Reseller Assistant’s Thrifting Guide (2022)

Welcome to Reseller Assistant’s Guide To Thrifting 2022!

Thrifting is rapidly gaining popularity as the preferred way to shop. What is thrifting? It’s the art of shopping for previously used items and making them your own. 

You’ve probably heard of sites like Poshmark, Mercari, or Depop. These sites are social networks where you can show the world your style while selling gently used fashion.

We’ll focus on Poshmark and everything you need to know about how to thrift.

Let’s go over some basics of getting started and explore what the world of thrifting can offer you. 

What Is Thrifting?

Scouring clothing stores is a fun hobby and a lifestyle for many people. What’s different about thrifting is that you shop at thrift stores rather than conventional retail stores, as well as garage sales or a flea market. 

The second component is that the goal of secondhand shopping doesn’t have to be rewarding yourself with new outfits. You can resell clothes bought from a flea market or thrift store and present people with the possibilities.

The best part of thrifting is that it doesn’t just stop at clothing. You can sell anything from shoes to furniture. Having an eye for treasures you find during your travels can leave fellow creative people feeling inspired.

What kind of things can you work with in the world of thrifting? You name it. Here are just a few:

• Household items
• Kitchen supplies
• Collectible items
• Furniture
• Handbags and accessories
• Old books

Why Is Thrifting So Popular?

Thrifting is becoming increasingly popular for several reasons. 

Many consider it a form of eco-friendly shopping: when you’ve purchased clothes or accessories that are in good shape, you’re essentially recycling. It’s a fun way for people to shop, help their community, and the environment at the same time. Sustainable fashion has also become a fashion industry trend in its own right as we rely less on fast fashion brands. 

Another reason thrifting is taking off is that you can buy clothes at discounted prices that would typically cost more at a retail store. Vintage and designer items suddenly become affordable.

One of the top reasons people thrift is for business purposes. Items you purchased can be resold online and provide someone else with unique opportunities. 

Is Thrifting Really Cheaper?

Searching for clothes that have enough life in them to become part of a great ensemble is an art. It’s also a craft that you can perfect. All it takes is knowing when you’ve found a quality gem or something with unique characteristics. 

Vintage clothing is difficult to come across unless you thrift, for example. People donate vintage clothes all the time without even knowing it. A grandmother’s jewelry or old prom dress can end up at thrift stores, just waiting for someone to bring them into the 21st century. 

When you consider the fact that there’s a demand for genuine vintage fashion brands and a short supply, thrifted items truly are cheaper. Something may be worth hundreds but only cost you twenty dollars. 

In other words, rarity increases value. In addition, designer brands at the thrift store or a garage sale are often sold for a fraction of their shelf prices. As long as you know how to recognize quality, thrifting will be a fun way to save money on your wardrobe and pricier accessories such as jewelry and bags.

If you become an avid thrifter yourself, it may be worth investing in your own steamer. Whether you’re planning to keep the things you buy or not, having an efficient and reliable way to clean your apparel is key. 

Don’t be afraid of spending a little extra time washing or steaming apparel. Though it seems more time-consuming than buying from regular retail, thrifting still ends up saving you a lot of money. 

Thrifting As a Business

A growing trend is to take secondhand clothing and find it a new owner for a profit. In today’s high-tech environment, having an online thrift store business is a piece of cake. Here’s how most people get started. 

Start With What You Have

One of the top tips for those interested in using thrift store shopping as a source of income is to start modestly. If you’re brand new to second-hand shopping but like the idea of reselling thrift fashion, selling your own clothing is a great start. Search for whatever clothing you are no longer wearing or don’t quite fit and set it aside. 

If you want to focus on items besides thrift clothing, that’s fine too. Household goods that no longer serve you can make someone else happy. 

Staging and Presentation

After identifying the items you want to sell, the next step is to “prep” them for retail. That entails making things look as nice as possible by cleaning them (steaming is a great option for clothing), ironing or taking out wrinkles, and finally arranging them in an appealing way. 

Background can go a long way. A study found that 76% of eCommerce images analyzed had white backgrounds to replace the originals. While white is a great option that ensures viewers focus on the item you want to sell, it can also get boring. 

