Table of Contents
How to Sell Clothes on eBay………………………………..…………………6
Sourcing………………………………………………………...……..……………….6
Listing……………………………………………………………………….………….13
Shipping……………………………………………………………………………….17
The Characteristics of Profitable Used Clothing……………………21
Brands to Look For……………………………….………………..…….………27
The 3 Most Common Mistakes………………………………….….…….156
Get in Touch With Us…………………………………………………..……..161
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Hello and welcome! Thank you for buying this eBook! We
hope it will be incredibly valuable for you as you build your
online business. If you haven’t been following us for very long,
we better introduce ourselves so you know who you’re talking
to.
Our Story
When Kirstie (my wife) and I were still in college, I was taking
15 credit hours, working 40-50 hours a week, and then Kirstie
got pregnant…followed by extreme morning sickness. I
needed to come up with a solution - and quickly - that would
allow me to stay home and take care of her. Enter: selling on
eBay. While it wasn't quick, I started selling off things around
our house that we no longer needed (and some we did
need...times were hard...). Within two years, we had grown
our little sideshow into a $100k a year business that gave me
the flexibility to stay home for Kirstie's next pregnancy!
Now we are a family of four – myself, (Seth), my wife Kirstie,
and two beautiful daughters. We sell on eBay full time, Kirstie
has a sewing and DIY Blog, and I do some web design - which
is probably about as much as you care to know!
Now, as much as it hurts my manliness to admit it, if I could
attribute my success on eBay to something, it would be
women's clothing. For the first two years of selling online,
women's clothing made up more than 50% of our sales. It is
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as plentiful as it is profitable in almost every part of the
country (and world for that matter), so if you are interested in
selling clothing on eBay, the women's clothing section is one of
the best places to start. Unfortunately, it is also one of the
most intimidating sections of any thrift store. Rack upon rack
of clothing from more brands than you can possibly imagine.
Even after selling online (mainly eBay) for several years, we
have barely heard of half the brands we come across. Since
it's not effective to look up every single thing you find, we took
the time to put together a list of women's clothing BOLOs! If
you can recognize all the brands on this list, you will very
rarely go home empty-handed from any thrifting expedition.
So, if you're serious about selling used clothing online, check
out our favorite top-selling brands!
You won't find anything like Louis Vuitton or Gucci on this
list. We have done our best to talk about brands you're likely
to find, not just the most expensive brands available. Because
of that, some brands may not be exciting or flashy. While high
dollar sales are fun, these "bread and butter" brands make up
80% of the orders we send out every day. Even after all these
years on eBay, we are learning new brands on a weekly (and
sometimes daily) basis. With that in mind, I firmly believe that
this list will benefit even long-time sellers. However, if you are
just starting out, knowing these 60 brands will put you
MONTHS ahead of the competition! While everyone else is
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struggling to figure out how to find brands that will sell in the
over-saturated clothing market, you will be focused on how to
deal with the influx of inventory and orders!
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How to Sell Clothes on eBay: The Short Version
If you’re here, I assume you already know the drill. However, if
you are a complete beginner, let’s run through how you can
make this eBay business model work for you!
There are really only three steps to succeeding on eBay, so
let’s hit them each hard. Here’s what we’ve got:
1. Sourcing
2. Listing
3. Shipping
The only variable between people who succeed or fail on eBay
is how well they do those three things (and most importantly,
how they do #1).
Sourcing
The entire name of the game on eBay is: buy low and sell high.
If you want to outpace the competition, you need to buy lower,
but in larger quantities, or buy from sources that others can’t.
One of the most common misconceptions when it comes to
sourcing inventory for eBay is that you’re looking for nice and
expensive brands. It’s not true. What you’re actually looking
for are items that are significantly underpriced. This is why
there are sellers who are able to make huge amounts of
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money selling everyday brands that they find at the Goodwill
Outlet. However, no matter what you’re sourcing or from
where - if you can get it for significantly less than what it’s
going for on eBay, you’ll be able to make it!
When we source items, we typically only pick up items that we
can sell on eBay for 4x what we pay for them. This varies
widely by seller (some people are content with less than
doubling their money), but you’ll need to figure out what
works for you. If you pick up lots of items that have a lower
ROI (return on investment), you’ll need to focus on fast-selling
items, or you’ll end up with a ton of money invested in
inventory that doesn’t move.
So where are the best places to source? Well, the real answer
to that question is: the place where no one else is sourcing. If
you can find a novel source of inventory, you will be able to
control the market. However, since such sources are difficult
and time consuming to find, let’s talk about the more common
places where you can find great clothing to sell.
Thrift Stores: Thrift stores are the bread and butter of the
average reseller’s sourcing game. Even after 4 years as full
time sellers, we still get a large portion of our inventory from
thrift stores in our area. However, the influx of resellers at
thrift stores has caused several significant issues:
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● Competition is stiffer than ever. Let’s face it, selling on
eBay has exploded in popularity in the past few years. It
used to be that I could go to a thrift store and take hours
calmly flipping through racks of clothes. Now, however,
there are a dozen different people running after every
new rack as it’s wheeled out. While there are still great
things to find, we are leaving with fewer pieces than ever.
● Thrift stores are cutting out the middle-man (you and
I). Thrift stores have gotten wise to the reselling game
and realized that they are leaving huge amounts of
money on the table. In effect, they realized that every
time someone bought something to sell they were
missing out on money. They responded to this in two
ways: they raised their prices and/or started selling online
as well. So not only do almost all thrift stores recognize
and inflate the prices of “nice” brands, but there are
several Goodwill megastores selling on eBay. Learning
new brands is the best way to stay ahead of the game for
now, but eventually, it’s probably safe to assume that
most for-profit thrift stores won’t be leaving any room for
reseller profit.
● You are limited to what stores are in your area. Ask
any reseller what the best thrift stores in the area are for
luxury goods and they will know. They probably won’t tell
you…but they know. Sourcing from thrift stores in rich
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areas is a common trick for getting the best inventory, but
what if you live in an economically depressed area or just
have very few thrift stores available? Well, you might just
be out of luck and have to source another way! When we
relied only on thrift stores for inventory, we were driving
1,000 miles per week to hit all the thrift stores within 2
hours of ourselves in every direction.
● You have to be on your feet looking for stuff. If you
want to sell on eBay to avoid the rat race, stay out of thrift
stores. Being elbow to elbow with other resellers every
day can make selling on eBay feel just like a busy day at
the office. And if you don’t thrift? You don’t get paid.
Yard Sales: If you live in a yard sale area, you can have way
better luck sourcing there than at thrift stores. In our area,
yard sales are too seasonal to be a consistent source (it’s hard
to have a yard sale in 3 feet of snow) - but, for many people,
they can find enough inventory in a weekend to last an entire
week of listing! Yard sales have many advantages over
thrifting, including:
● Items aren’t cherry picked. You have a much better
chance of being one of the first people at a yard sale than
the first person to see things at a thrift store. Get there
first (or at least early) and you’ll have the run of the yard!
● People have no idea what their stuff is worth. Unless
someone is a professional yard saler, they probably have
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no idea what their stuff is worth. While a thrift store
might price a Merona jacket differently than a Kate Spade
blazer, at a yard sale you’ll probably just see a sign that
says, “Tops: $3”
● You can get bundle deals and make offers. This past
summer I was at a yard sale and there was a table
covered in Star Trek VHSs. They wanted $2 apiece, but I
offered $50 for the entire lot (about 70 tapes) and they
accepted! You might have to have some thick skin to
make offers, but you’ll find that people are usually nice
and eager to just have things gone!
Plato’s Closet (and other used clothing boutiques): While
the profit margins are lower, we have had great luck shopping
at used clothing boutiques. On sale days we have scored NWT
luxury items for 90% off the already low price (which means
95%+ off of retail).
Online Arbitrage: If you want to source inventory from your
computer chair, you can do it! Online arbitrage follows the
same “buy low” principle that sourcing in person does. If you
are unsure where to begin, resellers have had luck in these
areas (plus many more):
● Clearance from outlets/brand websites. Many brands do
end of season clearance where you can get close out
items for 75% or more off of retail. If you can stack
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coupons or get free shipping, it is possible to do even
better!
● eBay Auctions: It is possible to find extremely
underpriced items on eBay without much effort. I have
bought items and sold them for 10x as much within a
couple days. Look for items that are mislisted, have
misspellings, terrible pictures, etc. Another honey hole is
items with a high price but low demand (such as vintage
or antique items) that are put on auction.
Retail Arbitrage: Every time I shop (in the real world), I try to
find something I can resell to offset the cost of what I’m
buying. Checking the clearance racks can be very profitable
anywhere from Walmart to Best Buy. Also be sure to check
out stores that are really just closeout centers, such as Ross,
Nordstrom Rack, and TJ Maxx.
Craigslist/FB Marketplace: If you have specific things you
like to sell, then looking at online marketplaces can be a great
source of inventory. For example, back when Lularoe used to
be a great seller, we routinely would buy large lots of leggings
and dresses off of Facebook Marketplace. If you are looking
for higher end or more specific items, it may be worth your
time to actually post ads of your own stating what you’re
looking for and offering to pay cash!
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Buying Direct: If you have a significant amount of money to
invest, buying direct from companies can offer the best
inventory at the lowest possible price. What does this mean?
Well, you would approach a company - let’s say, Nordstrom
Rack - and offer to buy their excess inventory. This might
mean you end up paying $100,000 for 4 semi loads of clothing,
but if you can handle it, then do it!
