How to Succeed as a Reseller

Reselling is a fun and exciting job! You get to work at home, spend time with your family, drink coffee all day long, and best of all you only have to work a few hours a week. You may have had some successful flips so far, but now you’re wondering if you can really make a living from it. The answer is YES. Don’t get discouraged! Continue reading to find out how you can be successful at reselling.

Resellers sell lots of things. There are people who buy and sell clothes, shoes, and purses or bigger, more expensive items like four-wheelers, dirt bikes, and cars. I love selling both high-end items and less expensive items like a $20 dress. Resell what you love and know about and it will become fun for you. That’s when you start making more.

Sell what you know

If you know exactly what something is worth when you buy it, it makes reselling easier. If you love computers, focus on reselling laptops. You can search Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, OfferUp, or even eBay or Mercari for laptops. Clean them up and double your money. When you love what you do and you’re making money with it, you will succeed. What do you love? What are you passionate about?

Try other platforms

I’ve sold on eBay for over eight years, and I love Poshmark and Mercari too. I just started selling on Facebook Marketplace and I definitely recommend it. Meeting people in person always made me nervous, but it’s worth it. Everything sells SO fast on Marketplace it’s so fun. Start with larger items around your house, like in your garage, office, and backyard.

Get excited about listing

Sometimes listing isn’t fun. So make it FUN! Get excited about it! 

Need some motivation to get in your office and list some stuff? Redecorating is the best motivation! I know that when I buy something new, I want to use it. When I redecorate, I want to spend time in that room because it’s fresh and new. For a comfortable and effective workspace, you need to make it your style.

Resellers know that sometimes an eBay office isn’t so attractive with items everywhere and shipping boxes leaning on every wall. But to be successful at working from home you have to love your office.

I love decorating my reselling room. Right now I have a boho theme. Lots of plants, bright colors, and of course, a green velvet couch. It’s important to keep your workspace fun. Even a new chair completely changes your work at home experience. You’re a reseller.. sell that desk and buy a new one!

Read more… Office Must-Haves for Working at Home

Set work days and hours

When you have a schedule, you will thrive. 

Buy a planner and use it. Check out our reselling planners here!

On your weekly schedule view, write down exactly how many items you want to source, take pictures of, or list. Stick to your schedule as close as you can.

Start early in the morning listing. If you only have 30 minutes before you have to go somewhere, spend that time listing.

Set certain mornings or nights to taking pictures. Once you have the pictures, you can list the item no matter what you are doing. 

Try to list when you have the least distractions. If something comes up while you’re listing, don’t get upset. Remember, this is why you are reselling. So you can make your own schedule and be available when you are needed.

Get organized

Spreadsheets // Every time I buy an item to resell it goes straight on a spreadsheet. I write down the description of the item and how much I paid for it. Then when I list it, I write down the price I listed it for. When it sells I write down what it sold for, the fees, and the total profit. I use Google Sheets. I like Sheets because you can access them from anywhere. I downloaded the app on my iPad which makes it easy to add to it while I’m listing! 

Bins // I have tried many different ways to organize my inventory. What I found works the best is to organize by alphabetical order by brand name. I have a small sticker on each bin that says “A-B”, “C”, and so on. It is so easy to find an item when it sells! Every reseller does it differently. Try different ways to organize your inventory and see which way you like the best.

Buy a planner

I love planners. When I feel like I have too much to do or too much going on I just go to my planner and start writing it down. It helps so much to see my week on paper. 

I have searched for the past couple of years for the best planner to help me with my reselling business and there were NONE. I found myself looking for a new one halfway through the year. So, I made my own.

My sister and I are both resellers and graphic designers so we just decided to start making planners. We created our planners with a reseller’s mindset. The Ultimate eBay Selling Planner and the Poshmark Pro Planner (and soon the Complete Business Planner and Ultimate Resellers Planner) include a full workbook to help you grow your reselling business. We’re SO EXCITED.

Do you have any successful reselling stories or tips? Comment below!