The willingness you have to take accountability for your failures as a reseller shows you are actually a great business person and very solid mentally. Your video is amazing, and so are you :)
Just came across you, what a great timing. It has hit me hard recently that I'm in so much credit card debt that I don't know how to pay it. Similar story, I was working 30-35 hours a week while reselling on the side. Got addicted to buying mystery boxes/liquidation, then lost my job. Still kept buying inventory because couldn't be a full time seller with no new inventory. And here we are. Feeling like a failure is awful. Thank you for sharing, it's comforting to know others struggle too.
Yeah I think when you don’t have good low sourcing near you it is extremely difficult to find inventory. Those boxes are so addicting to buy. It’s hard out here
Those mystery returns pallets are like playing the lottery because you’re gambling. From what I’ve seen, you need to have some knowledge on vintage, antiques or collectibles to make decent money long term with reselling. Or you need to have money or a wharehouse to work with retailers directly to buy their liquidated stock. Those mystery box companies apparently pick out the best stuff and sell on the trash. It’s definitely a deceptive business model that takes advantage of vulnerable people.
I am at home sick today from my job; thinking wouldn’t it be fun to be a reseller. After watching your cautionary tale, my thought is no thanks. I appreciate you being real.
Also, you're not right back where you started. You have gained so much knowledge and insight. That is a priceless eduction! Its going to take some time, some grit, and some grace but you are doing it!!
Working on my death pile as I watch this. Due to a family illness, I left my full-time job in April. I've been reselling part-time since 2017 and plan on at least getting everything listed before starting to work on another business venture in the next few months. Yours is a good cautionary tale. Thrifting became an addiction for me after moving to a new state and not knowing anyone, thrift stores were some of the first places to open up in my area after the pandemic and over the summer I was dealing with the grief of my dad dying. Now I'm just trying to dig myself out of the hole . . .
Just take it one day at a time, when you look at it all as a whole it gets extremely overwhelming. Try and break it down into manageable tasks everyday! You got this 💛
This is a quote my mentor gave me & always stuck with me. Every failure is an opportunity for growth & success. I did 3 live shows. 1 st 1 was ok, 2nd show no sale & total failure. 3rd show l changed strategies & it was a huge success.
This video couldn't have popped up for me at a better time. I have felt the drag of photographing and listing and started imagining that live sales were the answer. Because, of course, we always think there's a bigger, better, quicker, shinier answer than discipline and consistency. Or at least I do, lol. As I watched your video, I could imagine myself making every wrong decision you made and continuing to "force" it because we think sticking it out is the right thing to do. From low starts to sourcing wholesale, narrow margins, and all of it. Thank you for keeping me from doing probably exactly what you did. What I'm doing is working, and I'm learning to increase my sell-throughs, increase my margins, and continue to only buy from within my flip money profit. I can't tell you how grateful I am to have seen this, and I appreciate every moment of your honesty and vulnerability. You are amazing! Subscribed.
Hi Amber, you are now on your way! You completed the hardest part of business life. Profit. Failure. Get back up again. Reset. Retire. Now get going! The bad is behind you! Look over the rainbow 🌈. Mission in progress! You got this…keep going! Thanks for your honesty and helping others not to take this path. You have cured a lot of people, including myself. So mission accomplished. Ty
I pay very close attention to what I spend. At times I was just selling to cover my sourcing addiction. Times have changed and I need to make money without spending money, which is just working full time at my job .I still resell but I'm so much more mindful of how much I spend and what I buy to resell . I just can't afford to have money tied up in inventory at this time. I watch resellers who have a warehouse full of cash just tied up in inventory and much of it doesn't even move. Crazy
I totally agree with you. Sourcing is the fun part but if you don’t do anything with the items after or they just sit forever it’s hard tonjustifiy it all
Girl, you have been through it. I can literally feel how disappointed and hurt you are about what you've been through and what you've had thrown at you. I'm old enough to be your mom, so I hope you can take this with the loving intention it is given- I am SO PROUD OF YOU! You are still standing, still fighting, and still moving forward. Yes, you have made mistakes, but you've learned from them and now you are growing your business back. Your strong spirit is all it takes. One day at a time, one sale at a time. I am here cheering for you, sending the best wishes, and holding the hope that you will grow your business to 10 times what it was before all of the tough times. You are going to be better than okay, and we are here for it and for you girl!❤❤❤
Hi Amber. I really respect you for telling your story. There is nothing wrong with getting a 9-5 and reselling as a side hustle while you pay off your CC debt. CC debt is a real B. Good luck to you.
