How to Be a More Conscious Reseller

Recently I saw an Instagram post from a reseller who was sharing about her latest trip to Goodwill and the items she intended to flip for profit. Not too surprisingly, someone made a comment and suggested that this reseller was “taking clothes away from the poor” by buying and flipping them online. This is not a new controversy. When this idea of the “gentrification of thrift stores” first started popping up on social media, I decided to check myself and do a little research. (See my first YouTube video about the subject HERE). As it turns out, resellers are not the problem. But, this doesn’t mean that we can’t be more conscious in how we source, shop, and sell. Here I bust a few myths AND share a few ways that we, as resellers, can be more conscious and environmentally friendly in our practices. So, if you are interested in how to be a more conscious reseller, read on.

For some conscious shopping tips in general, visit the 4 Ways to Be a More Conscious Shopper blog post. 

Myth #1 – Goodwill’s mission is to provide inexpensive clothing to low-income people

If you go to Goodwill Industries website, you’ll find that their mission is: “Goodwill works to enhance people’s dignity and quality of life by strengthening their communities, eliminating their barriers to opportunity, and helping them reach their full potential through learning and the power of work.”

Notice that it does not say that their mission is to provide inexpensive clothing to low-income individuals. In fact, I’ve even seen Goodwill representatives post this very fact. They simply sell used clothing as a means to fund the programs that help people with barriers to find employment.

Myth #2 – If resellers shop thrift stores, there won’t be any clothes left for low-income people

The fact is that there are far too many clothes on this planet. Greenamerica.org, sites the following from an EPA report

• Americans generate 16 million tons of textile waste a year. 
• On average, 700,000 tons of used clothing gets exported overseas
• 2.5 million tons of clothing are recycled
• 3 million tons are incinerated
• 10 million tons get sent to landfills

So clearly there is no shortage of clothing to go around. 

What about resellers driving up prices? There is some anecdotal evidence that thrift stores are raising prices on some items, to cash in on the trend toward buying secondhand clothing. But, these organizations don’t want an excess of inventory on their hands either. Rather than having to deal with shipping excess clothing overseas, a better business practice would be to lower prices to clear out inventory. This is exactly what Goodwill Marketplaces & Outlets are for. These types of “last chance” stores are a great place for anyone to get inexpensive clothing.

Conscious Reseller Tip #1 – Beware the Death Pile

In the world of reselling the term, “death pile” refers to unlisted inventory. This is not a problem in and of itself. But when your death pile gets into the hundreds or even thousands of items, and you continue sourcing, you are no longer operating an efficient business, but maybe hoarding instead. A more conscious reseller practice would be to understand how much you can list each day/week/month and adjust your sourcing schedule accordingly. As you can see from Myth #2 above, overconsumption is a real problem. Let’s not contribute to it further. 

Conscious Reseller Tip #2 – Reuse Shipping & Packaging Materials

Confession: I don’t have the MOST environmentally friendly shipping practices. But, I have been working to make small improvements. The truth is that to buy things like paper tape (instead of plastic), or recycled poly mailers or bags (instead of virgin plastic), costs more money. So, I have been implementing these things incrementally. 

One of my favorite ways to be a more environmentally conscious reseller is to reuse packaging. Every time an Amazon package arrives, I set aside the box or padded envelope to be reused. 

BTW – If you’re interested in this topic of being a more conscious reseller and looking for ways to improve sustainability, stay tuned for a future blog post about sustainable shipping practices. I’ve been doing some research and I’ll be ready to publish something in the next month or so. 

Conscious Reseller Tip #3 –  Skip the Thank You Gifts

I’m not sure if this is still prevalent but when I first started reselling a couple of years ago, it seemed like everyone was including thank you gifts in their packages. I get it. You want to delight your customers and have them feel like you’ve over-delivered. But, what I have heard from buyers is that 99% of the time, the gifts are useless to them and they just end up in the trash. The last thing we need is to contribute to more plastic and other non-compostable stuff going into landfills. So save yourself the time and money and skip sending those little trinkets. If you do feel compelled to do something extra, include a small handwritten note of thanks.

What other ideas do you have about how to be a more conscious reseller? What are some challenges that you find difficult to overcome? I’d love to hear from you. Drop a comment below!