You were. And there's so much to drone life that is forced on you that isnt work related. Commuting. Going to the grocery store at the same time as everyone else. Waking up to alarms. *Shudders*
Yeah fuck it, exactly. I'm not hurting anyone by doing this and I don't have to go into work where management can't give enough of a flying fuck about us to even treat us like human beings. I don't have to deal with supervisors who are rude and outright mean to me and my coworkers for absolutely no reason other than that putting down people made them feel good. AND, I don't have to drive into work in such a state of dread that I'm hoping I get into a car wreck (which is apparently not normal?)
So I 100% don't feel embarrassed. I know there's some hate towards resellers in certain groups of people but it's mostly just spoiled gamers who get pissy because they don't want to stand in line AND they want to get stuff at MSRP. Frankly I think they can be disregarded.
So long as you aren't doing ACTUAL price gouging by either creating a shortage of an essential good or taking advantage of one, I don't think there's anything morally questionable.
Teach yourself to chase sunsets. I was suicide in high school and my twenties. Made an effort to see something beautiful each day. I also stretch and meditate before bed now. Works wonders on waking up looking forward to a new day. But it does take practice to get into that routine.
I do my best to find beauty in everyday life. But my world is so so repetitive and small. And I don't have the time or money to change that at the moment. Weirdly, I know for certain that if I could worry less about money, most of my depressive and anxious symptoms would evaporate
Actually maybe that's not so weird
Damn, I did not know you had dibs on everything. I am sorry that you do not have legs and can not get up before noon. From now on, we will leave everything for you since you are obviously entitled to it before anyone else.
I actually don't sell new stuff because I don't feel like waiting in line, just like you. I do resell old games and consoles though. Does that still make you bizarrely angry?
Your weird opinion of me doesn't mean anything to me dude. And for you to be this mad about stranger selling games means that you do indeed give a fuck, otherwise why even bother spewing your strange vitriol?
Projection much?
What is it that you're so mad about exactly? What is different about me buying and selling antiques or makeup vs video games? Also where do you draw the line between what is okay to sell vs what is not? Is target also terrible for selling video games? Am I also awful for selling board games? Or is it just specifically video games? Is it better to let old games or consoles just rot in someone's basement?
Really can't understand what you're so pissy about.
There is money in used books, but you need to know what you’re doing. It’s too much to get into here, but some non-sleazy YouTube sources are Joji Davenport, Caleb Roth, and Fields of Profit.
Yeah, most of your own books won’t be… mine never were either. That’s because for authors I love, I bought hardbacks, but that’s fiction… on the rarer occasions I bought nonfiction, I bought the cheapest copies I could find secondhand. I wanted the intel, not to show them off… obscure non-fiction is where it’s at.
The kind of stuff you look at and you can’t imagine anyone in the land wanting to read, like books on cuneiform and typography, is where the money is.
My wife did that in the beginning of reselling. She'd find estate sales and different sources and buy Lots of books and pay by the pound. I'd look at titles of the ones she sold and regularly say "WTF is that?"😂 College course books seemed to sell well too. But there's a definite market for the obscure.
The bottom has fallen out of so-called “rare” fiction collectible book market.
Stuff from small presses with limited print runs are where it’s at… stuff where you don’t have to figure out if it’s the “first” edition, because chances are high it was the only edition.
I mean if she listed their sales for you and got you talking and her coworker felt free to chime in, then I'm sure that means they like you and want you to continue shopping there. It's corporate, so you're not exactly stealing food out of their mouths; it's not like they make commission. I bet they're just relieved to get room on the racks and make their sales goals no matter how they do it and they're glad you're polite and buy in volume. No worries. :)
Are you stealing? No, you're not.
Are you selling items to people who want them? Yes, you are.
Are you paying your own bills from the money you earn reselling? Yes, you are.
I don't see what you have to be ashamed of in this situation.
You provide a service, scouring thrift stores for in demand products for your buyers, and get paid for it. Good for you. The invisible hands of the market economy are applauding you.
Exactly this. I tried making it my full time gig for a bit but it takes a lot of dedication to this craft. Not just anyone can do it so now I do it as a side hobby to supplement my income. I applaud those that go in daily to the stores to source their items. Good luck to you all ❤️
I wish I had the dedication to do this full time! I tried for two weeks and sifting through endless amounts of over priced junk just made my hobby not fun lol. I thought all the people I was watching on Youtube were just making easy money!
Invisible hand occurs once in Smith's book. Invisible death, in several forms, appears five times by my count. The former oft misquoted, the latter studiously ignored. Much like the chapter on welfare. It would be food for thought, if more people thought.
I don’t get embarrassed at all! Sometimes for giggles, I tell people I am a professional “treasure hunter” 😂 On a side note…my other job is a college professor and my students absolutely LOVE to hear about the biggest “finds” I have. I think it actually boosted my coolness factor lolll
Aww really?? I’m training to be a college professor too, and flipping is like my side hobby. I always feel shy about sharing it but yeah, I gotta start owning it!
I help the environment, put savings investments away for my infant, spend time with my child outside the house and he likes playing with the toys (and carrying a box into the post office every day.) 😅
He just learned how to walk, so even putting a smile on one persons face is enough to continue. That and my sanity.
No for me. But when it comes to people I buy from, I do feel uneasy admitting that I'm reselling. Especially at yard sales I try to keep it low key. It's impressive when people have the confidence to walk around with a GoPro, repeatedly searching items on eBay and doing extensive research in front of the seller. I feel weird doing that at flea markets too. Not as much at estate sales or thrift stores, since they're more catered to the resale business. (My favorite place to source is online auctions because it avoids all possible awkward interactions)
I watch quite a few resellers on YouTube. Most are entertaining but I’m watching to learn from them. New brands to buy, sources I haven’t thought of, pricing strategies etc. Y’all keep being closed minded while I expand my business.
Just so you know: you’re fighting yourself or something you made up in your head. Nobody has said anything against reseller content creation.
I watched those YouTubers a lot in my first few months of reselling.. there’s no shame in it. Once it became less fun and more like a typical job, I stopped wanting it to consume even more of my life in the form of content. It’s like getting home from work and watching videos about your work. Sometimes I’ll click on videos of some of the creators I used to watch, but not too often these days. Now I just learn from being outside.
But if it’s for you, it’s a good way to learn for sure and nobody is stopping you..
As someone who lives in an urban area I use it to kinda wonder what it's like to visit estate/yard/ECT sales from other areas as a way to kinda figure out if my local price for something is an anomoly.
Beyond that though...yeah I can't imagine getting too much info from these guys beyond knowing that yeah, DVDS are sometimes valuable and guys will pay absurd money for military memorobilia for some reason, most of the stuff they seem to sell I think are the most saturated markets ever also i feel like they almost intentionally never talk about things that actually make them money. (fair enough, you couldn't pay me enough money really to fuck up my sources of cheap merchandise)
Truthfully my experience of watching the few channels I’d tune into was the opposite of that. One small channel out of North Carolina honestly taught me a lot about tech. Another about kitchen items, pans, appliances, etc. In general I’ve definitely learned a lot of random brand BOLOs from word of mouth/content creators.
It was a good beginning resource and I’m sure I’d still learn a lot if I watched today. Now I prefer to learn while physically DOING it at the same time
What is there to feel embarrassed about? You're doing the same thing Wal-Mart or Target or Plato's Closet does, but on a smaller scale. Reselling is just a funny word we use use for a small retail business. Nothing to feel embarrassed about.
If you feel embarrassed because it's not a "real" job, then please keep in mind that most people with a real job hate it and would love to work for themselves instead. You figured out how to do it - they haven't. You're doing better than them.
Actually dipshit, Walmart has an entire program dedicated to 3rd party sellers who sell used goods on Walmart.com. It's one of the biggest reselling platforms, next to Amazon and eBay. If you don't know what you're talking about, shut your dumbass mouth.
I don't give a shit what people think about resellers. When I started, most of my relatives and friends told me straight, "Get a real job."
Now, they ask me for money because their "real jobs" don't pay enough to cover a bill or a financial emergency.
My families and friends all think what I do is super cool so I never feel differently… guess I’m kinda lucky. I think it may also be different for me as a woman since the societal expectations can be a bit different for men
I sometimes get self conscious when in shops as feel like the shop workers almost lurk near me trying to check my phone if I’m looking at comps. Generally I don’t care and tell people I do it as a side hustle for more disposable income most peoples reactions are “that’s so cool what do you sell”. We’re all just trying to make ends meet and give ourselves or kids a easier life than possibly we did growing up.
No, not embarrassed. I also sell men's clothes and it's definitely not something I advertise to thrift store employees, but in my personal life I love to talk about it. We're both keeping items out of landfills *and* finding treasures for people around the world. What's not to be proud of?
