Professional Reseller

How much do you mark up the clothing you resell from thrift stores?

Asked by juddy judd over 11 years ago

Mark ups vary with each item. I seek highly sought after labels and only resell items where I can at least quadruple my investment. Though most of my items sell at a 500+% return.

Can you generate enough business with this to do it full-time?

Asked by Livia83 over 11 years ago

I do! Enough to employ another person and lease space too! As long as there are thrift and resale stores on the planet, I will have work!

How many thrift stores do you source from? Do you have problems with your supply drying up once you've done the initial sweep of their racks?

Asked by Senora Cassie over 11 years ago

I'm grateful to be in an area surrounded really good thrift stores. I've never had a problem with sources being depleted and am never at a shortage of inventory. There is no way to keep up with the influx in the four stores I frequent most. Since expanding the types of items I sell, I'm able to glean profitable items from nearly every department.

Do you launder clothing before reselling it?

Asked by brikhaus over 11 years ago

I use a variety of methods to clean products before I sell them. Some, with visible debris, will be laundered. If it's an expensive piece, it goes to the dry cleaners. I also use the home Dryel dry cleaning kit quite often.

What kinds of items are your bread-and-butter, profit-wise?

Asked by Sylvia (OR) over 11 years ago

Discontinued health and beauty, grocery, toys and electronics do very well on Amazon. My "bread and butter" on eBay are high designer items sold at the likes of retailers Neiman Marcus, Barney's, Net a Porter etc. Though I am not opposed to selling less quality items if the opportunity is there!

If you had to pick one, what was your most valuable find in a thrift store? How much did you sell it for?

Asked by stacyluv89 over 11 years ago

I found a Brunello Cucinelli buffalo hide, soft sided briefcase at a Salvation Army thrift. It was tagged at $300 but I was there on a 50% off sale day, so purchased for $150 resold it for $2.8k. That's the first one that comes to mind!

How legitimate are the star ratings on Ebay? Seems like everyone has 99%+, which just can't be right.

Asked by stars about 11 years ago

Honestly, I don't pay that much attention to the star ratings. Mine or other sellers when I am purchasing something. When the ability to leave negative feedback was taken from sellers, the integrity of the feedback system was lost.

What made you decide to do this professionally, and why don't more people do it? Seems pretty straightforward, profitable, and low barriers to entry.

Asked by M. Cruz over 11 years ago

For me, thrifting has been a life long practice. I purposely shopped secondhand stores to find luxury labels at a deep discount. Through the years I developed sort of an uncanny ability to find profitable garments. I love sharing this concept with others and encourage it often as a viable career, if not profitable hobby. Unfortunately, most people lose interest after realizing the work involved. As with any business there is definitely a learning curve, my skills are a culmination of 30+ years experience and personal obsession with fine, high quality goods. In the end, it's my passion and drive that allow me to do it professionally.

Is there still a lot of money to be made on eBay?

Asked by statham over 11 years ago

Absolutely! It's one of the largest marketplaces in the world so I feel very blessed to sell my goods on such a highly trafficked site.

How do the economics work when you act as a Trading Assistant for others on ebay? Do you get a flat fee, a commission, or both?

Asked by Michaela about 11 years ago

Typically, it's a 60/40 split in favor of the consignor. I do take items on a flat rate commission but it's rare. I work closely with the client in the beginning to devise a selling plan that works well for both of us.

What's the biggest mistake people make when posting on eBay?

Asked by slowgrind over 11 years ago

Single biggest mistake I see is not using key words adequately in listing title. Using them allows items to be found via major web search engines by potential buyers. Often my eBay titles don't appear even as a logical sentence but a combination of words including brand name, size, color, style etc.

Do you ever worry that too many people will get into this business and make the good stuff harder and harder to find?

Asked by blake placid over 11 years ago

As long as there are malls and large stores selling volumes of high end goods there will always be "good stuff" trickling down to the resale market. There has been an influx of new resellers, especially online but I haven't noticed any reduction in finding inventory whatsoever in the last 15 years. Actually because I now see potential in a wider variety of goods, I'm able to find more.

I used to shop on eBay but stopped because hasn't it basically just become a storefront for retailers, and not somewhere you can find real people selling their used goods?

Asked by Erika over 11 years ago

I know what you mean. Honestly, I prefer to buy from private sellers as well and tend to stay away from the storefront retailers on eBay. If you are strategic in your search, there a large number of sellers liquidating their personal wardrobe, selling for others, etc. For me, it mimics shopping thrifts and consignments so its my preference as well.

How much does eBay charge you to sell goods?

Asked by StephC about 11 years ago

After all listing fees, final value fees, as well as transaction fees via Paypal, it's typically about 25%.

Do you buy your OWN clothes at thrift shops and consignment stores?

Asked by Seneca over 11 years ago

My personal closet is full of used goods. I honestly cannot think of one item I purchased brand new in years! It's very difficult for me to spend full retail on anything after being so active in the resale market. I often go shopping at higher end retailers only to info gather. I record styles, brand names of things I'd love to have and then search for them on eBay or other resale markets. Using the mall only as a recon mission of sorts. Honestly, this is evident in every area for me, furniture, vehicles, appliances, etc. no doubt saving thousands of dollars per year.

Do you have to charge sales tax on used clothes? If so, then isn't the government getting sales tax TWICE on the same item?

Asked by wzrd about 11 years ago

If you could get eBay to change ONE thing about their site, what would it be and why?

Asked by former ebay'er about 11 years ago

What kind of return policies do you offer?

Asked by jake t about 11 years ago