OSRS Grand Exchange flipping guide
FlipScape helps Old School RuneScape players compare Grand Exchange prices, estimate after-tax margins and review trading volume and price charts before choosing a potential flip.
A flip means buying an item and reselling it at a higher price. The difference must cover any Grand Exchange tax and other applicable costs before it becomes profit. A displayed margin is an estimate, not a guaranteed return or an offer waiting to be filled.
How to read OSRS GE buy and sell prices
FlipScape uses market data from the OSRS Wiki price API. The API's high price represents an instant-buy transaction and its low price represents an instant-sell transaction. These are reported trades, not a live order book.
- Buy at / low price
- A reference for the price at which you might place a patient buy offer. It reflects what someone received when selling immediately.
- Sell at / high price
- A reference for a patient sell offer. It reflects what someone paid when buying immediately.
- One-minute and five-minute data
- These views summarize transactions within time windows. An average can differ from the latest individual trade, and a missing value does not mean the item costs zero GP.
Check the selected interval and the freshness of the data. Prices can move while an offer is waiting, especially for items with few recent trades.
After-tax margin and return on investment
Gross margin = sell price − buy price.
Net margin per item = sell price − applicable GE tax − buy price.
ROI = net margin ÷ buy price × 100.
For example, a hypothetical purchase at 1,000 GP and sale at 1,100 GP with a 22 GP tax leaves 78 GP profit per item and a 7.8% ROI. This is an illustration, not a current item price or a trading recommendation.
Tax rules can include exemptions, rounding and a per-item cap. Additional costs can apply to particular items, such as bond conversion. Verify the applicable rules and actual transaction amounts before committing GP; the tracker estimates are a planning aid.
Potential profit across a quantity assumes every item can be bought and sold at the displayed prices. Buy limits, available capital, competition and changing prices can reduce the quantity or profit you actually achieve.
Use trading volume and price charts together
Volume measures reported transactions over a specific interval. Compare like-for-like windows: one-minute volume and five-minute volume are not interchangeable. Higher reported volume can indicate more activity, but it does not promise that your offer will fill.
A large margin on a thinly traded item may come from old or unusual transactions. Review several chart ranges to see whether a move is brief or part of a longer pattern. Missing points and stale prices deserve extra caution.
Charts show historical observations. They cannot predict future prices, and a ranking or opportunity score should be checked against current prices, volume and your available GP.
Using FlipScape to research a potential flip
- Search for an item in the GE price tracker, or browse the margin list.
- Compare buy price, sell price and after-tax margin. Check the data interval and whether the figures are recent.
- Review volume, charts and the buy limit. Decide how much GP you can leave tied up while offers wait.
- Verify prices in game. Start with a quantity appropriate to your budget; market estimates do not execute trades.
- Record actual results. Use actual buys, sells and costs to evaluate profit rather than counting an unfilled offer as a completed flip.
The mobile interface focuses on price lookup and browsing margins. Desktop includes the wider trading workspace, alerts and statistics interfaces. Some desktop features require a premium license; check the current in-app access and pricing before purchasing.
FlipScape's news area is currently marked as under construction. Do not treat it as a complete or verified feed of game updates.
Data sources and limitations
Market prices, item mappings and historical observations come from the OSRS Wiki real-time prices project and its price API. The project collects reported transactions through RuneLite. These observations do not cover every Grand Exchange transaction.
Read the OSRS Wiki Grand Exchange reference for mechanics and check official Old School RuneScape news for game changes.
Live prices and trading tools require JavaScript and access to external data services. If the feed fails or an item has no recent trades, information may be unavailable or out of date. This guide remains readable without JavaScript.
Trade records and preferences use this browser's local storage. Clearing browser data can remove them; do not assume records will synchronize to another browser or device.
FlipScape is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Jagex, RuneLite or the OSRS Wiki. Old School RuneScape is a Jagex game.
Common questions
Does FlipScape buy or sell items for me?
No. Use FlipScape to research prices and record trades. You place and manage Grand Exchange offers in Old School RuneScape.
Why is the in-game price different from the displayed price?
The tracker shows reported transactions or interval averages. Your offer is placed later, with different buyers and sellers. Low volume, delayed reports and market changes can all produce a difference.
Is the largest margin always the best flip?
No. A large spread can accompany low volume or stale data. Consider how long your GP may be committed, the item limit, applicable costs and how much the price could change.
Is FlipScape free?
Price lookup is available without a premium license. Some desktop trading and statistics features are gated by premium access. Current details are available in the app.