A year ago I knew nothing about clothing. I hated shopping for clothes, was horrible about coordinating outfits, and steered clear of name brands. Now, after spending a year working full time in online resale, I consider myself an expert in brands, styles, and values.
Clothing may not be my passion, and endless laundry, pictures, listing and sharing is not my first choice for a lifelong career. But, I love my job. And yes, it is a job. Here are the reasons I went from someone with tasteless fashion sense, to a fashion and resale expert.
1. My income allows me to stay home with my daughter
I started my business shortly before my daughter was born. I started part-time in order to pay for bills and gas so I could quit the fast food gig I had. Since then I have worked my hours up to full time and have grown a hobby into an actual store. I don’t make enough to live fully on my income, but my income is high enough to pay for groceries, daycare, half the bills, diapers, gas, textbooks, and of course: booze.
2. Speaking of booze, I can drink on the job
Desk jobs usually don’t allow alcohol consumption on the clock. I am allowed to do whatever I want while at work, and that typically means having a beer or glass of wine while listing.
3. I set my own hours
I am a full-time honors student at GSU, as well as a mother. With my husband currently deployed, there is no way that I would be able to work a traditional night job after class. Setting my own hours has given me the freedom to make an income during naptime and after 7 pm.
4. Thrift shopping
Thrift shopping. Garage Sales. Hole in the wall small-town boutiques. They all are on my list of favorite things. I get a vast majority of my inventory at these places. My daughter comes with, and we bargain for deals and find hidden gems.
5. The thrill of the flip
Clothing isn’t the only thing I sell. But, no matter what it is that I flip, the thrill is perhaps the most fun part. It’s not uncommon to find an old game or gadget at a garage sale for $5, then turn around and sell it for $100. In fact, this is a jacket I sold this week. I found it for $1 at a garage sale and sold it for $80 within minutes of listing.
6. Finding your niche
I started selling clothes that I knew most people liked. This got boring fairly quickly and was only turning a minimal profit. I eventually found my niche and began turning a much larger profit. Laugh if you may, but I love wild and unique clothes. Though I would never personally wear them out and about on campus, I’d like to think that given the opportunity I would. Loud. Exciting. Unique. I find a lot of enjoyment in my niche.
7. Growth is unlimited
I started from scratch, zero listings and zero feedback. One year working full time, and my Poshmark is up to 37,000 followers. Sometimes being new means fighting for sales to build trust in the community. Now that I am well established I make sales daily. I’ve made a goal to hit 50,000 followers in the next month. If you have a Posh account, I’d love to connect with you! You can find me here.
8. New friends
The ladies at our local thrift stores know my daughter and me by name. Familiar faces stash aside great deals and point me in the direction of good inventory. My daughter knows and loves each of the post office ladies, and looks forward to our daily trip there.
9. No cold calling
I make a living selling things online, but I don’t have to sell things face to face. Most stay-at-home jobs require cold calls and pyramid schemes. Online resale will react how you treat it: if you treat it like a job for long enough, it will begin to pay like one.
10. A sense of fulfillment
I hated working the greasy golden arches. I was drained by the neon lights of the fun-sucking Wally World. Wrapping silverware didn’t do it for me either. I have built myself a business, and that makes me proud. I can contribute greatly to supporting my family. Though my husband often complains about me working too often, I know that I make him proud as well.
I don’t plan on selling online forever. It has worked very well for me as a college gig, and has allowed me to stay home with my daughter when I am not in class. I will graduate with less debt and more experience. For these reasons, I love what I do.
