What to Flip in OSRS
There is no permanent list of "best flips". Every specific item goes stale in hours. What does not go stale are the categories. Here are the ones that repeatedly produce margin, why they work, and who each one suits.
By category
Skilling supplies
Herbs, seeds, logs, bars, raw fish, potions, and runes. Volumes are enormous because thousands of players consume them constantly. Margins are usually small (1-3%) but stable, and buy limits are typically generous, so profit per cycle can be strong. Good for anyone with a small to medium bankroll who wants steady growth rather than big single-flip wins.
Consumable combat gear
Ammunition, throwing weapons, degradable armour pieces, mid-tier weapons. Consumed in PvM and PvP so demand refreshes. Margins vary; volume is decent; less price-manipulation risk than rares.
High-value gear and rares
BiS armour, godsword pieces, twisted bows, third-age. Large absolute margins in GP terms, but buy limits are small (often one or two per 4 hours), spreads can be volatile, and volume can be low enough that a single trader moves the price. Suits large bankrolls comfortable holding an item overnight or longer.
Update-driven movers
OSRS Wednesday updates and quest releases change item demand overnight. Items connected to a new boss, a new prayer requirement, or a new gear tier can move 20-50% in a day. The margins are real but so is the risk. This is a category to trade with information, not autopilot.
Bond arbitrage
Old School Bonds look flippable on the GE. They are not a normal flip because their in-game conversion fee changes what "buying and selling" actually costs. Approach with caution, or skip.
By bankroll
- Under 1M. Runes, herbs, low-tier potions, feathers, seeds. Small margin, high volume, low risk. Focus on filling every one of the 8 GE slots rather than chasing a single flip.
- 1M-10M. Add mid-tier potions, cooked food, mid-tier weapons and ammo. You can now afford to hold a full buy limit on items with 50k-200k margins.
- 10M-100M. Add BiS gear and rare drops. Sizing per position matters more than picking the "best" flip — cap any single item at around 25% of bankroll.
- 100M+. Rare items and hold plays. Fewer, larger positions. Update calendars start to matter more than daily spread.
By risk tolerance
A low-risk approach picks items with high daily volume, tight spread, and stability that has held for hours. A high-risk approach picks items with wide spreads, low volume, and a story behind them (new drop, upcoming update). Both can be profitable; each requires different attention and different bankroll rules.
Where GE IQ helps
GE IQ shows every currently tradeable item ranked live by tax-aware margin, volume, and stability. Filter by bankroll and by F2P/members, and the tool narrows 4,500+ items down to the flips that actually fit your slot and your risk level. Use the categories above to decide what type of merchant you want to be; use the tool to fill the slots.