Hey everyone, and welcome back to practically zero waste a podcast for making zero waste living as practical as possible. Welcome everyone to episode 56 for were chatting all about online shopping for second-hand clothes my new pal to any person tells us all about her side hustle buying vintage and secondhand items from thrift shops to resell on online platforms such as eBay Etsy and Poshmark and you think I'd be pretty good at recording things by this time, but unfortunately, my mic wasn't turned on for the interview. So what you'll hear. Here is a quieter version of my usual Jetty self asking questions while Jenny sounds great. But Mike mishaps aside. This interview was too lovely not to share if you enjoyed today's episode and want to hear more like it. Let me know when were review on Apple podcasts or by leaving a rating of his ministers. It seems like but for now it's time to learn about the online world of shopping second hand. Hi, Debbie. Hello. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and how you came to be interested in secondhand clothing? Sure, I guess for me. It's always been something that I've done. It was the way that I was raised by my mom. We didn't have a ton of money growing up. So I think we thrift shop just for the need of it. Yeah, it was just kind of how we did things. So when I was a kid, it was always kind of like you do it by necessity and you didn't really appreciate it back then you're always Like oh, I wish I could have the cool things and we don't have the brand name jeans and all that stuff, but we did it because we had to and when I was a little bit older I kind of started to appreciate that and I think it taught me a lot about the value of the dollar and it taught me a lot about making do and making use of the things that you already have instead of constantly going out to find more and more and more and more so it took a while before I kind of got to that point where I'm like, okay, I see why she did this and now I'm at a point in my life. I'm an adult. I have a job. I don't need to Thrift Shop, but I do it. Anyways, yeah, I like saving money. That's a huge thing. Like why spend more money why pay retail if you don't have to and then the other big part of it is the saving the environment factor, which obviously is important to you why we're all here, right all of us all to of us. All two of us is very busy room and it's yeah, I feel like it's way more important to that we reuse Things I still have life left in them. Yeah, and just because I have something that doesn't fit me anymore doesn't mean it's garbage. So if I can donate it or sell it and somebody else can make use of it. Why wouldn't I do that? Yeah, you said two options donating and selling and so the selling is the sum is the one that we're going to talk about tonight is I just feel like every time that I've gone to a thrift shop it is so obscenely inundated with stuff like there's just too much stuff. It's over. Humming. Yeah, what was the first item that you found and then resold that like specifically the first item. I'm not a hundred percent. Sure. I did kind of start my vintage shop. I guess it was around 2014. So five years ago now which is Electric City vintage and I've can't believe I got that name. I don't know how I got lucky, but I grabbed it up on Instagram and that was right around the time that my now husband and I started dating and And one of the things that we kind of bonded over was thrift shopping and vintage things like we literally went to thrift shops on our second date. So super exciting, you know, we went out and it was kind of a cute story. We went to Valley Village and we were looking around and we had kind of bonded that we both really liked vintage items and like that sort of like retro mid-century modern luck. And I found like I said if kitchen canisters that were Or 60s or something and he bought them for me. That was like the first gift he ever gave me on our second date was these retro canisters for the kitchen from Valley Village. So when we had started dating and we were doing a lot of thrifting stuff together, we kind of decided we were going to try and make a go of selling things. So he had done a little bit of that himself with stuff that he was interested in like he's really into like vintage watches and sunglasses like, right Vance and I kind of stuff so he had been selling some things on eBay and I was really into like the vintage clothing side of things. So we started Electric City vintage together grab that Instagram account set up enough to store and just kind of started selling small things here and there and it was mostly stuff like vintage ties and little accessories and things like that that are easier to ship right because shipping can be expensive. That's kind of the way it goes in Canada. Yeah. I don't know exactly what the first item was. I feel like maybe it was Vintage tie that's sold and that kind of started the obsession with the like buying to resell the thrill of reselling something that like, oh that was just kind of like sitting around my house for so long and then to suddenly have money in your pocket for something that you never wanted in the first place or whatever. It is. Thrill is a good few. Yeah, and it kind of easy to get into hoarder Tendencies