Latest / The Truth About Reselling / Reselling |$1.5M in Poshmark sales & $0 Debt ft. Ruth Ramsey on luxury flipping, margins & scaling

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Reselling |$1.5M in Poshmark sales & $0 Debt ft. Ruth Ramsey on luxury flipping, margins & scaling · The Truth About Reselling

• Stevie Seay: Hey everybody, welcome to the pod. Today we have Ruth Ramsey or Ruthless Reselling as you may know her on the pod. Welcome Ruth. Thank you. Yes, we're so happy you're here. Thanks. And Ruth is a full-time reseller and she specializes in Poshmark. You know what? She's actually just hit 1.5 million in gross sales on the app. Insane. Yeah, that's crazy. Congrats by the way. Thank you. Yeah, seriously. And she used to work in corporate fashion buying and kind of has pivoted to the secondhand market. And she's passionate about helping others navigate the resale space while promoting a more sustainable approach to fashion. And so are we. Welcome, Ruth. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. So you used to be a buyer. Who did you buy for? So I started off at Neiman's. If you live in Dallas, you pretty much, if you want to work in fashion, we have Neiman Marcus as a headquarters and JCPenney. So I started at Neiman's. I worked there for about six years and then did it. I was there for a while. It was a great company to work for and then transitioned and worked for at JCPenney in the buying office for one year. ⁓ Didn't last long there at all and then decided to like have like a little bit of a quarter life crisis and was like, I'm leaving corporate America and then started reselling kind of as like kind of not even, I didn't have a job, but it was like, just something to hold me over until I went back to corporate America. And then this just continued to be successful. So I've been doing it full time now for, think, like five years. 1.5 million in five years is like huge. That's amazing. Thanks. Yeah, I think it's five years. I am not great at knowing those times. feel like with reselling too, it's like, know how it started, like, and also, yeah. but it's been about five years. There's not like a lot of benchmarks throughout the process. right. You also don't have a boss that's like, here's your yearly review. It's just me being like, okay, I need to look at the year or so. Yeah, so true. Yeah, that's, I just bought some stuff from Neiman Marcus last call. I got like a Mastoni Afghan wrap for 70 bucks. I was like, what is happening? That's amazing. But then they shut down the website. yeah, it's closed. ⁓ okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's yeah, they I just went to their like last call, which is there. It was this great store. And it closed yesterday. So yeah, Neiman's is definitely going through a lot of transitions now. So I'm kind of happy to be out of that because pretty much everyone I know that's still there was let go and lost you. Wow. Yeah. And Saks bought them recently, right? Isn't that why they're all going bankrupt? It's like Saks, Neiman and who's the other one? So yeah, Saks bought Neiman's and then Neiman's owns Bergdorf Goodman, which is like ⁓ a, Bergdorf Goodman is like this, I don't think anything bad will ever happen in Bergdorf Goodman, but yeah, we, Neiman's should never have been bought by Saks. So there was rumblings of that even when I was there. So it's been a long time coming. That's awesome. Yeah, some of my favorite stuff to find is dead stock from Neiman's and Bergdorf because it's always like so beautiful and silk and linen from the 80s. ⁓ So well made too. Yes, when it has that label. Beautiful stuff. Yeah. And so you got into reselling. sounds like you like everyone else kind of fell into it. Yes. So at Neiman's we had like sample sales. So I was Like you get all this stuff, you get crazy stuff. And then I was like, well, I don't really know what to do with this stuff. And so I started reselling and then I watched, you guys know, I don't think she does anything in the space now, but empty hanger. No, but I've heard of her. Yeah. So she, think she's now does like Amazon, but she had made a, she was making YouTube videos where she like went to a thrift store and it changed my mindset where I was like, ⁓ people go to stores, not to like self, like it was a diff. different way of thinking or was like, okay, I'm walking in a store just to make a pro or just to be funny. And so that for me was like a light bulb or I was like, ⁓ and then I started doing that. And then it just continued to grow from there. That's so cool and grow like exponentially, which is amazing. So do you you focus mostly on like luxury goods, right? Yeah, it took me a while to get there. Like I didn't when I first started, like even though I come from luxury, I didn't want to like spend a lot of money at the beginning. I did not probably for the first like year and a half. I didn't I did like free people and just whatever I could find. ⁓ But then I started to there was actually a store in New York City that was closing. And I was randomly there with a friend and we I was able to get a bunch of like super high end pieces. And that kind of gave me the capital to start moving into luxury because I had exposure to it, but I just it's such an investment to get into luxury like and you have to be able to sit like that's when they always tell people they're like. Wanting to get into it is like make sure that if this doesn't sell for a while, you have you don't have like a credit card payment that you have to pay right after that like. I think sometimes when you see different people, like I'm sure even with palettes, like, you know, you see people and it's like, ⁓ I should buy a palette. It's like, well, yes, there is a lot of opportunity there, but you have to be able to like afford that palette and not pay. And like, that's so hard to convey because you see people on social media and like, it looks so cool, but there And it looks so easy. Like they just make it like, they just went out and bought all these luxury goods. Yeah. No, I think that's such a good point because it is like. You have to be able to do it where you're not completely stressed out about it. And also, like, I think we all have learned, especially with Poshmark, that, there's not always a timeline. You can think something will sell really fast and it won't, or you can expect something to sit forever and it will sell quickly. And, a lot of the time it is a guessing game. No, it's so true. And, just understanding that, things are going to take a while and brands are, you know, you can be like, one of the things I've realized is even on, the super high end, I don't... I sell some of that, things that are over $500 retail, that takes such a long time to move because it's such a specific customer. Yeah. Okay. When you say luxury, what do you mean? Because I mean, if things are sitting for $500, or what is your typical piece that you buy, your cost of goods, and what is it typically sell for? It varies. I have ways where I can get things for... I'll spend a lot if I'm gonna make a lot. Like I'm always, especially now, I think for me like luxury and really when I like, the thing that I have been able to get a lot of is like Zimmerman, like Zimmerman takes a while That's my dream. Beautiful stuff, I know, I know. I wanna wear it. I know, same, same. I let myself try it on. There's like one piece that I just sold that I like let myself try on, but I was like, where am I wearing? No, exactly. don't have anyone It's so frilly and beautiful and whoever bought it, she ended up just sold. So I was like, whoever's wearing this is going to look amazing, but