I started a business (not reselling) in 2013 from scratch. I put in $20k from savings and home refi. I raised $5.6m in investment. We opened our doors in 2017 and in 2020 we were a multi million dollar business, I had 120 employees, and was about to open our 3rd location one week after we had to shut our doors for the pandemic. It all fell apart and I lost it all. I lost friends, money and my dream but I learned the sun still comes up tomorrow. It just may not feel like it for a very long time. Thank you for your video. The strength that took to do was massive but the lessons you learn are going to reward you with great success in the future. Best wishes for you.
You are going to be fine Amber! You got this! God got you! You are amazing and helping so many resellers with this genuine video. May God bless you and your family🤗🤗🤗
First video of yours I’ve come across and wow, so brutally honest and raw. Thanks for sharing the downside of reselling people don’t hear a lot about. I’m a long time reseller (16 years on eBay, 15 on Etsy, 8 on posh) and while I’ve been tempted to try live shows, I’ve always known the profit was so much less and the work (all that shipping, time, sourcing) was a lot! So I’ve never took the plunge and probably won’t. Really appreciate the honesty and while it’s hard to say the mistakes you’ve made it will help people to hear. I’m glad you are on a better track now and wishing you all the luck in the future. Just one piece of advice, one thing that I swear by is a diverse inventory. I’ve never been a clothing only reseller, about half clothing and half hard goods. It takes time to learn new inventory but can be so profitable and worth it in the end! Just something to think about
This was SO helpful! Thank you so much for putting this vulnerable video out there. I am new to reselling, just started my business 4 months ago, and I already feel the temptation to try different things or feel like I should be doing something different because there are so many ideas and opinions out there about how to run a reselling business. This was such a good reminder to me to stick to what's working and not try to dip my toe into too many new ideas and things at once/ just keep working on what's working well. I appreciate you and always love your videos, and I know you are going to get everything turned around and going great again & land an amazing new job!
So glad you found it helpful, I would continue what you’re doing and slowly add new ideas into your business. Being innovative is so powerful, you just need to be able to be consistent in what makes you successfull in the first place
It was heartbreaking to see you break down in this video. I can't imagine how tough it was to share this, but I truly appreciate your honesty and courage. You’ve shown the challenging side of reselling, and this will definitely help others avoid similar mistakes. Wishing you all the strength for a comeback and hoping you’ll conquer all those debts. You've got this!
Oh Amber you are so kind to share this honest and vulnerable story. Please don’t beat yourself up. You have learned so much from this experience that will help you in whatever you decide to do. And now you are helping others who are likely in your same situation or headed down that same road. There is value in that. I always feel like nothing is wasted even our mistakes if we learn something from them. And we all have them. I’ve stayed away from live shows because I couldn’t see a path to profit with them given all the time they require. I think you’re right though…it’s a business that is constantly changing with variables and we have to pivot as you said to adapt to it whether it’s increasing prices for goods, over saturation of brands etc. I wish you all the best and success in what you do. ❤
Thanks so so so much doe your kind words and for watching the video! I’m glad it helped you and yeah live selling is so new that it’s constantly changing, it’s okay for us to change as well
I am so sorry this all happened to you. I used to go to the bins in Rogers back in 2019-2021 and it was a great place to source. I had no idea they were struck by a tornado! I have been sick for the last two years so haven't been working my Poshmark that much and so no great money coming from that. I am feeling stronger so trying to try to list more but I am not a fan of going live. I would have to dedicate time I don't have to making that work. Thank you for sharing your story! It might help some of us in the long run! Peace!
Hey Amber, I had a similar reselling experience. I had a great career going into covid. Started dabbling with eBay selling for fun. The business began to grow and I slowly lost interest in my main job as I poured more and more energy into reselling. I felt the same up's and downs that you did. Eventually I had to scale my reselling business way back as I began focusing on my main career to survive. It's back to being a side hustle which is just fine with me. Anyway I wish you luck. Sending positive vibes
Keep your head up. Much respect for not giving up! You’re not a quitter. Brighter days are ahead. Thank you for teaching others. Wish you many blessings
Thank you for your honesty. That took a lot of courage,. No one talks about the down sides of being a reseller or how hard it is so your video is really helpful. I wish you the best at whatever comes next. And don't be afraid to seek out counseling for your mental health struggles. So many people are struggling with depression and anxiety now.
