Last summer, I had a grand idea to get into fashion reselling. I've always had a little itch to get into fashion in some way, and with my increasing passion for sustainability, I thought this would be the perfect move.
I definitely had fun and truly believe that you can make fashion reselling a full-time career, but it ended up being not for me! However, I don't consider this a failure and learned a lot about myself and for future ventures. If you're thinking about getting into fashion reselling, hopefully you can learn a bit from my experience before you hit the ground running!
1. Don't bite off more than you can chew!
My biggest mistake that I made was getting carried away and buying wayyy more clothing than I could handle! My recommendation would be to buy a little at a time while you're still learning and figuring out your flow. I also was still learning what pieces were even worth buying, and I could have avoided buying a lot of duds if I had slowed down.
2. Work up to buying more expensive pieces.
Going along with number 1 is building up to buying more expensive pieces! This wasn't necessarily a mistake I made, but it's easy to think big of how much you can potentially make, without taking into consideration shipping, platform fees, and customers negotiating! Start small to learn and figure out what things actually sell for and then, as your confidence grows, you can take bigger risks.
3. Focus first on making $ over creating a brand.
A problem I often fall into is focusing too much on branding instead of actually selling the product. Branding is sooo important, but ultimately, businesses need to make money and so that should be your main focus! With my reselling gig (which was called 'Just For Fun Finds'), I bounced back and forth between wanting to build a cute reselling brand on IG and then actually listing pieces on places like Poshmark.
4. Just because it's a 'good brand' doesn't mean it worth it!
My husband, Tyler, and I often went sourcing together and talked through what items we should buy. One debate we frequently had was if we thought something would sell even if it was ugly but a good brand! The answer isn't the same for each piece, but do some research and use your best judgement when deciding. If you're not sure, get a second opinion, or if it's cheap enough, take the risk!
5. There is so much quality fashion available secondhand!
I was an avid thrifter even before my reselling run, but after experimenting with reselling, my opinion that you can find good, quality clothing secondhand has been strengthened! Don't listen to anyone who says everything good gets snatched up at the thrift store. If you don't have thrift stores near you where you can find clothing, check out Facebook Marketplace, Buy Nothing Groups, Poshmark, Depop, Ebay.... There are places you can find secondhand clothes in every style and price-range!
Fast fashion is polluting our planet -- which is our home! We need it to stay livable so that we can stay livable! Opt for secondhand fashion when you can, and if reselling seems like something you'd enjoy, don't be afraid to try it out with even a few pieces of clothing!
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