Don’t be afraid to change things up. This can mean simply having different colored backgrounds. If the item you’re trying to sell is not clothing, you can pair it with other items to present shoppers with possibilities. For example, place books on a cute shelf or in a cozy reading space to look more enticing.

Create An Account

Finding your groove to sell items is all about dipping your toes in. Poshmark is a great place for you to get a feel for how to create a shopping presence online. The best part is you can do it from your phone. 

Download the free Poshmark app on your mobile device. Sign up with an email to open an account, choose a username and password, and select your region. Voila. You’re now ready for online thrifting.

To start selling items, you simply have to upload pictures of them from your phone and write short, creative descriptions along with pricing. If you miss anything details, prospective buyers can inquire by sending a direct message to your inbox.

Poshmark will provide you with prepaid shipping labels to send your sold items for a customized thrift store sale experience. 

Posh Parties

Posh Parties are a fun and convenient feature on the Poshmark app. These are real-time shopping events where you can meet friends and either go shopping together or sell items. The events are themed by category and you can search anything from vintage trendy clothes and shoes to practical household items. 

While Poshmark started off as a place to shop primarily for women’s clothing, the site has expanded to include several item categories as well as goods for babies and men. Shopping for secondhand clothing and sharing your style with others is simple and easy. 

How Much Money Is In Thrifting?

Let’s take a look at some interesting thrifting stats that show why thrift shopping is the future of fashion. 

Thrift Store vs. Retail Store

The number of thrift stores has steadily risen over the last few years while that of retail stores has declined. There are now over 25,000 thrift stores in the country. Statistics are proving that the spike in popularity of secondhand clothing purchases is one of the most noticeable fashion trends in the industry today.

• One in five people in the United States will make a thrift shop or secondhand clothing purchase every year
• Resale items represent over $17 billion in yearly revenue
• Vintage clothing and other vintage items make up the bulk of resale profits
• Roughly half of the resale industry’s revenue comes from clothes
• Nearly 20% of people buy at thrift stores or shops selling secondhand clothing. The number of people who buy from apparel stores is only about a percent higher
• Buying just one used item can reduce over 80% of your carbon footprint

When most people think of thrift stores or thrift shopping, they think of places like flea markets or the Salvation Army. These charitable organizations provide a great way to feel good about contributing to your community while buying secondhand clothing. However, these larger thrift stores are no longer the only option for cheap and trendy outfits. 

Future Projections

Thrift stores are popping up everywhere, including online.  Consignment shops and online stores with affordable clothing represent a large fragment of the thrift experience. Additionally, the smaller mom-and-pop thrift store model is becoming increasingly more common. 

The pandemic has not curbed the upward trend of secondhand clothing stores either. If anything, market experts are observing that the pandemic is making people more budget-conscious about the kind of stores where they shop. Many stores have also dedicated themselves to extremely cautious sanitization practices in order to maintain a safe atmosphere for customers. 

Not only that, a thrift shop offers shoppers a way to contribute to charities and reduce their global footprint. By opting for thrift store shopping, we can minimize the amount of waste produced by fast fashion brands often seen in conventional marketplaces.

Thrift store sales are projected to double in growth over the next five years. With such promising numbers, it’s no wonder so many people are turning to thrifting not only to shop but also to start a business. 

A Profitable Side Hustle

Do people truly make money from selling used clothing items online? The answer is a resounding yes. As a side business, you can make up to $1,000 or more via Poshmark for example. 

Some people even take the thrifting experience to a whole new level by making their passion for flipping clothes into a career. These people often double as influencers who post about their thrifting finds on multiple social platforms, such as Instagram and Tiktok. Many times these tastemakers also upload YouTube videos in which they explain their finds in more detail or share thrifting tips for others who want to learn. 

The sky is this limit if you have a phone with reliable internet and photo-taking capabilities. Especially if you enjoy being in front of a camera, you can transform mere posting of pictures into becoming a brand yourself.

Takeaways

Thrifting is becoming not only an efficient way to shop or make sales but a means of forming communities and making friends. With thrifting becoming more relevant to many than conventional shopping trends, there’s no reason not to hop on the hype train and see what the fuss is about.