when you like hunting down things that are like cool and unique and interesting. Stinger is it can be and thankfully I'm a little bit of a minimalist not fully been little minimalist by any means but I don't like clutter. So I love vintage stuff, but I don't like to be surrounded by stuff. So it's kind of like I find something on a shelf. I'm like, oh, this is so cool. I can't just leave it here, but then I'll take it home and try and find a new home word. So we tend to collect things in our basement and then every once in a while just kind of do it clear out and do a big yard sale or no put a bunch of stuff up on it at sea or EPA or now Poshmark. To try and kind of get rid of some things and if we make a little bit of money in the process, then that's awesome. Like actually your business MSU have a full-time job. I do on the side. Yeah. See my full-time job is my side hustle. I think right now starting this podcast when I was still working. Well, you find something that interests you and then it doesn't feel like work and you just want to do it all the time. Right? What is your system for finding clothing of some value in secondhand stores? Yeah, so I I'm still kind of figuring that out. So I've well I've been doing the Etsy thing had been doing the ANSI thing for a while and on Etsy. It was very much all vintage stuff and I feel like vintage. I've got a decent handle on what's good in terms of resale value because you kind of have to look at it in a It's of what's actually usable now. Like there's a lot of vintage out there. That's super cool and you can look at in a sense of like this would be amazing in a museum, but would you actually wear it today? Right? So my focus with the Vintage stuff is always been wearable vintage and I mean that could be stuff from the 50s and 60s if it's in the right context and the right size because stuff from back then is absolutely tiny. But then when you get into like the 70s the 80s the 90s it's a lot more wearable now. Because it has that sort of the fabrication and the construction that we are used to whereas some vintage stuff. The older stuff can be a little uncomfortable just because it's a little stiffer and the way it was constructed is different than how we do it now. So that's what this sort of my focus has been with the Vintage stuff is finding wearable usable vintage in really good condition Poshmark. I'm still kind of figuring out the ropes of what really sells well because it it's not just vintage its new clothes and use clothes as well. So you have to be a little bit More on Trend in that sense and knowing what people are interested in what people are buying what people are wearing and I'm not the type of person that's like super up on trends. Like I think I have a good eye for fashion, but I'm guy don't buy fashion magazines anymore. Like I don't think I've picked up a fashion magazine since I was about 19 or 20 or something like that, right? So that's kind of been a work in progress to try and try and figure that out. But what I look for is the higher end Brands, so the ones that That are a little bit better quality. They're made out of fabrics that are generally speaking natural Fabrics, like wolves and Cotton's and silks and that sort of thing as opposed to polyesters. So they're higher quality. The fabrication is nicer and they're going to last longer so that tends to be what I look for as well as things that are a little bit more classic because they're going to last a lot longer in terms of like style. Right? So people are going to be more likely to buy things. I think that they can get a long-term you said of instead of like the oh And trendy stuff. I mean there's always something that's new and hot weather. It's like crop tops or or like a Forever 21. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah that kind of stuff. I don't tend to go to as much just because it is so fleeting versus, you know, the things that are sort of Classics like, you know, well cos sweaters and jeans and like dress pants or Blazers or dresses that you can wear to work and that kind of thing because you get really good use out of that. So tell me about Poshmark what it is kind of how you kind of came across it and also what the process is for selling something on there. Yeah. So it's Poshmark is interesting. It's been in the states for a number of years. I feel like it's been probably maybe five or six years or so that has been in the States but it's brand new to Canada. So they just came into the Canadian Market back in the spring. I heard about Poshmark maybe two years ago or so mainly through Instagram because I follow a lot of other vintage sellers on Instagram. A lot of them are in the states so they were always posting things like oh such and such as in my Poshmark closet. I'm like, what is this Poshmark closet everyone's talking about so I did a little research to try and figure out what it was and saw of course that it wasn't available again, and I was like, that's a bit of a bummer but it seemed like it was really neat. So when they came to the Canadian Market, I was excited. Like I'm going to give this a try. Yeah mainly because I've been a little bit disappointed with Etsy and some of the way that like policy changes that they've done recently. So I thought you know