JUST stumbled across you today. Thank you for your vulnerability and honesty in this. No fails here, all learnings for you and us, thank you. I am sending you the BIGGEST selling/money/do well vibes :)
Your honesty and vulnerability is amazing to hear. Be proud of yourself for being able to hold yourself accountable and make changes. Sending love to you
I was very touched by your story. You’re a good person. I’m know you’ll succeed because failure = learning and you’ve been through the hard knocks. Good luck with business in the coming months and much love.
Your story is relatable and lots of good lessons to be learned. You also confirmed the reason why I don't like live selling. It is too much work for too little profit. At the end of the day reselling is owning a retail business and that is not easy. If big retailers are going out of business, we can easily go out of business too!
I wish you success going forward. I live in Southeast Kansas and was going to the bins you referenced that was hit by the tornado. The shut down is temporary I hope as I live in a rural community and can feel your pain of not having thrifting options either. Stay strong and you can do this!
Thanks for being so honest. Yes it was a series of mistakes, but you can also look at it as over complicating it, a 100k eBay store is awesome and could be scaled up even more, but some things were out of your control like a tornado hitting your bins. Good luck to you, hope you keep at it, even if you get a regular job, keep that ebay going and remember theres way more stuff to sell than just clothing.
Thank you for your vulnerability. I am a very veryyyy new reseller and already have gotten in over my head. It’s become an obsession. Your testimony came across at the absolute most perfect time. I’m finding this a year and a half after you’ve filmed and I pray things have gotten so much better! ❤
Thank so much for making this video.I’m so sorry u had to go through this.I was about to give up but watching your video made me realize that I was not alone.
Sending love girl!! I’ve also been struggling hard since Covid. I quit my job with no plan. I just started reselling. A couple months ago. I’Making small mistakes but learning so much. So thankful for you and others for sharing your ups and downs. Im hopefully for my future. But there are still hard days. I don’t do live selling but like you said…when I have sales…it affects my mood in a positive and when it’s not a great day…it’s not great. Wishing you the best. Just subscribed to your channel.
I’m so glad that you’re trying out reselling, it is an amazing way to grow a business but it does require a lot of work and patience! Goodluck my friend :)
Hi Amber, you are so brave I just want to give you a huge hug. It takes allot to admit that you made a mistake, I sold cosmetics successfully for 12 years untill covid hit and everyone thought they would become a reseller. I was using my savings each month to cover bills in the end, I felt like a failure, I was worried sick about money etc I called it quits on December 18th feeling a failure but the relief of not owing money was immense. I am now concentrating on vintage clothes, books, anything and everything the pressure is off and I am enjoying it again. I am stronger for it and I’m not a failure and neither are you, we will get there through sheer determination it’s hard work but we will make it. Huge hugs from the UK ❤️
Just subbed. Hang in there. I'm a long time eBay seller since 1996. I'm only PT and used to chase inventory in the toys, collectibles, DVDs, video games, plush etc. I dabbled in clothing and soon found out it was not for me. Too low margins and not only competitive, but lots of work. So I purged most of my 10,000 or so listed items and reinvested in a niche I was passionate about. Something I enjoyed chasing, sourcing, photographing and selling. I then upgraded my stock from common to more rate and desirable items. My average sales price went up from $8 to over $30 ASP now. Yes I pick up an occasional item to sell outside my niche, but I built a more sustainable and profitable store now. I'm not ready to go full time just yet, even after 28 years on online selling...
Your honesty is refreshing. You will succeed because you are determined. Just remember that there are no failures, just learning experiences. We've all had them. They suck, but those are the lessons that stick.
