While summer break is beloved by all school children, parents across the country are just as happy when the bell rings and it’s time for kids to be back in class. It can, however, be a pretty expensive time of year. New school clothes, a long list of supplies, and even home or dorm decor can really break the bank. With a harsh economy and skyrocketing grocery prices this year, parents are going to be happy that the secondhand market is thriving. Resellers can make the most of this time by focusing on back-to-school items. Learn how to use Vendoo to make more money this fall with back-to-school shoppers and Secondhand September customers.
Welcome Back-to-School With Second-Hand September
What is Second-Hand September? Second-Hand September started as an Oxfam campaign to encourage all of us to shop secondhand and donate, reuse, re-wear, and restyle during September. The hashtag #secondhandseptember quickly caught on with resellers and thrifting enthusiasts on social media and can become a way of celebrating reusing clothing and making more sustainable and financially responsible wardrobe choices. This also means that shoppers’ attention is going to be focused on how they can shop for reused items.
The Best Places To Shop Second-Hand For Back-To-School Savings
Buying pre-owned items for a second use used to come with a stigma, but today’s buyers are hungry for savings and helping to protect the environment, making thrifting and secondhand marketplaces very popular. There are lots of ways you can shop secondhand all year round.
Thrift Stores
The first place to shop secondhand that comes to mind is your local thrift store. Thrift stores run on donations and resell the clothing at low prices. Some even contribute money to local charities or help the community in some way. They are all, or mostly, for-profit stores though, whose goal is to make sales so they are happy for your business. You can shop at Goodwill, Salvation Army, Savers, St. Vincent, or any number of mom-and-pop thrifts in your area.
Pro tip: Google “Goodwill outlet near me” to see if you’re lucky enough to live by a Goodwill outlet store where clothing is sold very cheaply by the pound.
Yard Sales / Garage Sales
Check out what your neighbors have to spare at your local garage sales. This can be a great way to pick up children’s clothing very cheaply and maybe even leftover school supplies and books. If you shop within your own school district, you might even find merch with the school’s logo printed on it or school uniforms. Beat the heat and hit the sales right when they open.
Buy, Sell, Trade Stores
Besides thrift shops, there are stores that take clothing in trade for cash or store credit and then put it out on the floor for sale. These shops have a more curated selection and elevated prices from traditional thrift stores, but you can still find great deals on better brands. For young children, you can try Once Upon A Child, or for teens and young adults, Plato’s Closet. Don’t forget, if you have clothing these shops are looking for that your child has outgrown, bring them in, and you’ll save even more money on your back-to-school shopping.
Facebook Marketplace & Groups
You can buy used goods on Facebook Marketplace, where many parents sell children’s clothing in bulk lots, and you can also find deals in local buy, sell, and trade groups. Search Facebook groups using your city or county name to find groups near you. You can find clothing, supplies, decor, and anything else you can buy and pick up locally.
Online Reseller Platforms
Finally, for your online shopping convenience, you can get all the back-to-school clothing you need from virtual resale markets like eBay, Poshmark, Kidizen, and others. These marketplaces feature small to medium-sized home-based businesses and people selling from their own closets at low prices. While it’s true, you can also browse these marketplaces for designer, vintage, or rare pricy items; they are also a great place to buy bread and butter brands for clearance prices.
Which Online Marketplaces Are Best for Resellers to Cash In on Back-To-School Sales?
In the early days of online shopping, there were very few shops to choose from, especially if you wanted to buy secondhand. You basically had the original online garage sale, eBay. Today, there are new apps and marketplaces sprouting up all the time. If you use Vendoo, then you can crosslist your inventory easily to up to 10 marketplaces. But which are best for back-to-school buyers?
Here are the top five most popular and trustworthy marketplaces where you can list your fall deals:
1. Poshmark: For Back To School Clothes For All Ages
Poshmark is a popular marketplace for new and pre-owned clothing for women, men, and children. This makes it a great place for children, juniors, young adults, and even adult clothing for heading back to the classroom. Poshmark now also sells decor items buyers can use to decorate their home office, home classroom, or dorm rooms.
2. Depop: For Trendy Teens And College Kids
If you’re selling clothes for teens or young adults, you’ll find the trendiest options on Depop. This is where you’ll find clothes to meet evolving teen aesthetics, like cottagecore, goth, dark academia, and more.
3. Mercari: For Clothes and Supplies
Mercari is like a miniature version of eBay in that they sell a large variety of items. You can find clothing, books, school supplies, toys, decor, and more. Their prices are lower than Poshmark, and it’s a great place for resellers to clear out inventory.
4. Kidizen: For Little Kid’s Clothing
Kidizen is one of the smallest marketplaces, but it’s the only one made primarily for selling baby and children’s clothing. Although they have a “momma’s” clothing section, the whole marketplace caters to kids. If you have a lot of clothing for little tikes, this is a great place to start reselling.
5. eBay: For Just About Everything
eBay is by far the largest marketplace, with over 133 million active buyers and more than 18 million active sellers. You can find just about anything a person can legally sell on eBay, including everything you need for a stylish return to school. eBay used to be known for online auctions, but today a majority of their lists have a simple “buy it now” button. Some resellers shy away from joining eBay because they are overwhelmed by the listing process, but Vendoo makes it easy with a streamlined listing form, integration with eBay business policies, default fields, and custom templates.
Make sure to focus on listing clothing and decor items that could be considered useful for back-to-school shopping, and use classroom and school keywords in your listings. If you already have some perfect older items in your inventory, use Vendoo to quickly relist these items in bulk to create fresh listings.
You might also be interested in 10 Great Marketplaces Every Reseller Should Consider
