auctions hide items worth far more elsewhere. Actionist researches prices, writes listings, posts them and handles buyer messages. You source the deals and approve what matters.

Actionist does the listing, pricing and messaging. You source and approve.

Your AI workforce
$40+per item, you set it
$52,000a year at 25 items a week
6phases Actionist runs
Actionist operatesActionist App Store
eBay logo
Amazon Seller Central logo
Facebook Pages logo
Instagram for Business logo
Xero logo
Canva logo

Starting an online reselling business with AI means you spend your time finding the deals, not writing the listings. Actionist is an AI agent that operates real apps the way a person does. It looks up what each item is selling for on eBay and Amazon, writes the title and description, posts the listing across your platforms and handles the buyer questions that come in. You photograph what you find at charity shops, car boots and clearance sales; Actionist turns each item into a polished listing ready to sell.

You do not need to be a copywriter or a photography professional. You bring the eye for a bargain and the willingness to source. Actionist handles the listing research, the copy, the cross-posting and the buyer communication so you can run this around your existing job and take it as far as the deals you find.

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01

Your opportunity

The opportunity

Why this works

Charity shops, clearance racks, estate sales and online auctions are full of items selling for far less than they fetch in the right marketplace. The gap between what you pay and what a motivated buyer will pay is the whole business.

The bottleneck is not finding deals. It is the time it takes to research a price, write a strong listing and post it on multiple platforms. Actionist removes that bottleneck so you can list dozens of items a week without spending every evening on it.

What matters to you
  • The gap is everywhere
    A vintage camera at a car boot for a few pounds can fetch ten times that on eBay to the right buyer.
  • Cross-listing multiplies value
    The same item on eBay, Shopify and Facebook Pages reaches different buyers willing to pay different prices.
  • Good listings win the sale
    The same item listed with a clear title and honest description sells faster and for more. Writing those well is where most resellers lose hours.
  • Buyers come to you
    You list once; buyers search and find you. No cold calling, no chasing. Questions come in and the agent handles them.
Your projection

Run your own numbers

Your projection

Set the numbers, see the picture

Price per item
$40
items a week
25
Per week
$1,000
Per year
$52,000

Illustrative, based on the numbers you enter. Listings stay live and can keep selling without extra work.

Getting started

What it actually takes to start

Starting a reselling business used to mean buying a large stock upfront and spending evenings listing each item by hand. Actionist does the research and the writing, so the bar to start is far lower than most people expect.

What you don't need
  • A lot of upfront capital
    Start with a few items from a charity shop.
  • A studio or photography background
    A phone photo is enough to get a listing live.
  • Copywriting skills
    Actionist researches each item and writes the listing.
  • An ecommerce background
    You sell; Actionist runs the platform side.
  • To quit your job
    It fits around the hours you already work.
What you bring
  • An eye for what is underpriced
    The judgment to spot what is worth more elsewhere.
  • Time to source each week
    A couple of hours at charity shops or online.
  • A phone, a laptop and Actionist
    That is the whole setup.

If you can find something worth more elsewhere, Actionist can get it listed and sold.

02

How Actionist works

How it works

How Actionist builds the business

You do not run the day-to-day of this business; Actionist does. Here is how it works on any business idea, applied to online reselling: you pick the niche, the agent plans every task, then works through them and brings you the few that need a human.

  1. 01

    You pick the niche and set your limits

    You choose the category you want to sell in, set your minimum margin and say how many hours a week you can give. That is the only strategy you do. Everything after this, Actionist plans and runs around your schedule.

    A clear brief the agent can plan against.
  2. 02

    Actionist maps every task and subtask

    Actionist breaks the whole reselling business into a plan: the stages to launch, the tasks under each stage and the subtasks under each task. From registering on eBay to winning your first repeat buyer.

    A complete task plan for the business.
  3. 03

    It researches prices and writes the listings

    For every item you source, Actionist looks up what the same thing is selling for on eBay and Amazon, then writes the title, condition notes and description. You get a draft to approve before anything goes live.

    Polished listings ready to post, on your approval.
  4. 04

    It assigns you the tasks only you can do

    Some steps only a person can take: finding items, photographing them, packing the orders. Actionist puts those on your list with everything you need, then carries on with the rest once you are done.

    A short, clear to-do list, just for you.
  5. 05

    It asks before anything reaches a buyer

    Before Actionist posts a listing, sends a buyer message or processes a counter-offer, it stops and asks you to approve. You choose how hands-on to be per task, from checking everything to letting routine replies run.

    You stay in control of every buyer-facing move.
  6. 06

    You keep your day job and check in

    You run this around your existing schedule. Check the board when it suits you, approve what is waiting and message Actionist over Telegram or Slack to reprice or change anything. The listings and the messages keep moving between your check-ins.