I have never related to a video more than this one and I just stumbled across it in my feed! Reselling is the loneliest job and can really take a toll on your mental health! I am in an area that has overpriced crap and the closest bins are 4+ hours away so I have been relying on liquidation that I sometimes put on my credit card and then I have to try and hype myself up to list it. I am like you were right now, I hate photographing and not fond of listing either. I have a lot of unlisted inventory because I just can’t find my motivation to get to work. I have tried to ask for help even offering to pay but nobody is interested and I really don’t want a stranger in my house so I need to have some shift in my mindset and get working again! I’m glad that you have been able to see some positive changes and I’m really glad that you shared your struggles. I’m sure that you aren’t the only one that has gone through this but the only thing anyone will talk about is the good things but it’s helpful to also hear the bad. I have subscribed to your channel now and can’t wait to see where you go from here! Thank you again for being so open it’s more helpful than you realize
Aww thanks so much for the support! I totally understand the struggle. I think if you can make tiny changes everyday like listing a couple items or organizing your items then by the time a few weeks happen you will be listing a bunch a day! :)
@@RenewingAmber Oh yes! Organization is not my strong suit lol. The really sad thing is that I have a lot of things photographed and I just haven’t listed them yet. I am just in a bit of a funk right now, the worst time to be in a funk, luckily I only do this as a way to have some sort of identity for myself instead of just being a mom or a wife so I’m not dependent on the money but it’s still very frustrating that I can’t get out of my own way lol. Thank you for your encouraging words!! We all need to try and lift each other up in this business because it is so lonely and isolating.
Thank you for sharing your story. I am a reseller too and have ups and downs in this business. I failed in other businesses also but learned also. So be brave and keep on listing. Buy online from even eBay. Sell whatever you find and don't contain yourself to clothing only.
Thank you thank you so much for sitting here and telling us the reality of this business. I did almost the same thing when Posh Shows started. In the beginning things were amazing and I started to buy more things and they were not good things but they sold. Then, the shows started to have less and less people and I got stuck so many bad pieces. I took a break, tried again last year . First 2 shows were ok, but again they tanked, I thought that by having more shows and lowering my start prices I’d get more viewers and get stuff bid up. Nope….I was having 2 hr shows with only 2 $10 sales. I decided I would just stop the shows completely and invest more time on picking better items and listing them. When I made that choice, things just started to turn around. I think live selling really started to kill Posh which is now my lowest selling platform. I hope you get back on your feet soon and again, thank you for your vulnerability here and saying what needed to be said. I want to hear real stories, as I know not everything is amazing sales
Thanks girl, it does take a long time to build up an audience on posh shows but they are worth it especially for the community. Just need to sell items at the starting prices you’re comfortable with. My main focus now is listing but I’ll just shows an extra :)
Hey girl, this is Mandy from PM :-) while I don’t do live shows anymore (inventory is a struggle!) I so appreciate your transparent honesty. We truly have no clue what some people are going through and I applaud you for being willing to share your story with others. I know this information will be helpful and also encourage those who are trying reselling and don’t understand why it’s so hard. It’s hard (in different ways) for everyone! It takes work, effort, consistency etc. You are proof that if you don’t give up you can turn just about anything around. (PIVOT! Cue Ross with a 🛋️ in the stairwell😂)
It takes a strong person do you know that they've made a mistake. You can't really be a success unless you experience some failure. That's how we all learn . Have you considered other things than clothing? Such as accessories, home decor. Vintage items. I'm glad to see you haven't given up and just throwing in the towel. Best wishes for you in your personal life and in growing your business back up. Great video. I'm sure it will help many people that have chosen to resell. I thought of doing p.m. live but the five-dollar starts are just not for me, at least at this time. Anyhow, take care.
Thank you for being so raw and open and sharing this with us, that must have been so hard. I'm learning so much from the video and the comments, it's nice to hear people open up about what they wish they'd done differently. Buying mystery boxes and even going to the bins can be so addictive, it's like a low level form of gambling that people don't really talk about...based on the title I thought this would have gone in a different direction but it's interesting to hear from a live seller. I did live shows for a month or two and they drained me so much so fast and I hardly made anything, I knew quickly it wasn't going to work long term. - but I commend you for trying new things, and I'm so glad to hear you had a supportive partner at the time even though it didn't ultimately work out, too often you hear the opposite! Just subscribed and rooting for your success :)
Amber thank you so much for sharing, truthfully what the realities are of this business beyond lenses of what most resellers won’t share! I applaud your tenacity and able to be nimble and make course corrections! Bravo❤ THANK YOU❤
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Your story is so helpful. It will help so many people! I am so sorry you went thru it....but so very thankful that you are telling others!!! I reminds me of the Sam Walton Walmart story....but all the things he learned....all the things you learned! Don't forget that they economy, was and is really bad right now!!! If people have a hard time with the cost of food and gas....they aren't buying extras...