it's not my vibe. Zimmerman, feel like if I can get it for less than like $100, $150, then I can sell it for like $300 to $400. And then I'm making a great margin on that. that I feel like is luxury. for me. No, think it's really interesting too, because I do feel like most people in the reseller space, not all, but most, are thrifting for a couple dollars, maybe like $10 an item and reselling for like $20 to $50 an item, you know? So I think this is so unique and it's really interesting and obviously it's like a lot more of a gamble on your end. Do you feel like you have gotten pretty good at figuring out what will sell or do you end up still with stuff you just like have to hold on to forever? What do you do with those pieces? So if it's nicer, I send it into the real real. I do sell a little bit on the real real. Don't necessarily advocate for selling on the real real, but I am big into turn. As much as can sit with it for a year or a year and a half, I'm not gonna have, I have other friends that do the reselling and they'll have things for like five years. I can't tell you where, yeah. I'm not gonna hold onto something because, especially, You know, like if I was able to get like a crazy good deal on something, as long as I'm making the margin I want to make, like I'm good to move it. Like I don't need to like hold, you know, this idea of like, oh, this thing was $5,000 originally, so I need to sell for like $2,000. Like that's not reality. And yeah, it doesn't really mean anything anymore. Yeah. Right. Right. Maybe before it did, but like there's so much off price now. So I think for me, it's, you you find, I use ThreadUp too. Like I send things in bulk to ThreadUp and that's kind of just a wash. I don't, real, real, I can sometimes make my money back and get a little bit of profit, but it's just kind of like at the very end of it. But I don't do that a ton. I think ⁓ I try to be really smart about what I'm buying. And so typically I can move it because my, also my business is very brand focused. So I'm very big into like. understanding brands. think coming from Neiman's, were such a, like, obviously that's how you look at what you're buying. And so for me, it's always been about like, even when I first started, it was free people. Like I just became an expert and like figured out rare pieces of free people, but it was always about the brand. Isn't it so interesting how all of us are so different? Like Amanda specializes in palettes. Mine is more like vintage high end, I would say. but it's, I really feel like it's whatever we're interested in. And I know people say, don't buy what you like, but I kind of do feel like you have to be buying things that you're interested in and you like. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Not necessarily like, oh, this is cute. It's like, I don't know. For me, it's like the weird things sell. Like I sell a lot of novelty cakes, bean purses, and things like that where it's like super weird stuff. What did your, if you're comfortable with this, what did your numbers start out like? when you first started, if you have any like general and then like where are you now in terms of like annual? I'm always really interested. Yeah, so yeah, I think my first year, let me look, this is so bad. It's not bad. I, let me look, I mean, what's great about PopShork, and when I first started, this was not, oh wait, I just deleted the app because they're rolling out all these changes and so I want it to come up on my, they just announced like 30 minutes ago. I want it. It's not showing up right now on my password. So I deleted my password because I want it to show up. think my first year. I think I might have sold like 90,000. That could be so wrong. I need to look at that. But that was like, I was great. I think I think that's right. I so I don't know. No, no, no. Well, it's still so impressive, though. Amazing. I think that's right, though. That could be so I I literally it's. This is probably just you don't have to keep this in here. But it's like, I'll tell my accountant, like I go into my account and like we pay my taxes. And then I literally forget about the number. Like I'm very like forward. Yeah. Thinking. then now. So last year I posted this. So I feel super comfortable talking about this. Last year I sold four hundred thousand dollars on Poshmark and on whatnot. What not has been something that's very different for me in my business. but I really enjoyed it. ⁓ I specialize in like, Anita Bing. ⁓ And there's a lot of fakes on Poshmark, so like, like them whatnot. could see, yeah. The fakes are so weird. I picked up two, the row bags at Salvation Army. I'm not sure if they're fake, they might be. But one of, I mean, I've just started using one, cause I'm like, is, and I've bought ones before and I'm like, this is clearly fake. But it is interesting, the faking of items that aren't, I mean, the row is obviously very high end, but. I guess like I hear there's also like Lululemon faking. Oh yeah, and Aloe is getting faked so hard right now. Like what? It's absurd. Yeah. How do you know? on whatnot. On whatnot I see that quite a bit. You can tell like it's so, I mean, I think like it's frustrating, especially because like a lot of times the people that are buying it, they don't know it's fake. Like that's what I get frustrated about is like, if you can't afford a real item, like a row bag and you, but like then to sell it again and to, market is fake or market is real. It's like, yes. Yeah. That's what I frustrated about. And like, I think there's a lot of fake throwbacks. So you may have two real ones. That's incredible. Yeah. I mean, have you authenticated them? I'm sure you could. So I did. And they came back as not. But the reasons they gave me were really weird. was like fun. And it's definitely suede inside. I wish I had it up here to show you. But I'm like, whatever. Yes. ⁓ No, who do you all use? I've been using authentic detective. I really like them. OK, maybe I tried real authentication, but their reasoning for why it wasn't real didn't make any sense. was like, the coloring is not the same, but I'm like, that's just lighting. And if you look at it in real life, it's super soft. It's not like glove tan leather, I'm like, hmm. feels. Suede, though. Yeah, suede inside, and then on the outside, it's soft leather. And I'm like, this is very much leather. And I've seen Fake the Row Bags. Amanda and I are very type B, so it's like we're always flying by the seat of our pants. Same. Really? I know I'm always a little nervous. I'm like, I'm going to stress a type A person out. I'm so curious about this because I was telling Amanda this. I randomly was talking to the producer of Brene Brown's podcast, and she's also very type B. And they're a very successful podcast. And I'm like, oh, you can be really successful in type B because you hear all of this like, rhetoric that type A is better. I would love to hear it because somebody who has sold as much as you, both of you actually have sold like a shit ton of product and run really successful businesses and are type B. I want to hear about that from both of you. Like, what does your day look like? I'll let Ruth go first because my time is kind of so overly chaotic. It's not even funny. Yeah, I've tried to do like a day in my life and I'm like, It would be like I have one that was it wasn't fake, but it was like because I wake up when I want I wake up naturally like don't have an alarm. I mean, I don't have kids. So I have kids and I still do that. OK, good. That's good to know. I listened to a podcast that said that it was good to wake up to the sunlight. So I've told