Liquidation Auctions: If you (like me) can’t afford to buy
direct, liquidation auctions can be the next best things. People
who can afford to buy direct buy large loads, sort and group
items, and then sell them in smaller lots. Because they got
such a good deal, they are still able to offer items at 80% or so
off of retail. If you’re interested in liquidation, there are
dozens of companies out there doing it now - just be sure to
put in your due diligence before buying/bidding!
Family members: Don’t be afraid to tell people what you do!
I’ll admit it does feel a bit odd at first, but we have gotten
inventory from several family members who were otherwise
going to throw away or donate their stuff. Just be sure to tell
them the whole truth about what you do so you can avoid the
awkwardness of telling them that they don’t have anything
worth selling.
Your own closet: Your own closet is probably the best place
to find stuff to sell! I typically only buy things for myself if
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they’re a good enough deal to resell and end up cycling
through everything in my closet every year or so. If you’re just
getting started on eBay, practice selling your own items first!
There are literally a dozen other places to source inventory for
selling online and you are really only limited by your creativity.
Look around and get thinking about what unique ways you
can source items!
Listing
If I could choose my favorite part of selling on eBay, it would
not be listing. Getting paid and sourcing inventory would both
come before it. However, listing is where the rubber meets
the road. No listings, no sales.
So if you have mastered the art of acquiring inventory, your
income will now be limited by how fast you can complete a
high quality listing. While some sellers are capable of listing 50
or more items per day, this is highly unusual. In my opinion,
you are typically better off to source better items, create
higher quality listings, and shoot for 10-20 listings per day.
Our current ASP (average sale price) is $48, and we have a goal
to list 10 items per day. While we could probably push harder,
this is enough to ensure that we stay about $12k per month in
eBay sales.
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So what’s involved in the listing process? Well, it depends what
level you’re at!
However, here’s a terrible secret: no matter what level you’re
at, the listing process is very similar. Sellers who have 5,000
active listings haven’t figured out something magical, they’ve
just put their nose to the grindstone long enough that they are
able to get a little faster every time. When I first started, I was
lucky to list 10 items in a full day. Now, 20-30 isn’t out of the
question. So let’s talk about a few common areas where you
can shave minutes off your listing time and get more items up
for sale!
1. Master Your “Death-Pile” Storage. Storing non-listed
items properly will do a great deal to expedite your listing
process. First of all, get your pile off of the ground. No
serious business stores their items in a pile. Get a rack to
hang things on. This will let you see what you have and
stop things from getting wrinkled/dirty. Next, don’t
cherry pick your items. When you source new inventory,
hang it at the back of the rack. Only pull off one item at a
time from the front. Take it off, and if you’re not going to
list it, re-donate it. The only exception to this is #2….
2. List similar items at the same time. If you want to get
fast, you must think of your listing as a production line.
Do one thing at a time, do it well, and then move on. So
picture all your tops, then move on to pants, etc.
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3. Have dedicated areas for work flow. If you have the
space, have a dedicated place where you picture items,
where you measure/do inventory/etc. Being able to
move inventory through a physical system will help you
be efficient.
4. Master your photo stream. Taking pictures is one of
the most important and time consuming parts of listing
on eBay. If you’re just starting out, feel free to use your
phone. We only started using cameras in the past year or
two, and made hundreds of thousands of dollars from
our iPhones.
5. Have a “copy and paste” description. Unless you’re
selling on Poshmark, writing a unique description for
clothing items is a giant time-suck. Most people know
what they want, they can see what your item is, and just
want the specifics. People say that your description is
your chance to “sell your product,” but I have seen no
difference in clothing sales when I use a generic,
copy/paste description.
6. Use standard weights (or flat rates) for shipping.
While we have never weighed every single item while
listing, some sellers do. In the interest of speed, we
typically estimate the weight, offer free shipping, or use
flat rate.
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7. Don’t use a mannequin if you don’t need it. We went
through a phase where we thought that, in order to be
professional and increase sales, every piece of clothing
should be on a mannequin. It looks better that way,
right? Wrong. Unless you’re selling very high-end clothes
on a mannequin that is just the right size, things will
almost always look better on a hanger or flat lay. Your
pictures may look nice, but remember, speed is of the
essence and dressing a mannequin 20 times a day is not
a great use of time.
8. Don’t overthink it. Just get it listed! If your item doesn’t
sell, you can always tweak the listing later. If someone
wants it, they’ll buy it.
9. Be consistent. You don’t have to actually list every day,
but set some goals and be sure to smash them! Listing
every day might be helpful for keeping you motivated, but
the number of listings you have live is much more
important. We have a weekly listing goal and typically list
only 3 days a week, preferring to dedicate the other days
to sourcing, listing, shipping, etc.
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Shipping
Shipping eBay orders is one of those things that you simply
have to do to figure out. So I’ll assume, as I have with
everything else so far, that you already have a working
knowledge of how it works and just share tips. So here we go!
● Don’t offer 1 day handling unless it works for you. We
have 3 days of handling time on all of our listings.
Because we are a two person team, there are many
instances where we can’t get things out very fast. If we
had 1 or even 2 days of handling time, we would quickly
lose our Top Rated Seller Status. 3 days gives us some
breathing room if we’re busy, can’t find something in
storage, need a special box, or just don’t feel like shipping
that day. In three years, we have had to explain this to
several buyers who wondered why we hadn’t shipped yet
- but we have never received negative feedback because
of it!
● Get the right supplies. If you want to take eBay
seriously, get a thermal printer, at least 2 sizes of poly-
mailers, and a stack of free USPS boxes.
● Use a variety of carriers. When we first started selling,
we shipped everything via USPS. Dumb. We lost a ton of
money by not price checking with other carriers. Now,
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eBay does this for you automatically on the shipping
page, but don’t be afraid to ship UPS or FedEx!
● Schedule pick up. Personally, I like going to the Post
Office every day. It gets me out of the house, I get to talk
to the people who handle my packages, and I can make
sure they’re scanned in on the spot. However, if you are
having consistent sales and don’t want to make the trip,
you can save time by scheduling a daily pickup (or
biweekly, weekly, etc.) from your mail man.
● If you can source it, you can ship it. We pick up a ton of
bulky items that other resellers pass up because they
don’t want to ship them. Think of it this way: everything
ships in a box. If you have a bigger item, just get a bigger
box. We have shipped rolling chairs, golf bags,
commercial juicers, and even a 200 piece china set.
● Get free materials when possible. We have several
family members and friends that save boxes for us, we
get some from a local thrift store, and I’m never too
proud to pull a box out of a dumpster. A dollar saved on
shipping supplies is a dollar of profit increase!
● Ship as professionally as possible. Receiving your
package will be one of your customer’s most important
impressions of you and will be your only physical
interaction with them. If you’re shipping items in diaper
boxes with plastic bags as padding, it might taint their
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perception and affect your feedback. If you are a
business, ship like one!
● Don’t feel bad if you overcharge a bit for shipping. I’m
always confused by people who refund shipping if they
overcharge. Your customer was willing to pay that price,
and when you inevitably undercharge for shipping, you
don’t have the option of charging more. It all evens out in
the end.
● Use free shipping judiciously. From my own
experiments (and others I’ve read), free shipping doesn’t
equate to a large increase in sales. Most people
understand needing to pay for shipping. Free shipping is
a great tool, but calculated shipping is our go-to!
● Over-due shipments kill listing exposure. If you have
an overdue shipment, your sales will stop in their tracks.
Ship fast and keep a long enough handling time that you
don’t have even a single shipment that isn’t scanned in on
time.
● Either ship from eBay or add tracking ASAP. If you ship
from eBay, your tracking will be emailed to the buyer
automatically. If you don’t, be sure to upload it quick so
eBay knows that the item has been shipped.
● Don’t be afraid of shipping internationally…unless
you just don’t want to. Shipping internationally is easy.
Especially with eBay’s Global Shipping Program.
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Sometimes shipping internationally just hasn’t been
worth our time (for big, very fragile, or cheap items), but
don’t be afraid to ship items outside your country! It goes
in a box and gets an address the same as anything else!
Now you’re a sourcing, listing, and shipping pro! And since
those basics are out of the way, let’s talk about the foundation
of all used clothing sales. The common veins that make used
items valuable. No matter the brand, this is the framework
that we use for evaluating pieces we find while sourcing. Don’t
skip over the next section, because there are literally millions
of clothing brands - knowing how to recognize value is more
important in the long fun than just recognizing certain labels.
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The 5 Characteristics of Profitable
Used Clothing
I spent almost an hour sitting at my desk trying to come up
with a super cool acronym that would contain these 5 selling
points. I came up dry. So I asked Kirstie...and she came up dry
too. The best we could come up with was BMMPS. Just say it
like "Bumps." Does your clothing have bumps?!
The selling price for any clothing on eBay (or any other item,
for that matter) is made up of a combination of these 5
items. Each one of them plays a valuable role in deciding what
you should source, how much you should pay, and how much
you can profit!
