A 21-year-old Australian whose controversial business rakes in NZ$87,000 a month has bought two investment properties.
Sydney businessman Jordan Carucciogas recently landed himself the properties after he came across a "niche market" during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Carucciogas' business, which one international technology company deemed "ethically unsound", uses insider knowledge and internet bots to hunt down sought-after products before selling them at a higher price. His practice might be better known as scalping.
The 21-year-old charges people fees to follow his exclusive social media account which gives members top tips for when popular items are about to hit the shelves in stores or online.
Carucciogas is one of the first Australians to know when new and popular stock is expected to hit Aussie stores. And while the 21-year said he's faced criticism for what he's doing, he isn't worried.
"It's not illegal. I would have been in trouble for sure if it wasn't legal," he told news.com.au.
Carucciogas uses a mix of online programming and connections with retailers to get "early information" on new releases, the website reported.
It all started after the 21-year-old graduated high school and moved overseas in hopes of starting his professional soccer career.
While Carucciogas was overseas, he stumbled across a group in the US that did exactly what he's doing now - which eventually unfolded into Lowkey Discord.
"The term is called a cook group - it just means you're cooking sneakers, you're attaining a lot of items," he told news.com.au.
But when his dreams of becoming a professional football player fell apart because of an injury he decided to pursue something else.
He soon found a gap in the Australian market and brought it to Aussie shores in 2019.
"I thought there's a bit of a gap in the market in Australia, no one was doing it back then. That's when this business came to my mind."
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the 21-year-old said that's when his business skyrocketed and "from there it's been crazy".
But his successful business hasn't gone without its bumps. He said senior retail managers who recognise him attempted to force him into telling him who his sources are.
Recently, the 21-year-old has added two investment properties to his business portfolio.