    A business that grows around your schedule.
Your agent team

Actionist is your whole team

You are one person. Actionist is the whole team. Here is every role it plays to research, list and run the business, and the one part of each that stays with you.

~52 hrs/week of work by hand, run by your agents instead

Plan the business

strategy and task planning

Before you spend a penny or visit a single shop, your executive assistant breaks the whole business into a task plan and keeps it live as things progress.

If you did this by hand
Research how reselling businesses workMap out every step to launchWork out your prices and margin rulesBuild a tracker to follow it allPrioritise when things change
~5 hrs/ week
researching the business model and mapping every stage.3 days a month you do not have, handled for you.
What your agent does
One planevery stage and task laid out
Day onescoped before you source a thing
  • Map the stages
    Breaks the whole reselling business into stages from registration to your first repeat buyer.
  • Set the task order
    Sequences every step so each one starts as soon as the one before it is done.
  • Keep the plan live
    Updates priorities and re-plans around your sourcing schedule as the business moves forward.
Your part

You set the niche, the budget and how many hours you can give. That is the only strategy you need to decide.

Apps your agent could useSee full Actionist App Store →
03

Your task plan

The task centre

Every task it takes, and who does it

This is the plan Actionist builds to run the business: every stage, task and subtask from your first sourcing run to winning repeat buyers. The agents handle the research, the listings and the messages. Your part is photographing items, approving listings and packing the orders.

29 tasks·93 subtasks
Actionist 23You 3Approval 3Actionist handles ~79%
Done
Executive Agent
Research what sells consistently in your chosen niche
Done
Set your minimum acceptable margin per item
Done
Write a one-line buying rule for sourcing
Done
Done
Operations Agent
Create your eBay seller account
Done
Set up Amazon Seller Central or Shopify
Done
Verify your identity and payment details
Done
To do
You
In progress
Operations Agent
Scheduled
Executive Agent

An example plan Actionist builds for this business. Yours adapts to your niche, your platforms and how many items you source each week.

Under the hood

What one automation looks like

Trigger·You log a new sourced item with its cost and a photo.
write
Step 3
Actionist
Write the listing title, condition notes and description
Confirmation
Step 4
Human
You review the draft listing and set the final price
Saved per run
~1 hrs
Runs / week
~20×
Every item listed with a researched price and no manual writing.
04

The payoff

Your week

All it asks of you

Here is what a week looks like once you have a few items listed and orders coming in. Your agents run the research, the listings and the messages every day. Your part is the sourcing trip and a few approvals.

You
A couple of hours

plus your weekend sourcing run, all on your own schedule

5 touchpoints · about 105 min all week

Your agents
Every day

researching prices, writing listings and handling buyers in the background

8 jobs running in the background

Your team
Your full team runs in the background, every day.
  • Approve this week's new listings15 min
    mon · A quick review before they go live.
  • Reply to one tricky buyer message10 min
    wed · The agent drafts it; you check and send.
  • Set your weekend sourcing plan10 min
    fri · What to look for and where to go.
  • Source new items to sell60 min
    sat · Your sourcing trip. The only step only you can do.
  • Review weekly sales and top sellers10 min
    sun · Which items moved and what to list next.
Your team, every day
  • TA
    Technical Agent
    Researches what your queued items sell for on eBay and Amazon
  • DA
    Developer Agent
    Writes and formats listings for every item in your queue
  • SA
    Support Agent
    Monitors buyer questions and drafts replies across your stores
  • CA
    CRM Agent
    Follows up with recent buyers and requests reviews on their orders
  • OA
    Operations Agent
    Processes orders and buys the cheapest shipping label for each sale
  • SA
    Sales Agent
    Scouts the trending categories and best deals in your niche
  • EA
    Executive Agent
    Reviews your sales numbers and flags anything to re-price or relist
  • RA
    Reception Agent
    Sorts incoming buyer messages and routes urgent issues for your attention
The payoff

What you walk away with

  • No copywriting
    You never write a listing
    Actionist researches the price and writes the title and description for every item you source, so you spend nothing on listing work.
  • Around your job
    Source on weekends, list any time
    Actionist queues the listing work and runs it whenever your items are ready. Your weekend finds can be live on Monday morning.
  • Live on day one
    Multi-platform from the start
    The same item goes up on eBay, Shopify and Facebook Pages in one approved step. No posting the same listing three times by hand.
Before and after

Doing it alone vs with Actionist

On your own
~16h / week
every job below lands on you
With Actionist
minutes to review
it runs all 10 in the background
  • 1Pricing each item
    2h/wk
    Checking comps by hand

    You search eBay sold listings and Amazon prices for every item you source to work out what to charge.

    ActionistOff your plate
    A researched price for every item

    Actionist checks recent sold prices on eBay and Amazon and recommends what to charge before you approve the listing.