B - BRAND
Brand is always the first thing people look for when deciding
what to sell, and for good reason. The resale value of an item
is often (but not always) linked to how much the item cost
when new. When we are going through clothing racks, we
typically are looking for brands only. We look up items that
seem unusual or especially nice, but no one can argue - the
more brands you know as a reseller, the more money you can
make. You simply don't have time to look everything up, so
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get to know a bunch of brands and you'll have the advantage
over the competition who is digging through the rack next to
you. For example, Kirstie and I were recently at a thrift store
and our competition showed up in a big way. There is a guy
who must consider himself the Lord of the Store because he
shows up at opening and usually stays until close. This
particular day he must have taken his vitamins, because when
a new rack of clothing or items came out, he was literally
jogging after it to get there first. When a rack of men's
clothing came out, he ran over before I could get to it and
went through the rack as fast as he could, pulling out a single
button down (The Territory Ahead from the look of it). I've
been reselling long enough to know that very few people are
actually good at what they are doing, so I went through the
rack anyway. The first item on the rack was a 100% cashmere
blazer from Brioni which retails for just over $7,000. A bit
further along I pulled out an Arc'Teryx t-shirt and an
Abercrombie & Fitch Muscle fit shirt. While they guy was
definitely putting in the time, he hadn't put in the work to
learn anything beforehand and was coming up empty time
and time again. Know your brands!
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M - MATERIAL
There are times when we will look up an item based only on
the material, or even buy an item with no brand just because
we know someone will purchase it based on material
alone. Typically, this is because the material in and of itself is
very expensive to make/purchase. Be sure to look up any
brand or items when you see the following on the materials
tag:
● Cashmere
● Angora
● Merino Wool
● GoreTex
● Goose Down
M – MARKET
Two years ago I found an
incredibly rare skirt while
sourcing at Ross. It was a
limited edition wool and
leather tennis skirt from a
very limited collaboration
that Nike did with sacai.
The skirt retailed for $500
and I picked it up for a
steal, paying only $40. I
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priced it at $300 and let it sit, and sit, and sit. I got no
interest. So I took some new pictures and fixed the titles. Still
nothing. After a solid year of dropping the price, the skirt
finally sold, for $29.99 plus shipping. I didn't even manage to
make my original money back, let alone the time spent
sourcing, photographing, and shipping the stupid thing. Had I
done some more research, I would have realized something:
no matter how much the MSRP is on something, the value of a
used item is decided 100% by the market. When you become
more familiar with market trends, you will recognize that some
brands hold their value extremely well (Patagonia, Redwing,
Mammut, Harley, etc.) while others with high retail values are
worth almost nothing on the used market. The lesson here is
not to be scared of investing time and money, but to be
methodical and careful in researching the items that you buy
(not just pulling the trigger on a whim like I did).
P - PURCHASE PRICE
Many people who are new to reselling make the mistake of
thinking that they are simply looking for the most expensive
brands they can find. Unfortunately, most of the really
expensive brands are known to thrift stores these days and
such items are typically quite expensive. People who are
looking only for expensive brands end up doing things like
pulling off tags, switching prices, etc. (bad juju...don't do
that...). If you want to be successful on eBay, understand this
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basic principle: your goal is not to find expensive items, your
goal is to find under-priced items. You may have to pass on
the Eileen Fisher Cardigan that retails for $200, but was
recognized by the thrift store and priced at $29.99. The boring
Levi's however, that are priced at $2.99, might be a better
purchase. Not that it's a better item, the pricing just leaves
more room for profit.
S - STYLE
If you sell on a fashion-centric platform such as Poshmark,
style may be one of your biggest deciding factors. I know
many Poshmark sellers whose only criterion for buying an
item is, "Would I wear it?" Unfortunately, my cuteness meter is
unreliable. I'm sure my meter is just out of whack because I
spend so much time around my insanely cute wife and
daughters, but I never source based on style alone. The time
when style comes into play on eBay is when it is coupled with
another of the BMMPS criteria. For example, when sourcing
recently, I found a St. John Blazer for $19.99. It was a vintage
piece that was poop brown, oversized, and (in my opinion and
the opinion of every sensible person in the world) absolutely
hideous. Despite that fact that the brand was good, it was not
a current or desirable enough style to make me part with my
cash. No matter how well-priced something is or how amazing
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the brand can be, there is not actually a market for
everything. If something is so out of style that no one wants it,
don't try and convince yourself otherwise. Put it back on the
rack and move on!
Violating any of the principles in BMMPS leads to lost
profits. At best, you will be working inefficiently and leaving
money on the table. At worst, your eBay store will slowly
shrivel and die.
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Brands to Look For
Now that we have a pretty good handle on what we are and
aren't looking for, let's get into the actual meat of things (or
tofu, if you roll that way). Being able to recognize brands is
incredibly important for any seller. Since knowing more
brands translates into having more sales and more profits,
let's get going on building your business! The following brands
aren't in any particular order, but I can guarantee that if you
familiarize yourself with all of them, you will be lapping other
sellers in no time.
In each of the brand synopses, we included a category called
“Resale Value.” We chose to be as simple as possible and just
give everything a value of Low, Medium, High, or a mix of
those. These are just meant to be a general guideline and not
as gospel.
What’s more - don’t take our word for it, but be sure to do
your own research on each item before buying! Even the best
brands have duds, and some dud brands will have items that
will sell quickly for great money.
So, while these brands are a great starting place, be sure to
trust your gut and look up anything that seems interesting!
Let’s talk brands!
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1. EILEEN FISHER
Most Common Types of Clothing: Blazers, tops, sweaters,
dresses, and slacks.
What to Look For: The most profitable Eileen Fisher pieces
are typically ones that are the most trendy or current. The
brand name doesn’t have enough clout to make older and
dated pieces valuable. Keep a special look out for pieces
current enough that you can still find them on Google (using
the style number). Then, you will be assured that they are
current and you can use a stock photo!
The Current Market Outlook: Eileen Fisher is a popular
enough brand that we often look for it outside of thrift stores
(e.g. at Nordstrom Rack). Because it is both popular and
expensive, the market for gently used pieces is huge. The
market has dropped off a bit due to saturation but, unless the
piece is overpriced, we almost always pick up Eileen Fisher
pieces.
Resale Value: Medium-High
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2. FLAX
Most Common Types of Clothing: Dresses, skirts, and
rompers.
What to Look For: If you aren’t familiar with it already, you’ll
quickly come to know the look of linen just by thrifting.
Because their clothing is made of linen (which comes from
flax, shocking I know), you typically won’t find any flamboyant
colors. While there are some vintage tie-dye pieces, current
trends dictate that their recent pieces are subdued whites,
grays, browns, etc. Their linen overalls are, without a doubt,
their most popular items (some people list them as rompers
but let's be real, they're overalls), and can sell for over $200 in
used condition. Otherwise, style doesn’t seem to matter much
and if the item is large but damaged, people may still buy it
just for the fabric.
The FLAX tag may alternatively read FLAX DESIGNS and vintage
pieces often say: FLAX by Jeanne Engelhart (she was their lead
designer in yesteryear. Now she has changed her name to
Jeanne Angelheart and specializes in crazy).
The Current Market Outlook: Flax is an unusual enough
brand that we have had no problems moving it in the current
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market. We only find a couple pieces per month, so the market
is unlikely to get saturated anytime soon.
Resale Value: Medium-High
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3. FREE PEOPLE
Most Common Types of Clothing: Tops, blazers, cardigans,
sweaters, etc.
What to Look For: In 2001, Free People went through a
radical redesign in an attempt to get rid of its "Junior"
stereotype. Now, they describe their perfect customer as "a
26-year-old girl, smart, creative, confident and comfortable in
all aspects of her being, free and adventurous, sweet to tough
to tomboy to romantic." With that in mind, look for bright
florals, sheer fabrics, and crazy boho designs. Beaded designs
are some of the more valuable that can be had, while basic
shirts typically won’t even bring in $10. When you see the
characteristic little metal brand tag, be sure to check twice
since there are many knock-offs now using the same type of
labels. Also, be on the lookout for sub-brands of Free People
such as We The Free.
The Current Market Outlook: Free People has been one of
the brands that was hit the hardest by the massive influx of
resellers. While complex and unusual items still do well, most
thrift stores know the brand and basic tops can cost $10 or
more, totally ruining the chance you have for any profit.
Resale Value: Low-Medium
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4. DALE OF NORWAY
Most Common Types of Clothing: Cardigans and pull-over
sweaters
What to Look For: Look for wool knit Christmas-y type
patterns. The brighter the colors, the more the sweater is
typically worth. Women’s sweaters are much more common,
which means they’re worth much less. We find a couple
women’s sweaters a month, but have only found a handful of
men’s sweaters in years of thrifting. The men's sweaters sold
almost instantly for over $100 apiece, so we won’t complain
too much. But I sure wouldn’t mind more of them!
The only places we’ve managed to find Dale of Norway pieces
are estate sales and thrift stores. Be very aware of flaws, as
wool tends to have moth/wear holes which are hard to see.
Also be on the lookout for sweaters from Fjallraven, Oleana,
and Skjaeveland. L.L. Bean also has a line of sweaters made in
Norway which are valuable for resale. Finding out if a sweater
is Norwegian wool is simple, as it is a high-end product and is
always marked either near the brand tag or materials tag.
The Current Market Outlook: Brands like Dale of Norway can
weather any market. They’ve been around for so long and
have made a reputation built on quality items, that many
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people will still pay top dollar for their sweaters - even old
ones. While the market has dropped off a little bit for old
cardigans, anything that is brightly colored, unusual, or current
still sells very well. Most pieces that you find will be vintage
and worth around $40.
