Creative sourcing ideas before and during the pandemic May 2020

The Posh Kings (Brad & Jon) and Violet_507 (Jazmin) recently hosted the 1st Virtual Reseller Symposium in May 2020. A weekend full of information on an array of topics in the world of reselling. Our segment was on creative sourcing. Myself, @trishvan99, Gretchen @poshlikeaboss, Jianna @styledbyjaonposh were on the panel being moderated by Leslie @aresellerspassion.

The segment was on creative sourcing before and during the pandemic. Some of the ideas that we went over on sourcing without leaving your home were ways anyone can obtain inventory. Whether you are a smaller seller or a seasoned pro.

I’m still a hobby reseller, meaning I do not have a reseller license and do this for fun. Yes! I still get excited every time I make a sale. I also am not paying any household bills or have any employees to take care of, LUCKY. I cannot remember the last time I had or used a credit card, everything is cash on my part. Some of you will identify with me.

With that being said I do have a budget for my sourcing. My best places to shop (before shutdown) are the bins (Goodwill Outlet) and dollar day at the Goodwill. To me this is where to get the most inventory for the money. At the bins I can easily get 3 big trash bags of inventory for under $40. Do a Google search to see if you have a Goodwill Clearance Center in your area. Yes, the bins are scary, but so is spending a ton of money!

Local Non profit and charity based thrift stores are also at the top of my regular sourcing spots. They are usually run by volunteers and the proceeds go back into the community.

Before and during the pandemic I always source with credits. If you have credit on Poshmark, ebay, Mercari or other platform, use that to source. You will be helping out another reseller and acquiring inventory with no direct money going out. Using key words such as closet closing, liquidation, closing store, going out of business, bundle deals and clear out, will guide you to better deals. Refine your search to low to high and free shipping.

Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor app and Craigslist also came up as sources. On Facebook, the way I have sourced is if you see multiple listings from one person, locally, send them a message “how much for all you have?”, I’ve done this and have developed a relationship with a local lady that now will message me when she has items to ‘get rid’ of. Don’t be afraid to message these sellers, most of the time they are only looking to sell what they have and not donate. I myself have sourced this way on Facebook and Craigslist in the past, not during shutdown.

The other resellers have used the Nextdoor app for sourcing, and have good results with lots of inventory. I have not done this yet, and cannot offer any advice on this. If this is something you are interested in trying, contact the others on the panel. I’m sure they would love to help get you going.

The other resellers also mentioned buying wholesale and pallets online. Gretchen mentioned splitting a pallet with another seller-this sounds like a great idea! Feel free to reach out to them for more information on this, remember-I do not have a license and cannot share any contacts or cost with you.

This following did not come up in the segment-but, there are a couple of places that I am aware of where you can purchase cases and lots without a license. Jomar, B&G Trading, American Jen, Bulq, and Thredup, and all are online places to source without leaving your home and do not require a license.

Jomar has some great deals on cases of jeans, swim, and jeans. You cover the shipping, which seems high to me personally. Remember-i’m cheap!

B&G Trading is allover instagram, I have not ordered from them but the pricing seems fair and everyone seems to have a code to save. I’ve seen good hauls and many with damaged items. Do some research.

American Jen sells on Facebook and ebay, lots are available at different price poinst on new VS and VS PINK-I have purchased from Jen a few times with no issues. Her lots sell on Facebook twice a month and tend to sell out quickly. Get on the list!!!!

Bulq offers pallets and smaller cases of clothing and shoes, these are not items I would want to order in bulk, but good prices.

Thredup offers rescue boxes and I’ve seen plenty of good hauls on instagram. I have yet to order one of these types of boxes. I have ordered from thredup by single items, this is time consuming. The best thing to do is to search ‘assorted’ brands and be ready to do some research.

Another point that was brought up was to look around your home for items not being used. List those games, book and office items.

Retail arbitrage was also brought up, I personally don’t do any of this. These prices are high and i’m still learning brands for this type of investment.

Lastly, I recommend relisting. Look at your older stale items, take some ne photos and freshen up the titles, check descriptions and list them as they are brand new items to your closet or store.

Overall the segment went by too quickly to share the endless sourcing options out there. Don’t be afraid to reach out to another reseller for ideas and suggestions. There will be some that are not willing to share their contacts with you, but many other resellers will. Never hurts to ask!

Lastly, Poshmark has a wonderful community of resellers helping resellers. Be on the lookout for what the Posh Kings come up with next!

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