I've been reselling clothing on-line for more than 20 years. I started by selling my oldest son's outgrown baby clothes. Kids grow so quickly, that clothes purchased second-hand and worn by them, still had a lot of life left in them. It was a great way as a young couple to basically clothe our children for free for many years. Anything I paid for the clothes, I gained back in the reselling and then put into buying the next season of clothing. For years I only sold items we used personally, but I've since moved on to buying and reselling things I find at Goodwill Outlet and once garage sale season starts again, I'll start reselling items from there too. There are brands that sell well and brands that just aren't worth wasting your time on. Today I'm sharing the brands that I keep my eyes peeled for and you should too. These are the brands that have the best resell value and the ones that will sell quickly and easily so you aren't holding on to any inventory.
The Best Clothing Brands to Buy to Resell
What Brands Don't Resell Well
In case you missed it, start here. I always think it's important to know what DOESN'T sell, before attempting to find what does sell. Spoiler alert, it's typically fast fashion brands that mass produce and sell clothing items for next to nothing. Skip those. The quality just doesn't hold up for multiple seasons worth of wear.
After years of reselling, I have found a solid list of brands that are easy to resell and make a profit on.
Why Resell Clothing
It's Good for the Earth
In the past few years there has become an increased awareness of how harmful the clothing industry can be on the planet. In an effort to reduce our own impact, many people are turning to thrifted items to help keep items out of the landfills and to give clothing new life instead of creating more waste.
Anyone Can Do It
We all wear clothing and probably have a pile of things in our closet we just don't wear. It's as easy as starting with that. You don't need a business license or a tech degree to sell. There are plenty of online platforms that make it easy. All you need is your smartphone!
Here are more tips for buying and reselling used items
Low Risk High Reward
In order to start reselling, you don't need to buy massive amounts of inventory to get started. You can just use what you have. For many years, I'd only buy items I knew I'd wear and then could resell when I was done with them. Since I buy when the cost is low, my profit is generally higher too. And if an item doesn't sell, the higher priced items can sometimes make up for the cost of the items that don't move for whatever reason.
Reselling Vintage Clothing
When I shop at the Goodwill Outlet Bins there are always hoards of vintage clothing resellers. I've seen how fashion trends cycle back and savvy shoppers are looking for one-of-a-kind vintage items rather than those on the rack. Reselling vintage clothing can be tricky if you don't know what to look for. I always tell people to stick with what you know. I don't really know vintage fashion enough to give any tips for reselling it. But I do occasionally buy it.
Here are a few things to look for when shopping for vintage clothing:
- Authentic vintage t-shirts will often have single stitching, especially on the sleeves.
- Paper tags in the clothing item is another dead giveaway that it's vintage
- Vintage clothing that is currently trending
- Look for damage
My Biggest Tip for Reselling Clothing
Buy low! This is why I love garage sales. I can often bundle items and save. I rarely pay more than a dollar per item at a garage sale. People are motivated to sell at garage sales and it's easy to not spend a whole lot of money. And when you don't have a lot invested, that means more money that will end up in your wallet at the end of the day.
Brands That Resell
Skip the fast fashion brands when you see them and shop for these brands that I've found are easy to resell.
There are brands that are known for their quality. I would quickly snatch up a luxury brand like Chanel, Louis Vuitton or Burberry if I saw it, but those are unicorns that aren't easily found, even by someone who is on the hunt often! I have never seen Chanel in the wild in all my 40+ years of thrifting/garage saling.
Buyer Beware: There are a lot of knock-off designer items. If you know how to spot a knock-off, this will help you greatly when you are on the hunt for these high-end items. These quality items do typically hold their value, so it's worth knowing if you want to get into the designer reselling market. If you don't know, you could easily ruin your seller reputation for passing off a fake as real!
Outdoor and Athleisure Brands that Resell Well
There are several outdoor brands that I always pick up. These brands are often marked for sale at a higher retail price point and hold their value.
PatagoniaThe North FaceArc'teryxLululemonAthletaNike
Vintage Brands that Resell Well
These are vintage brands I always keep an eye out for.
PendletonFilsonLevi'sGunne Sax
Brands that Resell Well
AnthropologyFree PeopleCarhartMadewell
If You Don't Know Google It!
If shopping the bins at Goodwill Outlet, I always shop with gloves off. High-quality clothing just feels different. You can almost always feel an item is worth picking up before you see the brand tag.
The good news for all of us now is that we have the internet at our fingertips. You can quickly take a photo using google image search to look up a brand or simply google the brand and see how much the item retails for initially. You can also often find used items listed that are being listed and get an idea of how much an item will sell for. A quick search will let you know if you should buy the item or take a pass.
Anyone can resell clothing online. You don't need to invest in a pallet or a warehouse, just take what you already have in your closet and give it a shot! It may just become a new side hustle or at the very least, like me, it allows me some fun money for traveling!
disclaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Rachel Teodoro. Thank you!
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