I loved your video. I understand the mental aspect of your business! I'm a reseller on ebay since 2019 and have my ups and downs depending on my mood! I personally think the harder you try, the harder it is to reach where you want to be in life. I personally have to focus on mental health first so I can focus on my listing. If I'm happy with myself, then I I'm happy listing! Don't cut yourself short, you are amazing person and have the whole business process down good but just need to work on self care!
Thank you for sharing, it takes a lot of courage to be vulnerable and be able to recognize the mistakes. Best wishes as you keep pushing through this and figure what works best for you. Good luck, you got this!!!
Thank you, Amber. Your transparency and honesty is so appreciated and helpful. I have been dabbling in resale and Love the high one gets from sourcing amazing items, making sales, and seeing profits. However, I have also experienced the letdown when sales are stale or sourcing is difficult. You sharing your experiences is very insightful. Thank you. Best of luck as you rebuild.
Every one went through mistakes or lesson, but hardly anyone " sharing" the lesson as you, thanks for your mistake lesson ❤, God will help you to cope through it and will be successful!
💜 Thank you for being authentic. I learned a lot from your video. I'm not a seller, however, I feel the wisdom you gained and shared, is applicable to a wealth of life situations, to decision making overall. Thank you for sharing your experiences. 💥 Congratulations on your 1000+ subscribers!! 💥 I wish you positive and healing growth, and success in your current and future pursuits. Love! 💜💥
Amber thank you so much for this. I feel everything that you went through, and I'm in the same situation mostly and just recently admitted it to myself. Tried the live shows with absolutely no luck. Having a really hard time sourcing for reasonable prices. Poshmark Ebay and Mercari have been so slow this summer I'm really questioning whether I want to continue selling clothing. I've spent way too much on inventory that just doesn't sell. Your story touched me. I'm so sorry that you had to go through everything, but so happy to hear that things are slowly getting better. You're an amazing person. Sending lots of good wishes and I have all confidence that you'll get through this. Love ya! Also - please don't beat yourself up over past mistakes. Look how much you learned 🥰
I feel like a lot of us are in the same situation but it’s incredibly hard to admit it! So glad you had the courage too and things will get better for you as well
Thank you Amber for your amazing insight. It's tough but with busines clarity like this, you and others can only go up! Keep on thriving!!! - The House Of Hillary
The amount of times I gasped! When you said you stopped listing I was like omg no. But THANK YOU for being so transparent and honest. I learned so much from this video. Thank you for telling us your story. Breaks my heart when u started crying. I just wanted to hug you!! Subscribing ♥️
Thank you for sharing and being willing to be vulnerable. What Not was such an addiction for me. I bought so much more than I ever sold because I felt like I needed to buy to support my community. I miss the community. My wife's mood would 100% be determined by how our show went. Our mental health is much better since leaving the platform. My take-away is to be flexible, pivot quickly, and put your own needs above your business. I subscribed and look forward to seeing what else you share.
I am a jewelry designer and my designs were the draw. When sales went down (due to economy) I thought the answer was to make cheaper items. I would display 10 6 foot tables of jewelry handmade all by me. Sales kept going down. I backed up and evaluated. What made me a successful designer was my unique designs so I stopped making tons of cheaper jewelry and concentrated on my forte of unique one of a kind work. I scaled down to half the amount of table and less than half the quality of items. I made more money again with fewer more expensive items. Different business similar story.
I can relate to everything you're saying. I will say that I refused to do low starts on WN from day one. Everyone told me to lower my prices but I never did. I haven't sold much but at least the stuff that did sell was at a profit. It's good to know that this was the right choice. It's frustrating putting all the time, energy and effort then not seeing the results you're expecting. It's also normal to keep on going with the hope that you will everyday get there. Most of us never know when stop and accept the reality. Please be kind to yourself. You don't have to apologize for investing in yourself and believing in yourself. Even with the mistakes you've made the average person would just be complaining about the job they hate but doing nothing about it at all
Sorry it was so hard the learning experiences. I think we all go through them. Growing pains! I have only ever grossed $20,000 a year. When I hear higher numbers I am like wow! I am struggling sales are so slow but, I was not listing enough over the summer long story. Listing like crazy now. Getting ready to start live selling and all your information is in invaluable. TYVM 💕
Thank you for sharing this, I know it wasn't easy. I do get frustrated hearing from all of these uber successful resellers on TH-cam and I wonder why it is I can barely scrape by. I think your experience is by far much more realistic than many of the other resellers on TH-cam. You shared some tough lessons which I think will help me.