  • 2Writing listing titles
    1.5h/wk
    Rewriting titles each time

    You craft a unique, keyword-rich title for each item across each platform from scratch.

    ActionistOff your plate
    Keyword titles, ready to approve

    Actionist drafts titles tuned for each platform's search algorithm and queues them for your check.

  • 3Writing descriptions
    3.5h/wk
    Writing descriptions from nothing

    You describe the condition, dimensions and details of each item for every listing you create.

    ActionistOff your plate
    Descriptions written from your photos

    Actionist writes the condition notes and copy from what you photograph and the details you give it.

  • 4Cross-listing platforms
    2.5h/wk
    Posting to platforms one by one

    You repeat the listing process on eBay, then Shopify, then Amazon, spending extra minutes each time.

    ActionistOff your plate
    Live on every platform at once

    Actionist cross-lists to eBay, Shopify and Facebook Pages in one go once you approve the listing.

  • 5Answering buyer questions
    1.5h/wk
    Checking every inbox yourself

    You watch eBay messages, Shopify chat and Gmail across the day so you do not miss an interested buyer.

    ActionistOff your plate
    Draft replies in minutes

    Actionist monitors every channel and drafts a reply to each question, holding it for your check before it goes out.

  • 1Processing orders and labels
    1.5h/wk
    Manually buying each label

    You look up postage rates, buy a label on a carrier site and download it for every order that comes in.

    ActionistOff your plate
    Labels bought and emailed to you

    Actionist finds the cheapest option on Shippo and sends you the label ready to print and attach.

  • 2Managing offers and counters
    1h/wk
    Negotiating every offer yourself

    You decide in the moment whether to accept, counter or decline each best-offer request on eBay.

    ActionistOff your plate
    Counters drafted within your margin

    Actionist prepares the counter within the margin you set and holds it for your approval before it goes back to the buyer.

  • 3Handling returns
    40m/wk
    Writing returns messages from scratch

    You handle each return individually, writing the resolution message and processing it yourself.

    ActionistOff your plate
    Returns handled by the agent

    Actionist acknowledges the return, drafts the resolution and flags anything that needs your personal call.

  • 4Tracking inventory and profit
    1h/wk
    Logging every sale by hand

    You update your spreadsheet after each sale with the price, fees and postage to work out what you made.

    ActionistOff your plate
    A live profit view without the admin

    Actionist logs each sale and its costs in Google Sheets so your tracker always shows a real profit picture.

  • 5Chasing buyer reviews
    30m/wk
    Following up by memory

    You remember to message each buyer after delivery to ask for a review, and most of the time you forget.

    ActionistOff your plate
    A timed thank-you that asks for a review

    Actionist sends the follow-up at the right moment after each delivery in your name.

That is roughly 16 hours of work handed off every week, while you keep your day job
The tools

The apps Actionist operates

05

Stay in control and start

Already run this business?

See how Actionist can automate your life. Enter your website for a free analysis and a personalised demo built from your own business.

Trust and control

You stay in control

Your items, your listings and your buyers stay under your control. Actionist drafts everything and waits for your yes before anything goes live or reaches a buyer.

Listings wait for your approval

Nothing goes live until you have seen the title, description and price and said yes.

Buyer messages are drafted, not sent

Actionist writes the reply and holds it for you to check before it goes to any buyer.

Your platform accounts stay yours

Actionist logs into your own eBay and Shopify accounts. You keep full ownership of your seller history and feedback score.

Every action is logged

Each thing the agent does is recorded so you can review what was listed, sent or priced at any time.

FAQ

Questions about this idea

Do I need to know how to write good listings?
No. Actionist researches each item's going price and writes the title, condition notes and description. You just need to photograph the item and tell it what you paid.
Can Actionist post listings without me seeing them first?
No. Every listing batch is drafted and queued for your approval before anything goes live. Nothing appears on eBay or Shopify until you give the go-ahead.
What platforms can I sell on?
You can sell across eBay, Shopify, Amazon Seller Central and Facebook Pages. Actionist lists on whichever platforms you use and cross-posts in one step after you approve.
How does it know what price to set?
Actionist searches recent sold listings on eBay and current prices on Amazon, then suggests a price based on condition and demand. You set the final figure before anything goes live.
Do I need to reply to buyer messages myself?
Only for anything that needs your personal judgement. Actionist monitors messages on every platform, drafts the reply and sends it from Gmail after you check it. Returns and disputes always come to you first.
What do I actually have to do myself?
The physical work: finding items at charity shops or online, photographing them and packing the orders when they sell. Actionist handles the research, the listing, the messages and the tracking so you can start an online reselling business with AI doing all the desk work.
Ready to start?

Start the business you keep thinking about.

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