myself that that's why. And then, yeah, like even when you guys are asking me numbers, I'm like, hmm. Like there are times where I know I have to be on top of that and then other times I just kind of let it go. And then, you know, one thing like right now Poshmark has been really cracking down on shipping on time and I do ship on time, but there are times where I'm like, I can't find that and life happens and I just don't ship it or I ship it late and then like whatever. And so they've been like, yeah, I got in trouble. for that. And I'm like, yeah, I think being type B, it's just, I'm always going to be like that. Like that's, I'm never going to be and running a business. I think what's great about, you know, having your own business is you are your own boss. So like, if I am, if there are times where I really need to work, then I'll like, you know, be focused. most of my day is just kind of, yeah. What you want to do when you want to do it? Yeah. Yeah. I get that. I feel like for me, it's like, I can't, I mean, kids play a huge factor because I can't create like a strict schedule because they will mess it up. So I have to be much more go with the flow. So I think in a way, like being type B kind of like helps with that because it doesn't stress me out too much. I know I'll just like find another pocket of time where I can get stuff done. But I do, and maybe this is like a little more like ADHD mixed with type B, but I do find that like I can hyper-focus on stuff like that. And I think that has made me successful. You know, it's like being able to just like have a laser focus on one thing and get that done. like, like I feel like with brands, I've always been like, like I can hear someone talk about one good brand one time. And it's like, I will always remember that. And I feel like that's, that's something that is good for me that maybe other people don't have. And then they have more organization skills or things like that, that I don't have. I think it's like, I don't know. It all balances out. But yeah. I also heard that type A type B was created. They were doing tests on who has heart attacks more often. And that was actually why they were categorizing people and guess who has heart attacks more often. to that study type A no type A not us. No, no, no. Yeah. Because I have around people that are type A and I'm like, you're stressed. my husband, my husband, I'm like, are okay? Yeah. He's still type A. My husband is like type B plus he would probably be more type A if I were not. around but planning wise he's like ⁓ I'm going to Patagonia for two weeks I better book my flight it's in two weeks you know he's like that kind of person too so ⁓ my gosh my husband would literally die we were in New York last year and we were sharing a hotel room with my sister and my brother-in-law and I like took my contacts out and my brother-in-law was like ⁓ no how are we gonna like remember whose contact cases are whose and I had two left caps on mine. He's like, nevermind. He's like, we all know who travels with it. I'm like, I don't, I didn't even notice. But I think it's a benefit. I do in terms of reselling, because it's like being able to, like that was something as I skip around every sentence. But I have always had this ability to tell what brands are, not all brands, but like, I'm like, oh, I know what brand that is. I don't know why. And it's not useful in any part of my life. So I was like, I better, should put that to use because, you know, being able to spot those brands. But again, I couldn't tell you if a left or right cap or, you know, my husband's socks say left and right on them. Wait, I need. It's like, but I'm like, you can never match them up. I'm like, I can never find the proper ones. So it's. No, that's so funny. Yeah, literally my life. know I'm like somewhat organized if I have a clean pair of socks that I've like folded in my like, I can't. I just got I don't even have like I have lost so many passports that the U.S. government will only give me a year long passport. That's incredible. ⁓ know, then you know, they're like, get one. I spent all this money because I had a trip and I was like, no, I need a passport. And then my fiance opened it up and he was like, this is only valid for one year. I was like, ⁓ okay, because I've lost my money. That's crazy. I I mean, I love it. I've lost my passport. I was in Italy and I just like left it at the bank and we got to the next town. This was after college and my friends were like, where's your, we can't get on the plane. And I was like, whoops, guess I, you know, like, and it always works out is the thing. It's like, if I can't find my ID, I can find my passport. And it's just a more fun, you know, not having drama in my life. gives me a little bit of dopamine. And does your husband have a corporate job or your fiance? ⁓ He does have a corporate job, but he does work from home. So, so I have this theory that the best partnerships in life are when there's one corporate person and one 1099 person or like self-employed because it's like you can't eat corporate nine to five. You have to be focused for all that time. How does anything else get done? No, yeah, so true. That's funny. going to tell them you said that. So, so you mentioned that last year you earned 400k. What is it like your take home or your profit on that? So it varies and I don't look at an overall, like I'll do a monthly margin. So because the only thing that maybe I am a little bit type A about is my margins. do, think coming from corporate, that has been super important to me. like, if my business isn't operating at an overall profit of about 50 to 60 % give or take, then I don't feel like I'm doing what I need to do. Now that number is complicated because that my whatnot margins are much smaller because it's whatnot and I, the things I sell and whatnot are like things I enjoy to sell and it's enjoyable for me so it's different. But Poshmark, I'm pretty strict about those, but I have the thing about like, if you probably were to go on and like look at my Poshmark closet, you'd be like, how is she making that margin? I have ways because I've been like really open-minded and I like have made really great connections and I have ways of getting pretty incredible pieces for like pennies on the dollar. That's great. So that helps with my margin. And so I'm always looking at like an overall margin because there are things that maybe I'm not gonna be able to make that, but then I have other things that help that. So I look at it like overall. ⁓ I think that's great. also think it's like there sometimes there are like it's like hard for resellers to like calculate their success, know, think that's a good way to do it is like if you know what margins you feel comfortable with and that's like what is success in your eyes like I think that's great. Yeah, that's so do you how many whatnot shows do you do like a month or a week to you because they're fairly like occasional, right? Yeah, I do. I try to do one a week every Thursday. try. Yeah, I know. sorry. I know you do a lot. I'm like, yeah, well, I'm down to like one a week right now. And okay, are you? Yeah. We talked to somebody last week. How many did Kelsey do? Lucky and She's doing like five a week. Some of them are eight hour streams. And I'm like, I love her for that. But like. I would have to sit in the dark room for two hours after that. Same. And she loves it. She's like, it doesn't exhaust me at all. She's like, it's so fun. I know. I know. One that is really good for people like that. Yeah. So do you cross list at all? Because it doesn't sound like you cross list. So I don't. I do do a