Resale Value: Medium-High
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5. DIANE VON
FURSTENBERG
Most Common Types of Clothing: Dresses, business casual
wear
What to Look For: Diane Von Furstenberg is best known for
its iconic wrap dress, but creates clothing ranging from
business casual, to trendy party dresses, to $1,000 coats and
gowns. Their items can really only be found by checking tags,
as the style is not easily discernible from dozens of others
you'll find. Dresses usually sell for $100+, but this is heavily
influenced by current styles and simply how cute the dress is.
Tops generally fall in the $20-40 range in good, pre-owned
condition.
The Current Market Outlook: If something is basic and in
plentiful supply, you can bet that it isn’t worth much. So, be on
the lookout for eye-catching pieces. Diane von Furstenberg
pieces in bright colors, good fabrics (such as silk), and more
expensive pieces like trench coats and full dresses still do well
in the market.
Resale Value: Medium
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6. WILSONS LEATHER
Most Common Types of Clothing: Leather goods (mostly
jackets, but also look for pants, skirts, vests, etc.)
What to Look For: Wilson's Leather Jackets are probably the
most common brand of leather jackets we find at thrift
stores. The majority of them are similar, ill-fitting jackets from
the early 90's and have very little resale value. The notable
exceptions are jackets of unusual colors or design, and jackets
with a history. Fringe, beads, embroidery, and feminine colors
all make for winning finds.
The Current Market Outlook: The market will never be
saturated with high quality, unusual products. Leave the
traditional, boring leather jackets on the rack (since they're
typically overpriced anyway), and keep your eyes open for the
gems. When you find something unusual, price it high and
content yourself knowing that the right buyer will come along
eventually. We just sold a purple Wilson’s jacket for $200 (we
paid 6), but it took over a year.
Resale Value: Medium-High
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7. RISING
INTERNATIONAL
Most Common Types of Clothing: Jackets, purses, dresses,
tops
What to Look For: You know the style: purses and jackets that
look like they’ve been stitched together by a hippie out of
colorful rags. Look for hoodies, jackets, dresses, and bags - the
more colorful and distressed the better. Also, 3D
embellishments (such as flowers) add value.
The Current Market Outlook: Despite what many low-ballers
seem to think, the market for Rising International remains
excellent. People routinely price jackets and sweaters under
$20, but if you take good pictures and price at $30-$35, as we
do, buyers always seem to come. Because every piece is so
different, if somebody wants your specific pattern and style,
they are willing to pay to get it.
Resale Value: Low-Medium
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8. MOSCHINO
Most Common Types of Clothing: Full-line of women’s wear
with a focus on higher fashion
What to Look For: Keep an eye out for the brand tag that says
“Moschino” on it. I wish I could be more helpful here, but the
only time we’ve found anything of this brand, it’s because
we’ve been checking all the brands on a rack. Pieces are so
varied, it’s hard to nail down a style to look for. As far as brand
names go, there are three main lines made by Moschino that
you could possibly find:
● Moschino - This is the main line of both men's and
women's clothing. It is the most exclusive and difficult to
find.
● Moschino Cheap and Chic - This is a secondary women's
line. It is typically more ready-to-wear fashion at a more
accessible price. Post-2014, this line changed to the
name Moschino Boutique.
● Love Moschino - This is the diffusion line that makes both
men's and women's clothes. It is the least valuable line
and one that you'll want to do research on before
buying. From 1986-2008 this line was known as
Moschino Jeans.
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The Current Market Outlook: Moschino items are very
difficult to find, and so hold their value very well. We only find
a piece every month or two, but when we do, we price it high
and wait for the right buyer to come along. Because the items
are unusual and are kind of rare at thrift stores, it is unlikely
that the market will become saturated anytime soon.
However, the lower-end the line, the less value it holds.
Resale Value: High
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9. PENDLETON
Most Common Types of Clothing: Button-downs, jackets,
blazers
What to Look For: Everyday vintage Pendleton wear is not of
much worth to the everyday reseller. The real money is in
Western Wear, colorful sweaters, plaid shirts, and jackets.
Keep an eye out for Aztec and Southwestern prints in bright
colors. Also, we’ve only ever found them at thrift stores, but
Pendleton wool blankets (particularly limited edition runs) can
be found at estate sales and antique malls. We don’t bother
picking up dated (1980’s-esque) blazers or jackets.
The Current Market Outlook: It used to be that anything with
the name Pendleton on it could sell well on eBay.
Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. Pieces that are drab
in color and/or are totally out of style are very, very difficult to
sell. However, the price for brightly colored and patterned
pieces has actually gone up due to the increased brand
awareness. Highly desirable period pieces are hard to find,
but if you intentionally source for them at antique malls,
estate sales, and online, you will find them.
Resale Value: Medium
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10. HARLEY DAVIDSON
Most Common Types of Clothing: Jackets, pants, shirts, vests
What to Look For: Vintage and leather. I’ve seen vintage
Harley shirts with crass sayings on them go for over $300 on
auction - the more offensive the better. If it’s old, someone
wants it. If it’s leather, someone wants it whether it’s old or
not. We’ve sold leather vests, pants, and jackets. The more
valuable ones will have some sort of embroidery, a large logo,
or other decoration.
The Current Market Outlook: Depending on the season,
riding gear and lifestyle motorcycle gear is a very hot market.
T-shirts don’t hold their value well unless they have great
content or are vintage. Riding gear, boots, and other leather
items hold their value very well. Its high-quality leather items
are usually priced high at thrift stores, but we double or triple
our money on leather riding jackets that we find on craigslist
all the time. While tripling your money isn’t very exciting when
you’re at the Goodwill Bins, when you’re talking about buying a
jacket for $100 and selling it for $300, it gets a lot more
interesting.
Resale Value: Medium
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11. VICTORIA'S
SECRET
Most Common Types of Clothing: Athletic leggings, shirts,
jackets
What to Look For: It used to be that looking for the Victoria’s
Secret logo or a giant “LOVE” was the fastest way to find
Victoria’s Secret clothing. While this is still true, there have
been lots of companies that have ripped off the VS style. We
typically look for the dog logo and the Victoria’s Secret spelled-
out logo on hoodies and jackets. When it comes to value - the
bigger the logo, the more the piece is worth. It seems that the
main reason people wear Victoria’s Secret is that so other
people know they are wearing Victoria’s Secret. So the more
obvious the clothing makes it, the more we ask for it. Pretty
much the entire gamut of Victoria’s Secret clothing is valuable;
including leggings, workout tops, bras, swimsuits, sweaters,
hoodies, jackets, etc.
The Current Market Outlook: The market for quality
Victoria’s Secret pieces is very hot right now. However, the
profit margins are not high. We classify VS pieces as “bread
and butter” and try to move them quickly. Also, we have
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found that Victoria’s Secret is selling better on Mercari than
eBay at the moment.
Resale Value: Low
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12. MICHAEL KORS
Most Common Types of Clothing: Full line of women’s wear
What to Look For: Michael Kors makes not only women's and
men's clothing, but accessories, jewelry, footwear and
fragrances. While men's clothing tends to sell more quickly,
since this is a "women's clothing" eBook... be sure to keep an
eye open for purses, jackets, and dresses.
The Current Market Outlook: As it is one of the most well-
known and accessible “luxury” brands, The Michael Kors
market has been severely diluted lately. A lot of resellers will
not even pick up Michael Kors pieces unless they are new with
tags, or something besides the basic MICHAEL Michael Kors
line. We will still pick up Michael Kors pieces, but only Jackets
or dresses that seem particularly cute or nice.
Resale Value: Low-Medium
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13. TORY BURCH
Most Common Types of Clothing: Tops, blazers, dresses
What to Look For: If there is anyone who is proud of their
logo, its Tory Burch. They favor huge, easily noticeable brand
tags and often emboss their logo on their purses and shoes. If
you're checking tags, you can't miss it. Unfortunately, thrift
stores rarely miss it either - so expect to pay up. While it's
more rare than Burberry, be aware that there are many Tory
Burch fakes out there, particularly in footwear and purses.
The Current Market Outlook: Tory Burch items are a rare
find at thrift stores and pretty much anything you find will be
worth picking up. Used items typically hold their value well
enough that we also source Tory Burch online (on Facebook
Marketplace, Craigslist, etc.).
Resale Value: Medium-High
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14. BURBERRY
Most Common Types of Clothing: Shirts, blazers, and trench
coats
What to Look For: Because Burberry has been around for so
long, it is not as uncommon as you'd think to find pieces at
everyday thrift stores. However, we only find a couple genuine
pieces for the hundreds of knock-offs that we find. Be
extremely careful and try to authenticate what you have
*before* buying, as you can't sell fakes. Look for the famous
Burberry Nova Check on all sorts of clothing, scarves, shirts,
and the iconic trench. If you’ve got time to kill, we’ve also
found Burberry glasses (frames) by going through the large
bin of glasses you find at every thrift store.
Also watch for Burberry's lowest clothing line: Burberry Brit.
The Current Market Outlook: The easier an item is to find,
the less it ends up being worth. Because of this, the vintage
Burberry Trench has been hit the hardest. But even with the
current level of saturation, you can expect trenches to sell for
$100+ and t-shirts for $50 or more.
Resale Value: High
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15. ST. JOHN
Most Common Types of Clothing: Sweaters, blazers, and
dresses
What to Look For: While St. John is best known for knit
clothing, they make a full range of women's wear - including
dresses, coats, business attire, shoes, etc. Because St. John
tends toward business and fashion wear, don't bother looking
for it in the t-shirt and athletic gear section. Instead, you'll
have to be checking tags in the dresses and blazers to come
across anything.
