5 surprising items you can resell for a profit

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Reselling is all about buying the right items at reasonable prices and selling them on at a profit. That means those who expect to be successful resellers need to educate themselves. They need to know when a deal is too good to be true, they need to keep a close eye on the whims of public demand, and they need to identify when demand for a certain product has flatlines, and which products are on the rise. You need to be ahead of the curve to find success as a reseller!

However, once you develop some experience and confidence, you’ll start to realise that there’s opportunity all around you. That everything is worth something to someone. Even the seemingly quotidian items that you see in thrift stores or even around the home can have surprising resale value.

Designer handbags have always been a popular item for reselling as you can easily make a profit but there are lots of other items that can bring in money too. If you’re thinking of diversifying your range beyond luxury handbags, these are some items that could be surprisingly lucrative…

Your old designer glasses

Don’t want to deviate from your luxury branding, but want to diversify in a novel and surprising way? You may find that designer glasses frames are a surprisingly lucrative source of revenue. If you have recently managed to save good money on a new designer pair of lenses, for instance, you might not have much use for your old ones. Why let them sit in a drawer when you can make money off of them? 

Once you’ve sold your old frames at a profit, you might want to start making bespectacled friends offers on their old frames. Since most of them are sitting gathering dust anyway, you’ll be able to buy them for a song and sell them at a tidy profit. 

Old jewellery

Why accept the pittance that a pawnbroker will offer you for old jewellery, when you can sell it privately? Keep your eyes peeled at thrift stores, antique stores and the like and you might just find some surprisingly valuable pieces on display for a fraction of their actual worth. 

Clothing (and its caveats)

Of course, designer labels are always a good investment, but you may be surprised how much the right high street fashion items could net you if they’re in good shape. The only caveat with clothing, however, is that it typically takes a little longer to flip than bags. So you need to be prepared to play the long game, keeping a little more of your capital tied into your investment as well as giving up more of your living space to its storage. Still, as with any investment, diversification is the best way to protect yourself from risk. Given that people will always want clothes that look good, it might be worth always supplementing your bag reselling with a few well chosen pieces of clothing that reflect the brand you’re trying to build. 

Defunct old electronics

Retro tech is a huge (and growing) industry that’s well worth investigating. Older millennials in their late 30s and early 40s are leading the charge of a consumer demand for the familiar comforts of old technology. Best of all, they’re prepared to pay good money for it when it’s in good shape and decent working order. What’s more, you may be surprised just how lucrative it can be when you find the right items. Very often you’ll find old tech sold on at yard sales by clueless sellers who have no idea of its value. If you’re prepared to clean it up a little and / or make some very minor repairs, you can find yourself sitting on a goldmine.  

Old games consoles and video games are particularly popular among ageing dads who are desperate for an opportunity to relive their youth. 

Books

Even in the digital age, where many of us turn to e-readers to scratch our literary itch, books have huge resale value, and the very definition of a quick flip. Very often you’ll find books sold for a pittance by private sellers and book stores whose business model relies on selling in bulk with little consideration for the value of the individual books. Every now and then you’ll get a find that nets a tidy profit. 

A good reseller needs to be responsive and adaptable to the whims of their markets. If you find that the world of designer handbags aren’t moving as quickly or as profitably as you’d like, a little diversification can keep your cash flow flowing and help you to remain profitable. 

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