little bit with Depop, but honestly not enough. And then I had sold on eBay when I was working at Neiman's because I don't know, Poshmark was around, but it like wasn't super popular at the time. So I did sell on eBay. I hate eBay. Me too. Okay. Oh my God. But you can sell things on there, but it's so like, it's so old. Like the interface is so difficult to use. I haven't been on it in probably like five years. It hasn't changed. Yeah. I just, I... used to sell on eBay. So and I think I got like one negative review like years and years ago and I like tried to fight it because I thought it wasn't valid blah blah and like they were like absolutely not. And then ever since then I was like, I don't want to on eBay. But I do know I'm definitely leaving money on the table by not selling on eBay because I do know that like people around me like I have like my family members and friends that are that resell more is like side things and they sell on eBay and they're like, Ruth, you have to get on eBay. But Yeah, I think you have to get on Vestier because that one from luxury. things, luxury buyers. And I have a lot of buyers who are out of the country who buy on there. Same with Etsy. I don't know if you do any vintage, but if you do vintage luxury, Etsy, people are like buying all over the world. Those are my higher streams than eBay is like fine. But yeah, I highly recommend Vestier for luxury. Okay, yeah, I had been on it and then I think I just like type B. I just like, then I forget. But I do want to start. Like, I think that one of the things is being so reliant on one platform, especially with, you know, they like suspended my account for 24 hours because of shipping and because of like, I don't even know. And I was like, I can't like just be reliant on one app. Right, you're like, that's my whole income. I knew. Yeah, I was like, what do I do? So yeah. Yeah, there's ⁓ the cross-listing. I know Amanda uses Nifty. I use Vendoo because of Vestier, and it's the only platform it integrates with. And so that's why I use it. But I'll send you information about how to get on as a professional seller because they take lower fees and you get different perks. You too, Amanda, if you want to start selling some of your reformation stuff. there's a lot of I need to start listing more. I'm not listing at all right now. It's But you do what? But you do whatnot and you're doing really well. Yeah. Yeah. I feel like it's like whatnot is so overwhelming. If like you're doing so much like I just, yeah. I need to get back to listing more because there's like so much money there. But yeah. Well, I have so much money in my storage. Amanda knows this. have more than a thousand unlisted pieces because I'm, yeah, I know. I know it makes everyone want to vomit and I'm just now saying it out loud. So that is my new goal for the next three months is to get everything listed and then all my stuff refreshed. so, it's just like sitting there, it's vintage, it's luxury. It's stuff. It's like really good stuff. It's really good stuff. So many coach bags and like, it's, I mean, it's all leather and I don't know what is wrong. yeah. So I, that is my three month plan is to get everything listed. It might be fewer than a thousand. might be more. I don't know. It's all just sitting in storage. that is my thing, but I would definitely not be making what I'm making without cross-listing. like, this is not an ad or anything. It's just like, y'all got to get on this year. Okay. Yeah. I need to get on this year. I have heard that and I feel like, you know, it's like taking the time to sit down and do it, but like the payoff is so great. So yeah. But if you use a tool, it's not that it's like. super easy. once you like the first few times it is a little tricky because they make you put your photos in a specific order. And so you have to put but now Vendoo has like a thing that it flags it and it's like, hey, you need the front of the purse and the inside then the tag and then the back and then the strap. So it tells you now it didn't use to so I would get rejected all the time for listings. that's interesting. Yeah. it's people are especially overseas because I mean, people want stuff from- money. ⁓ Yeah. Amanda, do you sell beyond Poshmark and Depop and whatnot right now? Yeah, I sell a lot on eBay. ⁓ do you? actually like, yeah, I feel like I'm the outlier here. I really like eBay. I don't like all the games that eBay makes you play, but I really like eBay. feel like, I mean, it goes back and forth with Poshmark and eBay, but a lot of the time, I make more money on eBay and I post the exact same stuff. You know interesting do you have more ideas or more sales on eBay because I probably I know I think I more sales on Poshmark because I started out on Poshmark for so long only doing that but Yeah, I think I think it depends I also get like in my palettes I get quite a bit of men's stuff and I feel like men's does better on eBay. That's so men's is a I think Yeah, I also price like really competitively. So I think Maybe just because there's more people like eyes on my stuff on eBay and my then myself after that way too. Maybe you could answer this question. eBay has been changing my prices and dropping them every. ⁓ what is that? I there's like a toggle you can you might have something toggled on. I think it's like what is it? It will like after a certain amount of time it will like drop your price. OK, because it's like trying to stay competitive. I would turn that off. I don't even know how it got turned on. Maybe I'll email their support, but yeah, that kind of stuff. Like all. I had something sell the other day, like a luxury item, and it was like $30. No, no, was a pair of Manolo Blahniks, vintage Manolo Blahniks, and it sold for a hundred bucks. And I was like, why are they priced at a hundred dollars? I had them priced at 300. Like what is happening? the heck? Yeah, and then you have to be, you can't cancel, like, I you can cancel on eBay, but then you get in trouble. I do feel like eBay does have like this, like, like they're ruling with an iron fist and like you have to be so careful not to F your account up. Yeah, I hate that mine was I do feel like yeah. Yeah, I know I feel like I'm pretty low right now I've always been like a top rated seller, but I'm I think I'm like an average seller or something right now because it was like when I wasn't listing consistently I like missed like I shipped a things late or something and it like it'll take your account so fast Yeah, I mean it does and I don't like that for like six months. So at one point really I turned off my eBay because I'm like so I deleted every single listing and I turned it off and then waited like a month and turned it back on and now it's fine. It's really weird. So that's how I got around because I canceled some stuff. So it's like, it's all just like a game. feel like with Poshmark too. How do you do your listings? Do you use AI? Do you just do it from like a list of keywords or how do you? I am kind like, I had a call with Poshmark about this and they literally were like, we've never heard of anyone doing anything like what you do. I was like, okay. ⁓ so I do it all myself. Like I, ⁓ get the stock photos. take the photos. put in the, ⁓ I'm, you know, I always find the style name cause I don't do vintage. So I think that's such a cool business. And like, wish I knew more about vintage. I feel like Texas and Austin, when you go to Austin, there is going to be incredible vintage. I'll have to tell you, I don't, I don't source in Austin, but remind me my mom likes to She does a little bit of reselling and she can find incredible vintage