Thanks so much for sharing this. I applaud you for trying so many ways to source and resell. Plus, you didn’t give up. To grow we have to take risks. The pay off may still be coming and may not look like what you think it will. Keep your spirits up.
Thank you so much for sharing your story. That must have been really hard to live through. I'm glad that you have a new perspective and I hope things improve for you.
I wish more resellers were like you and put it out there raw and honest. It sure would help the rest of us. I’m sorry you had to learn a tough lesson but thank you for your honesty. Technsports says sometimes we have to travel far to get the inventory. I finally decided to get out of my 5 mile radius and it has helped😉
Hey Girl! Just wanted to say, I went through this exact same thing with whatnot. I put all my eggs in that basket and I blew through all my savings in the span of a year trying to compensate for what I was losing from live selling. I, too, would go to the bins daily and sell everything that night for between $5-$8. When I factored in gas, shipping supplies, and COG, I didn't make a single penny for the whole year I did it. I went back to listing full time in October and it's been better since. I also use the bins that you're referencing, so it has been killer to lose that, however, I have been taking full advantage of yard sales, liquidation stores, and occasionally the KC or Little Rock bins. I just wanted you to know that you aren't alone and I get everything you're talking about. I heard that Goodwill is looking for a new location and fingers crossed, will hopefully open again early next year. Wishing you all the best in the mean time!!
Hi, I live in your area. Just wanted to let you know you're not alone. The thrifting here has definitely gotten harder the past year. I had pivoted away from the bins about 6 months before they got hit by the tornado but would still shop there to bring down my cost of goods. It hurt when they closed. I don't do live sales but I'm down about 20% from the prior year and I have to hit the pavement twice as long to get the same amount of inventory. I've been reselling for 20 years and have a pretty good knowledge base but I often walk out of a thrift with just a few items. I kinda got desperate there for a while and was making some bad buys too. I also stopped buying thredup boxes. I was buying 100 lb mens and 200 lb women's and they went from being always profitable to just so crappy. I'm still selling off a lot of slow selling inventory from that. Hang in there!
This was so amazing as are you!! The most successful people fall and learn from their falls. I am also one of those trip myself up to learn. Have faith this is your path.
Thank you for sharing your experience, I felt this alot. The struggles of reselling is real. People don’t realize how much location matters to success in resellering all the top resellers live in FL or Cali or TX it seems. I hope your business turns around soon.
Young lady, you still have plenty of time. I can relate to all of this because I wasted decades working as a contract worker and being grossly underpaid. We all live and learn. Good for you in evaluating and changing course. In business, it's always "profit" first.
I've been a buyer since 2018, but only recently began selling. I appreciated your video very much. I'm now at the point of deciding whether to just be happy with 2-3 sales a week , or, to start doing lives and see how far I can take this. Several cautions plus your sharing, plus you even answered several of my biggest questions. I have " followed and liked" your content, and looking forward to your next video!
I'm about to make a video like this which makes me wonder that my phone is listening to me. Just this morning I was saying out loud how I miss reselling since I took up a server job. I love making my money the same day but being a server is so draining. I head over to my reselling channel and see everyone else can do it and find these awesome finds but the clutter is what really hinders me. Thanks for sharing, new sub luv ❤
Clutter is a huge part of reselling that other sellers don’t talk about. I watched Mel Back From Burnout show how she was disorganized and in time and tremendous hard work turned it around. I’m in that spot now trying to organize over 5k items. I love the rawness of these videos as so many make it look easy but it’s hard work.
I started off like you selling on eBay from 2018. My problem was not having much good inventory in my area. So I drove to other Locations to source inventory that would bring me a higher profit. I was a small type of reseller. I wanted to build up my inventory, list daily, make sales daily. But covid hit. I started making more sales. The thrift store were closed. So I had to source used clothing thru Facebook reseller groups. So I bought in bulk, but inventory quality wasn’t very good. So slowly my business went down. I lost the passion to sell. And now I no longer sell on eBay. I have learnt a lot from this experience. Going back, the one thing I didn’t do was my Taxes. And now I am in the process of doing it from 2019 until 2023. If you reading this, do your Taxes. I wouldn’t want anyone to be in the same mess that I am in. And I never set aside any money for Taxes. Those are the regrets that I have. We learn from our mistakes. Thank you for sharing your story.