what I'll give this to Receive it works better for me. And so far it has which is great Poshmark. I would say is a combination of a social network and something like eBay. Okay. So it's like a if Instagram and eBay had a baby it would be Poshmark. So it's similar to a social network in the sense that you follow people and you can like their posts and you can comment and you can interact but at the same time the purpose of all this is that we're buying and selling it's mostly clothing and like I said, Threes and shoes and that kind of stuff but they do have a homework at now as well. So you will they have kind of open it up to like small decor items in that sort of thing as well. Yeah, and that gets hard to ship as a small business owner. Yeah, that would be hard to ship a lamp. Exactly. Yeah, so generally speaking it does tend to be the small stuff because you can pop it in a box or like a mailer and and toss it in with Canada Post. The benefit that Poshmark has is that they have kind of made it really easy. E for us to use so you can do everything from an app on your phone. Wow. So you set up your clothes. You can lay them out on your bed or put them on a mannequin snap a few pictures with your phone and do everything right in the app. Is that the price upload it and then you're off and running. Wow, that would make it so easy to clean out your closet when you have all of those random things that just aren't easy for you to give away. Like it's something that you spent a lot of money on your song is maybe slightly more. Sentimental and wanting to just pass it on in a bag of stuff to your shop. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, and they make it super easy which is kind of the benefit like they take a cut most of the time it's around like twenty percent. So it's not a small cut. But of course the ease-of-use kind of counteracts that and then the other part of it is is they actually take care of the shipping for you and that's that's kind of been the difficult part about selling on like eBay or Etsy because you have to deal with all the different shipping carriers and figuring out you know, what, Size of the package. How much does it weigh? How far is it going? Right. How much is going to cost a ship this thing with Poshmark? They have negotiated discounted rates with Canada Post. So basically anywhere in Canada because you are your only shipping within Canada. If you're on the Canadian Poshmark app anywhere in Canada $12.99. So it's really not bad and you can ship basically any size box you want as long as it's under I think it's like five pounds or something like that and you can close it and yeah, it doesn't weigh a lot. So basically what happens is when I sell an item on Poshmark pretty much instantly. They email me a prepaid shipping label. So I just slept throw it in the Box slap on the label toss it in the mailbox and I'm done. Okay, this is really yeah, and then the nice thing is that the buyer they know that they're paying 1299 shipping. So they're not trying to haggle with you because you're not the person who's setting the shipping rates that's coming from the app. Is it something that you experience with that see and Babe's a little bit. Yeah, there is a little bit of that sort of like people I think expect free shipping or discounted shipping or get can set people off from buying if the shipping is too much, you know, because if you have to calculate your shipping and it's going from Toronto to Vancouver, for example, they're going to go I don't really want to spend like 30 dollars to ship this $15 item. Like it's a little absurd sometimes what's nice is that it's part of the regular clothes. Service, it's not specific truck driving specifically to your house and spending that. Yeah, this is that carbon like, you know, fossil fuels instead. It's just part of the regular routes and be dropped off at that time. Yeah on a route that it was going to take anyway. Yeah, exactly. I most of the time the packages are relatively small so they just kind of go in the mail carriers envelope, right? Yeah, unless you're shipping like a huge bundle of somebody spot like, you know, six items or something like that then you put it in big box. Yeah, I wish that would be amazing. Do you ever fix anything up or change anything before reselling it something that you found in a thrift shop and needs touching up for ya. So I well I don't really change things. I have some sewing skills, but not like a would be able to make a wedding dress for example, but I can fix things that are broken to a certain degree. So that's kind of the extent of it is, you know, like fixing up loose threads and sewing on buttons and and that kind of stuff. Simple men to jobs because I'm not like super high skilled seamstress. But if I had more time on my hands and more skill. I absolutely would I think that's amazing. There's some really neat designers out there that are doing upcycled things. Like I don't know if you've seen that pre-loved she's makes really cool things. I would have liked Shield Stitch multiple sweaters together to make one and it's a really cool look. Yeah, and then to have the skill to put them together nicely nicely and to understand like fabrics and the way that they're Going to change as you wash them and