Would you like to break into the world of reselling? Whether you want to earn a little or a lot, here is how to make money reselling items online!
As a full-time freelance writer and contract gig worker, I adore just about everything about my work from home lifestyle — especially earning my rent in athleisure while surrounded by my furry coworkers. As a lover of vintage everything, I also love how working from home gives me and my tech writer husband time to pursue one of our favorite hobbies: browsing thrift stores, yard sales, and estate sales for hidden treasures.
Cutting away from the computer screens to get out of the house is a great way to break up the day and spend some time together. But it’s also productive: While we’re scanning local thrift stores and sales for our various wish lists, we’re always on the lookout for items to flip on Facebook Marketplace and other online platforms.
With minimal research and time invested, we’ve managed to build a fairly profitable reselling business that more than pays for my ever-growing collection of handbags and vintage tchotchkes. Whether you’re just looking to make a few bucks reselling items or you’re looking to build out a full-scale business model, here are my best tips for reselling thrifted items online.
1. Familiarize yourself with online marketplaces
Before you break into this side hustle, it’s a good idea to browse some online marketplaces and get a sense of the types of things you want to watch out for and where, how, and in what condition they tend to sell.
Different websites and social media platforms can be better for buying and selling different types of products.
For example, I tend to have better luck reselling apparel in Facebook groups, on Poshmark, or directly to my followers through my Facebook profile, and I have friends who make a killing reselling jewelry and accessories on Etsy. On the other hand, my husband has a knack for refurbishing garage sale electronics to resell to grateful buyers on Mercari and Facebook Marketplace.
2. Do your research
Just about everyone I know who has experimented with online reselling starts off looking for those long-storied legendary lottery ticket items that make the rounds on clickbait articles every now and then — things like Disney VHS tapes that are supposed to be worth thousands, antique toys, or ultra-rare Garbage Pail Kids cards.
But one thing I learned early on in my reselling adventures is that a lot of those big-ticket item legends are based on eBay’s “asking price” and aren’t necessarily connected to completed purchases. I’m not really sure why this is, but there are a lot of sellers out there listing their items at a higher price than they will likely ever get.
It’s also really common to see a seller account applying that higher price to an item that is either incomplete or not nearly the level of quality associated with completed sales. To better understand the potential profit margins you can expect for a product you’re considering reselling, look for “completed listings” on eBay. On sites like Poshmark and Mercari, try to find sold products with reviews attached to them.
3. Decide on a niche
Once you have a sense of the kinds of things you can sell, where you can sell them, and how much of a profit margin you can expect to take in, it’s a good idea to choose an angle you want to focus on. Not only does this make it easier to focus on the types of products you want to look out for, but it also helps potential buyers know what to expect from your seller profile.
While my husband is out there turning and burning electronics sales on Facebook Marketplace, I’ve built up a small following of potential buyers who share my taste in clothing by reselling favorite items from my own closet. When I come across items that don’t fit my “quirky vintage bohemian clothing” vibe (like the huge bin of Beanie Babies I ended up with a few years back), I prefer to list them in local Facebook groups.
Once you’ve got a good sense of what you want to sell, spend some time browsing those categories on sites like eBay, Facebook, Poshmark, and Mercari to get a sense of the types of items that are in high demand and tend to hold their value. Regularly browsing these sites is also one of the best ways to get good at spotting high-value items, particularly if you’re considering flipping into a full-time job.
4. Now for the fun part: Go shopping
Once you’ve narrowed in on what you’d like to sell, it’s time to get out there and start building your inventory. Here’s a rundown of some of my favorite places to shop and how to make the most of them.
Thrift stores
If you live in an area with a few thrift and secondhand stores, you may start to get a sense that different stores can be good for different types of items. In my city, I’ve found one thrift store that tends to be really good for high-quality name-brand handbags (think Coach and Vera Bradley) and another where I always find gorgeous vintage Fenton glass at a reasonable price. I’ve also got a favorite spot for used Xbox and Wii games.