The Current Market Outlook: A few years ago, there was
such a dearth of high-end used clothing, that people would
pay high prices for St. John items even if they were out of style
or in poor condition. There is much more competition on the
market now, and things that are basic or out of style typically
do not sell. These are the typical items we find, and while we
will still pick them up if they’re cheap, we typically can’t get
more than $20-30 for them. St. John is one of the few high-
end brands that we don't intentionally source for locally. A
few years ago I bought a new with tags St. John dress that
retailed for $1240. I haggled down to $150 and expected to
flip it for $500+. Even though it was a good and current style it
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took over a year to sell and ended up going for $119.95 with
one bid when we started it on auction.
Resale Value: Medium
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16. BODEN
Most Common Types of Clothing: Dresses, tops, and
outerwear
What to Look For: Boden makes trendy, "chic" styles. Look for
brightly patterned or unusually cute dresses, jackets, skirts, and
tops. When I find Boden clothing, it's typically because something unusual
has caught my eye and I'm checking to see if it's an Anthropologie piece.
Boden also makes a lot of linen pieces, so if you see something linen,
check that brand! (Which you should be doing anyway…)
The Current Market Outlook: Boden items were never amazing
sellers, so the market hasn't changed that much. We pick up especially
cute items and add them to our bread and butter stock.
Resale Value: Low-Medium
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17. CARHARTT
Most Common Types of Clothing: Jackets, vests, scrubs
What to Look For: Growing up a rural town, I considered
Carhartt to be high fashion at a young age and everyone is
highschool agreed with me! However true or not this may be...
since items are surprisingly expensive, they remain good
sellers on eBay. While Carhartt actually makes a wide range of
clothing, we only look for 3 things in the women's section:
Workwear, hoodies, and scrubs (yes, medical scrubs).
The Current Market Outlook: The market for used workwear
is huge, especially for Carhartt, as it has become more
lifestyle-wear than just work attire. Interestingly, people will
often pay just as much for a used Carhartt piece as a new one.
There is a stigma attached to being the person wearing a
brand new, crispy Carhartt jacket on a job-site. We do avoid
most T-shirts, but don’t be scared of jackets or pants that are
beat up, stained, etc. because people want them!
Resale Value: Medium
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18. LANDS’ END
Most Common Types of Clothing: Coats and tops
What to Look For: Land’s End was one of those brands that
we always saw, but never picked up until recently. I happened
upon a Lands' End down trench coat at the Goodwill outlet
and picked it up just because it was down. It sold the next day
for around $50 and made us wonder what we had been
missing out on this whole time! Ignore basic shirts, but pick up
coats, trenches, etc.
The Current Market Outlook: The market will never be
saturated with high quality goods. So if you’re finding great
pieces, such as parkas, current style trench coats, and down
jackets, people will buy them. If it is the type of piece that they
could find at any thrift store, such as Land’s End blazers,
blouses, etc., they will be sitting in your inventory for a long
time.
Resale Value: Low-medium
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19. ETCETERA
Most Common Types of Clothing: Dresses, skirts, and tops
What to Look For: ETCETERA defines itself as "Classic with a
Modern Twist." Unfortunately, this translates to "difficult to
identify because they don’t have a strong identity." You should
be identifying and checking the tags on trendy items anyway,
so that is the most common way you'll find ETCETERA.
The Current Market Outlook: Etcetera is an unusual brand
with a loyal following. The market has slowed down recently
and this has become more of a bread and butter brand, but
we still pick it up whenever we can!
Resale Value: Low-Medium
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20. LIFE IS GOOD
Most Common Types of Clothing: Hats, shirts, hoodies, and
jackets
What to Look For: You probably won't find any Life is Good
items by just walking down an aisle, as they tend to blend in. If
you're going through everything on a rack however, you'll
quickly learn to recognize their small clip-art style logos with
quirky sayings. The resale value of t-shirts is pretty low unless
they have an unusually good saying on them, but stay on the
lookout for hoodies, jackets, and hats.
The Current Market Outlook: The market has really fallen for
Life is Good pieces recently. While we’re still moving items,
they are typically only the “better pieces” with large or
excessively cute logos. Our hats and shirts have been selling in
the $10-15 range and jackets a bit more.
Resale Value: Low
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21. LILLY PULITZER
Most Common Types of Clothing: Button-up shirts, shorts,
pants, and blazers.
What to Look For: Lilly Pulitzer is a bright, fun, high-end
brand which can be extremely profitable to resell. Because of
its popularity in high society, Lilly Pulitzer has earned the title
"Queen of Prep." Look for bright florals and geometric
patterns when sourcing for Lilly Pulitzer items. People love
bright florals, so we check the brand of all bright items that we
see, and if they are a halfway decent brand, pick them up. Lilly
Pulitzer items are incredibly difficult to find in our area, but we
see people who regularly find items both in thrift stores and at
the Goodwill outlet. The most common pieces that we find are
button down shirts and they sell very well. Lilly Pullitzer for
Target pieces can be profitable, but be sure to look them up as
they typically don't sell for as much as the main line.
The Current Market Outlook: As we don’t find pieces very
often, I can’t comment on how the market has changed. I can,
however, say that the pieces that we do find typically sell in the
$20-$40 range for a basic button front shirt.
Resale Value: Low-Medium
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22. CHRISTIAN DIOR
Most Common Types of Clothing: Tops, blazers, dress pants
What to Look For: Christian Dior was a French designer who
came into his own in the early 19th century, putting France on
the map for high fashion. While their items can be bold in
style, they are mostly in blacks and whites. Look for the
"Christian Dior PARIS" tag, but be sure to authenticate any
pieces you might find. Christian Dior pieces don’t typically
have a look besides “fashionable,” so be checking tags all the
way down the rack!
The Current Market Outlook: Christian Dior has excellent
brand recognition and the market for used items is very
healthy. Because they are rare finds, the market for Christian
Dior items has withstood most of the saturation.
Resale Value: Medium-High
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23. DOLCE &
GABBANA
Most Common Types of Clothing: Basic shirts, jackets, and
skirts
What to Look For: If you’ve been thrifting for any length of
time, you probably think you’ve found a Dolce & Gabbana
piece or two. The sad truth is, you probably haven’t. Authentic
D&G items are typically only found in high-end estate sales or
resale stores, but fakes abound everywhere. Whatever you
find, go find a comfortable spot to sit and look it up and
authenticate it. If it’s real, that might be the only piece you
need to find that day!
The Current Market Outlook: D&G is considered the height
of Italian Fashion and their pieces are priced accordingly. As
with other high-end brands: authenticate the piece, price it
high, and wait for the right buyer.
Resale Value: High
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24. RAG & BONE
Most Common Types of Clothing: Jeans and shirts.
What to Look For: Rag & Bone is a relatively new (less than 10
years old) New York company that makes trendy clothing in
cute, but hard-to-recognize styles. In other words, you’ll have
to be looking at brand tags to find the brand. They have a
consistent and recognizable tag, however, so as long as you
recognize the name, you’ll be in business. As with many
brands, your location will highly influence whether or not you
find certain brands. Rag & Bone items are extremely rare in
our neck of the woods, but if you live in a large city (or closer
to New York), you’ll likely have better luck.
The Current Market Outlook: The majority of Rag & Bone
pieces we’ve found have been in very good condition, which is
necessary for a high resale value. The market for nice pieces
(such as jeans or other denim) is holding quite steady. Shoes
have not done nearly as well for us, and tops fit more into the
bread and butter category.
Resale Value: Medium
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25. BRUNELLO
CUCINELLI
Most Common Types of Clothing: Sweaters and shirts
What to Look For: Brunello Cucinelli is a man that any hustler
or flipper can look up to. He started his own clothing company
making brightly colored cashmere sweaters with only $550
(after dropping out of school), and a mere 40 years later he is
worth in excess of one billion dollars! Even today, the
company is known for its exceptional quality of cashmere. You
are unlikely to find pieces at a local thrift, but we’ve had luck at
estate sales and auction houses. Unlike his original brightly
colored pieces, more recent pieces are often made in
understated and business appropriate colors.
The Current Market Outlook: Because this brand is high-
end and rare to find, the market isn’t saturated at all. Pieces
that are damaged may also still be worth selling just for the
material, so I would say that the market outlook is as strong as
ever.
Resale Value: High
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26. RALPH LAUREN
Most Common Types of Clothing: Full women’s line.
What to Look For: New resellers are often confused when
they hear that Ralph Lauren pieces can sell for thousands of
dollars in used condition. This is because, unlike most brands,
Ralph Lauren actually has a tiered tag system with a different
color for each line/price range. While the higher-end pieces
are obviously more difficult to find, the hierarchy goes as such
(from most to least expensive):
● Purple Label
● Black Label
● Blue Label (this is Polo by Ralph Lauren)
● Silver Label
● Green Label (Lauren by Ralph Lauren)
The Current Market Outlook: Unless it is black or purple
label, Ralph Lauren items are not in high enough demand to
sell by virtue of the name alone. Therefore, look for pieces
that are actually cute or nice, and coupled with the name, they
will do well in the current market. If you insist on picking up
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90's style green label tops and dresses, then you can expect
them to sit forever.
Resale Value: Low to high depending on the label
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27. J.CREW
Most Common Types of Clothing: Tops, jackets, blazers
What to Look For: Trendy items, particularly those made of a
desirable material, are great sellers. Look for cashmere and
wool items especially, as we have sold wool pea coats for over
$100 in used condition.