that sort of thing so that it actually has some to durability. I guess you could say that's so cool. Yeah, the one-of-a-kind show in Toronto. There was somebody who is making leggings and camisoles and and tank tops and long underwear that sort of stuff. Yeah of cashmere sweaters. Okay that they were thrifting and that's cool. They were so comfy. I wish I had more skill on that maybe one day. Do you own like a brick and mortar store for electricity vintage or is it it's all on It's all online. Yeah, that's great. Yeah, I went first. Well, exactly and like I say like brick and mortar stores are kind of going by the wayside, right? So everything's so expensive to have a physical location and people aren't shopping in physical locations anymore to the extent that they used to be. So why not do it online, but what are your kind of tips for people who want to start either buying or selling on proxmark? I think kind of the main thing if you're selling is to try and be what I would call like a good seller. So someone who's taking a lot of detailed photos so that people can actually see what it is are buying would be so hard to purchase something. That is it's not like this one dress that you're selling has eight different size options. It's just one dress one side to like be detailed would be so important. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. So detailed pictures not hiding if there's a defects of any kind like when were talking about used clothing. Yes, there's going to be things like there might be a little Ends here and there and I try to buy things that are in really really good condition, but they're not going to be perfect. So to be upfront about what those laws are and take detailed pictures so that people feel comfortable buying and they feel safe that you're being honest with them. The other big part of it is measurements. Oh, yeah. Yeah, so posting detailed and accurate measurements of people can say yes, this is going to fit me or no, it's not and if you're a buyer, I think the main thing is knowing what your measurements are and if you're not sure then Then you compare it to a well-fitting item in your closet. So if you see a pair of pants that you love and you're like I like these but pants are so hard to fit take the measuring tape out. See like what is the rise? What's the inseam? What's the waist so that you can kind of compare to that item and see if you can figure out whether it's going to fit. Well, that is so smart because a size small from one company has an extra size large is not going to be the same is going to be completely different depending the vanity sizing, right? So and then the other part of it is Fit so if you have something that's like a high-waisted pant where the waistline is going to lie is so different than a low waisted. So being able to determine not only the size but the fit and then the measurements to go along with that. It's not an easy process. But if the information is there for the buyer then they're going to feel more comfortable making that choice and they can ask questions. Yeah, there's a commenting system yet. It can message you and yeah exactly they can if they're unsure about something or if you see something that you love and there isn't a measurement listed ask most of the time people will be willing to give you more information sometimes on Facebook Marketplace or something like that. You are selling something and you get a lot of responses all at once and rather than just going with the top person or the first person. How do you decide who gets it when you just have one item to sell with the what so with that app? It's sort of differs from eBay in the sense that it's not an auction style listing. So once somebody puts it in their basket, And hits that buy button it's there so you don't have the option to choose whether somebody gets it or not. So it's sort of automated in that sense. They basically they put it in the basket and if they're taking too long with them in putting their information somebody could scoop it. So as soon as they input their information is hit like sender by or whatever the button says, oh, like what they actually made the purchase yet. It disappears disappears off the be cut like they're just a little sold tag on that and then you can nobody else can purchase it. So they have this thing where you can like it so similar to Instagram where you hit the little heart and once somebody has liked it that's sort of opens up the option for the seller to negotiate with the buyer. So if you like my dress that I've posted then I can send you an offer and I can say, you know, I was asking $40 for this dress, but I'll offer to 435. Okay, and then you have the option to counter that offer or decline it or accept it. So it kind of opens up that negotiation between the seller and the buyer interesting and Also have the option to do bundles so bundles it almost acts like a shopping cart where you can kind of like place it in a the shopping cart other people can still buy it at that point, but then you can grab you know other things and then you can negotiate a discount based on multiple items and then you save on shipping as well. Yes. Yes great because it would still be exactly think ya real cool. I just want everybody who's like listening. He's