Hi everyone! Long time no see...well on this platform at least. But I'm back! I have been planning this post for a few weeks now, but didn't want to post it until I had allll of my facts straight. I talked about this a bit on my most recent #WhatSoldSunday post, but I felt like you all would benefit from a more in depth post about the ways to source during the craziness of life right now. So without further ado, here are FIVE ways to source during the the global pandemic.
1. This one may seem obvious: Source from you OWN closet! This has multiple benefits; free inventory, a cleaner closet AND an excuse to buy new clothes ;). Sourcing from your ogown closet, or really just your own home in general, will also help you to branch out as a reseller. Maybe you have only ever sold women's clothes and shoes....but now you go through your husbands closet and your kids closet AND manage to find some household items that you can sell, and boom, you have taken yourself into THREE new reseller markets. This will help you to do some risk free research on items in
these new markets, and once the thrift stores open back up, maybe you will want to try sourcing inventory to sell in those markets as well. Doing anything you can to diversify your business in this time will only benefit you in the long run.
2. Mystery Boxes - these are not a new thing, we all know this. HOWEVER, learning how to take proper risks when buying a mystery box is important. Any seasoned reseller can (and will) tell you how they have AT LEAST once been burned by mystery box. I'll give you a brief overview of my mystery box horror story from roughly a year ago: a reseller in the instagram community posted all these mystery boxes for $10 a piece, stating that she had to get rid of everything because she was moving. She listed all these amazing brands that would be included in the boxes. Of course, this would rope ANYONE in. So they sold like hotcakes. She probably sold out in a few hours, and instead of just stopping there, she listed more and more boxes. I couldn't tell you how many she sold, but it was a lot. I myself bought two. Lo and behold....when they showed up, I was HORRIFIED. Everything was either from Walmart, ripped, stained, horrendously pilled, or all of the above. I felt absolutely ripped off. So I went to her poshmark page to see if there was anyone there having similar issues. What do I find? Pages and pages of 5 star ratings with love notes absolutely ripping her apart. You know its bad when people go out of their way to give 5 stars and leave crappy reviews just so people can see them. It was rough. LUCKILY, she was very nice about it all, and accepted all of the returns that were opened against her, and she openly apologized on instagram about it. So at this point, it's water under the bridge, but I sure learned by lesson. Ever since then, I have been very careful with my mystery boxes. Since then I have still had a few flops, but a few of them turned out well.
So here are my tips with mystery boxes: first and foremost, if it seems to good to be true, it 100% is. No one is going to sell you a $10 mystery box with designer brands in it. It is just not going to happen. Second, find someone has good reviews for their mystery boxes. If you find one that looks good, go check out their love notes, make sure that they are a reputable seller. Third, speak with the seller! Add the box to a bundle, and have a conversation with the reseller about what to expect, if they are rude or abrasive, it probably isn't a box you want to buy. They are probably doing something shady, and aren't going to be up front with you if you ask any questions, they just want your money. Fourth (and finally), do your research. Some mystery boxes are pretty up front with what they are selling. Sometimes the description will tell you exactly what brands to expect (but without telling you exactly what you're getting), and it is important not to be blinded by this. Calculate how much you will be paying per item, then research the brands to make sure that it is actually something that you will be able to profit on.
So there you have it, mystery boxes are a blessing and a curse. They are certainly the easiest way to get inventory during a stay at home order, but by far the trickiest. Be patient and wait for the box that is best for you!
3. Facebook Marketplace/Friends and family! Everyone and their brother is cleaning out their house right now. It's like spring cleaning on crack. But here is the major problem with all this spring cleaning....there is NO WHERE to donate to! Everything is closed! So that is where you come in. Post on your facebook page AND make listing on Facebook marketplace letting people know that you are willing to help with their donations! Be upfront, let people know what you do for work, and that with thrift stores closed down, they can't donate and you can't get inventory, so why not cut out the middle man? You can offer no contact deliveries - they can leave the bags on the porch, you swing by and pick them up. Easy as pie. With friends, you can do the exact same thing, or additionally you can add in the option for consignment. I personally avoid consignment, so I can't really speak top that, but I know a lot of resellers have a ton of success with that!
Have caution though, there is a good chance that you will get some sort of negative feedback with posts like these. As I'm sure you all know, not everyone is on board with reselling, and a lot of people may not be on board with donating their items to you, knowing that you are going to turn around and make a profit. If people comment or message you negative remarks, just brush it off. It is perfectly legal, and it's business! You have every right to run your business how you please, and if they don't want to donate to you, they don't have to!
4. Source online. Just because the brick and mortar stores are closed down, that does not mean online stores are! Places like Nordstrom Rack, ThredUp, Poshmark, Mercari, etc., are excellent for finding pieces that you can flip for your business. Now there are a few caveats to this; finding inventory isn't going to be easy, you will likely have to pay up more than you usually do, and you have to wait for your items to show up, which sometimes can take a few weeks! On places like Nordstrom Rack and ThredUp, take advantage of coupons, new user discounts and final sale items. On Poshmark and Mercari, use saved searches to quickly search for certain items; for example, if you know that a certain brand sells well for you, set bookmark an automatic search for newly listed items from that brand under a certain price point. If you are diligent enough, you may just find a listing with an item severely underpriced for what its worth - snag it up, then flip it for more!
5. Joint a Live Thrift facebook group. In these groups, people host live thrifts, where their items are very cheaply priced (like $1-$5), similar to being in a real thrift store. These are a good way to get items for dirt cheap like you would regularly, but can be tricky due to the competition. These pages are growing in their popularity, and with each new member leads to more competition. It can be hard on these pages to be the first person to "claim" an item, but with enough determination, you can do it! Upsides to this avenue of sourcing is that the prices are cheap, sellers are honest (for the most part), and its a fun community to be a part of! Downsides, however, are that you have to pay for shipping, which can get spendy if you're buying a lot, and that sometimes (like I already stated), the group is so inundated with other buyers that it's hard to actually claim an item fast enough. I would definitely encourage checking out one of these groups, but wouldn't recommend hanging your hat on this being the only way to get inventory.
There you have it! Five solid ways to keep sourcing and bringing in inventory while all the thrift stores are closed. Each way has its drawbacks, but they all have benefits too. Find out which one works best for you, or play around with all of them! I mean, all we have these days is time, right?! Try something new, branch out, take a risk. But be smart, do your research and be respectful of those around you. Power to you all; these are crazy times that we are living in, and even though we have more free time than ever, it sure doesn't feel like it. We are all trying our absolute best, and we need to be there from each other!
Stay strong and stay safe, everyone.
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