I’m in the same position with my taxes but years 2021 to current. It’s a nightmare trying to go back that far and extremely frustrating. I agree with your advice that sellers need to do their paperwork daily and not push it to the side. I’m so angry that I did this to myself for years and can honestly say the lesson is learned. Doing it daily for an hour over the past 2 months hasn’t even dented it because it’s difficult trying to match things up now. Slowly but surely I will get through it and never do it to myself again. I have over 5k in items and it’s extremely hard to go backwards on the accounting. Best of luck to you and I hope all goes well for you.
Hi Amber. You are very strong, and you will get through this. I am praying for you, and I will continue to support you. You will come out on top! Stay strong ! You got this!❤❤❤❤❤
New sub. It's refreshing to hear honesty regarding reselling. Your experience and insight are very helpful. You tried a couple of the new "miraculous" avenues for resale. I decided against live selling some time ago and this really confirms to me it wouldn't have been for me. Thank you for sharing. Looking forward to your future vids. (Fellow AR seller here.) 🙂
Wow! This is only the third time I've watched one of your videos and I cannot tell you how impressed I am with what you shared today. Your mental health along with your physical health is everything. You seeing that it was degrading and that things had to change is admirable. You are doing the right things now financially, mentally, etc. and that's fantastic. I know you'll be amazing moving forward. You're asking yourself all the right questions and taking 100% responsibility. My best wishes as you journey on and good luck with that job hunt! ❤
Thanks so much for watching 💕 life is hard sometimes and only sharing the positive isn’t portraying it truly! So I set out to be transparent, vulnerable and honest
You did what most new resellers since 2019 did,and failed like most resellers like 2019 did. You went in balls to the wall buying everything with no tactics thinking it would sell fast. Bit off more then you could chew not realizing thousands of others were doing the same exact thing that you had in mind, the "Get rich quick" type of mentality usually leaves you broke. Successful reselling businesses can take years to establish. Take your time,and build with each victory. Definitely not going to happen as fast as you want it.
Definitely. Happened to me. Bought junk when I started 4 years ago. Donated a lot of it back. Now my COGs are 4-5 dollars with ASP nearing 40 and over 200k a year in sales. Can be done
Thank you for your honesty about your experience with reselling. It’s never as easy as some think and jump in head first. Your experience needed to be heard and I thank you for sharing your story. I’m a seller and I’ve never shifted to lives but I’m in/out. I feel like it’s getting harder and harder with clothing and with shipping costs. Some days I’m extremely busy and other days I never want to be bothered. I buy in bulk inventory and inventory is disorganized right now so that makes it worse. I always think I need to pivot but honestly I’m afraid to because I hear so much about live shows selling cheaper than at market prices. I just want to get rid of all the overbuying I did and start over. I watched you today for the first time and know there are very valuable lessons learned from your experience. Great to hear this kind of reality story about being a seller. Thank you for the rawness of your story.
Honestly I love live shows and will continue to use them as a tool in my business but I will only use it when it makes sense. Starting items at what they are worth is a good tool to sell items fast :) hope this helps
It’s really hard doing it all yourself. I had a full meltdown last December and I was unable to do live shows or even list for months. For the past few months I’ve been trying to claw my way back up after losing all the momentum I built up on Whatnot and it feels like starting over. I have no clue what the future holds but I just have to be gentle with myself and realize that I’m doing my best and that it’s going to take time again. Also, realizing that there is no one solution and diversifying how and what I source and how and what I sell will not enslave me to a very narrow way of running my business.
Thank You for sharing your journey. There were a lot of mistakes along your journey. As a season seller, one advice I would like to give is to be resourceful on where to buy inventory. Don’t rely on one vendor but have multiple vendors lined up. I have a different business model so I don’t sell mall or low end brands and i have multiple sources to buy inventory.
Hi I just found your video today. I have been feeling so defeated about my closest,.I work very hard to try to make it work. I know how you feel I ran my credit card up also. Don't give up .I enjoy what I do .Keep your head up.