Some thrift stores tend to overprice certain items but then wildly undervalue others, and this can even vary based on which staff member does the pricing that day.
Thrift store auctions can also be a fantastic place to source merch for flipping. Some thrift stores host online auctions, and some host weekly or even daily auctions where shoppers can buy items in lots or even in bulk.
Garage sales
Garage sales and yard sales tend to be somewhat seasonal in many parts of the country, but you can find some truly amazing scores if you stay on it. I’ve seen people unload original art for bargain basement prices, and I’ve picked up everything from camping equipment to high-end designer shoes.
Multi-family, neighborhood, and church garage sales can be absolute jackpots. To make sure you don’t miss out on any, be sure to check Facebook Events, Nextdoor, and Craigslist regularly and use Google calendars to plan ahead for upcoming events.
Don’t be afraid to haggle over pricing whenever you’re out hitting garage sales. In my experience, sellers who might not be as eager to give a lower price on individual items will often happily take an offer on a grouping of things.
Estate sales
These days, most estate sales are run by estate sale companies that tend to advertise on Facebook. Look for estate sale companies in your area and follow them online to stay abreast of upcoming events and markdown dates. Many companies will post photos of upcoming sales so you can get a good sense of whether they’ll have what you’re looking for ahead of time.
Estate sales can be a fantastic place to get well-preserved vintage items, tools, jewelry, and even furnishings. Many estate sales will lower their prices in the last two days, with some landing on half or even 75% off. One of my favorite things to do is pop into estate sales on the final day and scoop up a carload of deals.
Retail sales
Retail arbitrage (RA) is a fancy way to describe flipping items picked up at a retail store, usually well below retail price. Big retail establishments like Walmart and Target often have deep discount clearance deals on all sorts of items, from the latest home fashion trends to essential household goods.
My husband and I have also done pretty well shopping “bin stores” that sell returns from online retailers like Amazon and Target. Shoppers literally have to dig through bins to find products, but it can be worth the effort. I’ve picked up all sorts of high-value items: a $180 electric shaver, a rare Taylor Swift album, and expensive cosmetics, just to name a few.
These stores are usually open only part of the week, typically Wednesday or Thursday through Sunday or Monday. Most items are priced at a flat rate that goes down each day. For example, items might start out at $7 on Thursday morning and drop to $5 on Friday, $3 on Saturday, and $1 on Sunday when the inventory has dwindled down.
5. Google Lens is your friend
Google Lens is an incredible resource for resellers. I use it constantly when I’m out shopping to compare prices, check value, check quality, find out what things are, read reviews, find out whether items are selling, and more.
If you’ve never used Google Lens, it’s easy to download if it’s not already installed on your phone and accessible via your camera app. Simply snap an image of the item in question, and Lens will perform a Google image search and help you find out what you need to know.
6. Don’t overlook the business side
Shopping is the fun part, but we’re in this to turn a profit. Google Sheets is a free Excel clone that works well for tracking your inventory, fees, expenses, profit margins, and anything else you need to know. This can also come in handy when you’re paying the tax man and getting all of your other legal ducks in a row. This is especially important when you’re taking payments via several apps like Cash App, Venmo, and PayPal.
No matter where you’re selling, it’s also good to encourage reviews from satisfied customers since those can help you get future business. If you’re running a full-fledged resale store on a site like Mercari or Poshmark, it’s also essential to invest some time and energy into professional-looking branding.
How to make money reselling wrapup
One of the cool things about reselling thrifted items is that it’s an easy venture to dip your toe into without having a whole lot of time or cash to get started. If you’re good about tracking your profits and reinvesting them, it’s also a fairly easily scalable business opportunity.
Whether you’re like me and you just want to sell to support your own shopping habit or you’re a wizard at flipping like my husband, thrift reselling can be fun, challenging, and something of an adventure.
If you’ve got any tips for scoring thrifted items or, better yet, tales of incredible finds that turned a tidy profit, be sure to let me know in the comments! Hope to see you around the bargain bin!