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BY JENNIFER SILVERMAN
If you've set your sights on a resale side hustle or online reselling business from home, you've made a great decision!
Reselling and thrifting are definitely good side hustles!
It's easy to learn the ins and outs for reselling beginners, fun for shopaholics and declutterers, a lucrative creative outlet, and boasts major profit potential.
Ready to start selling your stuff online for profit? You'll need a few tools to put your best foot forward.
From reselling inventory prepping must-haves, to wrapping and shipping supplies, I'll get you set up for resale success!
Keep scrolling to take a gander at a few of my favorite Amazon resale supply essentials for selling clothing, apparel, shoes, accessories, jewelry, household items, and more!
These little beauties are my stain remover secret weapon for fabrics, clothes, and accessories of all kinds. Neutrogena Makeup Remover Wipes not only remove makeup stains, but they eradicate all sorts of pesky spots with minimal effort and no washing machine required. (Plus, they are the easiest and best way to clean shoes!)
Once you sell an item online, you'll want to give it a final once-over to make sure it's in shipshape to prevent returns and keep customers happy.
If you're selling pre-owned clothing, used apparel tends to have a mark or two - typically deodorant or makeup.
These Gal Pals work their magic to remove deodorant and/or makeup stains that may be caked on the surface of fabric. (Adding a few dabs of water makes Gal Pals even more magical.)
If you haven't used a steamer before, no worries. Just keep your hands away from the hot steam and you'll be totally cool. (Get it? Hot...Cool?)
If you're thinking that surely steaming is not necessary to have a successful clothing resale business, think again.
Sure, plenty of sellers do not steam clothes prior to photographing and listing, and their items may sell. However, 9 times out of 10, their inventory will not sell for top dollar.
Due to my background in fashion, I couldn't bear to not steam apparel prior to listing, and even though I was operating from a perfectionist, OCD mentality, it paid off.
We consistently sell our inventory for often substantially more than identical items from other sellers - because our listings are top-notch, and our items look their best. They look more expensive. They look like they're worth more, which warrants a higher price tag. (Steaming clothing also ensures the buyer receives apparel that is not swathed in wrinkles, which makes for happier customers.)
I personally own this exact SALAV standing rolling garment steamer model. It's lightweight but sturdy, extremely well-priced, holds a lot of water, and does a phenomenal job on the steaming front. (Plus, it comes in 3 colors which is always a nice bonus.) The adjustable pole also collapses for easy storage, so the unit takes up a lot less room - a big plus.
Packing your resale clothing sales in plastic will keep them clean and protect them from damage. It's also a professional, polished presentation for customers.
I recommend getting items shipment-ready right after listing online to save time later and prevent any inventory mishaps.
After I list items, I inspect them one more time & hit them with a lint roller. Next, I fold clothing neatly and pack it in clear self-adhesive cellophane bags. Finally, I store the bagged items in bins so they are safe, sound, and ready to ship when purchased.
I recommend both 9x12 bags and 10x14 bags for packing resale clothing sales for shipment. Larger bags can always be folded and taped down if needed, but items like jeans and knitwear or sweaters, do require a roomier option.
As they say, presentation is everything. Once you have neatly folded your sale in the plastic bag above, I've found that taking an extra minute or two to gift wrap your item in tissue paper pays off.
As a customer, opening a box or bag to discover a beautifully wrapped purchase is a memorable, delightful experience.
Buyers often appreciate the extra gift-wrapping effort and are more likely to be pleased with their purchase and leave positive feedback. They're also extra motivated to follow you, favorite you, and purchase from you again. (Also, tissue paper is pretty - reason enough.)
Some resellers who've built huge, full-time, multi employee businesses don't believe in extra touches like tissue paper or thank you notes because their reselling secret sauce is productivity and efficiency.
In fairness, online reselling is indeed a numbers game. I totally respect the maximum efficiency reselling perspective, but you wouldn't believe how many eBay customers in particular have left positive feedback and mentioned my handwritten thank you notes.
For the mere seconds required to write two sentences and sign your name, I find it's another valuable tool in your repeat customer creation toolbox.
Treating all purchases, even small ones, like a luxe gift is usually a touch that buyers appreciate. This thank you note variety is the perfect size to insert in a tissue paper fold and adds a bit of pizazz. Plus, because they're so small, a couple sentences are all you need to shower your customers with gratitude.
If you're seeing a pattern here and think I'm way overdoing it, I absolutely hear you. However, I've had really good results with stickers!
I watched a video early on in my reselling journey about the power of stickers. The expert insisted that stickers remind customers there is a human behind their purchase, which also leads to satisfaction and appreciation - i.e. kinder interactions, positive feedback, and repeat resale customers.
I've found the same in my experience and stand by the stance that stickers etc. are not a waste of time or resources. I use one sticker to seal my tissue paper wrapping and another on the shipping box or bag.
Although this 4x6 shipping label printer is a pretty penny when you're just starting your resale side hustle on eBay, Poshmark, and/or Mercari, it expedites the shipping process so much.
