9 Best Places to Thrift and Source Items to Resell on Poshmark
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If you’re looking to turn your reselling side hustle into a real, legit business, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the best places to source items to resell.
One of the most common questions that people ask me is “where do you find items to resell?” It’s a great question, and I have many answers.
Below I have shared a few of the best places to find inventory at a low-cost to resell on sites such as Poshmark, eBay, Mercari, Depop, Thredup, and more.
There has seriously never been a better time to get started with reselling online.
My niche is women’s clothing, shoes and accessories. But if I see a great deal on an item that falls outside of that niche, I will not hesititate to list it.
To me, clothing is the easiest item to flip, especially on Poshmark, because it is usually lightweight, easy to ship and the value can vary depending on the brand, condition, etc.
Here are a few tips before you head out to source items to resell:
- Familiarize yourself with brands (here’s a list of top brands selling right now!)
- Bring gloves, sanitizer and don’t be afraid to roll your sleeves up!
- Be comfortable with negotiating (this is primarily necessary at yard sales, estate sales, flea markets, etc.)
- Have fun!
Your Own Closet
When I started my reselling business, I found items in my own closet to resell. It was a great way to dip my toe in without investing any money upfront.
If you are new to reselling, I highly suggest getting started with selling items from your own closet.
Once I ran out of things to sell from my closet but wanted to keep going with reselling, I had to get creative and find places to source items to resell.
Here are a few places that you can use to stock your own reseller inventory:
Thrift Stores such as Goodwill, Savers, Salvation Army, etc.
Thrift stores are my main source of items to resell. I live in a rural area so I need to travel outside of my hometown and have a few that I frequent on a regular basis.
Aside from the retail store, Goodwill also has what is known as the “Goodwill Outlet Store” (also commonly referred to as “the Goodwill bins”) in many states. They’re usually in or near large cities and sell the items by the pound.
The items are rolled out in large blue bins so you’ll need to be prepared with gloves and sanitizer because these can be quite dirty. But if you’re willing to dig, you will find the goods!
You can find Goodwill Outlets in your area here.
Community or Charity Thrift Stores
Community or Charity thrift stores are typically part of non-profit organizations and fund a good cause such as a soup kitchen, food pantry, and/or provide resources for low-income families.
They’re usually very inexpensive and are my favorite place to source!
My local community thrift store charges $1/each for clothing (unless it is new with tags attached), $2 for shoes, purses, etc.
They also provide coupons so I am usually walking out of the store with a full bag of items that I am excited to list.
Because these types of thrift stores fund charities, it is common that they receive donations from wealthy folks so it is definitely worth your while to visit these stores regularly.
Online Thrift Stores
Yes, that’s right! Goodwill has gotten smart and now has many online stores across varying markets and regions that operate similarly to eBay.com where you can bid on items.
But just like in the physical Goodwill store, they don’t always know what they have so it is possible to find a great deal if you know what to look for.
They do also tend to overprice low-end brands as well so you have to be careful and really know your stuff.
Yard Sales / Garage Sales
Yard Sales are a fantastic place to get tons of inventory for low-cost.
People will host yard sales for so many reasons: moving sales, decluttering, etc and you can get some great deals by being in the right place at the right time.
Since they are typically seasonal depending on where you live, it’s a great option to add this to your mix places to source items to resell.
Flea Markets
You will see a little bit of everything at a flea market!
You can also haggle with sellers at the flea market because they are there to unload their inventory and will usually offer a great deal if you buy in bulk.
You’ll also see knock-off brands there as well so be careful who you are buying from,
Discount Retail Stores (TJ Maxx, Nordstrom Rack, etc)
Often times you can find great deals on brand name items to resell at stores like these. The items they carry are overstock, last season, returned, etc.
The good news is that these items are guaranteed to be authentic, brand name items with tags attached. You’re not going to find counterfeit items in discount retail stores.
They all carry different items in different areas too. You can visit two different TJ Maxx stores and find completely different items in each one.
Nordstrom Rack has a sale called “Clear The Rack” where you can find deep discounts on high fashion designers.
Here are a few more discount retail stores you can source items to resell from:
Estate Sales
Estate Sales are a fantastic way to source items to resell, particularly high-end and designer brand labels.
Be prepared for competition at these sales though, as they are heavily advertised and typically visited by other resellers. Don’t let that deter you though, because not all resellers are looking for the same items!
You can find estate sales in your area by doing a search here. Sometimes they will post photos ahead of time so you can get a feel for the sale and decide whether it is worth your time or not.
Facebook Marketplace
People are using Facebook Marketplace to offload and clean out their homes now more than ever. It is common to find great deals locally this way.
You may even see listings for bags of clothes that they want you to pick up either for free or a low-cost. If you’re willing to get your hands a little dirty, why not give it a try?
Liquidation Sales
Liquidation Sales are hosted by companies who buy overstock, returns, etc. from larger retailers such as Target, Macy’s, or other department stores.
This can be a great way to source inventory because it is cheap, delivered directly to you, and will save you tons of time. But there are no guarantees that you will want the items you get or that they have a good resale value. The shipping can be costly as well.
Here’s a great resource for familiarizing yourself with the various liquidation companies out there.