One of my favorite aspects of being a reseller is sourcing for inventory (but I think that is mainly because I LOVE to shop). Over the years, I have made my fair share of sourcing mistakes and have bought inventory that has sat stale for far too long. To minimize this from happening with my inventory, I took on a new approach to sourcing and I would love to share that with you today!!
If you’ve ever been to a thrift store, you know that there are cute, trendy items flooding the racks. Years ago, when I was new and inexperienced with reselling, I would have bought those items without thinking twice about it. Some items would sell quickly and others would sit stale for months at a time. Nowadays, there are a lot more steps involved when it comes to sourcing for inventory.
Seachability is Key
The #1 way to maximize your profits when sourcing for inventory is to purchase items that yield high searchability in search engines. These items typically are one-of-a-kind and are items that people are actively searching for online. Discovering the name of an item can help to figure out if it is a high demand item and if it is, it is definitely worth picking up.
Research Everything
I don’t mean this lightly….You NEED to research every single item that you find while sourcing. Whether it be googling it while in the fitting room or searching for comps on the Poshmark app while waiting in line to checkout, I strongly recommend looking up the value of every item that you stumble across. Let’s take a look at the jean’s listed above for example. They are Citizen’s of Humanity jeans being sold for $7.99 at a thrift store. They have the newer label on them and are a recent style of skinny jean.
Should you buy them???
The inexperienced reseller’s answer would be “Yeah, why not?” The experienced reseller’s answer would be “Ummm, I need to do a little more research first.” As an experienced reseller, I did a little more research and discovered that these jeans don’t sell for a lot and my profit margin wouldn’t be great if I bought them. Therefore, research everything to ensure that you are maximizing your profits.
Look in the Odd Ball Sections
This is the section where I always find the best hidden gems! I don’t know why or how but all of the best items that I find are hidden away in the most random spots. Items that sell best are items that have a unique pattern or are a rare piece. Don’t be afraid to look all over the store to find the best deals!
If you don’t already, be sure to check out my Instagram for more Reselling Tips at @ RecycledRosesGuide (Click HERE)
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Be Classy, Be Confident, Be Strong
Baci,
Bianca Ida
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