A thermal label printer is certainly not necessary for brand new resellers, but once you get a few sales under your belt, and are serious about your reselling side hustle, a label printer is a good, solid investment.
With a label printer, you'll save on the expenses of tape, printer paper, and printer ink, and it's so nice to be able to stick a label on a package without wasting time and tape.
I own this Rollo Label Printer model and consider it the best thermal label printer for small business shipping at its price point. It's easy to use and set up, has a long lifespan, and works with any brand of label. Plus, the brand's how-to videos are stellar, as is their customer service.
These 4x6 Rollo Thermal Shipping labels are the counterpart to my perfect for reselling thermal label printer pick above. They're perforated, easy to feed into the printer, high-quality, and super sticky. Plus, 500 labels go a really long way. Whether you are shipping online sales with USPS, UPS, or FedEx, these affordable shipping labels do not disappoint.
Shipping the stuff you sell online can get expensive, and keeping costs down is certainly best for resellers and customers.
Here's a resale shipping tip that can save your reselling from home business a lot of money: Polymailers/Poly Mailers are the most affordable shipping packaging.
Polymailer shipping bags are substantially cheaper to ship than boxes, way faster to pack, and store easily. (It's even less expensive to ship a box inside a polymailer bag than just shipping a box!)
Polymailers are also durable and water-resistant. Plus, you have your choice of colors!
I usually purchase 3 sizes of polymailers for my eBay and Mercari resale business shipping needs in 3 different colors so I can quickly discern size when I grab a mailer from my stash. I recommend the 9x12, 10x13, and 12x15.5 polymailer shipping bag size options.
Like the clear plastic bags mentioned above, polymailers can always be folded and taped down to be made smaller if needed. If you plan to sell shoes, knitwear, or outerwear, the larger 12x15.5 size polymailers will definitely come in handy.
If you're reselling on Poshmark, Poshmark exclusively utilizes USPS Priority Mail for shipping, which offers free shipping boxes and envelopes. Since USPS Priority Mail shipping supplies are free of charge, and Poshmark shipping is a flat rate of $7.97 for items 5 lbs. and below, I order a variety of supplies to have on hand for Poshmark sales. (Unlike eBay and Mercari, with Poshmark's flat shipping rates, you'll never have to pay more for using boxes rather than bags for items under 5 lbs.)
There are boatloads of USPS Priority Mail box sizes to choose from, and there is an appropriate box or envelope for any Poshmark item you sell online. In terms of Poshmark envelope options, especially for shipping clothing, I prefer the Priority Mail Flat Rate Padded Envelope. Like polymailers, they store easily and protect items from the elements. They also have extra cushion built-in, which is a nice bonus.
Side Note! Senders are ONLY permitted to use free USPS Priority Mail boxes and supplies when shipping with Priority Mail. Using Priority Mail items when shipping in any other class - like Ground Advantage or First Class, is absolutely prohibited and can get you in big trouble. So, do USPS a solid and only use your complimentary Priority Mail shipping boxes and labels for Poshmark sales.
Scotch Heavy Duty Packaging Tape is the best packing and shipping tape for reselling businesses - in my humble opinion, of course. My go-to Scotch tape is strong, heavy duty, high-quality, and doesn't break into those annoying little pieces when taping up boxes.
The Scotch tape price tag is higher than generic packing tape, but I find it's worth the splurge. It does the job right and I go through a lot less tape when shipping my resale sales.
If you're not reselling on eBay, you may get away with not needing a tape measure. You will, however, definitely need a tape measurer to measure shipping boxes and bags to select the proper shipping label for eBay sales.
This tape measurer is attractive, easy to read, and nice and sturdy. Hey, why settle for a boring tape measure, when you can sport a colorful, stylish version for your reselling business instead, right?
If you plan to resell on eBay, exact weight is also required to calculate shipping rates.
On Mercari, you'll need a general idea of weight to specify the correct and cheapest shipping option.
On Poshmark, you technically don't need exact weight if your package is under 5 lbs. (or 10 lbs. max, which requires an upcharge for an upgraded shipping label). Regardless, I find it's better to be certain, so I weigh all my packages to ensure I won't have any issues with shipping labels.
Not only is this petite digital shipping scale a lovely shade of pink, but it can also weigh packages up to 86 lbs. and offers multiple units of measurement. In addition, it's easy to use and store, and even offers a fold up capability. (By the way, if baby pink is not quite your jam, take your pick from other available color options.)
For eBay sales, I purchase my labels through Pirate Ship. Pirate Ship is free to use and offers discounted rates at UPS & USPS. (There is also a cute pirate motif throughout, which I rather enjoy.) It even integrates with eBay for a seamless process.
I wish you the very best of luck on your resale side hustle journey!
If you're new to the reselling side hustle game, check out this article to get the 411 on which reselling app is best for resale beginners! (FYI, I'm bringing 411 back. You know, in case you're wondering.)
If you have questions about reselling side hustles, or have a hankering to read a blog post about a particular resale side hustle topic, feel free to drop me a line and let me know!
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