pieces. Really? No, the good places to go. Okay. send you a list of places to go. Thank you. But yeah, and then I put in all of the like style name and then I do, I don't do any measurements. okay. I didn't use to and now I started doing it and again, it's just because it's vintage. so, feel like that is different. Yeah, sizing was so different. Right. And on my pants. So you don't do them on your jeans or pants or anything. people still buy. Because I get so many questions that I'm like, OK, I'm just going to measure them all and you guys can just. But they still sell. OK, this is two people who don't do measurements. This is cool. I feel like Ruth, like I don't know exactly what you do, but like kind of getting a little eye into it. I kind of feel like I. Also, like I used to be very by the book and like all the little tips that everyone is doing. I was like going above and beyond and spending so much freaking time doing it. And I'm like, I don't have the time for this. So I dropped down to just like so basic, like sometimes my pictures aren't even that good. Like I know they're clear and you can see all the details, but like maybe I should have seen that item that I didn't really want to steam and stuff still sells. So sometimes like people just like really overcomplicate things. do think vintage is a little different with sizing so I can understand measurements, but like. When you're listing so much, measurements take so much time. me, I was like, I'm not doing that. Like, I'm literally not doing that. And if people ask for measurements, I don't give it to them. Same. I'm just like, I am so sorry. I'm not doing it. Like, someone else will buy it. Yeah, same. I mean, sometimes the only time where I kind of feel bad, I still don't do measurements. unless it's like... I probably have done a couple of measurements last year. If someone asks me pit to pit, I do understand that, like if it's something that they're worried about. like, I understand that one. So I'm like, okay, well that's... But then I still tell them like, no, I'm not doing measurements. Cause I feel like there was a time where I had someone that I literally hired to do measurements. And then I would have people that would return it because they would open a return case. They're like, it's a half an inch too like smaller than what you said. And I was like, okay, like... They use it against you almost. Yeah, I was like, I don't know, like maybe you stretched it or... So I just never felt like the amount of time it takes for my items and typically I feel like the people that are buying my items probably know the brand, probably know how they fit. And like I do... they're looking for a specific thing. They're not just scrolling and stumbling upon the listing. Right, because of how detailed I am because I do make sure like... If I can't find the style name, like that is one thing I am spending time on is like, I'm going to find the style name, even if it's a Chanel runway piece from like, those things take me forever. But like more, some things are really quick, but like if I can find the style name and I can get like, but then a lot of times too is like, I'm not the fabric content, I'm just pulling from online. Like I'm just like, okay, here it is online. Like I'm not looking at fabric content. And then it's really easy. And then I spent a little bit time on obviously how much it costs and understanding my profits with that. I can list something super quickly. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, that's cool. Cross-listing does take forever. That is the one thing where I'm like, last night I was drafting a ton of items. And I'm like, this is so fast if I was just drafting it. But in cross-listing, you have to go through and each one has different things you have to input. And it's like, Where was it made? Because of the damn tariffs. I don't know. Yeah, so you have to like say like on eBay, where was it originally made, which makes no sense because that's not where it's coming from. it. Yeah, is Crazy, I didn't realize that that is like a thing. It's a new thing where you have to say where it's from, not where you're shipping from, which is like, but tariffs are from here anyway. I love that both of you are super successful and you do things like your own way because you do, I am a person who gets caught up in like watching other people, cause I don't know what I'm doing. I just started reselling last year and I'm like, ⁓ I have to do this and this and this. And then I just don't do any of it. I go sourcing. No, I was in the exact same, I was in the exact same boat. was getting so overwhelmed by feeling like I had to do all of these things. And especially cause I'm a mom, like, I don't have that time. Like I don't have the time to do all of that. So for me, I was like, it's better to get my listings up than to have them sit in a pile in my room because I'm too overwhelmed and I feel like it's going to take me too long to photograph and list everything. So I do think there is something to be said for just getting them up. I also, I think measurements are good. I do think, I would probably still recommend people do that even though I don't. I don't think it's a bad thing. just. It's almost like for some of the ones that I listed a long time ago, I'm going through and I'm taking measurements of like, just jeans because I'm like jeans and leather jackets for whatever reason they will sell better if they have measurements from my experience. But again, it's because they're vintage. that's yeah. And what I do what I do find is surprisingly at least what I'm selling people have tailored a lot of the stuff. And so I'm like the inseam says it's 30 but it's actually 26. ⁓ And so I was getting return cases on the opposite side of you, Ruth, where people were like, this says it's this size, but here are the measurements. And Poshmark was approving them because it wasn't matte. But I'm like, it's what the size is. yeah, that's so interesting. That's why I started doing it because people tailor their Levi's. Yeah. Which I didn't know was a thing. I was like, people tailor their jeans and now I'm like, do I need to go tailor my jeans? Do y'all tailor your jeans? I imagine no. I'm like, can barely wear jeans. I'm like in sweats right now. Same. know, same. Okay, same. And Ruth, when are you getting married? Is it coming up? No, Typhee. ⁓ I think we'll get married within like probably a year from now. My fiance is Mexican and so we probably will do a Mexican wedding. That's awesome. Yeah, so that probably I can just have a wedding planner deal with all that stuff. But yeah, it'll probably be next year. we just went to a wedding that was in, I don't know if you guys are familiar with Mexico, but Merida or Oaxaca. So we're in Dallas. Somewhere. Oaxaca, you're going to have mezcal. Yes, yes. That's one thing I was like, is this just going to be a bunch of drinking? So we'll see. That is the beginning of the planning. I have people around me that are telling me what I should do and I'm no. I'm good. Yeah, you don't. I'm type B. I planned my wedding and it was fine and I wasn't anal about stuff. Amanda, did you plan a wedding? Did you have a wedding? Yeah, yeah. I was actually much more type A with my wedding, which is kind of shocking. But I was. I was even, my brother, he's getting married in a couple of weeks or a couple of months. And I was talking to his fiance and I'm like. Looking back, there were definitely like, remember freaking out over the napkins. For some reason, the napkin like sent me over the edge. I'm just like, why? it's not, looking back, I'm like, I don't even know what the napkins