really into three. Lifting and looking for those really high quality awesome finds to like really consider this as an option because what a simple straightforward way to make a little bit of extra money off of your items that you aren't wearing and you aren't using it's smart for the seller because you can take things that you're not using or maybe don't fit anymore or you don't have the occasion to wear like how many of us on multiple like bridesmaids dresses and things like that that you'll never wear again. But they cost a lot of money, right? So to be able to get a little bit of a return on your investment is awesome. And then somebody else can make use of that thing and they can get it for a better price than having to go out and buy it news and you're saving the environment by doing it with that too is that we've talked a little bit before about secondhand shopping. I talk about it all the time just because it's such an obvious way to save money and to reduce your impact on the planet, but why does it reduce your impact are you? All to speak a little bit to that. Yeah. I mean, I think it does in a lot of ways a it keeps things out of the landfills which is huge right? It's like if I have a shirt that's not good for me anymore doesn't mean that is garbage. So if somebody else can make use of it then why wouldn't I donate it or sell it? The other part of that is so one thing that you and I kind of talked about is reducing the microplastics in the waterways. So something that I've been trying to do is to slowly phase out any of the synthetic fabrics that I My closet so that I'm not washing that away into the water supply and one way that I'm doing that is by thrift shopping. So like take those sweater. I'm wearing today. For example, I think you and I got this on Poshmark. So this is I mean, it's a brand that I probably wouldn't normally have access to it's a little bit higher end. It's not available in Peterborough. So I would have to order it online and this is made of silk cotton and Kashmir. Wow, so it's super soft. It's comfortable natural. Fabrics it's not going to shed Plastics when I wash it. So those are the sorts of things that I look for when I'm thrifting because I really want to try and find things that are natural materials that are high-quality that are going to last a long time because it's better for the environment better to not constantly be replacing things and having to create new things and I feel like if you're buying smartly and you're able to buy things that are high-quality used because it's a little bit cheaper than you're doing yourself. Favor in the long run absolutely your qualitative my last that much longer and especially if you're looking for those classic items that aren't going to they're not going to go to style and yeah, okay to be spending a little bit more on an item because it's going to work for you until you're 50 would get if you're not already 50. So it's nice to have items in your closet that you think I can wear this for at least another 10 years. And yes, I'm going to be durable. It's going to last and I like what you said too about. Not creating a demand for more be produced because that is such a problem when we are creating the demand for more resources to be grown to be able to produce the fabric whether it's polyester or cotton or anything and then we end up just throwing it away or giving it to a thrift shop for like they're just so overwhelmed with stuff. Yes my heart aches for they are here. With stuff stuff stuff and more stuff exactly and it's the issue is that fashion is such a horrible offender in this realm and because it's not only the Fabrics that they're using. It's the time spent producing them and the emissions from the factories and then the shipping it from one side of the world to the other. There's just so many facets p.m. And then even the treatments of the Fabrics with you know now Now if you buy children's clothes everything's covered in flame retardants and and things like that and because such a dumb thing, it feels like an unnecessary thing to scare me about because I don't I've never worried that my child would catch fire. But now I'm buying clothing for not personally but like one would buy clothing that's flame-retardant just in case he caught fire then his clothes would be fine. Yeah, like what? I have never met a child that has spontaneously combusted it would be weird. If I did that. Yeah, I've never seen that and it's just it's such a necessary thing to add to the list of things that are already scared. Yeah, well in a lot to mention the toxic load of those Fabrics against your child's skin, right which hey if your second hand shop and it's already been launched a bunch of time. So probably a little cleaner by now. There's another reason to Surf Shop. Yeah, and they don't wear them out. So they're still in great condition when they end up in the thrift shop. I mean you think about how little fabric goes into like a little kids outfit and then the cost of buying it is just absurd when you consider how little fabric there is located to make it so tiny. That's probably at yeah, they just have to be such like nimble-fingered people selling them. I guess. I don't know. What does it mean to be a posh Ambassador. It's I am one. It does