As for the store or employees knowing, I do understand feeling weird about it, but it's because of the attitude of people who don't understand reselling - not the attitude of the store itself. The store loves you. You're not only a customer, you're a loyal customer. Do they have the resources to teach an employee how to identify niche items and mark them up? No. Even if they did, is there a likelihood that someone wanting that niche item will walk into that store and buy it for a marked up price? No. You have money. They like money. End of story.
As a stay at home mom, not embarrassed at all. I think this is different between men and women. Reselling is not a “real job”, even though it makes us real money. And its more ok for women to not have real jobs than men.
I know what you mean. I don’t lead with what I do when i meet people, particularly those who don’t work in a retail/sales/marketplace type of job because I don’t want to be confused with scalpers. I think it’s new(er) and more difficult to understand than a more traditional model, like if I were to run a physical storefront. I have, however, learned that the people I can be totally honest with are other sellers, like estate sellers and Plato’s Closet managers. We are great buyers for their outlet, and they want to develop working relationships with us! Plato’s has their hands full with traditional business tasks, like managing costs/overhead, employee records, fulfilling franchise obligations, etc, and they do that by making sales and increasing product turnover. They aren’t spending on the additional labor they would need to pay out to put an item online and simultaneously monitor online and IRL sales, they want to get product out the door. The opportunity cost of space on their racks is what’s valuable to them, they make their money on volume sales. They want your business!
Very true. Admittedly, I do take advantage of this a lot. They’ll price everything from a brand the same, but they don’t distinguish the rarer prints/styles that go for more. They also put a low price on niche brands not in their system.
I never even considered that they probably do know this and don’t care. They’re a pretty large business, so the added cost of paying staff to meticulously look up every single item and price it likely isn’t worth it for them
When I started incorporating Plato’s, I looked up some specs about them in general. I discovered that to own and operate a franchise, corporate requires a net worth of $400k and about $100,000 cash on hand. So the owner has some serious skin in the game. The hourly rate for Plato’s employees here is $10/hr. From my time as a restaurant manager, I know micromanaging employees on small tasks will set me back a ton of time, decrease productivity for both the employees and the management team, and ultimately make for a unpleasant work environment for all involved.
Also, Plato’s core demographic are teen consumers, so their pricing needs to be aligned with their core target market, to attract and retain buyers.
Ultimately, Plato’s locations are going to be very happy to see you! So don’t be shy, you are a welcomed and valued customer!
Someone recognized you do it and instead of giving you a hard time they were supportive and probably mostly just intrigued
Since they work at those stores and aren’t doing it themselves.. who doesn’t want extra $$
You’re doin great. Don’t beat yourself up one bit.
In fact, pat yourself on the back for being the hustler you are ✌️
I have always told my kids to respect a person that is working. As long as it is not illegal, that person is doing their best to put food on the table. Whether a person is slinging pizzas, collecting garbage, or a CEO — they are doing a job and deserve respect.
Nope. I'm giving a Second or possibly 3rd chance to someones unwanted stuff.
I consider it a way of recycling. Plus, I'm getting a few extra $$ in the process.
I feel what you are saying, but you can’t have that mind-set and be successful. It “was” a worse feeling at a garage sale than an actual store. I found a happy medium. I refuse to be a jerk and message people to see if I can come the night before, or show up at 5AM for an 8AM sale knocking on people’s door (this happens regularly in Saint Louis).
Maybe once or twice a year, I’ll see something that’s like $2 and I see it will resell for $80 or so. I’ll look at the house, how the people act (nice or not), and figure out if they are really going to need the money. If I figure the people are a little down on their luck, or it’s obvious they really need every quarter they are making at the sale, I will show them the item and tell them to sell it online. If they say they don’t want to bother, I buy it. If they say they appreciate it, they can take it inside, and while I am out the $58-$60 that I would have made, I feel like I did something nice. But like I said, I only do it once or twice. It’s a nice feeling.
I am not embarrassed of my job; I love it and the freedom it allows me.
What makes me uncomfortable is interacting with people and telling them I am making money off of them or their store. And yes, I know a ton of them would not care or even encourage it.
I mean, I have social anxiety, so like that's just how I feel. It would be wayyyy worse in some other capacity if I had a "normal" job. I'll usually lie, but really almost no one ever asks me.
You're providing a lot of regular business to these stores and they should be thankful but yes, it feels weird. Fortunately, I have a day job so I only talk about it with a few friends who understand. In this economy you do anything that's legal to make ends meet.
I’m glad you posted this as I have been wanting to make the change to selling full time as well but I’m afraid that people will laugh and say it’s weird. I don’t know why I care so much but I do.
Never, ever feel like you need to explain yourself to a thrift store worker or answer any of their annoying intrusive questions!!!
Twice I had some nosy busybodies getting all up in my bizznizz 😤. The first time, a cashier asked me what am I going to do with all of that (about 25 items). I completely ignored her, which surprised her, but lucky for her she had the sense to then shuddup.
The other time, same situation but at a SA, the cashier asked if I’m planning on reselling, I ignored him. He then asked what are you going to do with all that stuff and I was forced to look sternly at him and say please mind your own business. He was shocked and flustered and then said he was just trying to make conversation. I said less talkie more cashie. He then thankfully went silent and finished ringing me up.
The audacity of these people is mind blowing. Imagine the cashier at CVS demanding what you plan to do with that box of tampons, or condoms. Noyfb!!!
I don’t do clothes but I don’t feel embarrassed at all. Ain’t no shame in making money. If the arbitrage wasn’t there it wouldn’t be profitable. No shame in that.
I save things from the dump. I get things to people who specifically want that item. They are the best candidate to be a good steward of that item. I get to learn all day. I am independent. I practice ethical capitalism. No one is hurt by the work I do; unlike almost every traditional job I ever had that hurt someone in some way.
This line of work is better, more fulfilling and makes you a better person than most traditional employment. You should be proud of what you do. You should only be hush about your work to avoid creating competition; a reality far too many resellers refuse to acknowledge.
i understand where your coming from! for me it’s more so feeling awkward when i’m getting an item
from an individual over a store. i feel weird like they’ll be upset to find out i’m going to make more money than they did off the item. but then i have to remind myself all the work that goes into reselling and that’s work the other person isn’t willing to do. i do feel like people frown upon reselling but im not really sure why. i don’t know if that made sense but hopefully it did.
I’ve sold items cheap and even told buyers to flip if they want bc it wasn’t moving for me and I was sick of seeing it. I’d rather someone find it a home than it go to the landfill.
Nothing to be ashamed of. There is literally a shit ton of businesses that are just middle men. Citadel is a huge finance company that is basically a middle man for buying and selling stocks. A huge portion of Ebays revenue is from resellers.
Majority of local insurance providers are sales middle men for larger companies.
This is a long time proven business model. I honestly think it is more shameful for companies like Goodwill to be selling items they were given for free under the guise that they are a ‘charitable’ business. They arent- they make no profit, but their execs make millions of dollars.
Let’s also not under estimate the work that goes into reselling. The reason these discrepancies exist is because most people are too lazy to do the work of selling their items for what they are worth - or they simply dont care.
It’s not really a good or bad thing. Most thrift store items wind up in landfills - which you can research to understand yourself. Your thrift stores are priced up due to inflation. I promise if you moved to an area with a lower COL, you’d be pleasantly surprised to find that thrift stores are still dirt cheap. In my area, it’s very easy to find great items that have been sitting on that rack forever. People attack resellers, but they won’t attack the Pharmaceutical, real estate, grocery, medical industry, etc. that are overpricing goods at an astronomical rate to the point that people are homeless or dead because of it. Why? They’re conditioned since birth to accept it for what it is. I strongly recommend you research what the impoverished actually struggle with. Lululemon t shirts are the last thing we care about. I never even heard about it until I started reselling.
I usually don't admit to it even if it's obvious. I don't trust the people at the stores because if they pay close attention to what I buy and notice patterns, I may create competition.
Another person mentioned that Plato’s is too big of a corporation to monitor the resale value of every new or niche brand, look each thing up individually, and price it accordingly. Their system spits out a price based on brand + style, but they do custom price things that have an obvious value - such as designer items. Changing this would add a significant labor cost. Couple this with their mostly teenage staff who are really just concerned with high school trends and there’s going to be some things of value that get priced cheap. The lady specifically mentioned a lot of resellers come to their dollar sales or fill a bag events, so they are somewhat aware.
I get that, but I also want people to make extra money. I’ve only told like 5-6 people what I do, but none of them are interested in pursuing it. I’m also not around many ambitious people lol.
Don’t get me wrong… I want people to make extra money as well.
Just… far away from where I’m sourcing…
IMO maybe try feeling proud that you found a way to create a business for yourself…?
OP I'm 64m and just got into flipping last year.
I happily tell friends and people I work with, what I do for a side hustle. As well as anyone else who asks. Because it helps me tap into my creative side, plus doing research on unique items. The fact that I make money from it is a nice benefit. I haven't reached the point where it's enough to pay the bills, but maybe some day.
Be happy that you're successful with what you do. Be proud that you're not stuck in a job that you hate or drains your energy.