J.CREW vs. J.CREW Factory: Given the fact that you see the
name "J.Crew" every few items on the rack, it may come as a
surprise to you that real J.Crew items are unusual finds. The
majority of the items you find are J.Crew Factory pieces
(denoted by two diamonds on the tag under the name), which
come from J.Crew's outlet line. These are much lower quality,
much cheaper, and are worth much less.
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The Current Market Outlook: The price for high quality
pieces is holding steady. The market is so saturated with
Factory pieces, however, that we only pick them up if they're
exceptionally unusual or cute.
Resale Value: Medium
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28. MADEWELL
Most Common Types of Clothing: Tops, dresses, jeans
What to Look For: Madewell is a J.Crew company whose items
are aimed at a younger clientele of women than their typical
line (in other words, they make cuter things). Sweaters and
jackets do extremely well for us, particularly longer, duster
style cardigans. Look for bright colors and unusual
patterns. The stranger something is, the more someone will
pay for it if they fall in love with it!
The Current Market Outlook: You'll have a hard time selling
basic Madewell items such as t-shirts (since they weren't very
expensive to begin with), but unique pieces continue to sell
extremely well.
Resale Value: Low-medium
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29. PATAGONIA
Most Common Types of Clothing: Athletic tops, jackets
What to Look For: Patagonia is a bit of an anomaly in the
outdoor world. With no apparent effort of theirs, they
somehow have transcended into the streetwear world and
absolutely dominate the "casual outdoor wear" market. The
best selling items from Patagonia are the colorful pieces with
outlandish patterns. Look for unusual fleeces, dresses, and
button downs. However, pretty much anything will sell well
and we routinely get $15-20 for used t-shirts that we pick up
for a couple dollars.
The Current Market Outlook: Strong and only getting
stronger. Patagonia should be one of your top brands to look
for and pick up.
Resale Value: Medium-High
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30. ATHLETA
Most Common Types of Clothing: Leggings, sports bras,
athletic tops
What to Look For: Athleta is the women's activewear line of
GAP. It is typically considered higher-end than average GAP
pieces and holds its value better. The company interprets the
idea of "activewear" very loosely, so keep an eye out for tank
tops, shorts, dresses, sweaters, sports bras, etc. Heavy
sweaters have done the best for us lately. Also, most Athleta
pieces have a model name, so do your best to find it (using the
style number), as it can increase your resale value.
The Current Market Outlook: Consistent. As with most
brands, avoid the bottom end of the brand and look for items
that were more expensive to begin with.
Resale Value: Low-medium
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31. ETRO
Most Common Types of Clothing: Tops, cardigans, and pants
What to Look For: ETRO is yet another Italian powerhouse of
fashion. Originally founded as a textile/prints company, ETRO
is known for its complex and beautiful fabric designs. Their
paisley pattern has been iconic since its inception in the late
60's, and is the most commonly found design in thrift stores.
Basic dresses from ETRO sell in the $500-$1000 range new,
and can go for hundreds of dollars in pre-owned condition,
depending on the style and print. (Brighter designs do
better). Beyond checking unusual and bright prints, the only
way to find ETRO is to be checking tags.
The Current Market Outlook: Most high-end brands hold
their value if you are patient, and ETRO is no exception. Don't
be tempted to do an auction. We typically price for around 10-
25% of what MSRP was, and add a "Best Offer" option if it
doesn't sell.
Resale Value: Medium-High
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32. THEORY
Most Common Types of Clothing: Lounge pants, dresses,
blazers
What to Look For: When Andrew Rosen (of Calvin Klein) and
Elie Tahari got together to form a clothing company, it was
destined for greatness. Not to mention that they launched
with a focus on creating comfortable stretchy pants. They
have since expanded to a full range of clothing, but the
stretchy pants remain. Theory items look much like other
trendy brands, so check tags. Current styles tend to do best,
especially cute dresses and blazers.
The Current Market Outlook: We consider Theory to be a
good “bread and butter” brand. If you find cute items for a
good price, they sell. Just don't buy crap that no one wants (or
if there are already a million for sale), and you'll do well.
Resale Value: Low-Medium
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33. TORRID
Most Common Types of Clothing: Blouses, pants, jackets
What to Look For: Torrid is generally considered a plus-sized
clothing company and makes clothing in women's sizes 10-
30. Originally owned by Hot Topic, Torrid does their best to
release extremely current and relevant styles, so older pieces
might not do as well for you. While bigger is not always
better...in general, larger sizes do tend to sell better. Look for
large, brightly patterned tops, trendy blazers, and
dresses. Since Torrid tries so hard to release what's hot at
that exact moment, older pieces you find might be a bit dated
and slow to sell.
The Current Market Outlook: The market for Torrid is fairly
saturated, so don't buy pieces unless they're special in some
way. Luckily, Torrid is a common enough brand to find that we
find one piece worth selling almost every sourcing trip.
Resale Value: Low
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34. FENDI
Most Common Types of Clothing: None are common…
What to Look For: We have yet to find a classic Fendi piece at
a thrift store, but fortunately have found several of their basic
dresses and lower-end pieces (low-end means selling for
around $100 used). The true Fendi line is filled with fine
leather and fur pieces, so if you find one, don't spend all the
profits in one place! Fendi loves to put its name/logo all over
its clothing, so keep a sharp eye for the box "F's."
The best places to source Fendi pieces is usually online or
from classified ads. Vintage pieces are also hot sellers and can
be found in boutiques.
The Current Market Outlook: Extremely strong. The recent
influx of eBay sellers has had absolutely no negative effect on
used Fendi prices.
Resale Value: High
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35. MATILDA JANE
Most Common Types of Clothing: Tops, skirts, dresses
What to Look For: Matilda Jane is a relative new-comer in the
clothing industry. They make "unpredictable" and "whimsical"
clothing, so look for bright and playful prints, most often on
skirts and two-tone dresses. Both women's and girls' pieces
are worth picking up if you find a cute enough item.
The Current Market Outlook: Matilda Jane items are still new
enough that neither eBay or thrift stores are crowded with
them. We consider Matilda Jane items to be middle-of-the-
road bread and butter items.
Resale Value: Low
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36. JOHNNY WAS
Most Common Types of Clothing: Tops, dresses
What to Look For: Johnny Was is the "expensive" brand that is
a holy grail for most new resellers. Imagine the dress that a
flower child would wear if they had an insane amount of
patience and embroidery skills, and you have Johnny
Was. Look for embroidered floral, particularly with an Asian
flair. If the piece is complex enough, condition is not as
important. We found a Johnny Was coat that had a huge
embroidered tiger on the back. It was in very poor condition
with loose threads everywhere, but we put it on auction and it
ended right at $100!
The Current Market Outlook: Johnny Was items are difficult
to find, so their value is holding strong. To add to the happy
message, not many thrift stores in our area are familiar with
the brand - so we have gotten most of our finds for a steal!
Resale Value: High
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37. DOUBLE D RANCH
Most Common Types of Clothing: Leather goods,
embroidered blouses
What to Look For: Double D Ranch isn't even sure how to
describe its style... but they summarize it as "a blend between
bohemian, cowboy, and Native American heritage." We just
think of them as really fancy cowboy clothes. Look for studs,
embroidery, and richly decorated items of clothing. The best
selling items are leather (typically jackets) but we'll pick up
anything we can find.
The Current Market Outlook: Very good. Double D Ranch
releases several new collections a year and, often times,
people will pay top dollar for items from past collections that
are no longer available.
Resale Value: Medium-High
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38. TOPSHOP
Most Common Types of Clothing: Shirts/Dress Tops
What to Look For: Even though Topshop's parent company
has recently filed for bankruptcy, its items still remain
desirable and easy to flip. There are no longer any TOPSHOP
stores in the U.S., but that just makes items more valuable!
Topshop has run the entire gamut of fashion and doesn't have
an identity of its own besides "what's currently in style." Be
checking tags, and if you want to get a better idea of what they
make, their items can still be found at Nordstrom and seen
online.
The Current Market Outlook: The market outlook for
TOPSHOP is currently up in the air. In the coming months
we'll be keeping an eye out to see if their bankruptcy filings
affect resale, but as of now, it hasn't and our sales have been
consistent.
Resale Value: Low
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39. THE LIMITED
Most Common Types of Clothing: Tops & Dresses
What to Look For: Another victim of bankruptcy, The Limited
has closed its brick and mortar stores, but continues to be
available online after being bought out. Maybe it's because
people are no longer able to try items on in a brick and mortar
location, but we find NWT items from The Limited quite
regularly at thrift stores. Look for clothing that appeals to
business women in their 20's, and you have an idea of The
Limited. Also look for their alternate clothing lines including
Express and Justice.
The Current Market Outlook: Fair. We typically only pick up
NWT items or items that are unusual or interesting in some
other way.
Resale Value: Low
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40. NYDJ
Most Common Types of Clothing: Jeans, pants, & skirts
What to Look For: NYDJ was founded in 2003 to combat the
low cut, squeeze-your-muffin-top, uncomfortable jeans that
were the rage at the time. The offer 66 sizes of jeans from
petite to maternity, so they have something for everyone! If
we aren't in the mood to go through every pair of jeans on a
rack, we'll typically walk down the aisle both ways (so we can
see the butts of jeans and then the fronts/tags). The purple
tags of NYDJ are easy to pick out. As with almost all jean
brands, boot-cut jeans are out. Instead, look for boyfriend
jeans, cropped fits, and skinnies.