sound fancy. I think it's so they sort of like give you these titles and don't really explain what they mean. From what I gather it's almost like being a mentor. So basically they track different stats stats. So things like your seller rating how fast you ship how many shares you're getting how many shares are giving how many love notes you're sending out and how many you're getting in and all that type of things how many followers followers do you have and so then When you reach a certain threshold on all of those stats, then you get Pasha Master status. And the idea is that they think okay. Well, you're someone who's doing? All right, so you can be sort of a touch point for new polishers. So when somebody signs up for Poshmark, they have a whole list of suggested users to follow and those are all Posh ambassadors like this and when I got passion Posh Ambassador status, like I think it was like two weeks ago or something like that all of a sudden my follows just like Through the air I had something like thirty eight hundred followers before that and now in the two weeks since I now have 18,000 followers. I like this isn't say the stressing me out. You're so popular. Oh my God. So popular only on Poshmark obscure everywhere else. Yeah, so it's a little weird. I mean, it seems a little silly. Sometimes the things I do, but ultimately it creates this. This atmosphere of collaboration between people and they very much reward the idea of sharing the love being nice to each other and interacting and liking and commenting and sharing each other's posts which it makes sense because that's how you get your item sold and that's how Poshmark makes their money has that resulted in many more sales. Like what? Um, I'd like how often you make a sale. Yeah. So it's I mean, it's definitely picked up and I was little bit which is great. It's the I sold I think Two packages over the weekend and then like another couple in the last couple days. So it's yeah, it's definitely picked up since I got Josh Ambassador status, which is great. I love seeing that but generally speaking I would say like I have been selling a couple of things a week I would say and then now it's, you know, probably double that and people seem to shop late at night, which is interesting like when John sitting there watching TV scrolling through Poshmark all of a sudden there's a ton of activity. Everyone's doing the same thing. And people shop on the weekends. Yeah. So most of my cells are happening and that sort of like Thursday Friday until Monday kind of time ranges what I'm finding what are some of the most amazing finds that you've come across these kind of like I can't believe I found this in it. Yeah. I had a really cool one this Summer that like just blew my mind. I found in the costume section at till he's addressed. I should be in a museum. It's like I don't know the exact date like age range, but I'm based on the style and thinking it's like 1920s. Yeah, it's just this like heavily beaded black gown, that's just absolutely incredible and beautiful and I got it for $10 at Tully's and I took another change room and I tried it on and like this fits me like I have to buy this I'm like, I don't care if I'm wearing it for Halloween like I'm taking this home with me and I haven't had the heart to list it because it's just too special. So it just like hangs out in my spare bedroom. And there was a good while where it was hanging on the mannequin. Yeah, and then my husband would walk and if you like cheese because there's this woman in this long black dress standing there and he totally freaked out by it. I'm like it's probably haunted. So that's probably like the most amazing find that I've ever found because I'm just like it's so old it's insane how old it is and yet it's in beautiful condition unlike the beads on it or just incredible like I yeah. Wow. Yeah you so much. Yeah, like somebody who bought that had a lot of cash. Like I sort of reminds me of almost like a like a Downton Abbey kind of style dress or something like that. But so that was yeah. I was thrilled a couple of other ones that I've had to have. There's another dress that's been hanging in my closet that I haven't been able to bring myself to sell and it doesn't fit me. So there's no reason why I hang on to it, but it's just so special. It's just this beautiful 1950s like party dress super classic Styles got the little Cap sleeves and like the ribbon waistline and the poofy skirt and it's a beautiful color like all of Green Lace. Yeah, absolutely gorgeous and the tag inside it's still an amazing shape and it says Susie paret, which is kind of a big name in like vintage like 50s 60s fashion. And that was a big one. I saw in those stars like oh my God is he super it? So I brought that one home. I will eventually probably sell it on Etsy just because it's Not my size. So there's no reason to hang on to it. And somebody else is going to get some use out of that. Like I could just see that being like some cool high school girls, like prom dress or something like that. That'd be so amazing. But yeah, that's pretty thrilled about that one and recently not vintage related, but I found a sweatshirt at Tully's and from the designer Kenzo kind of a big name and I saw it. I was like, I know that name like