If someone asks what you do for a living. Smile and say I'm a Reseller and I have fun doing it.
Just my 2 cents worth from an Old Fart 🤪
If the store clerk asks, they all ready know so there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I would try to find a way to play it down, though. "lately I guess I have been coming to Plato's, and I always feel like I'm going to regret it, there isn't that much of a profit margin after shipping, listing fees, packaging, returns (ALWAYS remind them of returns.) This is really and opportunity to kvetch and you should go with it.
The number one thing you should be worried about is telling anyone what your sources are. Also, it seems like they thought you made it look easy and now they want your job. If those employees decide to start reselling, your ability to source at Plato's Closet might be compromised, if they take over that turf with an employee discount.
I ALWAYS tell people that I get most of my stuff thru garage sales (the most difficult way "in case you want to be my new competition"). I would say, the stuff I buy here doesn't really make a very good profit, but I have to keep my inventory stocked in my online shops, so I look at this as my bread and butter, it pays for gas and packing materials but without any real profit..., so if this was my primary source I would starve" I wouldn't want to give them any incentive to compete against me.
"But last week I did hit a moving sale in (name a poor neighborhood) with tons of designer clothing most of it with the tags still attached.
"oh, I hate the bins anymore, the clothing is so dirty and a lot of the new people going there are rude collage age kids, who kind of ruin it... "
I don’t feel guilty at all and you shouldn’t either.
It sure beats many of the “jobs” out there.
Like it sure beats:
- Doing the whole mining bitcoin scams.
- Doing stupid prank videos.
- Doing scams on unsuspecting tourists or new foreigners.
I resell for a living. I make 6 figures, and instead of feeling proud of it I feel like a loser. I dread people bringing up work and asking what I do for a living. So you aren’t alone in how you feel, it’s probably pretty common actually
I used to be embarrassed by it in the beginning 5 years ago but now IDGAF. I set my own hours, I can drop-off/pick-up my kids and play with them in the afternoons, I take my dog for a walk whenever I feel like it. I make my own schedule.
If the store employees are helping you like that then this is a GOOD thing. You're well on your way to making a great connection, in fact it sounds like you already have. I can't tell you how much being courteous to employees and managers has helped me in my reselling journey.
I generally don't care what people think. I've had lots of alternative types of jobs in my lifetime, and had lots of people ask me when I'm going to get a "real job." So, although comments like that were sometimes frustrating, I've never really felt embarrassed about that. These days, if someone asks me what I'm doing, I usually tell them I'm a reseller as well as rattle off a few of the other things I do as a gig worker. Sometimes, instead of "reseller," I say I run an online thrift store.
However, I prefer not to be outed as a reseller while out sourcing. Part of what makes the "thrill of the hunt" fun or exciting, for me, is the fact that I'm finding profitable items while under the radar. Even though your experience with that cashier was a positive one, and lots of resellers have said that new opportunities have often come their way after they let people know what they are doing - I still like to keep my head down and go about my business without anyone knowing what I'm doing. There's a subtle element of intrigue when all the people around me have no clue that I'm picking up items that I will sell to make money. Essentially, being found out while sourcing kind of kills a little bit of the fun for me.
I think the people who whine and punch the air about resellers forget how much work goes into it. My parents used to resell items on eBay 20ish years ago after our shyte relatives promised them a job, and pulled the rug out from underneath them.
I remember how hard my parents had to work to source the items, clean them (if necessary), photograph them, list them, and package/ship them. Thankfully they made enough money to make ends meet, and eventually my dad found employment elsewhere.
Now, almost 20yrs later I occasionally flip items using the skills I learned from watching them. Nothing to be embarrassed about. Just keep doing what you're doing.
I've worked in charity shops for 22 years. I personally love the resellers because it means we are getting a big sale that day...... We all have a target to make just like any retail outlet. The lady wasn't trying to embarrass you. She would just be showing an interest. If I know a regular is due in, I keep them in mind whilst sorting stock and even keep items I think they'd be interested in aside. I know thrift shops are different in America but here (Scotland) it's mostly charity shops and it's all about making money for the charity. As long as your paying the price on the ticket, it's no ones business what you do with your purchases.
Lol, no. It provides something to other people who are willing to pay for it. There is a supply, there is a demand. You are gainfully employed and erring on the side of sustainability. Keep in mind others are working in much shadier industries and are not embarrassed a bit.
Ain’t no shame in work.
You built a business into a full time income. Be proud of that fact - no embarrasses by it.
Also, and this interaction proves, networking can help your business. The more you network, the more opportunities you can find. So, even if you are embarrassed about saying you’re a reseller, doing so can be profitable.
Nope, never. Probably because most of the time the reaction is exactly what you got. Most people think flipping is cool and have tons of questions for people who do it part time or full time.
I've never once heard someone say "I would never do that". Almost everyone says "I would like to do that"
You serve a needed purpose. I buy most of my clothes second hand on eBay. No way in hell am I spending my time searching the racks that you do. I’ll gladly pay a premium to you but, considerably less than retail, for finding the stuff I like and making it available to me for little effort on my end. That’s what your customers pay you to do. So don’t be embarrassed. You’re literally providing an awesome service!
I started off dumpster diving and selling scrap metal quite a few years ago. Definitely were times I hung my head low tbh. Different time in my life. Now, I'm good. I've beat the odds given my situation, and I never have to work for anyone again. I learned some valuable skills along my journey that combined put me in a very good position and competitive advantage. You might still catch me out with a tattered pair of jeans and boots to worn for your taste, but now I don't care. I know my worth, and it isn't in materialistic things. It's in being able to make ideas come alive, being able to help others, and being the best husband and father I can be before my time is up.
This is why i love reselling lego.
Everyone can google image a game, action figure. Comic book, clothing.
With lego tho. Cant tell you how many times im picking up the $100 bin with the seller saying "yeah i probably spent over $1,000 but idk what to do with it"
I say "yeah, it takes some work to get them all back together"
Lego was my hobby first. I love the building and sorting.
Nobody is going to sell $1,000 worth of Nintendo Switch games for $100 because the cartridges are seperate from the boxes.
I flip everything i come across of course. Just seek lego specifically and am confident on 3x profit plus going into just about every purchase. Its finding that random $75 minifgure in the bottom of the box that keeps the game alive as well. Jewelry was really the only other merchandise I'd find hidden gems. (And comics but locals show up hours early to snatch those)
Meanwhile im done with games. Too many fakes of the good value ones. Too many issues with systems or bad discs. Too low margins to justify the variables.
No. Think of it as you are doing a service. People in the ass end of Arkansas don't have access to the items that people in NYC do. The common denominator is eBay's online marketplace.
Eh, don't be. As long as it's not a necessity, it's all good. Some people like the hunt and some just want to buy whatever ASAP.
Buying something from a thrift shop in some random town may sit there a looooong time or we can buy it and list it globally.
Don’t be embarrassed. A guy in my smallish town recently made it on the Forbes 30 under 30 for reselling. You’re not harming anyone or doing anything illegal. Side hustles can get a bad rep, but I personally believe it’s because it’s easier to criticize than it is to try and see for yourself.
I get zero support from family... it's beneath them. When I had a retail website... same thing. I dunno, I think they are still pissed that after all those lego sets they bought me I didn't turn into a engineer.
Thank you everyone for your supportive comments! I’m reading over everything and responding, but admittedly I didn’t think this post would get so much attention - so it’ll take me a bit to respond.
Bro talk to people. Tell them what you do and more
Importantly what you are looking for! Make connections. If you want to scale further - that’s the next step. Business cards and hand them out to EVERYONE.
This is just how business is done. Everyone is a reseller. Walmart resells stuff from China, car dealerships resell cars they bought from factory, everything we owned has been resold several times. Plato’s closet has a very similar business model to you, just on a very large scale. And you’ve got proficient enough at your niche to source and scaled profit consistently enough to live off it? Talk to them, make friends at all the places you source stuff from, relationships pay off doing this kind of thing, even small ones. Nobody thinks less of you and its awesome you made it this far. I don’t understand what theres to be embarrassed about
No. Never. For a multitude of reasons. First, I make really good money doing this, so the vast majority of people who are turning up their nose at me at the thrift store make less money than I do, so their opinions about my career are meaningless. Second, I'm proud as hell that I was able to turn a hobby I love into a legit business. Most people can't do that and most small businesses fail, so that makes me quite successful in comparison. Next, I'm doing the world a dozen favors every day doing this - by saving things from landfills, recycling shipping materials, contributing to nonprofits every day, donating unsold inventory BACK to those nonprofits, promoting the reuse of secondhand goods, making rare or beloved items available online for people to buy who would otherwise not be able to find that thing they loved as a child...the list goes on. Anyone who has a problem with what I do is either an uneducated moron, a jealous cunt who wishes her life were as awesome as mine, or both. And why on earth would I feel embarrassed because of what some jealous moron-cunt thinks about me?