look like. So I don't know why I was so pressed over the napkins. But yeah, I definitely was like, had a vision and wanted it executed exactly how I wanted it. I got married in a state park and so I had like a specific rustic vision. so I also went crazy over the napkins in this, cause I wanted a pink velvet and it had to be dusty rose. And I am not like that person, but I was like, no, you guys don't understand. It has to be dusty rose because this is what I see. I don't get to go to Joshua Tree or Palm Springs for my wedding. So I needed to come here and that is what, yeah. I remember, yeah. But I know exactly what they looked like now, but I'm like, but like we got our. florals offline and like, you know, made our own bouquets because I'm like, I'm not paying someone to do, you know, because they are so expensive. We still spent like $28,000 in 2019 to have a park wedding. Yeah. It's crazy. It's unreal what weddings cost. And we got to BYOB. Like we didn't even have to pay anyone for that. So that was a, that is a big expense. But, but reselling is a great job as a mom, as Amanda can attest. Yeah. four kids. have one. Amanda, I say this every time. I'm like, I don't know how you have four, especially as I'm like watching The Mormon Wives and I know you're in Idaho, which is where Dakota is from. I'm like, all these people have so many children. It's a cultural thing here. I don't think, even my seven year old last night, he was like, did you always want four kids? And me and my husband always did. When we got married, we both come from families of four. So I'm like, yeah, like we always did, but I also do like, we've talked a lot about this because I was raised Mormon. Like, I think it's something you're just expected. I don't know. I had kids when I was freaking young. I was 20 when I had my first kid. Like I was a literal baby and you just, I don't know, but I always say four kids is a shit ton of kids. Like it's a lot of kids. older they get, the more I'm like, oh my gosh, it's a lot of kids. Like it's just, yeah. What kind of car do you drive? Like is it a minivan? I drive a minivan. I drove a minivan, but we're gonna hopefully buy probably a Suburban or something. We're honestly like, maxed out in the minivan. well, and they're, they're aged now. They want their friends to come, right? Yeah. Yeah. And it's like the, like the cargo space. We're hacking that thing as full as possible. I don't, I honestly don't know that an SUV will give us that much more room. We might even still have to get a rack for like camping and things like that on top of the car. Oh my God. I know. I think the other thing, is from this conversation that I have felt a lot better about is like hearing that you too like can't find items sometimes or you know like because I'm dealing with that with two items right now and I cannot I've torn apart my storage units and I cannot find them and I'm like I just got the notification on the call final cancellation from Poshmark because now it's like within five days yeah okay they'll suspend you and it's like no mercy on that either Yeah, no, I feel like there's so many times where I'm like, think I, and then they just turn up randomly. And I'm like, I know. And then that pisses me off even more. I'm like, okay, well now I don't need you. Like, it's too late. And it'll be like right there. I like found something the other day I was like, what? I know. Ruth, one thing I didn't ask you about, what's your inventory system like? in terms of like processing and then storing. Yeah, do you like number them like how people like that whole thing because that has stressed me out. So that's like even speaking to what you guys were saying earlier about like what other people do. I feel like when I first started that was something I felt a lot of pressure in and like that I saw so many people being super organized and doing things that I then like I remember I swatched this girl who also isn't a reseller anymore and she would get an item, she would put it in a plastic bag, she would number the bag, she would put it in a bin with a corresponding, which I think is so very, very detailed. And I remember I sat and I did that and then the way I am, okay, take it out of the bag, well then where's the bag? Then we have to find the bag again that has the number, because I want to reuse the bag, I don't want to just throw away a bunch of plastic if I don't have to. And I was like, okay, so then I would just start throwing it in bags. And it was just like, this isn't, it looks really cool. It sounds really cool. And I feel like there's so much information we can get. Like what's cool about reselling is there's people that are putting out really good information that works for them, but it's like figuring out what works for you. And that didn't work for me. Like I can't put, and also what do I do with like massive coats? Like those aren't going on. So then where are those going? like, those are going. in like I actually so one of the ways I do I have a storage unit and then I have ⁓ my two car garage has a bunch of rolling racks that I got from a last call that was closing like years ago so I have a lot of things hanging and then I do have bins where like it'll be in the bin but there's it's just an open bin where it has the item and so I'll see on the listing like It has the where, where I can find it and then I go and I get it and then I take it. So it's, it's pretty easy. Like I don't, but I also like give myself some time. Like I'll put it somewhere or probably in the storage and then I won't process it. Like I don't, it doesn't automatically have to go into a bin. Like I, was a little bit too hard on myself too about that where I was like, sometimes it's like I'll sell things within the week if after I list it. And I don't want to like the time where it's like, okay, I know that it's. in this front bin that needs to be processed. I think that like, you figure out what works for you, but I feel like there is sometimes a lot of like, people that are super organized, which is great, but like, just, I realize that doesn't work for me. Like I don't need to put it in a bag. That's the same for me. I have never had like detailed, detailed process at all. I just keep like items together. So I have like men's pants together, women's pants together, women's dresses. Shorts and skirts I keep together shoes I keep together and then like I have an accessory spin because for me it's like I don't I'm I just know myself I will never keep up on that system, right? Yeah, I would be the same way I would lose a bag or something and then I would just get annoyed and it would all like all that work would go out the window So I just keep like items together and I I mean I think that obviously gets harder like the more massive Like the more inventory you have if you have like a really massive closet that would be tricky But for me, that's fine. That's how But I started doing it the other way, Ruth. And I think this is why people burn out is that you do see, and to your point, Amanda, doing everything a certain way and like not operating how your brain actually works. And so my husband's like, just do it this way. So I try it and I, but when I go in to look for something, I'm like, and then it all gets everywhere. And then I'm like doing it from multiple bins. And then I'm like, uh-oh, where did they go? And I don't have wifi in my storage unit. And then, so now I've gone back to like items together or I sell a lot of Ralph. So I keep Ralph. Oh, that's a great idea too. Yeah. you have like a brand. Yeah. Yeah. I like that. Because then I'm like, okay, I know. And it's like Ralph