I'm gonna get this for four dollars because I know that this is something special through it. On Poshmark two days later sold for $100. So how do you decide your prices for things like is it how much research you have to do? There is a fair bit of research involved and sometimes it's easy. Sometimes it's not so easy to find the things depending on how old they are. So you do a lot of like looking at comparables online. So if you can find fairly recent items like from the manufacturer you can kinda see what do they sell them for and then you get the retail price and that'll give you an idea of what you can. In the reseller Market generally speaking. People are not going to buy something for retail value unless it's like sold out super important like really, you know, sought-after collection then it kind of becomes a collectible and that's completely different but generally speaking resellers. You're going to be buying something for half price or less. Okay. So you kind of have to keep that in mind when you're sourcing something to see what am I paying for this? What can I get for it? You sold that sweater. That kinds of sweater for $100 that's half price of less than its original. It's a sweatshirt and it just has a signature across the front. That's it. I had never heard of this brand and I think originally they sell for something like two or three hundred like $300 for a sweatshirt. I know that thrift shops are for Charities and they're often. Just okay, how much would somebody reasonably pay low? Income families helping people out for a sweater. They probably need a sweater for bucks. That makes sense. Yeah, because they're not researching things. But sometimes when they went it's a well-known brand that is known for being higher end than the kind of price L book. Yeah, honestly, it's it's amazing that it would be hard to be in your line of work and work for a regular Thrift Shop like to the bag thing like This is like $200. Yeah, see I'm like, maybe I should get a part-time job. But now I feel like it's like they're getting it for free. It's being donated to them. So any profit is profit. So why not sell it at a reasonable price and then the people he needed you can take advantage or the people who want to resell it like me you would see the tags and I'm just like no. No, I don't like that pattern it like this because I'm just buying from my own closet. Yeah, so if you're going with a purpose of actually finding something special then you have a different technique or different. Yeah. Yeah exactly. You're sort of going in with a different thing in mind and it's I definitely look at X and that's the thing. It's like I'm when I look around the first or I'm like hmm, who's the other resellers in here? And you see the people that are just like furiously climbing through the Rocks like this and you're like, oh they're looking to resell and There's a people that are just kind of like willy-nilly looking at things and they check one size section and then they move on to the next and I'm like, I'm in the dresses and I'm going from size 14 decisive hero looking and my husband hates it because I mean he loves drifting but now I take a really long time when I first because I'm looking at all the sizes. But yeah, I'm like you're looking at the tags. You're looking at the fabric you looking at what condition it's in. But ultimately you're just like if it's even remotely good you grab it you put it in the basket you keep moving because you don't want somebody else to be grabbing the good stuff ahead of you. Especially not when you see that person. You're like, I think that's another paw. Sure. Do you have anybody that is really inspiring you in this kind of reuse and secondhand and thrifting community that you want to tell other people about. Yeah. It's been kind of a interesting process of like, you know, finding a new people to follow on social media and stuff and it's it kind of opens up a whole new world, right? Because now that we're online with all this stuff it's not Not just who's in your community. It's people all over the world and I've sort of been delving into a little bit of like following other resellers. Like I've followed other vintage sellers for a long time, but the reseller Market with Poshmark is a little bit more accessible because it's not dependent on you finding these amazing Museum Quality vintage pieces. And if you do amazing you have Avenue to salad, but you can get you know a cool sweater that's was made two years ago until dawn Poshmark whereas Etsy was very much Limited. Two handmade and vintage so much pressure on yeah categories. Yeah. So this is a kind of opens up. Everything makes them more accessible for people who were like, I can't necessarily go out and do sourcing trips and you know, estate sales and that kind of stuff that are you know, three states away or something like that. So I've been following the Vintage sellers for a long time. But now I'm telling following some resellers as well and there's been a little bit of like Crossover with that that a lot of the Vintage sellers are now doing Poshmark as well. Okay? And there's one that I've been following because she does a lot of like helpful tips on you know, like how to Posh essentially. She's called Foxborough vintage. So she has her