If you’ve visited a thrift shop or estate sale lately, you’ve probably noticed a few shoppers who look less like casual browsers and more like focused workers.
These folks are probably professional resellers or “flippers,” who buy undervalued secondhand goods with the intent of making a profit.
But how do they know what to buy and where to sell it? Money Talks News reader Elaine B. wondered similarly after reading my article “How I Flipped This $3 Thrift Store Find for $115.”
She asks Money Talks News:
“Is reselling things time intensive? How do you do it? I’m interested because I have things I would like to try selling.”
Thanks for your question, Elaine. I’m a professional thrift-shopper and reseller with 30 years of experience. Here’s a quick primer on how much time I devote to my business and an overview of the listing process.
The time commitment
Like any money-making venture, it all comes down to time (labor) and profit. But how much time does it really take to sell secondhand goods online?
For the sake of this discussion, I’ve organized reselling-related tasks into six categories with corresponding hours per week. For me, 20.5 hours of effort each week results in an average monthly profit of $1,000.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Finding inventory and assessing its value: 12 hours. If you’re liquidating an estate or decluttering what you already own, you can skip the most time-intensive part of reselling. But for the rest of us, these hours are spent scouting thrift shops, yard sales and flea markets for inventory. Once we spot a potential resale candidate, apps like Google Lens and eBay make researching value easy.
- Cleaning and repairs: 1 hour. I keep things simple by avoiding secondhand goods that need a lot of repair or refurbishing. I’ll treat stains on clothing, polish a good pair of leather loafers, or touch-up the paint on a cool old picture frame, but that’s about it.
- Taking photographs and writing descriptions: 4 hours. It’s simple: Photos sell products. Try to include five to seven high-quality images with each listing. Write clear, concise descriptions that explain what makes your item special, and include any product flaws or issues.
- Listing online: 1 hour: With good photos and a description ready, each listing should take only a few minutes. The process involves providing additional item details through drop-down menus, setting purchase and shipping prices, and offering any other relevant information.
- Packing and shipping: 2 hours. No matter what carrier you use, protect your sold items by packing them well. Seriously, pretend they’re heading off to war. If you’re shipping an eBay item, save time by printing your shipping labels at home, complete with postage. Waiting in those long lines at the post office can eat into your profit margin quickly.
- Managing feedback: 30 minutes. It can easily become an afterthought, but leaving feedback for your buyers encourages them to return the favor. Often, a high feedback rating can reassure nervous buyers that your item is the one to choose.
Selling platforms
The platform you choose largely depends on the item you’re selling. Here are the four sites I use most often and why:
- eBay: Though competition is stiff there, eBay is still considered the “mother ship” of online selling. It’s a decent platform for selling anything from used clothing to new AirPods — just avoid listing prohibited items.
- Depop: Depop is a popular platform for selling men’s, women’s, and kids’ clothing.
- Poshmark: Similar to Depop, Poshmark is a destination site for all things fashion. The site has recently expanded its offerings to include beauty and home decor products.
- Facebook Marketplace: For items that would be difficult to ship, I rely on Facebook Marketplace. It’s a great place to resell furniture, framed art, delicate glassware and electronics.