Reselling Starter Guide
$100, one weekend, first listings live. Reselling rewards one skill — knowing what things sell for — and this guide builds exactly that.
The only math that matters
Every buy must survive this equation: sold price − platform fees (~13–15%) − shipping − your buy cost = profit worth your time. Check sold listings, never asking prices — eBay's sold filter is the oracle. Rule of thumb for beginners: only buy items projecting $15+ profit after everything, and aim to triple your buy cost.
What beginners should sell first
| Category | Why it works | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Brand-name clothing (thrift) | Cheap to source, huge buyer pool | Slow sell-through; learn comps fast |
| Small electronics | High value density, fast sales | Test everything; returns sting |
| New-in-box clearance | Predictable margins, easy photos | Competition compresses profits |
| Collectibles you know | Your knowledge IS the edge | Stay in lanes you understand |
Your first weekend, hour by hour
- Saturday morning (3 hrs): two thrift stores with the eBay app open. Look up everything unfamiliar. Buy 5–10 items max — curation beats volume.
- Saturday afternoon (3 hrs): clean, photograph (white background, daylight, flaws shown), and draft listings. Good photos double sell-through.
- Sunday (2 hrs): publish 5+ listings, share to all relevant feeds, box up a ship station (mailer bags, scale, tape — under $40).
Fees you must memorize
eBay takes roughly 13–15% all-in for most sellers; Poshmark takes 20% under $15 sales and a flat-ish cut above; Whatnot and Mercari vary by category. Shipping either eats you or pays you — weigh everything and charge exact or free-shipping-baked-in deliberately. A scale is the highest-ROI tool in reselling.
The death pile warning: unlisted inventory is a hobby, not a business. List within 48 hours of buying or do not buy. Every successful reseller's rule #1 is velocity — money locked in grocery bags earns nothing.