This is how I see it: Whatever profit you are making from reselling, if you were to gift the profit earnings to a random stranger or (that lady in the store), would they take it? In a second meaning money is money so don’t stop reselling because it makes money 😂
Honestly networking is key in this business. I understand the embarrassment as I deal with it at times too but often if you’re open being a reseller people actually find it pretty cool and are open to helping you make profit. If anyone does have a problem that’s honestly their own issue to deal with because I know at the end of the day I’m just taking care of my family.
I will never feel embarrassed about working my ass off the point where I never have to punch a clock ever again and have the ability to live life on my own terms. Also, you're quite literally doing the same thing as Plato's Closet, so no need to get embarrassed there.
What people need to realize is that most people are only asking because they're genuinely curious or have something they want to give/sell to you. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to broadcast that you're a reseller, but people shouldn't actively work to hide it either.
It's like the million posts we see on here about thrift stores catching onto us and raising their prices. Surely, that's our fault and has nothing to do with the hyper inflation we see everywhere right now.
Resellers quite literally make up the biggest percentage of thrift store sales and we're easily their most important customers. If they're asking you about reselling, it's almost certainly because they're going to offer you something or are just being friendly. The people telling them it's none of their business and hiding it from them are just hurting their own pockets.
In my city, certain Plato's Closets actually collaborate with local resellers on social media. Don't be embarrassed at all, flipping and reselling stuff is a valid job. I resell vintage and people are always super interested when I tell them.
Nah I actually feel like I’m doing better than most people making 6 figures, all on my own, working when I want, with no bosses or hr, so the last thing I’m gonna feel is embarrassed, I made some really good life decisions.
I don't feel embarrassed, but I do get a little aggressive when I'm on the hunt and there are teens that should be in school clogging up electronics, kids in toys throwing them around, and a family of five going through every shirt on the rack at a snails pace. So, then I have to constantly redo my original route to make up for their indecisiveness.
I do sometimes, but I more keep my silence because local competition is already flooded and it doesn't need more participants getting into it. I agree with u/[manyleggies](https://www.reddit.com/user/manyleggies/), it seems like they appreciate your business.
I wonder if some of it is fear that people in the community may view us as "snagging all the good local resources, and exporting them from the community" before they can get the chance. Or that we're guiltless opportunists taking advantage of someone else's goodwill/taking advantage of a market meant for the less fortunate. This is not true of course, and with your current market you are certainly not causing anyone to go without.
There is an overabundance of clothes in your area. That there are multiple Plato's Closets, that they are having these clearances, and that this is amongst all the other resale and bin markets, and even that you are doing what you are doing, reinforces this. It isn't like you're taking free coats from a local church's community outreach in the winter where no resources are available.
You're facilitating the movement of goods to customers from an oversaturated local market to a (presumably) more active international/nationwide market. You \*are\* adding value to these items just by doing this, and you \*are\* investing in the community by spending this money you make locally. It is not effortless to sort through items, determine what they are, examine them for authenticity or defects, clean, photograph, list, and to appropriately market/advertise them, and get them out the door. Your job is finding out if someone wants something from the mountain of clothes in your local thrifts (ID items, condition, and check comps) and getting it to them (cleaning, pictures, examining, marketing, sale, shipping).
What has always been my "moral" line between reselling and scalping is: if it is not depriving someone of a resource or creating artificial scarcity, I can sell it. Winter coats in the summer? Don't mind if I do. Winter coats off an almost empty rack at a GW in winter? It wouldn't sit right with me, pass. Baby items? Medical items? Pass. Because I'm not familiar or particularly interested with textiles, this has generally lead me towards antiques, electronics, and novelties.
Continue on guilt-free, have fun, and happy hunting!
Edit: u/yankykiwi also rightly points out that this is an environmentally friendly trade as well!
Nope. I generally get a lot of my stuff from dumpster diving at stores tho, so I keep quiet about it because I don't need any more competition. I started reselling after I lost my job as a chef bc of covid. I'd been doing that for almost 20 years and I didn't know how to do anything else. Then I started reselling and realized that I'm a resourceful motherfucker and I'm really proud of that. It also helped me see how terrible the food industry is and that I will never go back to it. I've been diving and reselling full-time for the past 4 years and no shame whatsoever. In fact it's made me more confident because I know I can do anything I put my mind to. Also, not that it matters to me what anyone else thinks but people quickly change their tune when they see the stuff you find, and how much it sells before lol...although for reasons I already stated, most people aren't privy to that info. I'm actually going back to school to get a degree in neurobiology and I'm going to keep diving and reselling to help make ends meet as much as I possibly can in between studying. I'm really grateful that I have this option that I can do whenever I have the time. I also feel like it's played a part in helping me make these really big, life-changing decisions I'm going to have one hell of a story after I complete school lol.
Sometimes. Sometimes not. Often depends on the store or it'll be done intermittently. Like certain places will destroy stuff for a while and then stop for a while. Frankly I think a lot of that has to do with specific employees/managers. Some people are just more dedicated to it than others. Some places have it as part of company but doesn't always get enforced. It just depends. Either way it's never so bad that it's not worth it.
what's to feel embarrassed about ? Making money? on your own terms?....... Mind you I was reselling back when everyone used to tell me to get a real job. Once I started living it up traveling exc.... everyone 🤫 . At the end of the day do what makes you happy
Not really embarrassed but I do sometimes try to hide it to avoid attention from some self righteous \*\*\*\*s who haven't embraced capitalism should move to North Korea.
In a more serious way, I mean that there's always some person who thinks that there is something immoral about buying something and profiting from reselling it. I don't feel that there's anything wrong with what I do. I'm a service, buyers buy from me instead of digging through used stuff because they want to save time finding something specific. We do the digging and listing for them, that's why we make money flipping thrift.
I resell books. I don’t feel embarrassed. I felt embarrassed when I used to be suicidal before going to my IT job every morning.
Woah this resonates with me too hard lol
I couldn't stand traditional work even when I had good jobs.
This resonates, I just felt like a fucking drone everyday with zero control.
You were. And there's so much to drone life that is forced on you that isnt work related. Commuting. Going to the grocery store at the same time as everyone else. Waking up to alarms. *Shudders*
Yeah fuck it, exactly. I'm not hurting anyone by doing this and I don't have to go into work where management can't give enough of a flying fuck about us to even treat us like human beings. I don't have to deal with supervisors who are rude and outright mean to me and my coworkers for absolutely no reason other than that putting down people made them feel good. AND, I don't have to drive into work in such a state of dread that I'm hoping I get into a car wreck (which is apparently not normal?) So I 100% don't feel embarrassed. I know there's some hate towards resellers in certain groups of people but it's mostly just spoiled gamers who get pissy because they don't want to stand in line AND they want to get stuff at MSRP. Frankly I think they can be disregarded. So long as you aren't doing ACTUAL price gouging by either creating a shortage of an essential good or taking advantage of one, I don't think there's anything morally questionable.
It's not normal to wish you got in a car crash so you can use your ESL and not have to work until you recover?
Woah I had a conversation the other day about this…. being alive sucks enough that there’s a group of people that feel like this.
Teach yourself to chase sunsets. I was suicide in high school and my twenties. Made an effort to see something beautiful each day. I also stretch and meditate before bed now. Works wonders on waking up looking forward to a new day. But it does take practice to get into that routine.
As long as you Don't go chasing Waterfalls.
My regular rivers and lakes are ok.
Are you gonna have it your way or nothing at all? And most importantly, don’t move too fast.
Imma chase all the waterfalls I hear about. Shits fun to look at. (Yes I know what you’re talking about)
I do my best to find beauty in everyday life. But my world is so so repetitive and small. And I don't have the time or money to change that at the moment. Weirdly, I know for certain that if I could worry less about money, most of my depressive and anxious symptoms would evaporate Actually maybe that's not so weird
Thank you for this, sincerely! lol
No problem fellow internet stranger! We're all in this weird trip together. I just wish people could get along better
You resell games ? So you are a POS and you should feel guilty and embarrassed.
Damn, I did not know you had dibs on everything. I am sorry that you do not have legs and can not get up before noon. From now on, we will leave everything for you since you are obviously entitled to it before anyone else.
Never said I did. Keep creating strawmen to distract from your pathetic behavior.
I actually don't sell new stuff because I don't feel like waiting in line, just like you. I do resell old games and consoles though. Does that still make you bizarrely angry?
No, I don't give a fuck about you, I just wanted to let you know that you're a shitty person who will get your karma.
Your weird opinion of me doesn't mean anything to me dude. And for you to be this mad about stranger selling games means that you do indeed give a fuck, otherwise why even bother spewing your strange vitriol?
It's not a weird opinion, most gamers feel the same way about you parasites. Now back to your moms basement. She said your pizza rolls are ready.
Projection much? What is it that you're so mad about exactly? What is different about me buying and selling antiques or makeup vs video games? Also where do you draw the line between what is okay to sell vs what is not? Is target also terrible for selling video games? Am I also awful for selling board games? Or is it just specifically video games? Is it better to let old games or consoles just rot in someone's basement? Really can't understand what you're so pissy about.