blazer or Ralph jackets, Ralph tops or like shirts and bottoms and stuff like that. Because it's, um, yeah. Or I'll do like velvet or sequins. So I have those bins. And again, this tells you a little bit about my closet where it's like, I have enough sequins in velvet. have three bins of velvet. So. But again, because those, can't like crush them up, you know, you have to be kind of gentle with them all. And I think, yeah, but that is something I think a lot of people burn out because you do see people with their organized boxes and they like go through and it's like process a thing with me and I'm like, it looks beautiful, but it can never be me. No, my friend Ashley has like, she is super on top of things organized. I love her. And she like has everything in like a mailer. and it has her logo on it. It's stunning. And that's thing too, I also feel like packaging. I saw so many people, I don't know if this is still a thing where I would watch these girls that would go on and they would package these items. So pretty. would do beautiful tissue paper, sticker, a thank you card, beautiful tape. My stuff is like, has some tissue paper, I send it with love, but that, it's not pretty. I don't do tissue paper. And I sell like very, like I sent a $1,500 dress out the other day in a Polly mailer and she got it and she was happy. And it's like, you don't need all this extra stuff. Right, right. All that extra work too. It's like, takes so much time. But the people that do it and like, if I buy from Poshwork and someone does that, I do appreciate it. Like I do, but I also just know I don't want to spend the time doing that. So I know I'm the exact same way. And I've gotten some crap on. to talk about this, but like I just, I'm not going to, and I've even stopped like using a clear poly bag because it's like so much single use plastic that I, and I don't know. And I, I'm like, I've shipped thousands and thousands of items and I'm like, I've maybe had an issue one time, two times that I can think of. I don't know. Mine is just, I put them in the bags because of storage and because they are typically old pieces or cashmere or whatever. like, I don't want them to get damaged, but otherwise like my jeans don't go in a poly mailer. I just throw them in. The one thing I have invested in is like polymailers that are thicker. You know those ones on TikTok shop. I have gotten those from the like pretty package. Not the padding, but they're like a really thick plastic. It's from the Pretty Packaging Company. there's like different ones, you know, and it's fun. They're a little bit more expensive. Have you used the Pretty Packaging bags? Yeah, I like those. Those are nice. They're very They're like a lot thicker. Yeah, they don't rip. And so I've started using those more and I feel more comfortable sending things. directly in that. like with my jeans or whatever, I'll just put them in that because I, they're like probably three times thicker than, which is not great for the environment. But again, we're not sending new items. saving, we're saving things from the landfill and putting them into use again. know. I feel like whatnot has kind of like, when you're just like, when I'm shipping out 90 orders in two hours, I'm like, I'm not putting tissue paper in each of these boxes. No. No. Also like you got such an insane deal on these items that like, It's gonna get to you safe. I'm not just tossing it in a box and slapping a label on it, but also I'm like, I'm not gonna spend five minutes on every package. I would be shipping for six hours. That's not happening. Plus, have you seen where people include chocolate and it melts and it ruins the product? And I have gotten things from people that include religious propaganda type things where it's like Jesus saves and I'm like, whoa, this is like... I don't want that. Thank you. Or they include letters and it says, God bless you. You don't know what anyone's affiliation is. Let's just keep it neutral, keep it moving. Yeah. you ever gotten any of these extra items that folks send? I feel like I, well, I made a video of this. got a girl who, she was doing a return and she sent me a message. She was mad about something, like she returned it. So she sent out, she looked up where I had gone to college. I went to a Christian college, like, whatever. Like who cares where It has nothing to do with the college. You went to school somewhere. was a good school. where I went to school and she said, you're not a Christian because you lie. And then she printed out the definition of a liar. Oh my gosh. She went cuckoo for folks. worried too and I was like and then I posted about it was like I don't know how she figured out who I was and I was like oh it has my first less say like duh I know she's kind of scary like this like no it is actually scary so much time and then like you have my house address I don't I'm not gone anybody I don't buy like I buy and whatnot and I expect people on whatnot to send things quickly or not quickly just like in a box I something on whatnot I realize like You literally after those shows, it's like you're on a high, you sell a lot and then you're like, okay, now I have a ton of work to do. the hard work. Yeah. Yeah. So it's like, I get it. And then on Poshmark, I feel like I used to buy more. I used to source more on Poshmark and I feel like there is a lot of opportunity to source on Poshmark. I just don't source on Poshmark anymore. I don't really know why, but so I'm not buying a lot. prices. You can source on Depop for way cheaper. Yeah. I don't know if either of you do that. but they sell brand name stuff on there for super cheap because it's like Ben's people selling it for like $15. And I'm like, it's like a vintage Ralph Lauren jacket for $15. Absolutely. That's probably cheaper than the thrift store. Yeah, it is. Yeah. So Depop is my new one, but I also used to store some Poshmark and I don't anymore. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Prices are crazy. I know we are almost at time. So I would love to ask y'all. Actually, Ruth, let's go with this one first. If somebody were getting started in reselling or if you were to go back in time and tell yourself any piece of advice or maybe even the best piece of advice you've gotten for reselling, what is that advice? I think kind of like what we've talked about is just like doing what's best for you, understanding what you can take on and like not letting other people's opinions or what other people are saying ⁓ influence you too much. I think that that is something that like, as I've continued, it's like, I'm going to do what works for me. And I can give out pieces of advice and take in pieces of, you know, advice or influence, but I'm really going to do something that's like very specific to my background and what I love and what I, what I see and what I can accomplish every day. So I think for me, especially like, if someone's getting started, I mean, my first piece of advice is like, don't get into debt, like don't buy too much to where you can like, I've talked to some girls and they're like, they'll even tell me like, ⁓ I'm getting out of reselling. And then they're like, you I have all of this inventory and I have this debt associated with it. And I'm like, I feel like that's not talked enough because if you're paying like interest on it, you're screwed. Like there's no way you're gonna make enough profit for this. I just. I don't want anyone to look at, especially my business, because I do put out my numbers quite a bit. And I think people think like, oh, I need to buy more to have that type of business. That's not how I started. I took a long