The Current Market Outlook: If you can find current styles,
the market remains strong and items sell fast. If you are
selling an out-of-style pair of jeans, you can expect them to sell
slowly for little to no profit.
Resale Value: Low-Medium
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41. LULAROE
Most Common Types of Clothing: Leggings, dresses, &
cardigans
What to Look For: If you've been thrifting for any length of
time, you can probably pick out Lularoe items from a mile
away. Although their patterns are all different, they become
easy to recognize. Look for long duster cardigans, metallic
dresses, and solid colored leggings.
The Current Market Outlook: Fairly poor. There have been
so many Lularoe sellers dumping their inventory that there is
almost no market for used items anymore, unless they are
special in some way. We pick up their "elegant" line, very large
sizes, and extra-exciting patterns. Everything else stays on the
rack because we remind ourselves that we have 100 items still
in inventory, and it will probably take 2 more years to sell
them all.
Resale Value: Low
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42. BETSY JOHNSON
Most Common Types of Clothing: Sweaters & tops
What to Look For: Thousands of dollars worth of Botox and
plastic surgery has done nothing to dampen the success of
Betsey Johnson. Her brand and designs capture the flair of
youth that she seems to be looking for at her doctor’s office.
Betsey Johnson articles are often very flamboyant and include
lurid colors, designs and embellishments. Do a search for
Betsey Johnson on eBay and spend 5 minutes browsing
to understand her incredibly varied, yet consistent style. You
won't regret it, as many of her pieces are worth close to $100
even in pre-owned condition.
The Current Market Outlook: The odder the piece, the more
you can ask for. Vintage Betsey Johnson sells extremely well,
especially sweaters. Apparently we haven't found the right
price for sweaters, because the last 3 we have found have sold
for $65, $80, and then $100...all within 24 hours. Also keep an
eye out for unusual dresses and blazers. Basic shirts are
understandably worth less and we'll typically leave them
alone.
Resale Value: Medium
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43. JUICY COUTURE
Most Common Types of Clothing: Shirts & jackets
What to Look For: The first time I met my wife's grandma, she
was wearing a full Juicy Couture tracksuit, platform flip-flops,
and holding a massive Starbucks coffee (it was 2014....)
While that might have given me a tainted view of the brand, it
hasn't stopped me from profiting off it! The most common
item you'll find is the tracksuit hoodie jacket with some sort of
massive logo on the back. Give these a pass unless they're in
excellent condition. From our experience, the type of person
who is wearing Juicy places a high value on looking nice - so
don't pick up worn out pieces.
The Current Market Outlook: Fair. The majority of Juicy
pieces are no longer considered to be very "in-demand" style-
wise, but nice pieces still sell. We recently found a NWT jacket
and pants at a thrift store that sold for $80 in 3 days!
Resale Value: Low
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44. ASOS
Most Common Types of Clothing: Dresses, tops, & jackets
What to Look For: We find mainly dresses from ASOS, and the
ones with bright and fun patterns do particularly well. We
typically don't grab basic tops but make an exception if they
are particularly interesting. ASOS makes a full women's line
(and a short-lived kids line which is worth flipping), so also look
for jeans and jackets.
When you list an item, be sure to list it by the US size and not
the UK size! We have mixed them up more than once.
The Current Market Outlook: Fair. Good items sell, typical
items sit - so be selective in your sourcing.
Resale Value Low
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45. CHANEL
Most Common Types of Clothing: None are common
What to Look For: Coco Chanel is an *extremely* desirable,
high-end brand that is rare to find in thrift stores. While it has
been found, we have had more luck buying pieces off our local
craigslist or finding them at estate sales. Even t-shirts (one of
their cheapest items) can sell for hundreds of dollars used. If
you find a more complex piece, start planning your cruise.
The only authentic Chanel piece we’ve managed to find at a
thrift store was a pair of sunglasses that Kirstie found at the
bottom of a $1. They were a bit scratched up but ended up
selling for $150 + shipping.
If you are hoping to get lucky and find Chanel at a thrift store,
looking for the logo is probably your best best. However,
you'll probably have more luck sourcing it intentionally
elsewhere. We routinely buy Chanel items that were foolishly
put on eBay auction, and then relist them with a much higher
BIN (buy it now).
As with all desirable designer brands: BEWARE OF FAKES!
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The Current Market Outlook: As strong as ever. For as they
say..."fashion changes, but style endures." -Coco Chanel ;)
Resale Value: High
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46. HERMES
Most Common Types of Clothing: Scarves, Silk Blouses
What to Look For: The Hermes logo is familiar to anyone who
has been in the fashion industry for more than a day. As you
could probably divine from the label, Hermes is a Paris based
brand. Famous for their silks and obnoxious patterns, Hermes
articles are quite valuable and found at thrift stores
surprisingly often. Your best bet is in finding a vintage silk
scarf, which can go for anything from $60-$400 depending on
the pattern.
The Current Market Outlook: Very good. More items
appearing on the used market actually seems to have
increased the accessibility of the brand and the price it sells
for!
Resale Value: High
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47. MISOOK
Most Common Types of Clothing: Business Dress Wear
What to Look For: Sold mainly at Neiman Marcus and
Nordstrom, EXCLUSIVELY misook is a fairly new brand that has
taken the fashion world by storm. They specialize in
producing high-end, but easy-to-care-for knit pieces. The
majority of their items tend towards business and dressy, so
be on the lookout for business suits, cardigans, and high
fashion tops. Their style, while distinct, is not easy to pick out
on a rack so you'll have to be checking tags to find them.
The Current Market Outlook: Very good. Misook continues
to gain traction as more people become loyal followers of the
brand. As misook is not an extremely well known brand, the
used market is not yet clogged up with items.
Resale Value: Medium-High
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48. SUNDANCE CO.
Most Common Types of Clothing: Sweaters & tops
What to Look For: Sundance (a Robert Redford resort) is only
about 15 minutes from my house, and while I have been there
several times, I had no idea that an awesome brand had
sprouted in my backyard until I started reselling! The
"Sundance Catalog" of items is released annually and
showcases a full line of women's clothing, as well as jewelry
and men's items. Keep an eye open for tops (particularly
embroidered ones), cardigans, and jeans.
The Current Market Outlook: Fair. The demand for higher-
end pieces such as mohair and silk items has increased, while
the market for basic items has slowed significantly.
Resale Value: Low-Medium
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49. PRANA
Most Common Types of Clothing: Jackets, outdoor pants
What to Look For: prAna started out as a sustainably-sourced
clothing company of hand-sewn yoga clothing, and has since
been acquired by Columbia. They now produce men's and
women's clothing for rock climbing, yoga, outdoor water
sports, hiking, and adventure travel. While men's clothing
tends to sell better overall, we sell several prAna pieces a week
and it's a great bread and butter brand. Look for
jackets/sweatshirts and pants, particularly those meant for
rock climbing.
The Current Market Outlook: Fair to good. The used market
may have hit the bottom, because pricing seems to have
settled at a consistent $15-25 apiece for the past year.
Resale Value: Low
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50. 7 FOR ALL
MANKIND
Most Common Types of Clothing: Jeans & denim jackets
What to Look For: Avoid older, boot-cut 7FAM jeans, as you'll
be lucky to sell them for $10 +shipping. Look for newer styles
that are distressed, the desirable DOJO line, or are
skinny/cropped.
The Current Market Outlook: Good for newer, stylish jeans,
terrible for anything older and out of style. Just be choosy and
your items will move.
Resale Value: Low
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51. ZARA
Most Common Types of Clothing: Everything….
What to Look For: ZARA is a Spanish company that prides
itself on "Instant Fashion." In the fashion world, the average
company takes 6 months to take an item from conception to
production. Zara claims to manage this in only a
week. Because of this, they try to release what is hot RIGHT
NOW and pushes out over 12,000 designs a year. Trendy
dresses, blazers, and jackets have all been good sellers for
us. Because there are so many ZARA items to be had, avoid
basic blouses and shirts unless they're still in
style. Leather/faux leather items (both jackets and pants) are
great sellers as well.
The Current Market Outlook: Good/fair. Zara is a well loved
brand among bloggers and fashionistas, so as long as you're
picking up the right styles, you should have no problem
moving items quickly and for a profit.
Resale Value: Low
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52. MISS ME
Most Common Types of Clothing: Jeans & Denim Shorts
What to Look For: Everyone (including thrift stores) knows
about MissMe jeans, and prices are typically sky
high. However, MissMe also has a range of tops such as
blouses and hoodies which are worth picking up to flip. As
with jeans, look for the more highly decorated and flashy
pieces.
The Current Market Outlook: The market has slowed overall
but MissMe items are still worth picking up if you can get them
cheap.
Resale Value: Low-Medium
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53. NANETTE LEPORE
Most Common Types of Clothing: Dresses and swimwear
What to Look For: According to New York Magazine,
"[Nanette Lepore]'s gypsy-influenced designs are feminine and
youthful. The looks are full of bold colors and bright prints,
with ruffles and lace that manage to look good-time-girly but
not overly frilly."
We've had the most luck finding Nanette Lepore dresses and
items from the Nanette Lepore swim line at our local
thrifts. Pretty much anything from the brand will sell well,
especially because very few thrift stores recognize the name.
Nanette Lepore is also one of the higher-end brands that you
can pick up and Ross and we always grab a few pieces when
they’re clearancing items.