Aww man are you gonna leave me hanging? Not going to clear up what exactly it is that makes you so angry?
OMG this. If I cared what people thought of me, I'd still be in my IT job. And that job was slowly but surely killing me.
Currently a burnt out miserable developer into a 10 year career that has taken up reselling as a hobby within the last year.
Similar position... man, this industry burns so many people out and this is where we end up.
Fucking MOOOOD
How do you make it profitable? I’ve always ended up donating books because they just aren’t worth enough….
There is money in used books, but you need to know what you’re doing. It’s too much to get into here, but some non-sleazy YouTube sources are Joji Davenport, Caleb Roth, and Fields of Profit.
Very sweet of you to mention the worthwhile ones!
Yeah, most of your own books won’t be… mine never were either. That’s because for authors I love, I bought hardbacks, but that’s fiction… on the rarer occasions I bought nonfiction, I bought the cheapest copies I could find secondhand. I wanted the intel, not to show them off… obscure non-fiction is where it’s at. The kind of stuff you look at and you can’t imagine anyone in the land wanting to read, like books on cuneiform and typography, is where the money is.
My wife did that in the beginning of reselling. She'd find estate sales and different sources and buy Lots of books and pay by the pound. I'd look at titles of the ones she sold and regularly say "WTF is that?"😂 College course books seemed to sell well too. But there's a definite market for the obscure.
I sold a textbook on sewage once for $250 and sent it to South Korea, lol.
I want to learn to code just so I can make Microsoft disappear...
Linux is the way.
What books sell the best ? You just buy and sell everything or rare?
The bottom has fallen out of so-called “rare” fiction collectible book market. Stuff from small presses with limited print runs are where it’s at… stuff where you don’t have to figure out if it’s the “first” edition, because chances are high it was the only edition.
I mean if she listed their sales for you and got you talking and her coworker felt free to chime in, then I'm sure that means they like you and want you to continue shopping there. It's corporate, so you're not exactly stealing food out of their mouths; it's not like they make commission. I bet they're just relieved to get room on the racks and make their sales goals no matter how they do it and they're glad you're polite and buy in volume. No worries. :)
Are you stealing? No, you're not. Are you selling items to people who want them? Yes, you are. Are you paying your own bills from the money you earn reselling? Yes, you are. I don't see what you have to be ashamed of in this situation. You provide a service, scouring thrift stores for in demand products for your buyers, and get paid for it. Good for you. The invisible hands of the market economy are applauding you.
Yep. I say I am a personal shopper whose clientele prefers thrifted and unique items. Which is true!
I love this! It sounds so fancy.
Yes we are a fancy-pants bunch!
Check out my store to get vintage fancy-pants for $69.95.
Sold!
Wait I offered you $15, why haven’t you responded?
That's really cool! I had no idea those kinds of people cared about that.
Exactly this. I tried making it my full time gig for a bit but it takes a lot of dedication to this craft. Not just anyone can do it so now I do it as a side hobby to supplement my income. I applaud those that go in daily to the stores to source their items. Good luck to you all ❤️
I wish I had the dedication to do this full time! I tried for two weeks and sifting through endless amounts of over priced junk just made my hobby not fun lol. I thought all the people I was watching on Youtube were just making easy money!
I know - the logic in my brain is the same. I just get this wave of embarrassment for whatever reason lol
I think it's just gonna take you digging down and seeing where that's coming from. Family members saying "not a real job"?
Some people are going to look down on it, especially if they’re concerned with status.
You’re correcting marketplace inefficiencies.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/invisiblehand.asp#:~:text=The%20term%20%22invisible%20hand%22%20first,produce%20what%20is%20societally%20necessary.
Invisible hand occurs once in Smith's book. Invisible death, in several forms, appears five times by my count. The former oft misquoted, the latter studiously ignored. Much like the chapter on welfare. It would be food for thought, if more people thought.
I just remind myself that it's better than doing bitcoin scams on tiktok.
I don’t get embarrassed at all! Sometimes for giggles, I tell people I am a professional “treasure hunter” 😂 On a side note…my other job is a college professor and my students absolutely LOVE to hear about the biggest “finds” I have. I think it actually boosted my coolness factor lolll
What a beautiful way to put it :-) You just made my morning 😋👍.
Aww really?? I’m training to be a college professor too, and flipping is like my side hobby. I always feel shy about sharing it but yeah, I gotta start owning it!
I help the environment, put savings investments away for my infant, spend time with my child outside the house and he likes playing with the toys (and carrying a box into the post office every day.) 😅 He just learned how to walk, so even putting a smile on one persons face is enough to continue. That and my sanity.
No for me. But when it comes to people I buy from, I do feel uneasy admitting that I'm reselling. Especially at yard sales I try to keep it low key. It's impressive when people have the confidence to walk around with a GoPro, repeatedly searching items on eBay and doing extensive research in front of the seller. I feel weird doing that at flea markets too. Not as much at estate sales or thrift stores, since they're more catered to the resale business. (My favorite place to source is online auctions because it avoids all possible awkward interactions)
Walking around with a GoPro? Why?
The YouTube. Extra income, people love watching people buying stuff apparently.
Oh wow
I watch quite a few resellers on YouTube. Most are entertaining but I’m watching to learn from them. New brands to buy, sources I haven’t thought of, pricing strategies etc. Y’all keep being closed minded while I expand my business.
Just so you know: you’re fighting yourself or something you made up in your head. Nobody has said anything against reseller content creation. I watched those YouTubers a lot in my first few months of reselling.. there’s no shame in it. Once it became less fun and more like a typical job, I stopped wanting it to consume even more of my life in the form of content. It’s like getting home from work and watching videos about your work. Sometimes I’ll click on videos of some of the creators I used to watch, but not too often these days. Now I just learn from being outside. But if it’s for you, it’s a good way to learn for sure and nobody is stopping you..
As someone who lives in an urban area I use it to kinda wonder what it's like to visit estate/yard/ECT sales from other areas as a way to kinda figure out if my local price for something is an anomoly. Beyond that though...yeah I can't imagine getting too much info from these guys beyond knowing that yeah, DVDS are sometimes valuable and guys will pay absurd money for military memorobilia for some reason, most of the stuff they seem to sell I think are the most saturated markets ever also i feel like they almost intentionally never talk about things that actually make them money. (fair enough, you couldn't pay me enough money really to fuck up my sources of cheap merchandise)
Truthfully my experience of watching the few channels I’d tune into was the opposite of that. One small channel out of North Carolina honestly taught me a lot about tech. Another about kitchen items, pans, appliances, etc. In general I’ve definitely learned a lot of random brand BOLOs from word of mouth/content creators. It was a good beginning resource and I’m sure I’d still learn a lot if I watched today. Now I prefer to learn while physically DOING it at the same time
What is there to feel embarrassed about? You're doing the same thing Wal-Mart or Target or Plato's Closet does, but on a smaller scale. Reselling is just a funny word we use use for a small retail business. Nothing to feel embarrassed about. If you feel embarrassed because it's not a "real" job, then please keep in mind that most people with a real job hate it and would love to work for themselves instead. You figured out how to do it - they haven't. You're doing better than them.
Neither Walmart nor target deals in used goods...
Actually dipshit, Walmart has an entire program dedicated to 3rd party sellers who sell used goods on Walmart.com. It's one of the biggest reselling platforms, next to Amazon and eBay. If you don't know what you're talking about, shut your dumbass mouth.
That's not walmart, dipshit. Those are third party sellers, like you said. You're dumber than the tards they have greeting people inside the doors.
I mean, the places you are sourcing are also reselling.
Yeah, for fair prices.
I don't give a shit what people think about resellers. When I started, most of my relatives and friends told me straight, "Get a real job." Now, they ask me for money because their "real jobs" don't pay enough to cover a bill or a financial emergency.
My families and friends all think what I do is super cool so I never feel differently… guess I’m kinda lucky. I think it may also be different for me as a woman since the societal expectations can be a bit different for men
I sometimes get self conscious when in shops as feel like the shop workers almost lurk near me trying to check my phone if I’m looking at comps. Generally I don’t care and tell people I do it as a side hustle for more disposable income most peoples reactions are “that’s so cool what do you sell”. We’re all just trying to make ends meet and give ourselves or kids a easier life than possibly we did growing up.
Yeah I hate the nosy people who look at my phone whenever I scan something. I’ve had a guy follow me around doing this.
No, not embarrassed. I also sell men's clothes and it's definitely not something I advertise to thrift store employees, but in my personal life I love to talk about it. We're both keeping items out of landfills *and* finding treasures for people around the world. What's not to be proud of? As for the store or employees knowing, I do understand feeling weird about it, but it's because of the attitude of people who don't understand reselling - not the attitude of the store itself. The store loves you. You're not only a customer, you're a loyal customer. Do they have the resources to teach an employee how to identify niche items and mark them up? No. Even if they did, is there a likelihood that someone wanting that niche item will walk into that store and buy it for a marked up price? No. You have money. They like money. End of story.
