Thrifting for profit

[Scribe]

Do any of you/have any of you ever thrifted for profit? While I was digging through the bins at my Goodwill Blue Hanger last night, for the second time in two days, and finding things not for myself but for all manner of others, I was thinking that really, I should try to make money off this. The only way I can really think to do that is to thrift things and then sell them on Ebay, which I've done on occaison, but it's such a pain. The thrifting part is great, but the Ebaying part sucks and so far it hasn't really seemed worth the effort for the scanty profit. Any other ideas on how to profit off thrifting? Or how to make Ebaying more do-able?

ETA: I am guessing right now that if there is money to be made, it's in baby clothes. I can't believe the great baby and toddler clothes I found last night for $1.25 each. So if anybody wants to provide me with a list of hot baby clothes brands, that would be great. I picked up on a few (Janie and Jack is the biggest one), but I'm not really in the baby clothes know, so I might be passing over stuff I should be picking up.

[daekini]

good babe clothes...with high resale value

naartjie
catimini
deux par deux
hanna andersson
sweet potatoes
new potatoes
zutano (doesn't hold up well though)
keedo
tea collection
baby lulu
munki munki (out of biz so hard to find)
peppertoes (boys)


that's all I can think of right now.

oh, and shoes!
elefanten
primigi
naturino
ecco
umi

[Scribe]

Thanks, I'll print that out.

What about the next tier down (Carters, Gymboree, Baby Gap, The Children's Place)? Are those worth trying to resell?

[becoming]

Wanted to add a few:

Cach Cach
Kissy Kissy
Mini Boden
Charlie Rocket
Blueberi Boulevard
Gymboree
Petit Bateau
Petit Patapon
Zackali
Le Top
Wonderboy
Ralph Lauren

I used to thrift for eBay a couple of years ago and am going to start up again one of these days. Just a word of advice about eBay, though -- the summer months are usually reaaaalllly slow for sellers.

[Mama_of_1]

I don't know if it's regional only, but we have a brand here called "Chocolate Soup" that's wonderful at holding up it's quality!

[folkypoet]

I've wondered about this, too. I'm forever finding new-looking pairs of expensive shoes not in my size, or gorgeous baby clothes I have no use for, or cool books/toys/games son has no interest in....

I'd love to know what's easy to thrift and resell (in addition to baby clothes - oh, and thanks for the lists, btw)!

[velochic]

I've never sold anything on Ebay, but I've heard that if you set up an Ebay marketplace, it can be quite profitable. If you have access to high quality items, then I see no reason why you can't make something from it. I'm sure it takes some time, but if you're willing to put in the effort, I think it's great that you could make a profit from it. I know that I personally value only high-quality shoes (Elefanten, Primigi, Ricosta) and will willingly buy them from ebay auctions. Not so much clothes, though.

[1growingsprout]

i do ALOT of ebay... my success has been with GYMBOREE.. the catch is to know the exact name of the line and all the info..
also
polo/ralph lauren
stride rite
nike
any thing french
mulberribush
elefantan (Shoes)

[sanguine_speed]

I really appreciate the "take what you need" philosophy of thrift stores and would personally feel uncomfortable purchasing items with the sole intention of turning a profit.

[fuller2]

Is that the philosophy of thrift stores?? I always thought it was, "Please, buy as much of this stuff as you can, because our storage area is filled to the freaking ceiling!!"

I don't think anyone running a thrift store is going to care if you sell something you got there for a profit. Some of them might be happy about it, even--if anything, they want people who can't afford a lot of new things get a good deal.

Mostly, though, I think they just want all that stuff out of there as soon as possible .

[Denvergirlie]

I sell on eBay and get most of my stock from thrift stores. I don't do much clothing except for vintage dresses, but my $1 vintage dress can bring in $50+ on eBay.

It's a win, win for everyone.

[Scribe]

Originally Posted by sanguine_speed

I really appreciate the "take what you need" philosophy of thrift stores and would personally feel uncomfortable purchasing items with the sole intention of turning a profit.

Well, that's your perogative. But I don't buy it, personally. I mean, if your point is that the profit system is exploitative, I agree, but that's always the case, not just with thrift resale. And in the case of the stores I'm using, the store is literally the last stop pre-landfill, so it is hard to get worked up about depleting their (enormous) stock.

[sanguine_speed]

Originally Posted by avengingophelia

Well, that's your perogative. But I don't buy it, personally. I mean, if your point is that the profit system is exploitative, I agree, but that's always the case, not just with thrift resale. And in the case of the stores I'm using, the store is literally the last stop pre-landfill, so it is hard to get worked up about depleting their (enormous) stock.

Well, I suppose you're right; the store probably doesn't care. But, I see thrift stores as a way out of the everyday exploitative consumerism that is so prevalent. It's what I love about thrift stores.

[Scribe]

I don't disagree with that, and it's one of the reasons I thrift, too. But I still don't see anything wrong with reselling thrifted items. Basically, it amounts to being paid to do the work of scouring through the junk to find the good stuff. It's still environmentally sound (reuse) and still saves money over new items (and doesn't benefit the generally evil companies that make those items).