The Current Market Outlook: Our Nanette Lepore items
tend to move quite quickly. As long as you don't look at the
MSRP, you'll feel good about the sales! The NWT items we've
found have sold for only a fraction for what they were
originally in the store. Like 15-20% of retail. So take that into
account if you're going to source the brand at stores like
Nordstrom Rack.
Resale Value: Low
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54. COLUMBIA
Most Common Types of Clothing: Jacket, shorts, shirts
What to Look For: Columbia can be an excellent brand for
resale if you know what you're looking for. There are literally
hundreds of Columbia items at any given thrift store, but the
majority of them are not worth picking up. Look for coats,
fleeces in very good condition, and button downs with unusual
patterns/designs. Leave the t-shirts and shorts behind.
The Current Market Outlook: The market for basic items is
already non-existent. Keep to quality, non-basic items and you
won't have to fight the saturation.
Resale Value: Low
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55. LEVI'S
Most Common Types of Clothing: Denim & vintage items
What to Look For: Pretty much everything from Levi's is
worth selling except for their basic jeans. Keep an eye out for:
● Vintage high-waisted jeans, particularly 501s. These can
be cut into shorts or distressed if you have some skills
and want to be more unique.
● Vintage t-shirts
● Denim vests and jackets
● Current jeans that are NWT or show absolutely no signs
of wear.
*This goes for all jeans, but be sure to check for...women's
stains...We've gotten home with many pairs of pants we
thought were pristine, only to find blood spots on them...
which makes them extremely difficult to sell.*
The Current Market Outlook: Very good for vintage
items. Vintage jeans and jean shorts are getting more popular,
and we often spend winter stocking up on vintage Levi's
shorts.
Resale Value: Medium
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56. ROCK REVIVAL
Most Common Types of Clothing: Jeans & shorts
What to Look For: Rock Revival is one of the easiest brands to
pick out when you're looking for denim. Their logo is nearly
always loud and proud on the back and when you couple this
with the "innovative wash treatments, thick stitch lines, back
pocket reverse Fleur-de-lis, and hardware" trademarks of the
brand, you have a unique look that it hard to miss.
Thrift stores almost always recognize Rock Revival jeans (or
just price them high based on the look), but we still pick them
up. Look for jeans, pants, and shorts, but only pick them up if
they are a current style. Don't worry about extreme
distressing, as this all adds to the "look" as long as the cuffs
are fine.
The Current Market Outlook: Very good. Prices have fallen
slightly, but we can still get $40+shipping (or more) out of most
pairs of current jeans and shorts. We also keep a lookout for
Rock Revival when we source at Ross & TJ Maxx, although they
are less common there.
Resale Value: Medium
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57. THE NORTH FACE
Most Common Types of Clothing: Fleeces, t-shirts, jackets
What to Look For: Like Patagonia, The North Face is an
outdoor brand that has managed to become main-stream-
desirable. Look for vintage items, fleeces, down items and
snow pants. You can almost always find the style name (by
searching the style number) which improves that sale price.
The Current Market Outlook: The current outlook for newer
pieces and items in great condition is holding steady. The
North Face is one of those brands that we will almost always
pick up.
Resale Value: Low-Medium
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58. BCBGENERATION
Most Common Types of Clothing: Dresses, blazers, and tops
What to Look For: Max Azria has been active in the fashion
world for nearly 30 years, so you'll find a huge number of
styles with his brand names on them. Jackets and dresses do
very well on the used market, the flashier and more unique
the better.
BCBGeneration is just one of many lines from Max Azria that
does very well on eBay. Also look for:
● BCBGMAXAZRIA
● Runway
● Hervé Léger by Max Azria
● Max Azria
The Current Market Outlook: The entire fashion house filed
for bankruptcy and was sold in 2017, so it is likely that the
used market will slowly diminish as the brand fades.
Resale Value: Low-Medium
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59. PRINCESS VERA
WANG
Most Common Types of Clothing: Dresses, jackets, & tops
What to Look For: Princess styles, of course! Vera Wang is
best known for her bridal designs, so if you're feeling brave,
keep an eye out for wedding dresses with her name on
them. Just be aware that wedding dresses can be VERY
difficult to sell. In the non-bridal world, keep an eye open for
dresses, blazers, and jackets, usually with fun but not blinding
patterns. As with BCBGeneration, Vera Wang Princess actually
represents several lines from Vera Wang that are worth
selling. All of the brand lines have the name Vera Wang in
them (Simply Vera Wang, White by Vera Wang, etc.), so that's
all you really need to remember.
The Current Market Outlook: Fair. The Vera Wang items
you'll find at thrift stores are likely to be from her
collaboration with Kohl's and will not bring any serious money,
but it is a good brand to have on your bread and butter list.
Resale Value: Low
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60. NICK & NORA
Most Common Types of Clothing: Pajama sets & nightgowns
What to Look For: Nick & Nora is a sleepwear designer that
makes some of the best flipping pajamas! (See what I did
there? ha) The more specific and unusual the pattern is, the
more valuable your item likely is. Niche items often sell slower
though, so you have to wait for just the right buyer to come
along. Look for two-piece sets and nightgowns. Don't be
tempted to pick up single pieces no matter how nice the
pattern is, as they will sit forever.
The Current Market Outlook: When we first started selling,
Nick and Nora sets would sell for $40 all day long. Now, if you
find good patterns and sit on them for awhile, you'll be hoping
for $30.
Resale Value: Low
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The 3 Most Common Mistakes Made by
Beginner Clothing Sellers
1. The Inability to Say “NO!”
When I first started reselling, I bought a lot of crap. Things
that make me wish I could reach back in time and slap myself
for buying. The main problem is, I knew that they were crap
while I was buying them! Whenever I would find a very high-
end brand or something that was particularly hard to find, I
would buy it. Style didn't matter, condition didn't matter, price
didn't matter. In this way, I bought a lot of overpriced
inventory that never sold. I was lucky to get my money back
for most of it. Now, I have the self-control to put things back if
I know that it isn't a good flip. You don't have to prove to
anyone that you found a cool brand, leave it for someone else
and move on. You don't always have to find something.
The same inability to say "no" results in other problems for
people who violate the BMMPS criteria. One of the most
common ones I see and hear about is the inability to say "no"
to cheap things. New sellers find it a rite of passage to build
up a massive "death-pile" of unlisted inventory. If you're not
going to list it, it's a bad buy - no matter how cheap it is.
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2. Not Looking Up Enough Brands
I don't think I've ever made it through a rack of clothing
without looking up 3-4 brands. Resellers who become
complacent and think they know enough brands, quickly get
passed by new sellers who are hungry and always learning
new things. When I go to the Goodwill Outlet near me, I see
the same group of 3 old couples who are digging for the same
brands every single day and usually come up empty. If you
see something nice, look it up! If you see something you don't
know, look it up! It might be worth nothing (it usually is), but
it's asinine to assume that just because you haven't heard of it,
it's not worth anything.
3. Focusing on Quantity Over Quality
It may be exciting to see pictures of people sending out
dozens of packages in a day (heck, we've Instagrammed
several of ours), but remember: your goal is not a number of
sales, but percentage of profit (at least I'm hoping it
is...). Every time you buy something you shouldn't, you are
cutting into your profits. Not only do you lose money, but you
always lose the time you spend listing the item. Consider the
Opportunity Cost of every item you buy. If you decide to buy a
bunch of mediocre things, you are losing the opportunity to
spend that time and money sourcing something better. In our
eBay store, we make 80% of our profits from only 20% of our
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sales. This phenomenon is known as the “80/20 Principle,”
and it applies to almost everything in life. Now imagine, if you
could stop buying the bottom 80% of crap, you could work 1/4
as much while only losing 20% of your sales! So learn from my
mistakes, after you've gone through your cart, go through it
again and put back everything you know in your gut isn't
worth it. Your goal is to find the diamonds, not shovel as
much coal as possible!
_____________________________
Final Advice: Fail Fast
We hope you learned lots from this list! What's more, we hope
that you've been inspired to take action. Get out there and get
it done! There's no more you need to know, no more you
need to do - you know enough now, so take action!
As you move forward in building your business, remember
that lists such as these are not meant to be gospel. There are
some items from brands on this list that won’t sell for you, and
there are no-name brands that can randomly sell well. Just
because one person fails/wins with a certain brand does not
mean the same will be true for you. Rather, learn to evaluate
each item you find so you can make a better decision about
whether or not it will sell. Often your intuition is right, and if
something just doesn't seem good enough, put it back! There
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are always more things to flip, so don't feel like you need to
buy iffy products. With that being said, you will buy duds from
time to time. That's just the nature of the game.
Kirstie getting rid of our duds at a yard sale
One of the tendencies of new resellers is to hold onto crappy
items for a long time because they don't want to admit they
made a mistake. They either keep items in their death piles or
list them and hide them in their inventory even though they
know they won't sell. If you want to dominate the eBay game,
don't hold on to your mistakes because you spent a lot of time
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or money making them. Although it has become less
frequent, we make mistakes on things all the time. Take our
advice and re-donate your mistakes instantly. Don't let them
clog up your life. Keep your eBay machine running quick and
smooth so it can bring in the most money possible!
Now get out there and get sourcing! Happy Selling!
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Get in touch with us!
Facebook Group: facebook.com/resellingrevealed
Instagram: @resellingrevealed
Email: resellingrevealed@gmail.com
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