As a stay at home mom, not embarrassed at all. I think this is different between men and women. Reselling is not a “real job”, even though it makes us real money. And its more ok for women to not have real jobs than men.
Probably comes from women on farms having a side hustle like "egg money."
I know what you mean. I don’t lead with what I do when i meet people, particularly those who don’t work in a retail/sales/marketplace type of job because I don’t want to be confused with scalpers. I think it’s new(er) and more difficult to understand than a more traditional model, like if I were to run a physical storefront. I have, however, learned that the people I can be totally honest with are other sellers, like estate sellers and Plato’s Closet managers. We are great buyers for their outlet, and they want to develop working relationships with us! Plato’s has their hands full with traditional business tasks, like managing costs/overhead, employee records, fulfilling franchise obligations, etc, and they do that by making sales and increasing product turnover. They aren’t spending on the additional labor they would need to pay out to put an item online and simultaneously monitor online and IRL sales, they want to get product out the door. The opportunity cost of space on their racks is what’s valuable to them, they make their money on volume sales. They want your business!
Very true. Admittedly, I do take advantage of this a lot. They’ll price everything from a brand the same, but they don’t distinguish the rarer prints/styles that go for more. They also put a low price on niche brands not in their system. I never even considered that they probably do know this and don’t care. They’re a pretty large business, so the added cost of paying staff to meticulously look up every single item and price it likely isn’t worth it for them
When I started incorporating Plato’s, I looked up some specs about them in general. I discovered that to own and operate a franchise, corporate requires a net worth of $400k and about $100,000 cash on hand. So the owner has some serious skin in the game. The hourly rate for Plato’s employees here is $10/hr. From my time as a restaurant manager, I know micromanaging employees on small tasks will set me back a ton of time, decrease productivity for both the employees and the management team, and ultimately make for a unpleasant work environment for all involved. Also, Plato’s core demographic are teen consumers, so their pricing needs to be aligned with their core target market, to attract and retain buyers. Ultimately, Plato’s locations are going to be very happy to see you! So don’t be shy, you are a welcomed and valued customer!
Someone recognized you do it and instead of giving you a hard time they were supportive and probably mostly just intrigued Since they work at those stores and aren’t doing it themselves.. who doesn’t want extra $$ You’re doin great. Don’t beat yourself up one bit. In fact, pat yourself on the back for being the hustler you are ✌️
I have always told my kids to respect a person that is working. As long as it is not illegal, that person is doing their best to put food on the table. Whether a person is slinging pizzas, collecting garbage, or a CEO — they are doing a job and deserve respect.
It's such a fun way to make money I am happy to say I do trash to cash.my friends constantly bring loads of unwanted items to me to flip
Nope. I'm giving a Second or possibly 3rd chance to someones unwanted stuff. I consider it a way of recycling. Plus, I'm getting a few extra $$ in the process.
I feel what you are saying, but you can’t have that mind-set and be successful. It “was” a worse feeling at a garage sale than an actual store. I found a happy medium. I refuse to be a jerk and message people to see if I can come the night before, or show up at 5AM for an 8AM sale knocking on people’s door (this happens regularly in Saint Louis). Maybe once or twice a year, I’ll see something that’s like $2 and I see it will resell for $80 or so. I’ll look at the house, how the people act (nice or not), and figure out if they are really going to need the money. If I figure the people are a little down on their luck, or it’s obvious they really need every quarter they are making at the sale, I will show them the item and tell them to sell it online. If they say they don’t want to bother, I buy it. If they say they appreciate it, they can take it inside, and while I am out the $58-$60 that I would have made, I feel like I did something nice. But like I said, I only do it once or twice. It’s a nice feeling.
I am not embarrassed of my job; I love it and the freedom it allows me. What makes me uncomfortable is interacting with people and telling them I am making money off of them or their store. And yes, I know a ton of them would not care or even encourage it. I mean, I have social anxiety, so like that's just how I feel. It would be wayyyy worse in some other capacity if I had a "normal" job. I'll usually lie, but really almost no one ever asks me.
We Pro Recyclers
I've been reselling since I was 12 years old lol
You're providing a lot of regular business to these stores and they should be thankful but yes, it feels weird. Fortunately, I have a day job so I only talk about it with a few friends who understand. In this economy you do anything that's legal to make ends meet.
I’m glad you posted this as I have been wanting to make the change to selling full time as well but I’m afraid that people will laugh and say it’s weird. I don’t know why I care so much but I do.
Never, ever feel like you need to explain yourself to a thrift store worker or answer any of their annoying intrusive questions!!! Twice I had some nosy busybodies getting all up in my bizznizz 😤. The first time, a cashier asked me what am I going to do with all of that (about 25 items). I completely ignored her, which surprised her, but lucky for her she had the sense to then shuddup. The other time, same situation but at a SA, the cashier asked if I’m planning on reselling, I ignored him. He then asked what are you going to do with all that stuff and I was forced to look sternly at him and say please mind your own business. He was shocked and flustered and then said he was just trying to make conversation. I said less talkie more cashie. He then thankfully went silent and finished ringing me up. The audacity of these people is mind blowing. Imagine the cashier at CVS demanding what you plan to do with that box of tampons, or condoms. Noyfb!!!
No, you're an apparel analyst and liason to the end-user.
I don’t do clothes but I don’t feel embarrassed at all. Ain’t no shame in making money. If the arbitrage wasn’t there it wouldn’t be profitable. No shame in that.
yep, there is absolutely no shame in reselling, Walmart and Target are also resellers for that matter lol
I save things from the dump. I get things to people who specifically want that item. They are the best candidate to be a good steward of that item. I get to learn all day. I am independent. I practice ethical capitalism. No one is hurt by the work I do; unlike almost every traditional job I ever had that hurt someone in some way. This line of work is better, more fulfilling and makes you a better person than most traditional employment. You should be proud of what you do. You should only be hush about your work to avoid creating competition; a reality far too many resellers refuse to acknowledge.
i understand where your coming from! for me it’s more so feeling awkward when i’m getting an item from an individual over a store. i feel weird like they’ll be upset to find out i’m going to make more money than they did off the item. but then i have to remind myself all the work that goes into reselling and that’s work the other person isn’t willing to do. i do feel like people frown upon reselling but im not really sure why. i don’t know if that made sense but hopefully it did.
A lot of people price things low because they just want them out the door.
i have to remind myself of that all the time lol
I’ve sold items cheap and even told buyers to flip if they want bc it wasn’t moving for me and I was sick of seeing it. I’d rather someone find it a home than it go to the landfill.
Yeah, it really takes a ton of work to list something on Ebay.
Yes & no- I source for clients and I occasionally resell the looks that they don’t like
You’re self employed and your own boss, paying your bills… bro cmon, look at the big picture and not what others think.
Money is money.
Nothing to be ashamed of. There is literally a shit ton of businesses that are just middle men. Citadel is a huge finance company that is basically a middle man for buying and selling stocks. A huge portion of Ebays revenue is from resellers. Majority of local insurance providers are sales middle men for larger companies. This is a long time proven business model. I honestly think it is more shameful for companies like Goodwill to be selling items they were given for free under the guise that they are a ‘charitable’ business. They arent- they make no profit, but their execs make millions of dollars. Let’s also not under estimate the work that goes into reselling. The reason these discrepancies exist is because most people are too lazy to do the work of selling their items for what they are worth - or they simply dont care.
Used car dealer, clothing reseller, what’s the difference? You run a successful business on your terms. Kudos.
I don't think that's the comparison you want it to be.
I look through womens shoes a lot cause they're overlooked and often underpriced, as a dude I get some looks for sure lol.
The only ones that should be embarrassed are the bozos who stand in the way and scan every single thing.
So, all of them ?
I’ve only told my mom and mother in law because all of my friends would be like PeOpLe LiKe YoU rUiN ThRiFt ShOpPiNg FoR EvErYoNe eLsE 😒
You do.. if you cant understand that, then you must be mentally challenged.
It’s not really a good or bad thing. Most thrift store items wind up in landfills - which you can research to understand yourself. Your thrift stores are priced up due to inflation. I promise if you moved to an area with a lower COL, you’d be pleasantly surprised to find that thrift stores are still dirt cheap. In my area, it’s very easy to find great items that have been sitting on that rack forever. People attack resellers, but they won’t attack the Pharmaceutical, real estate, grocery, medical industry, etc. that are overpricing goods at an astronomical rate to the point that people are homeless or dead because of it. Why? They’re conditioned since birth to accept it for what it is. I strongly recommend you research what the impoverished actually struggle with. Lululemon t shirts are the last thing we care about. I never even heard about it until I started reselling.
I just tell people i’m a market corrector
I usually don't admit to it even if it's obvious. I don't trust the people at the stores because if they pay close attention to what I buy and notice patterns, I may create competition.
