Getting Started

We will start by asking yourself a few clarifying questions….

• “ What can I sell from my own home?”

The best part about reselling online is that you can start for free! Simply begin by picking 5 items in your home to sell. You will eventually reinvest a portion of your profits into new inventory. 

• “ What items bring me joy/ What things do I enjoy purchasing?”

Why? Because you will mostly likely enjoy selling things that bring you joy. 

• “ What niches or categories do I already have knowledge in?” 

You will save a lot of time and money starting with what you already know. 

• “ What retail stores are in my area?”

This may give you a good clue about what might be donated to local thrift stores in your area. Have reasonable expectations about the kinds of things you will find to sell. Sourcing inventory in California can look very different from someone’s haul from Maine. You might do a quick google search of retail stores, malls, and shops in your area. 

Now that you have answered these questions, you have somewhere to start. 

Establish your first platform!

I started on Ebay and I highly recommend you do the same. It is one of the most used online selling platforms. As of 2025, it has a whopping 134 MILLION active buyers!

Now, this not to say you shouldn’t use other platforms. In fact, selling on multiple sites can be a great way to expand a business or increase sales. I personally sell on multiple platforms. But I haven’t always and I certainly didn’t start out that way. However, it is a good idea to be well versed on a single platform before learning another. This will prevent costly mistakes, confusion, and burnout. 

Once you pick your platform, you will set up an account. 

If you need help setting up an account on a platform, Youtube has tutorials or look for instructional videos on the platform’s website.