Like many others, I started reselling online to clean out my closet. I first started in 2010 with eBay. Off and on, I’d clear out my collection of fashion items, simply seeing the activity as an online garage sale for the occasion cleanout.

In 2013, I kept seeing advertisements for Poshmark. My closets were bursting at the seams, begging for an overdue cleaning. I decided to pass on eBay and list on Poshmark. My personal items sold well, and they continued to carry me for the next few years.

However, my shopping habits eventually changed, and I only wanted to buy key versatile pieces that would last for some time. My closet was no longer a source for reselling activities.

I initially felt hesitant to resell. I never went into thrift shops. I wasn’t sure what brands I would find, or how to even price them. I had no idea if I could even find items in retail stores.

Slowly, I ventured out to various thrift stores, finding my own strategies along the way. I found which stores were more suited to my tastes, and which areas had better inventory. I learned to look out for specialty deals in boutiques and department stores for the new items. Eventually, I found a way to price items that was fair for the buyer and enough to make a profit.

I ended up loving the hunt. I am a shopper. I love to find great brands and designs. I love it more when I find them at a great deal. I find joy in knowing someone will one day own the item at a fraction of the retail price. It became a new hobby, and a nice side hustle to my regular corporate job.

Because my time is so limited, there’s no way that I can spend so much time on reselling. As a result, I’ve developed a schedule for my activities.

Sourcing:

Sourcing is my favorite. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time. I don’t have the luxury of being able to do it during the weekdays, nor can I sacrifice my family time to do it on the weekends. As a result, generally, I can only source once a month. I plan ahead on what day it is so that I can make arrangements with my family. I plan to source about 20 – 30 items to replace what was sold in the previous 3-4 weeks. I try to keep it under $120, which helps keep inventory spend low.

There are times when I source while I’m shopping for myself, or if there’s a great deal in a store. However, to keep myself on budget and within my time limit, I don’t do it very often.

List Prep:

By far, this is my least favorite activity. It takes the most amount of time. However, the end result is worth it. The amount of time saved makes this a necessary evil.

Once I have my items, I separate them into piles. I can only take about 2 hours of list prep at a time, so I have to prioritize any items that I want to list first. Alternatively, I will choose to take all photos first. The amount of items will dictate the kind of photos I take. If it’s a small buy, then I’ll try to do a simple flat lay. A large buy will result in a simpler hanging photo. Sadly, I miss out on the natural light nowadays so my photos aren’t as great as they used to be.

I’ll also enter my inventory on my spreadsheet for accounting purposes. I’ll create my listings on my phone for later use. This includes titles optimized for SEO and clear descriptions. This will allow me to post at anytime, anywhere.

If I have a larger buy, I will have to split my time into various sessions. This means inventory sits around for a lot longer amount of time. Often, my next session isn’t for another week or so. This, I try to prep as much as possible.

Organization:

I try to keep about 200+ items online. With limited space, it’s necessary to be organized. Each item is already in its respective bag, with a label of the contents. The bags are stored in respective tubs corresponding to size and category. This helps avoid a long search for packaging, and saves space!

Posting:

I post at least 1 item everyday. I cross post items on two platforms. I list items separately on a third. Putting as many items online helps with exposure!

To save time, I post at certain times of the day. Everything is on my phone, so its convenient. The listings are organized in a way that I can see what’s still pending for posting.

I’ve been doing these things for quite some time, and it’s been very helpful ! What are you sourcing and listing tricks ?

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