time to get here and I don't have any debt. that's one thing. I don't want it to be this hustle culture where it's like, buy more to make more. It's like, no, no, no, start off small. and then slowly move towards a bigger business. But you need to have those, I would say, first couple years to really be cheap and super, just don't overdo it. That would be That's Amanda's advice too. that's such... Really? Yeah, I think that is literally such good advice. Yeah, the no debt. I have spent a shit ton. Amanda knows this. I am not in debt, but I have spent, I need to earn 25K back and I've sold probably 150,000 worth of... product. it's like, feel like you're in a little bit of a different situation though, because it's like, you're not buying random junk in the hope of making money. Like, you know what you're buying. It's still not good. It's still a shop. Yeah, yeah. I just got back on my DLP one. So my shopping now I'm like, interested in it. ⁓ I'm like, my dopamine hits gonna come from listing. But I do think that's really important, like the debt. Like it's different if you're using money that you have versus debt and you know how you're doing all of that. I think staying in line with your costs is really important. Yeah. And then do either of you have a high or a low to share in terms of reselling for the week or the month or whatever or something that comes to the top of your mind that you want to share? OK, I'll start. I feel like a low that I'm having is that like we have a lot of financial goals and I'm just realizing what not just like takes so much inventory. And where I drive to pick up my inventory, but I can only pick up so much at a time. Also, I can only store so much at a time. I'm realizing to scale whatnot, you just need massive amounts of stuff. where I'm in the pallet business, I'm like, ⁓ my gosh, am I, I'm buying three to four pallets, probably like three pallets a month. And it takes a full day for me to travel to get them. So that's hard on my kids. especially my oldest. And it's just like, okay, so if I want to up it even more, because I definitely could do more shows per week. But it's like the inventory thing is just like in the back of my head. I'm like, how do you get more inventory without it completely disrupting your life? And also like, where do you store the inventory? Would I have to get like another storage unit? I don't know. That's kind of where my mind is at lately is just like, there's like growing pains. I have unsolicited advice that just came to mind. What if you get like a college student to drive a U-Haul up, go pick up the pallets, pay them to drive up. Maybe they make a couple hundred bucks. Or, you know, if you have like a niece or nephew who can drive or a sister-in-law or whatever, what if you just pay them, load up the pallets, they take a U-Haul, you get three or four at a time and they move it directly into, what if you get like a she shed from Home Depot or a, I know you can get cheap. shipping containers and you just get one of those and you put them in there. Anyway, that's my unsolicited advice is you have somebody else do that. Because we have this thing called Lug out here. I don't know if you've heard of it. You can actually hire people to bring you stuff or you can do like Uber and they'll like, like if you use it's called Lugs, L-U-G-Z and you can pay them to move your you, you can pay them to do whatever. We even have like Uber Eats if you order something, they will put it in your Uber and bring it over to you. So I feel like, I don't know where you source, but I am sure there is a local community college and somebody looking to make a few hundred bucks. Yeah. I think the thing that stresses me out about that is like, what would be my, like my liability? Right. If like something went wrong, that's like really scares me. I don't know if I would have to have insurance or something. U-Haul, if it was U-Haul. but you mean for the inventory? Cause the, I know U-Haul covers like, you would have the driver, whatever. I bet you there's a business that does this. I bet you anything, there is a business. if you post about it, because like, I know this is weird, but I am affiliated with like a foster, like dog fosters, and they're always asking people to bring the dogs to Idaho typically. And it's like to drive over there. And so I can all email them and ask them about insurance or whatever. But I feel like there is a way to do this for you to scale if you want that. you don't have to do the admin or you don't have to do the heavy. I know. I know. It's just like I feel like it's all consuming right now. I'm just like, hey, like we're, you know, or maybe just don't do it. I know. I know. Yeah. I know. Ruth, how about you? What's a high or low that you've experienced lately? Yeah. Similar to me, I just, and when she's saying that, I think it's, it is this constant need of like, do I want to do more and how does that look? And then what is because you see other people doing more and they're killing it and you're like, could I do that? And then, the decisions that come behind that that have not consequences, but like just, there's a lot to that. And then I think probably like a high, I think one of the things is like, I've like tried to be open-minded with different ways that I've sourced and like, I just made a really cool connection with like, a stylist here in Dallas and I like just saw her this morning and she's going to give me some incredible pieces, which is another really cool business that I actually don't do a lot of, but it's zero cost to me and like she's just been incredible. And so I'm really excited to kind of venture. And I also don't want to do it for a lot of people. So I'm like venturing in with a really cool person that's like really understanding and just has like incredible pieces. So I'm excited about that because it's like she found me on social media. I'm not pushing that and she's been great. So I think it's also just like when things change and like sourcing changes and that always changes for me. Like I don't have anything that's like fully consistent like when something new comes in. I'm always really excited about that. Yeah. Yeah, that is really cool. I think that's like something I was thinking about like how all of our businesses are so different. Also, I think like one thing that makes someone successful is just like being able to pivot, know, and being able to take on like new opportunities and new things because like that is how you do scale and how you change things up a little bit and how like without necessarily working harder, but like just like finding different opportunities. And I think you're really good at that. That's so cool. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, my my high and low kind of are the same. I am so overwhelmed with the amount of inventory that I have unlisted. And that is just like my storage unit is just crazy. but I also know that's the high because I can just go and it's like, hey, I have all of this inventory at the tips of my fingers. And once I get that up, it is going to fuel things, fingers crossed. ⁓ No, that's if it just sits there. so that, yeah, it's my high and low. And then I can't find this, my low is always, I can't find a piece. I can't find two pieces right now. So time we chatted, I couldn't find the pieces. I found them after, so maybe this will be my good good. Okay, I'm glad you found them. Yeah, yeah, This time, hopefully, it's the same. Yeah. Well, thank you, Ruth and Amanda, both, obviously. Thank you for being here. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we will see you next week. Thanks. Thanks so much.