vintage shop. I originally started following her because of that now she's doing Poshmark. She was one of the ones that was I was posting of it and I was like, what is this Poshmark? So she's doing a lot of that and then she's doing YouTube videos to kind of like help other people learn how to do Poshmark. Yeah, great. I'll include that in our show notes that people can find her. Give her a shout out. Yeah wanted to talk about is there a lot of fast fashion items on there? Like this is something quick and simple that if you just have a regular quality regular condition not like spectacular item of clothing. Could you have a Poshmark account? And oh, yeah, just try selling things for you're not even really making back what you spent On It originally, but you're just trying to clean out your closet is Yeah, something that people do absolutely yeah, they definitely do and there's lots of people who have closets where there's like literally five items and they're just trying to get rid of like, you know that H&M top from three years ago. Yeah or the Lululemon's I don't fit them anymore or whatever the case is and people definitely do that. And of course the price tag that they get for it is not going to be that high because people are not necessarily willing to spend that much on the fast fashion stuff when it's been used as well. The 12th inning in chipping. Yep, you're buying something for $5 and the shipping is more. Yeah, it can be a bit of a deterrent I think but there is definitely people doing it. And if that means that you can make a little bit of that money back, why wouldn't you try right that's easy enough to do so, it's worth a shot and you know, you might be listing something for $10, but that's also something that's relatively relatively easy for someone to be like I can spend $10 easy enough like there's definitely a market for that and a lot of people are using it in that way. Then there's a lot of people like myself, you know, they're actually sourcing things from thrift stores from you know, other places where they can resell it specifically so it's there's both of that going on. And I mean, it's interesting to see the sheer volume of stuff going in other shops and it's not just being donated by people is the thing. So what I've been finding a lot of lately and I probably depends on which thrift store you go to is that there are brand new still tags on stuff that's been donated from the stores. Yeah, so I think it's like I haven't fully figured out what's going on there, but my guess is that they're old stock. They can't sell it anymore because it's last season. So instead of throwing it in the trash or burning it burning it. Yeah, then they donate it they get a tax receipt because most of these these thrift stores are charitable organizations. They get something back for it. Yeah. I mean it's better than putting it in a landfill or burning it, but hmm. She's staying. Yeah, I guess there's the stages of doing good where can people find you online and on Poshmark on social media. Yeah. So if you are on Instagram, I am Electric City dot vintage Poshmark. I'm electric underscore style. Great. Yeah, if you're new to Poshmark and you are thinking about signing up you can use my username as a signup code and you get 15 dollars to spend in the apfel of those referrals. All codes right? I can get something for free and then and then you can go and buy that $10 shirt that you were eyeing up because you've got that $15 from the app. Well, thank you so much for telling me all about this and welcome. So cool to learn about how you can take advantage of reselling things and not just throwing it away or giving it to a thrift shop. Like that's so cool. Yeah. I I'm really enjoying it. It's been super fun. So thank you for having me. It's been awesome to kind of talk about it. I by no means An expert yet, but I'm working on it. Well that must mean something. Thanks again for listening everyone. If you'd like to learn more from Jenny or want to ask her questions, you can find her on Instagram and on Poshmark details in the show notes. If you enjoyed today's episode you'd probably also enjoy episode 9 secondhand September and episode 44 mend everything. You can find those in our archives wherever you get your podcasts. If you'd like to contact the show, you can always reach us by e-mail at practically zero waste at gmail. Dot-com or find me on Instagram at else with Callahan. That's all for now. Have a great week everyone and talk to you soon.
Does online shopping have to mean you can only buy something new? Today's chat with Posh Ambassador Jennie Persson is all about getting to know the online world of thrift shopping. Buying second hand clothes online has become crazy easy, selling clothes that no longer fit or don't suit your style anymore is simpler than ever! Jennie had some awesome tips for how turn a passion into a side hustle, knowing how to buy second hand when you can't try something on, and how to make a bit of extra cash on the side by passing on your pre-loved clothes and accessories. Find Jennie on Poshmark: @electric_style https://poshmark.ca/closet/electric_style Find us on Instagram: @electric.city.vintage @practicallyzerowastepod @elsbethcallaghan **************************** New episodes every Sunday. 