This question has brought up quite the debate within the reselling world. Times have changed and resellers are needing to find new ways to source inventory for their stores. Many resellers have turned to online sourcing as many retail businesses have been in shut down due to the quarantine. However, instead of allowing this community to have free reign of where they shop, many resellers within the community are giving push back to those who source through retail arbitrage instead of supporting secondhand businesses.
I want to start off by saying that there is NO right or wrong answer to this question. This is entirely a matter of opinion question. I will share both sides of the argument with you and let you decide what the best answer is based on your own opinions.
Should I Be Shopping Secondhand Resale Sites?
Continuing to shop on resale sites such as Mercari, Poshmark, and ThredUP (to name a few), will help to decrease the impact textile waste has on the planet. There is a greater opportunity to support small businesses and to to feel good while doing it knowing that you are helping to support others while also helping the planet. Many people don’t realize how much textile waste we create as consumers and the more steps that we can take to limit it, the more the planet will thank us later.
However, we need to also take a look at this from the business side of things. As a consumer, secondhand sites only provide so much. The selection is usually extremely limited and depending on what the item is, you may be paying more for the item secondhand than what the item originally retailed for brand new. At the end of the day, people are looking for an item at a discount in the best possible condition and secondhand sites cannot always provide that to consumers.
From a reseller perspective, shopping secondhand can be to your advantage as there is a greater chance that there won’t be as many of that same item, in the same condition on the market. This isn’t always the case but there is greater chance than with retail.
Should I Be Shopping Retail Sales?
Shopping retail sales can be very tricky and very competitive. There are many more steps involved with this route as a reseller. First, you have to make sure that you are purchasing the item for a great price and you have good margins. Then, you have to see if other people are selling the same item as you and if they are, how much are they selling it for? Are they bring the market value down with their prices? Are there 100 other people selling it to? As you can see, there is a little more thought and strategy that goes into making a retail purchase.
From a business perspective, shopping retail sales can be a great strategy. All of the items are brand new with tags making them extremely desirable for shoppers. After all, people want the best deals on items in the best condition. One strategy that is good when sourcing retail sales is to buy items that are in “limited quantity” on the website. The less that there are of the item to purchase, the less competition that you will have when selling the item yourself (in theory).
This sounds great- so, what is the problem? Good question. By shopping retail sites, people claim that you are supporting fast fashion and are contributing to the rise of textile waste. The argument is that instead of trying to limit the amount of textile waste by shopping secondhand, you are adding to it by shopping retail.
I’ll let you decide which route is best for you and your business but I wanted to present you with both sides of the argument and raise your awareness on the issue.
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Baci,
Bianca Ida
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