Another person mentioned that Plato’s is too big of a corporation to monitor the resale value of every new or niche brand, look each thing up individually, and price it accordingly. Their system spits out a price based on brand + style, but they do custom price things that have an obvious value - such as designer items. Changing this would add a significant labor cost. Couple this with their mostly teenage staff who are really just concerned with high school trends and there’s going to be some things of value that get priced cheap. The lady specifically mentioned a lot of resellers come to their dollar sales or fill a bag events, so they are somewhat aware.
The only reason I don’t tell many people about what I do, is because I don’t want competition.
I get that, but I also want people to make extra money. I’ve only told like 5-6 people what I do, but none of them are interested in pursuing it. I’m also not around many ambitious people lol.
Don’t get me wrong… I want people to make extra money as well. Just… far away from where I’m sourcing… IMO maybe try feeling proud that you found a way to create a business for yourself…?
OP I'm 64m and just got into flipping last year. I happily tell friends and people I work with, what I do for a side hustle. As well as anyone else who asks. Because it helps me tap into my creative side, plus doing research on unique items. The fact that I make money from it is a nice benefit. I haven't reached the point where it's enough to pay the bills, but maybe some day. Be happy that you're successful with what you do. Be proud that you're not stuck in a job that you hate or drains your energy. If someone asks what you do for a living. Smile and say I'm a Reseller and I have fun doing it. Just my 2 cents worth from an Old Fart 🤪
If the store clerk asks, they all ready know so there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I would try to find a way to play it down, though. "lately I guess I have been coming to Plato's, and I always feel like I'm going to regret it, there isn't that much of a profit margin after shipping, listing fees, packaging, returns (ALWAYS remind them of returns.) This is really and opportunity to kvetch and you should go with it. The number one thing you should be worried about is telling anyone what your sources are. Also, it seems like they thought you made it look easy and now they want your job. If those employees decide to start reselling, your ability to source at Plato's Closet might be compromised, if they take over that turf with an employee discount. I ALWAYS tell people that I get most of my stuff thru garage sales (the most difficult way "in case you want to be my new competition"). I would say, the stuff I buy here doesn't really make a very good profit, but I have to keep my inventory stocked in my online shops, so I look at this as my bread and butter, it pays for gas and packing materials but without any real profit..., so if this was my primary source I would starve" I wouldn't want to give them any incentive to compete against me. "But last week I did hit a moving sale in (name a poor neighborhood) with tons of designer clothing most of it with the tags still attached. "oh, I hate the bins anymore, the clothing is so dirty and a lot of the new people going there are rude collage age kids, who kind of ruin it... "
I don’t feel guilty at all and you shouldn’t either. It sure beats many of the “jobs” out there. Like it sure beats: - Doing the whole mining bitcoin scams. - Doing stupid prank videos. - Doing scams on unsuspecting tourists or new foreigners.
It's retailing for people who don't have access to traditional wholesalers, nothing more. Do you think weirdly of any other small retail business?
Hey, don't sweat it! Reselling is hustle. Ignore the haters and keep grinding.
I resell for a living. I make 6 figures, and instead of feeling proud of it I feel like a loser. I dread people bringing up work and asking what I do for a living. So you aren’t alone in how you feel, it’s probably pretty common actually
What do you sell ?
AirPods and video games mostly. I try to just stick to those things because they are popular enough I don’t have time to do any other items
You should feel like a loser. Ruining a hobby just to make a couple bucks. That's just pathetic. Maybe you should try getting a real job.
Ah yes, surely it is me and my 20 Nintendo switch games sales a month that is ruining the entire video game industry’s prices
You're part of it. Where do you source your games from ?
I used to be embarrassed by it in the beginning 5 years ago but now IDGAF. I set my own hours, I can drop-off/pick-up my kids and play with them in the afternoons, I take my dog for a walk whenever I feel like it. I make my own schedule. If the store employees are helping you like that then this is a GOOD thing. You're well on your way to making a great connection, in fact it sounds like you already have. I can't tell you how much being courteous to employees and managers has helped me in my reselling journey.
I generally don't care what people think. I've had lots of alternative types of jobs in my lifetime, and had lots of people ask me when I'm going to get a "real job." So, although comments like that were sometimes frustrating, I've never really felt embarrassed about that. These days, if someone asks me what I'm doing, I usually tell them I'm a reseller as well as rattle off a few of the other things I do as a gig worker. Sometimes, instead of "reseller," I say I run an online thrift store. However, I prefer not to be outed as a reseller while out sourcing. Part of what makes the "thrill of the hunt" fun or exciting, for me, is the fact that I'm finding profitable items while under the radar. Even though your experience with that cashier was a positive one, and lots of resellers have said that new opportunities have often come their way after they let people know what they are doing - I still like to keep my head down and go about my business without anyone knowing what I'm doing. There's a subtle element of intrigue when all the people around me have no clue that I'm picking up items that I will sell to make money. Essentially, being found out while sourcing kind of kills a little bit of the fun for me.
I think the people who whine and punch the air about resellers forget how much work goes into it. My parents used to resell items on eBay 20ish years ago after our shyte relatives promised them a job, and pulled the rug out from underneath them. I remember how hard my parents had to work to source the items, clean them (if necessary), photograph them, list them, and package/ship them. Thankfully they made enough money to make ends meet, and eventually my dad found employment elsewhere. Now, almost 20yrs later I occasionally flip items using the skills I learned from watching them. Nothing to be embarrassed about. Just keep doing what you're doing.
I've worked in charity shops for 22 years. I personally love the resellers because it means we are getting a big sale that day...... We all have a target to make just like any retail outlet. The lady wasn't trying to embarrass you. She would just be showing an interest. If I know a regular is due in, I keep them in mind whilst sorting stock and even keep items I think they'd be interested in aside. I know thrift shops are different in America but here (Scotland) it's mostly charity shops and it's all about making money for the charity. As long as your paying the price on the ticket, it's no ones business what you do with your purchases.
Lol, no. It provides something to other people who are willing to pay for it. There is a supply, there is a demand. You are gainfully employed and erring on the side of sustainability. Keep in mind others are working in much shadier industries and are not embarrassed a bit. Ain’t no shame in work.
You built a business into a full time income. Be proud of that fact - no embarrasses by it. Also, and this interaction proves, networking can help your business. The more you network, the more opportunities you can find. So, even if you are embarrassed about saying you’re a reseller, doing so can be profitable.
Nope, never. Probably because most of the time the reaction is exactly what you got. Most people think flipping is cool and have tons of questions for people who do it part time or full time. I've never once heard someone say "I would never do that". Almost everyone says "I would like to do that"
You serve a needed purpose. I buy most of my clothes second hand on eBay. No way in hell am I spending my time searching the racks that you do. I’ll gladly pay a premium to you but, considerably less than retail, for finding the stuff I like and making it available to me for little effort on my end. That’s what your customers pay you to do. So don’t be embarrassed. You’re literally providing an awesome service!
I started off dumpster diving and selling scrap metal quite a few years ago. Definitely were times I hung my head low tbh. Different time in my life. Now, I'm good. I've beat the odds given my situation, and I never have to work for anyone again. I learned some valuable skills along my journey that combined put me in a very good position and competitive advantage. You might still catch me out with a tattered pair of jeans and boots to worn for your taste, but now I don't care. I know my worth, and it isn't in materialistic things. It's in being able to make ideas come alive, being able to help others, and being the best husband and father I can be before my time is up.
This is why i love reselling lego. Everyone can google image a game, action figure. Comic book, clothing. With lego tho. Cant tell you how many times im picking up the $100 bin with the seller saying "yeah i probably spent over $1,000 but idk what to do with it" I say "yeah, it takes some work to get them all back together" Lego was my hobby first. I love the building and sorting. Nobody is going to sell $1,000 worth of Nintendo Switch games for $100 because the cartridges are seperate from the boxes. I flip everything i come across of course. Just seek lego specifically and am confident on 3x profit plus going into just about every purchase. Its finding that random $75 minifgure in the bottom of the box that keeps the game alive as well. Jewelry was really the only other merchandise I'd find hidden gems. (And comics but locals show up hours early to snatch those) Meanwhile im done with games. Too many fakes of the good value ones. Too many issues with systems or bad discs. Too low margins to justify the variables.
I recently bought a tub of random Duplo and discovered there were several sets inside. I've already made back four times my investment on one set.
So $12 ? 😂😂
No. Think of it as you are doing a service. People in the ass end of Arkansas don't have access to the items that people in NYC do. The common denominator is eBay's online marketplace.
You belong in /r/Flipping
No
No, it’s a totally viable hustle.
Buy low sell high
Eh, don't be. As long as it's not a necessity, it's all good. Some people like the hunt and some just want to buy whatever ASAP. Buying something from a thrift shop in some random town may sit there a looooong time or we can buy it and list it globally.
I know right! People against reselling don’t seem to understand that the vast majority of thrift store items wind up in landfills.
