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On my scavenging trip to Columbus this past weekend, I came across a pair of Men’s shoes by the brand Ecco. I was not familiar with this brand and because I was in a time crunch did not research them. They looked like a decent pair of shoes, but for some reason I associated them with the 90’s/00’s brand Ecko. I passed on them.
The next day I stopped in a nice shoe store at Easton Center to look at all the high end brands and styles. I like to to get some tactical feel of various shoes, look at tags, etc. There I found the Ecco shoes section… and immediately started kicking myself.
The story isn’t all bad though – after we left to go home I stopped at my favorite thrift shop and found another pair of Ecco dress shoes.
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One word of caution; Ecco shoes can have a sole-disintegration problem, so check the soles carefully when you buy. My husband had a pair dissolve on him while he was at an important event! He still gets comments about it.
I totally agree about learning high-end brands, not just of shoes and clothes, but of fabrics and other items. I am a broken record with this recommendation, but I subscribe to various home decorator magazines (Elle Decor is my favorite, as they do the most to educate readers) to learn moves and brands well above my personal pay grade.
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Conversely, after doing this for 10 years or so, I’m pretty familiar with labels, but what I have to do once in awhile is go into Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, Nordstrom Rack, etc., so I know what NOT to buy at the thrift anymore. Since I don’t shop retail more than once or twice a year (if that), it’s an eye-opener to see some of the “good” stuff there for low prices.
Happened to be in Marshall’s yesterday with my husband looking for cookware. As an example, they had Minnetonka fringed ankle boots on clearance for $22. These are the same style I sold USED last year for $35-$40. I won’t be giving them a second look at a thrift store ever again. Same thing happened with Women’s Sperry’s a couple of summers ago. I was selling them like crazy and then they started carrying them new at Marshall’s and Nordstrom Rack for less than I’d been getting for them pre-owned. Don’t pick them up anymore either.
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That’s a good tip!
Though Sperry’s still do sell. Mens sell easier than womens. I typically research the exact model as some sell better than others. -
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Terri
Conversely, after doing this for 10 years or so, I’m pretty familiar with labels, but what I have to do once in awhile is go into Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, Nordstrom Rack, etc., so I know what NOT to buy at the thrift anymore. Since I don’t shop retail more than once or twice a year (if that), it’s an eye-opener to see some of the “good” stuff there for low prices.
This is absolutely, 100%, dead on accurate. A lot of people knock other resellers for their videos or haul vids and whatnot. They FAIL to realize that part of their job is to research the market. Thomas Pink, Tyrwhitt, Brooks Brothers, all of that used to be a instant big ticket. Now you can have it NWT for $20 on a yellow tag day. There is a reason Patagonia, Gucci, Kuhl, etc. will be easy to sell. They have a loyal, niche based clientele. Their stuff still sells well even though they are well into market maturity. Those other brands will still sell, but you have to source them cheap, you have to sell them competitive, and you can’t be the 100th person with the exact same past season item. You either watch the trend as a clothing seller or you starve. Fashion is a fickle biyatch. See bell bottoms and JNCO jeans.
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I find the trends in the clothing market on Ebay over the last 15 years or so to be fascinating. There was a time in the early 2000s where you could pick up pretty much any Ralph Lauren Polo shirt at goodwill and flip it quickly on Ebay for $30.
The same went for vintage or vintage style t-shirts around the time “That 70’s Show” was popular. You could clear out the T-shirt racks at a thrift store for a dollar or less each and sell them for $15-20+ a pop for stuff you couldn’t give away today.
I was a small time hobby seller back then and I can attest to the fact that pretty much anything you placed at auction would sell and for prices that would be considered insane today, even if you didn’t have photos. It seems so archaic now, receiving all those money orders in the mail!
The market has only gotten more and more competitive as time goes on. I think part of it was the number of people that were looking for ways to make money after the recession, and the growth of Youtubers posting “BOLO” videos on clothing brands, jacking up the supply.
Like mentioned above, to survive as a seller today, its not enough to mindlessly pick up “BOLO” brands. You have to understand what people want in a particular brand. Take Coogi sweaters for example, they were a high end brand in the 90s and were popularized in the mainstream when rappers like Notorious B.I.G. wore them in videos. Coogi sweaters easily sell all day long for $100+, but you can’t give away the t-shirts / pants / etc. from the same brand.
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Totally agree. This is why I cringe when sellers say they want to focus on just a couple brands/items. I see this as a real problem for people getting into Amazon. I understand the desire for stability and ease in sourcing. “If it sells once, then it’ll sell again!”
But I find that the market changes too much. Either people get sick on an item and demand drops off, or more sellers come int the market and supply is oversaturated.
Our strategy to make a living is to sell anything and everything. Items in our store in two years will most likely be different than the one we have now. Our biggest weakness is going on autopilot.
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