In the reseller game, it’s hard to know how well you will do unless you just jump in and do it. Start with what makes you comfortable. You don’t have to put a lot of money in at first if you can’t or don’t want to. Sell some unwanted or unused items from around your home. Most people have those items that could be sitting in the very back of your closet. Or unopened/unused gifts that are also stored away. And if you have children, whether young or fully grown, you must have some outgrown clothes or toys that may still have value to someone else. Reselling toys was my first leap into reselling. I didn’t have to put up initial investments in goods to sell. I already had a printer, computer and internet access. Boxes can be delivered free from the post office if shipping USPS, and even when using another delivery service, my many purchases from Amazon gave me boxes to recycle and use for shipping. Toys were just my initial start. It may be different for others.
Reselling clothing seems to be really hot right now. I do hear the complaints from some people about the market being oversaturated, and they are right to some degree, but look beyond everyday items. Look into hard to find sizes. I remember growing up, my father had trouble finding a size 14-1/2 men’s shoe at affordable prices and he would sometimes have to suffer getting a size smaller just to have shoes in his price range. Because of him, I specifically look for oversized shoes. There are a lot of women in my family that are plus size. I specifically look for items that are hard to find sizes without sacrificing style or quality and save over retail prices here as well. Reselling comes with trial and error. You need to find what works for you. What interests you. If you don’t like the items you find, find another category. The collectibles market is pretty big. Find a category that would interest you. Sports, militaria, Disneyana and more. The list is almost endless. There are people out there in areas with limited resources searching for items to complete a set of their collection or maybe they want to start a collection and you could be the one to bring that item.
Research will be very important. Other resellers are more than happy to share their experience and opinions on YouTube. Also research multiple reseller platforms and look at their SOLD listings. You always want to check SOLD to get a sense of what categories and items sell better and for how much to help you determine what you could net on your finds and help you form a more profitable business model.
Remember, whether you are doing this as a side hustle to bring in a little more spending money or if you want to be your own boss and do this full time, you control how far you take it. Instead of coming up with reasons of what is stopping you, just do it and the outcome may surprise you and show you more about your will and determination that you may not have known.
Reselling isn’t going to be for everyone and I can only tell you from my experience, but I love this job. I’ve found I am tougher than I thought I was. I continually learn about reselling and I can control how much money I make. And best of all, I have a marketable skill that I enjoy starting and ending my day with.
Happy reselling!