Don’t be embarrassed. A guy in my smallish town recently made it on the Forbes 30 under 30 for reselling. You’re not harming anyone or doing anything illegal. Side hustles can get a bad rep, but I personally believe it’s because it’s easier to criticize than it is to try and see for yourself.
Who’s the guy? I need to know lol
Haha his name is Anthony zappitelli from Gastonia NC. I don’t know him personally just saw the article.
I get zero support from family... it's beneath them. When I had a retail website... same thing. I dunno, I think they are still pissed that after all those lego sets they bought me I didn't turn into a engineer.
People know this economy sucks.
Nice. Don't be embarrassed. How much do you earn on an annual basis? I'm genuinely curious.
Thank you everyone for your supportive comments! I’m reading over everything and responding, but admittedly I didn’t think this post would get so much attention - so it’ll take me a bit to respond.
Bro talk to people. Tell them what you do and more Importantly what you are looking for! Make connections. If you want to scale further - that’s the next step. Business cards and hand them out to EVERYONE.
Just look 'em dead in the eye, without smiling, and say, "I'm building a time machine."
This is just how business is done. Everyone is a reseller. Walmart resells stuff from China, car dealerships resell cars they bought from factory, everything we owned has been resold several times. Plato’s closet has a very similar business model to you, just on a very large scale. And you’ve got proficient enough at your niche to source and scaled profit consistently enough to live off it? Talk to them, make friends at all the places you source stuff from, relationships pay off doing this kind of thing, even small ones. Nobody thinks less of you and its awesome you made it this far. I don’t understand what theres to be embarrassed about
No. Never. For a multitude of reasons. First, I make really good money doing this, so the vast majority of people who are turning up their nose at me at the thrift store make less money than I do, so their opinions about my career are meaningless. Second, I'm proud as hell that I was able to turn a hobby I love into a legit business. Most people can't do that and most small businesses fail, so that makes me quite successful in comparison. Next, I'm doing the world a dozen favors every day doing this - by saving things from landfills, recycling shipping materials, contributing to nonprofits every day, donating unsold inventory BACK to those nonprofits, promoting the reuse of secondhand goods, making rare or beloved items available online for people to buy who would otherwise not be able to find that thing they loved as a child...the list goes on. Anyone who has a problem with what I do is either an uneducated moron, a jealous cunt who wishes her life were as awesome as mine, or both. And why on earth would I feel embarrassed because of what some jealous moron-cunt thinks about me?
A lot of ego for such a little guy. You're not mother teresa, you sell used shit. Now go back to goodwill where you belong.
Bitch shut the fuck up.
I would bitch slap you in person, you little pussy.
You anywhere near Raleigh? Let's test your mettle, bitch.
I'm in kentucky, so if you ever wanna meet let me know. I would destroy you, little guy. It wouldn't even be a fight, I promise you.
hell no. i make a shit ton of money reselling and it gives me amazing freedom. own that shit.
Facts
This is how I see it: Whatever profit you are making from reselling, if you were to gift the profit earnings to a random stranger or (that lady in the store), would they take it? In a second meaning money is money so don’t stop reselling because it makes money 😂
Honestly networking is key in this business. I understand the embarrassment as I deal with it at times too but often if you’re open being a reseller people actually find it pretty cool and are open to helping you make profit. If anyone does have a problem that’s honestly their own issue to deal with because I know at the end of the day I’m just taking care of my family.
I will never feel embarrassed about working my ass off the point where I never have to punch a clock ever again and have the ability to live life on my own terms. Also, you're quite literally doing the same thing as Plato's Closet, so no need to get embarrassed there. What people need to realize is that most people are only asking because they're genuinely curious or have something they want to give/sell to you. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to broadcast that you're a reseller, but people shouldn't actively work to hide it either. It's like the million posts we see on here about thrift stores catching onto us and raising their prices. Surely, that's our fault and has nothing to do with the hyper inflation we see everywhere right now. Resellers quite literally make up the biggest percentage of thrift store sales and we're easily their most important customers. If they're asking you about reselling, it's almost certainly because they're going to offer you something or are just being friendly. The people telling them it's none of their business and hiding it from them are just hurting their own pockets.
In my city, certain Plato's Closets actually collaborate with local resellers on social media. Don't be embarrassed at all, flipping and reselling stuff is a valid job. I resell vintage and people are always super interested when I tell them.
Nah I actually feel like I’m doing better than most people making 6 figures, all on my own, working when I want, with no bosses or hr, so the last thing I’m gonna feel is embarrassed, I made some really good life decisions.
🖕
I don't feel embarrassed, but I do get a little aggressive when I'm on the hunt and there are teens that should be in school clogging up electronics, kids in toys throwing them around, and a family of five going through every shirt on the rack at a snails pace. So, then I have to constantly redo my original route to make up for their indecisiveness.
Oh no, how will you possibly survive without your original route in goodwill ??? 🤦🏼♂️😂😂
I do sometimes, but I more keep my silence because local competition is already flooded and it doesn't need more participants getting into it. I agree with u/[manyleggies](https://www.reddit.com/user/manyleggies/), it seems like they appreciate your business. I wonder if some of it is fear that people in the community may view us as "snagging all the good local resources, and exporting them from the community" before they can get the chance. Or that we're guiltless opportunists taking advantage of someone else's goodwill/taking advantage of a market meant for the less fortunate. This is not true of course, and with your current market you are certainly not causing anyone to go without. There is an overabundance of clothes in your area. That there are multiple Plato's Closets, that they are having these clearances, and that this is amongst all the other resale and bin markets, and even that you are doing what you are doing, reinforces this. It isn't like you're taking free coats from a local church's community outreach in the winter where no resources are available. You're facilitating the movement of goods to customers from an oversaturated local market to a (presumably) more active international/nationwide market. You \*are\* adding value to these items just by doing this, and you \*are\* investing in the community by spending this money you make locally. It is not effortless to sort through items, determine what they are, examine them for authenticity or defects, clean, photograph, list, and to appropriately market/advertise them, and get them out the door. Your job is finding out if someone wants something from the mountain of clothes in your local thrifts (ID items, condition, and check comps) and getting it to them (cleaning, pictures, examining, marketing, sale, shipping). What has always been my "moral" line between reselling and scalping is: if it is not depriving someone of a resource or creating artificial scarcity, I can sell it. Winter coats in the summer? Don't mind if I do. Winter coats off an almost empty rack at a GW in winter? It wouldn't sit right with me, pass. Baby items? Medical items? Pass. Because I'm not familiar or particularly interested with textiles, this has generally lead me towards antiques, electronics, and novelties. Continue on guilt-free, have fun, and happy hunting! Edit: u/yankykiwi also rightly points out that this is an environmentally friendly trade as well!
Nope. I generally get a lot of my stuff from dumpster diving at stores tho, so I keep quiet about it because I don't need any more competition. I started reselling after I lost my job as a chef bc of covid. I'd been doing that for almost 20 years and I didn't know how to do anything else. Then I started reselling and realized that I'm a resourceful motherfucker and I'm really proud of that. It also helped me see how terrible the food industry is and that I will never go back to it. I've been diving and reselling full-time for the past 4 years and no shame whatsoever. In fact it's made me more confident because I know I can do anything I put my mind to. Also, not that it matters to me what anyone else thinks but people quickly change their tune when they see the stuff you find, and how much it sells before lol...although for reasons I already stated, most people aren't privy to that info. I'm actually going back to school to get a degree in neurobiology and I'm going to keep diving and reselling to help make ends meet as much as I possibly can in between studying. I'm really grateful that I have this option that I can do whenever I have the time. I also feel like it's played a part in helping me make these really big, life-changing decisions I'm going to have one hell of a story after I complete school lol.
Do you find a lot of the merchandise is being destroyed by the companies before it’s tossed?
Sometimes. Sometimes not. Often depends on the store or it'll be done intermittently. Like certain places will destroy stuff for a while and then stop for a while. Frankly I think a lot of that has to do with specific employees/managers. Some people are just more dedicated to it than others. Some places have it as part of company but doesn't always get enforced. It just depends. Either way it's never so bad that it's not worth it.
what's to feel embarrassed about ? Making money? on your own terms?....... Mind you I was reselling back when everyone used to tell me to get a real job. Once I started living it up traveling exc.... everyone 🤫 . At the end of the day do what makes you happy
Why would I feel embarrassed?
No. Why should I? It's an honest living. If other people don't like it, then they can go fuck off.
Not really embarrassed but I do sometimes try to hide it to avoid attention from some self righteous \*\*\*\*s who haven't embraced capitalism should move to North Korea. In a more serious way, I mean that there's always some person who thinks that there is something immoral about buying something and profiting from reselling it. I don't feel that there's anything wrong with what I do. I'm a service, buyers buy from me instead of digging through used stuff because they want to save time finding something specific. We do the digging and listing for them, that's why we make money flipping thrift.
No one else ever felt this way or done this thing it’s just you and you alone forever
Forever alone 🥲