Sean Blackburn used to chase fish. Now he chases copper. Turns out a $25 box of pennies from the bank pays better than any day on the water. Here's the proof.
No guesses. Every number below is from a real completed eBay transaction. A standard bank box = 50 rolls × 50 pennies = 2,500 pennies = $25 face value.
Walk into the bank with $1,000. Walk out with 40 boxes — 100,000 pennies, 2,000 rolls. Here's what each strategy returns after eBay fees, shipping, packaging, AND your time.
| Strategy | Price+Ship | # Listings | Net/Box | Total Profit | Hours | $/Hour | Proven Vol. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget + Ship | $36+$23 | 40 | $7.68 | $307 | 8 hrs | $38/hr | 389 sold |
| Mid + Free Ship | $80+free | 40 | $25.90 | $1,036 | 8 hrs | $130/hr | 66 sold |
| High + Free Ship | $99+free | 40 | $42.38 | $1,695 | 8 hrs | $212/hr | 26 sold |
| Premium + Ship | $101+$14 | 40 | $56.26 | $2,250 | 8 hrs | $281/hr | 120 sold |
| Ultra + Free Ship | $109+free | 40 | $50.78 | $2,031 | 8 hrs | $254/hr | 37 sold |
All strategies take about the same ~12 min per box to photograph, list, pack, and label. With 40 boxes that's ~8 hours.
The difference is ALL in price positioning. The $101 + $14 shipping seller nets $56.26/box — that's 7× more than the budget seller at $7.68/box, for the exact same amount of work.
Critical: The $101 listing STILL moved 120 units. Price doesn't kill volume when the listing title includes words like "Find Wheats, Errors, Copper" — you're selling the treasure hunt experience, not just coins.
Total profit tells half the story. What Sean earns per hour of HIS time — that's the real number.
The data is clear. The $101 + $14 shipping strategy wins: $56.26 net per box at $281/hr. That seller moved 120 boxes and grossed $12,178.
Why does premium pricing work? Because buyers aren't buying pennies — they're buying a treasure hunt. Titles like "Find Wheats, Errors, Copper" sell the EXPERIENCE. The $31 seller and the $101 seller ship the exact same box. One makes $7.68. The other makes $56.26. Same product, same effort, 7× the profit.
Volume is NOT the enemy of price. The biggest surprise in the data: the $101 listing sold 120 units (3rd highest volume). Premium pricing with good copy STILL moves product.
Sean's play: List at $95–$105 with $12–$15 shipping. Use strong titles: "Sealed $25 Bank Box — Find Wheats, Errors, Copper!" Free shipping is optional — data shows charged shipping at $14 works just as well when the listing title sells the dream.
Sean lists at the premium sweet spot: ~$100 + $14 shipping. Net $56.26 per box.
| Monthly $ | Boxes | Net/Box | Total Profit | Hours | $/hr | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $250 | 10 | $56.26 | $563 | 2 hrs | $281/hr | $6,751 |
| $500 | 20 | $56.26 | $1,125 | 4 hrs | $281/hr | $13,503 |
| $1,000 | 40 | $56.26 | $2,250 | 8 hrs | $281/hr | $27,006 |
| $2,500 | 100 | $56.26 | $5,626 | 20 hrs | $281/hr | $67,512 |
| $5,000 | 200 | $56.26 | $11,252 | 40 hrs | $281/hr | $135,024 |
Fishing: Buy $200 in gear. Drive 2 hours. Sit for 6 hours. Maybe catch dinner. Maybe not. Gas + bait + license = negative ROI.
Copper hunting: Walk into bank. Hand them $1,000. Walk out with 40 boxes. List on eBay. $2,250 profit in 8 hours. No sunburn. No empty cooler. No "the one that got away."
Sean's math: One Saturday of copper hunting = $281/hr. One Saturday of fishing = $0/hr (and you smell like bait).
Fish be damned. Copper pays the bills.
2,671 boxes sold. $170K in revenue. The data says:
List at $100 + $14 ship = $56/box net.
40 boxes from a $1,000 bank run = $2,250 profit in 8 hours.
Sean Blackburn. The Copper Lover.
Every number on this page comes from eBay Terapeak sold data — 50 listings, 2,671 boxes, $170,531 in revenue. No hype. Just data.
🪙 FISH BE DAMNED — LET'S GET COPPER