I’m 24 and quit my stable $90,000-a-year accounting job to sell old couches on Facebook Marketplace – everyone thought I was crazy but business is thriving

Most people spend years climbing the corporate ladder, but Bailey Garbett decided to do the exact opposite.

The 24-year-old from Melbourne’s outer east was on the verge of earning $90,000-a-year and becoming an accomplished Chartered Accountant.

Instead, in May this year, he handed in his resignation at one of Australia’s biggest accounting firms, traded spreadsheets for Facebook Marketplace, and is now betting his future on buying, restoring and reselling second-hand couches full-time.

It’s a career move that has left plenty of people understandably questioning his sanity, including his own accountant mother and studious friends.

‘People thought it was a bit stupid because I was one term away from becoming a Chartered Accountant, but I’d really just had enough,’ Bailey told the Daily Mail.

Before launching his unusual business venture, Bailey spent two-and-a-half years working in audits after completing an accounting degree and a stint in bankruptcy.

While the stable corporate career looked perfect on paper, especially for his age, behind the scenes he admitted to being increasingly burnt out by the long commute and mounting stress.

The turning point came unexpectedly during his daily train ride to work when he had an epiphany about life and the direction he wanted his to go.

‘I just thought, “What am I doing?”‘ 

‘I’ve always wanted to work for myself, so I’m just going to bet on myself for once and have a crack.’

At the time, couch flipping had already become a profitable weekend side hustle after he stumbled across a Canadian creator doing something similar online.

‘I saw some guy on Instagram doing it and thought, “If he can do it, I can do it”.’

Armed with his ute, his dad’s shed and a $40 online course, Bailey started sourcing unwanted lounges from Facebook Marketplace in September last year.

What began as a way to earn a little extra spending money while he was bored outside of footy season, soon turned into something much bigger.

His parents, however, were less convinced, so to win them over, he did what any accountant would do and laid out the numbers.

‘I made a big PowerPoint presentation and sat them down. I showed them all my numbers and after that they were like, “Okay… this actually makes sense.”‘

By carefully tracking every purchase, sale and projected profit, Bailey realised the business had the potential to replace his salary.

‘Based on my projections, I’d only need to flip around 15 couches a month at the most conservative numbers to make what I was making.’

His average profit sits at roughly $400 per couch, although some have generated significantly more, with his biggest success so far coming when he spotted a large L-shaped lounge listed by a family who urgently needed it gone.

‘I picked it up, gave it a quick vacuum and steam clean, took some better photos and it sold in four days – that one made me around $850.’

Not every purchase has been a winner, however, with a grey chaise lounge that looked immaculate in the online listing but turned out to be heavily stained when he arrived.

‘I should’ve just walked away, but instead, because I was new and felt awkward, I took it home.’

Despite weeks of cleaning attempts, pressure washing and stain removal, he eventually sold it at a loss.

‘You’ve got to have the bad ones to know which ones are the good ones,’ but he said experience has taught him what buyers actually want.

Neutral fabric lounges move far quicker than leather, while premium brands such as Moran and Arthur G can often be picked up for a fraction of their true value because sellers don’t realise what they’re worth.

His days now revolve around constantly buying, cleaning, photographing and delivering lounges across Melbourne.

Some days are spent collecting multiple couches, while others involve cleaning stock, meeting buyers or organising deliveries.

He noted that by offering free delivery within half an hour of his home has often been the deciding factor in securing a sale.

‘People can’t be bothered hiring trailers or organising Airtaskers, so free delivery gets a lot of deals over the line.’

Bailey estimated that he spent around $5,000 getting his business started, covering a trailer, cleaning equipment, dollies and storage units after his growing collection of couches eventually took over his father’s shed.

Although running his own business comes with more uncertainty than a corporate salary, he says he’s happier than ever being his own boss at last.

‘I definitely miss the people I worked with, but I have so much more time to do what I want now.’

His advice for anyone considering launching their own side hustle is refreshingly simple.

‘You’ve just got to start.’

‘You can do heaps of research, but you’re never really going to know unless you actually give it a go.’

As for where he sees himself in five years’ time, even he isn’t entirely sure.

He still plans to eventually return and complete his final Chartered Accounting qualification, but only if it still makes sense to do so.

‘If this takes off, maybe I won’t go back, but for now, I’m just focused on turning over as many couches as I can.’

And judging by the growing social media audience following his couch-flipping journey online, betting on himself may just prove to be the smartest investment he’s ever made.