When it rains, it pours, says Taylor, a full-time clothing reseller. The day she filmed, a plumber had just left because her bathroom had leaked through the kitchen again. A roofer was due Saturday because rain had come into her bedroom.
The bills are large, she says, and “there’s nothing more motivating than having a large bill that you’re going to have to pay.” So she sat down to list as much as she could. Taylor shares it all on her channel, Tay Deco.
An Estate Sale Closet Gave Her A Silk Skirt That Sold In Five Hours
Lately she has been buying at estate sales and Goodwill, and relatives have been handing her their old clothes, which she gets for free. She has not been to the thrift bins in a while.
At one estate sale she went through a woman’s closet and found a paisley Lauren by Ralph Lauren boat neck top, a rose print blouse with lace and embroidery, and a deep plum 100% silk blouse. A vintage Ralph Lauren silk midi skirt, new with tags, sold five hours after she listed it, for her full asking price of $80.
At a second estate sale, the clothing was picked over, so she pivoted to shapewear, a bathing suit and a stack of higher-end bras in excellent condition.
A $13.50 Goodwill Coat Could Top $100
At Goodwill she found a reversible St. John Sport coat in an extra-large. It is an angora blend, with cashmere, wool and nylon, in excellent condition, and she paid $13.50. She thinks she can list it for over $100.
She also spent $7 on a matching tapestry-style set with fringe that she says has a 1970s hippie, bohemian look.
Her great aunt gave her a Saks Fifth Avenue suit jacket made in France, which she calls “basically a work of art.” She tried it on and loved the shoulder pads. “That is what I call a shoulder pad, baby.” She listed it at $149 on Poshmark, eBay and Depop, and she isn’t sure the price is right.
A $1.75 Purchase Online Felt Like “Is This Even A Real Transaction?”
Taylor also shopped on Vinted, where she says resellers are not welcome, so she was thinking of listing some personal items of her own. After scrolling for over an hour, she bought four things to resell.
- Two new-with-tags dresses for about $5 total including shipping.
- A pair of pants for about $3.
- An Earthbound poncho for $1.75 including shipping.
“Like when have you ever bought something for $1.75 on the internet?” she asks. She does not plan to make it a regular sourcing spot.
A Supportive Uncle Handed Her Allen Edmonds Shoes
An uncle who owns a tailoring shop often gives her suit jackets. This time he gave her Polo Ralph Lauren shearling slippers and a pair of Allen Edmonds men’s shoes, a brand she has never sold but knows is high quality.
She says he constantly asks how her business is going. When she first quit her job, she says, explaining reselling felt awkward because some people did not understand it. “The more you talk about it and just stand behind it,” she says, the more confident she feels.
That same day she made a $54 sale on Poshmark: a pair of Bonobos golf pants listed at $60.
Her Antique Booth Paycheck: $737 In Sales, $433.95 In The Bank
Taylor moved into an antique booth on September 1. The mall pays out at the end of the month after subtracting rent and fees. Her report showed total sales of $737 for September, her first month with the booth not yet full.
Out of that, $280 went to rent. Credit card fees were $54.52, there was a $5 fee to log in and watch sales, and sales tax was 7%. What landed in her bank account was $433.95.
She made 22 sales, or about $19.75 per sale. She figures her cost of goods at about $4 per item, since much of it came from the bins, her own house or things she made, like artwork in an old frame. That leaves about $15 profit per item.
“I’m not so excited about that number, but it was my first month,” she says.
October Is Running Behind, But She Plans To Fill The Booth
As of October 29, she had sold 21 items for about $666, which she estimates means $13 to $14 per item. Her booth sales include a $76 item and others in the $35 to $80 range.
“Once you take everything out,” she says, the numbers shrink. Her plan is to keep adding stock, because there are still empty spots in the booth, and she is having fun with it.
What To Keep In Mind Before Renting A Booth
Her numbers show what a first month can look like, and a few lessons follow from them.
- Work out your rent, card fees and tax before judging a month of sales.
- Keep your cost of goods low by sourcing from estate sales, bins and gifts.
- Fill the space, since empty shelves do not sell.
- List online at the same time so one big bill does not depend on one booth.
With plumbing and roofing bills lined up, Taylor kept listing, measuring and steaming clothes late into the evening.
More Stories You May Like
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- Reseller Couple Hit Local Yard Sales And Picked Up Snowboarding Jeans For $4 They Expect To Sell For About $30 While A $7 Wrangler Shirt Sells For $20 To $25
- Online Seller Whose Store Normally Brings In $10,000 A Month Let It Slide And Sales Dropped So He Made A $2,800 Bulk Buy To Rescue It
