The world of retail has changed dramatically over the past few years, with online shopping now an easy way for buyers to find exactly what they need from the comfort of their home. The rise of e-commerce combined with the recent move towards eco-conscious shopping has seen a boom in online reselling businesses, where buyers can find stylish, quality clothing without relying on fast fashion. With the ability to reach a vast audience across the world at the tap of a button, starting an online reselling business can be a lucrative venture that combines your love of fashion with a popular and sustainable form of retail. However, choosing the right platform for your business is crucial to its success. We know this decision can be a hard one to make, as there are so many options out there with different pros and cons. But do not fear, we at Fleek are here to help! Whether you are just starting up selling secondhand clothing online or looking to boost your business, read on to find out what we think are some of the best platforms for your online reselling business.

1. eBay

Pros
eBay is one of the oldest and most established online marketplaces, making it an ideal platform to start your reselling business. With over 185 million active users worldwide, eBay provides a truly enormous audience for your store. You don’t need to be an expert in technology either to list your items on eBay, as it has an easy and intuitive interface to start selling your products online. Even better, it also offers a range of seller tools to help you manage your listings effectively. You can sell through auctions or fixed-price sales, which can attract buyers, and set your own shipping policies. eBay’s robust feedback system allows buyers to rate sellers and vice versa, which can help build trust with your buyers and improve sales over time.

Cons
eBay charges fees for every sale, including listing fees, final value fees, and PayPal fees. These fees can add up quickly, and may eat into your profits. With more than 18 million sellers across the world, eBay is a highly competitive marketplace, and there may be many other stores offering similar products to yours. This can make it difficult to stand out and attract customers, especially with the lack of personalisation available on eBay storefronts. eBay may also hold payments for up to 21 days, which can be frustrating for sellers who need cash flow to fund their businesses, which may particularly be the case if you are just starting out reselling clothes.

2. Poshmark

Pros
Poshmark is an online marketplace that focuses on fashion, making it a perfect platform for reselling vintage and secondhand clothing. Poshmark uniquely offers a social aspect, allowing you to connect with other sellers and your buyers, which can be beneficial for making industry connections and building trust. They also offer a range of seller tools, including shipping labels, packaging materials and free authentication, making it easy to manage your listings and prove your reliability as a clothing seller. Poshmark also has a large user base of over 80 million people, which means there is a higher likelihood of your items being seen by potential buyers than some other platforms, and is also more targeted towards buyers looking for secondhand and vintage clothing. Their website is user-friendly and easy to navigate, making it simple to sell your goods. One key bonus of Poshmark is that it offers built-in shipping, which means you won’t have to worry about calculating shipping costs or arranging shipping!

Cons
Poshmark takes a 20% commission on sales, which is significantly higher than other selling platforms. It also has limited negotiation options, as sellers are only able to offer discounts through the “Offer” feature, and buyers cannot submit their own offers. Combined with their pricing guidelines sellers must follow, this can limit your ability to set your own prices according to the needs of your business. Their shipping can sometimes be slow, which can result in longer wait times for buyers to receive their items and may affect your feedback as a growing business. Poshmark is currently only available in 5 countries: the US, Canada, Australia, India and the UK. While very popular in the States, exclusively using Poshmark may limit your potential customer base if you are looking to expand, or are simply based outside of this remit.

3. ASOS Marketplace

Pros
ASOS Marketplace has a global reach, which means that you’ll have the potential to reach a large audience of buyers. Compared to other online marketplaces, ASOS Marketplace also charges relatively low fees for sellers, making it an attractive option to avoid high overhead costs. ASOS Marketplace is easy to use and offers a range of tools and resources to help you optimize listings and boost sales. ASOS is a well-known and respected brand in the fashion retail industry, which can help to build trust and credibility, especially for sellers who are new to the online marketplace or just setting up your business. 

Cons
Although ASOS Marketplace is a reputable platform for selling secondhand clothing, there is a lot of competition among sellers, which can make it difficult for new sellers to gain visibility and attract customers. As a globally trusted business, they also have strict guidelines for the quality and condition of items that can be sold on the platform, which can be a challenge if you have some well-loved but sought after items to sell. ASOS Marketplace is responsible for handling customer service issues related to sales made through the platform; while this can be convenient, it can also be challenging to manage customer complaints without direct control over the process.

4. Depop

Pros
With its drive towards sustainable fashion and super easy app, it’s plain to see why Depop has over 30 million registered users. Their large and active community of buyers and online popularity makes it an ideal way to sell your stock to a vast range of shoppers, particularly young social media users who may be your target audience. Depop’s app is user-friendly and easy to navigate, so it’s simple to quickly list new items for sale. The buying process is also straightforward through PayPal, with the bonus of seller protection and immediate access to funds. You are in control of how you ship your items, which can even be altered per item, allowing you to customize the shipping of your vintage lace camis to North Face nuptses in order to maximize profit. 