[Scribe]

So I've decided to do a trial and see if I can make this worthwhile. I picked up a bunch of baby and toddler clothes, about 75 pieces in all, all name brand and in EUC. For those who have done this before, or who buy their own kids stuff from Ebay, do you think it's best to try and sell each thing individually, or to make up lots? Any other advice? I've washed and dried everything already, so I plan to take pictures and write up listings this weekend.

[p.s]

Originally Posted by sanguine_speed

I really appreciate the "take what you need" philosophy of thrift stores and would personally feel uncomfortable purchasing items with the sole intention of turning a profit.

I kind of agree with you. Although I can afford dept stores, I shop at thrift stores b/c I prefer to buy at bargain prices. But I consider thrift stores the one place that people who can't afford higher prices, to score something nice for a great price. So I limit what I buy to what I really need and will use, knowing that if it is a great buy and I don't buy it, someone who does need it will be able to buy it.

[root*children]

Hey! I've been an Ebay seller of children's items (mostly clothes) for the last 4 years. I'm around 630 feedback right now, and profiting quite nicely. It takes a while to find things that really sell for you. I just skimmed by for the first year, hardly making a profit (if at all). Then I found out what really sells *well*, and now try to only sell that. I've also learned many tricks of the trade of being an ebay seller, but am still learning (I don't think it ends - there's always something new to learn there!).

I will have to put out a BIG word of caution and disagree with ANYONE who thinks selling baby clothes is profitable. Even those boutique brands mentioned sell for such a piddly profit in baby sizes. I don't sell ANYTHING under a 2T, with only a few exceptions... I'll sell most smocked items, Hanna or Zutano (I will usually only sell these if they are grouped together as a set/outfit or a couple similar outfits). Though it is hard to pass up a like-new Catimini baby outfit, if it only ends at around $10, what the point? There's just not enough profit there to cover my listing fees, paypal fees, as well as time spent cleaning, ironing, photographing, listing, dealing with questions, and preparing for shipping. Infant sizes are just SO easy to find, that 1) not many moms actually NEED these clothes and 2) the market is saturated with them.

Okay, that being said ... there's many more brands besides those that a PP listed that will do very well. I hate other people's lists . Mainly because what sells for one person might not for you. You just need to find what brands sell well for you. My best advice is at first to only buy things for resale that could also work for your children. So if you get it home and do an ebay search (make "completed auctions" be your new favorite search on ebay) and it doesn't sell well, then nothing lost, because your DC can wear it. Or if you notice alot of a certain brand and it looks like it might sell, go home and do a search on ebay and see if it's actually selling, before you invest your money. You'll get the hang of it and start to find what sells well for you fairly soon. Don't invest much money in things you are unsure about selling.

I don't sell mall brands (gymbo - with some exceptions, but hardly ever, gap, ON, TCP, etc). I only sell boutique.

My best ebayin' tips: buy a postal scale (sold on ebay ). This will allow you to give accurate postage rates, as well as ship from home. If you're selling children's clothing, offer a First Class postage rate (as opposed to Priority). Buyers ARE turned off by high shipping rates. Most children's clothing can be shipped for less than the $4.00 of priority. Take good pictures, and put them on the gallery. And finally, if you're serious about this, go visit the Children's Clothing Discussion boards on Ebay. They are heaped full of great info from many seasoned sellers.

I'm not bragging, but we do well enough with ebay and gpt's (ebay being the majority) that we vacation every other month just with those profits

Feel free to pm me any time with any ebayin' questions!

[root*children]

As far as the thrift store philosophy goes. There's NO shortage of children's clothing out there. I have not yet heard of a thrift store being out of a certain size and parents being unable to clothe their children. The thrift stores WANT you to buy the items! You are supporting a good cause, and they want you to shop there and buy as much as possible.

It's the basic method of our society. Buy something at a low price and resell it for a higher price. Every grocery store does this, every clothing shop, etc. I see no problem with it. The only problem is that if you tell the thrift you are reselling it, they will likely start raising prices!

[root*children]

3rd post in a row!
AvengingOphelia - to lot or not depends on what brands you got. Did you really get 75 pieces? Wow! Hope you do well on it

[Scribe]

Thanks so much for the advice! That's exactly the kind of thing I needed to hear.

I don't actually have kids, so buying stuff in my kids' sizes is out, but my friends are procreating like crazy, so nothing is going to go to waste. And I'm not out to make a big profit, either---not gonna quit my day job, just trying to see if I can cover my own thrifting costs by thrifting & selling.

The more I think about the attitude that thrifting for profit is wrong, the more it irritates me. Thrift stores aren't exactly suffering a deficit of items, at least not in my neck of the woods. Like I said, this stuff is eventually going landfill if nobody buys it--the bin stores I'm shopping at are the end of the line. I see absolutely nothing to feel guilty about.