What I Learned Reselling & Rethrifting Clothes

At one point in my life I was desperate for some quick extra cash. We've all been there. My full-time job didn't pay that much and I had student loan payments starting up. I  considered getting a small part-time job to help me out a little however I didn't want the commitment in addition to the full-time job I already had. I wanted to do something a little more entrepreneurial. I eventually decided that selling my clothes online was a good place to start bringing in a little extra cash on the side. Then I got really inspired.

As I began researching how to effectively sell clothes on apps like Poshmark, Mercari, and Depop, I became hooked. These girls on YouTube made it look so easy. In fact, they were turning it into full-time gigs. I figured if they could do that, then I at least could get enough money to consider myself a part-time reseller. That's when I went beyond just selling the clothes out of my own closet. I began stocking up on actual inventory which came from, well quite frankly other people's closets. I would make weekly trips to Goodwill and other thrift stores in search of specific brands that I had researched ahead time that were proven to sell. I was very intentional in my thrifting. However, I came to learn a few things very quickly.

Number one, these items weren't flying out of my closet like I thought they would for whatever reason. There were so many factors that went into successfully getting an item sold. You need to take measurements in order to give an accurate description. You need high-quality photos. Sometimes the clothes need to be modeled. You have to then package and ship the clothes. Customer service is also important. No wonder this was a full-time job for those women!

I also realized something else much later that I had never thought of before. Selling clothes that I didn't wear anymore out of my own closet was one thing but selling clothes that were re-thrifted was another. In the beginning, I thought I was doing the environment a huge favor by not contributing to the economy of fast-fashion (that's a different story for another day). However, by following my new business model I was reducing the already limited clothing options available to low-income communities. I was then taking those clothes and reselling them online at marked-up prices and making a profit. There is nothing illegal about that. It's pure capitalism. However, it did feel morally wrong.

I am happy to retire from re-selling days. However, I'm still a huge fan of thrift stores when shopping for myself and I still do sell clothes I don't wear anymore online when it's convenient. I just keep the two things separate from themselves.