Cons
Depop charges a 10% fee on all sales, which is higher than some other e-commerce platforms. While Depop being a popular platform can draw millions of people to your store, there is a lot of competition among sellers. It can be challenging to stand out and make sales, especially if you’re just starting. Although this can be helped by marketing and social media, it might take awhile before sales start booming. Depop also has limited payment options, as it only accepts payment through PayPal, which may not be convenient for everyone. 

5. Vinted

Pros
One of the main advantages is that Vinted only charges a small fee of 5% on each transaction, which is lower than most other online marketplaces. Vinted also has a large user base, which means you have a great chance of finding a buyer for your items. It’s a user-friendly platform with an app that is easy to navigate, list your items, and communicate with buyers. 

Cons
With low fees comes a lot of competition, and you may need to lower your own prices to make a sale and compete with other sellers of similar products. Buyers also choose what shipping you use, which may be inconvenient for your business depending on cost and location. Vinted is also primarily popular in Europe, so if you are looking to sell to an international audience, you may need to choose a bigger marketplace like eBay or ASOS Marketplace. Vinted also offers limited customization for your shop, so if you want to create a unique brand or aesthetic, you may need to look elsewhere.

6. Mercari

Pros 
Mercari also has a large user base, so you can potentially reach more buyers than on other platforms. The platform is user-friendly, making it simple to create listings and manage sales, and its flat 10% fee on all sales is lower than many other online marketplaces. Mercari provides prepaid shipping labels for sellers with up to $200 protection, simplifying the process and reducing stress. Their guarantee protects buyers from fraudulent sellers, which can help new businesses establish themselves as trustworthy online. 

Cons
As there are so many sellers on Mercari, there is a lot of competition, which makes it challenging to stand out. This is added to by the fact Mercari is only available in the US, so you are unable to reach buyers across the world. Mercari’s platform doesn’t allow for a lot of customization of listings, so you may feel limited in your ability to promote your brand and showcase items according to your personal style.

7. Personal Website

Pros 
When you sell secondhand clothing on a personal website, you have complete control over the entire process, from pricing and product description to shipping and customer service. Selling on your website also eliminates the commission fee you would have to pay to third-party sellers, meaning you can earn more money per item sold. Your own website allows you to customize your online store according to your brand’s unique style and preferences. This is important for fashion businesses in particular, as you’ll want to draw in buyers with an aesthetically pleasing website. By selling on your own website, you can also build a loyal customer base and increase customer retention by offering discounts and exclusive promotions. 

Cons
Selling on a personal website may limit your exposure to potential customers compared to using a larger platform like eBay. You will need to invest in marketing your website to attract visitors and generate sales, as your search engine optimization will not be great in the early days. There are also many other hidden costs involved in setting up your own website, from the companies you use to host and design it to the payment interface you select. Paying commission to a popular and trusted platform may be your best bet when starting up a reselling business.

8. Instagram

Pros
Instagram has over one billion monthly active users, so you can easily reach a large audience for your secondhand clothing. Selling on Instagram is relatively easy and low-cost compared to other e-commerce platforms. Instagram also allows you to create a personalized storefront connected to your page, where you can showcase your products and provide further details about them. The direct messaging feature allows you to communicate with customers quickly, which can create better customer service and increased reputation. Influencer marketing is also a popular way to promote products on Instagram, which you can leverage by partnering with influencers in your niche to promote your clothing. Setting up a business account also provides you with invaluable business analytics. Read our blog to find out more on how to make the most of Instagram for your reselling business. 

Cons
Instagram does not have a built-in payment system, which means that you will need to rely on external payment systems, such as PayPal or Stripe. The store feature of Instagram is also relatively new, so some buyers may be hesitant to purchase clothing because of concerns about the authenticity of the product or the seller’s credibility. Remember that Instagram is primarily a social media platform, which means that it has limited e-commerce functionality compared to the dedicated marketplaces we have mentioned above. This can make it more difficult to manage inventory and track sales.

This list is not exhaustive, and there are plenty of other platforms out there that may work best for you. If you’re looking for something more specific or want to target particular audiences, think about The RealReal, thredUp and Whatnot. Alternatively, Facebook Marketplace could be an easy way to earn the funds you need in order to establish your business with third-party retailers. The options are limitless, and at Fleek we are here to help! Feel free to drop us a line and say hi at hello@joinfleek.com.