Thank you so much for doing this video. It must have been very difficult for you. If it’s any consolation you have probably helped 100’s of resellers today. Yes, I have learned something.
Thank you for your story…understand your struggle, and I am in bad situation too, but just remember, everything will going to be alright, it’s just very hard lesson…God bless you !
Hi Amber, this is Mtcoder from Poshmark, I was wondering where you were 🙁 soooo sorry you went thru all this but youve learned! I personally have wanted to take the next step but Im afraid of doing a live 🤷🏼♀️ At age 63 I lost my corp job and now dont even make 1/2 of my prior salary so yes I am now starting over 🤦🏼♀️ I wish where was a utube that would teach the behind the scenes doing a live on poshmark Thank Amber your success will now come just dont push it, slow is the way to go kiddo 💞
Thank you for sharing your story. Everyone online makes reselling seem like a low effort get rich quick plan and it’s really not. It’s a business like any other
Thank you for sharing your story. It helps new sellers like me what to watch out for. I just started and part time only. Doing good for part time. I budget my purchases every week , no more than under $200. My cost is around $4-12 on my items. My prices range $21-49. Seems to be a sweet spot to sell on eBay. I pay off my credit to zero every month from my sales. I don’t over buy. I buy only when I check the sales comp and see if it’s more than 15% up sell through rate. Seems to work. My rule is to sell under 90 days . I only have under 200 listed , just listing 5 a day. Again, I appreciate you sharing your experience in the reselling. This helps me put in place some proper rules on how to manage my reselling. Reselling is a lot of work. Thank you .
The willingness you have to take accountability for your failures as a reseller shows you are actually a great business person and very solid mentally. Your video is amazing, and so are you :)
Thanks so much 🥰
Just came across you, what a great timing. It has hit me hard recently that I'm in so much credit card debt that I don't know how to pay it. Similar story, I was working 30-35 hours a week while reselling on the side. Got addicted to buying mystery boxes/liquidation, then lost my job. Still kept buying inventory because couldn't be a full time seller with no new inventory. And here we are. Feeling like a failure is awful. Thank you for sharing, it's comforting to know others struggle too.
Yeah I think when you don’t have good low sourcing near you it is extremely difficult to find inventory. Those boxes are so addicting to buy. It’s hard out here
Those mystery returns pallets are like playing the lottery because you’re gambling. From what I’ve seen, you need to have some knowledge on vintage, antiques or collectibles to make decent money long term with reselling.
Or you need to have money or a wharehouse to work with retailers directly to buy their liquidated stock.
Those mystery box companies apparently pick out the best stuff and sell on the trash. It’s definitely a deceptive business model that takes advantage of vulnerable people.
I am at home sick today from my job; thinking wouldn’t it be fun to be a reseller. After watching your cautionary tale, my thought is no thanks. I appreciate you being real.
Same for me! Paying for it now. Ugh!
Also, you're not right back where you started. You have gained so much knowledge and insight. That is a priceless eduction! Its going to take some time, some grit, and some grace but you are doing it!!
Very true, all business failure is a learning moment that can be used to build again in the future
Thank you for sharing this perspective. I subscribed because of her honesty. I love Phoenix stories. Waiting for her to rise. Good luck 🎉
Working on my death pile as I watch this. Due to a family illness, I left my full-time job in April. I've been reselling part-time since 2017 and plan on at least getting everything listed before starting to work on another business venture in the next few months. Yours is a good cautionary tale. Thrifting became an addiction for me after moving to a new state and not knowing anyone, thrift stores were some of the first places to open up in my area after the pandemic and over the summer I was dealing with the grief of my dad dying. Now I'm just trying to dig myself out of the hole . . .
Just take it one day at a time, when you look at it all as a whole it gets extremely overwhelming. Try and break it down into manageable tasks everyday! You got this 💛
every successful business person has experienced failure - it is how we learn
This is a quote my mentor gave me & always stuck with me. Every failure is an opportunity for growth & success. I did 3 live shows. 1 st 1 was ok, 2nd show no sale & total failure. 3rd show l changed strategies & it was a huge success.
This video couldn't have popped up for me at a better time. I have felt the drag of photographing and listing and started imagining that live sales were the answer. Because, of course, we always think there's a bigger, better, quicker, shinier answer than discipline and consistency. Or at least I do, lol. As I watched your video, I could imagine myself making every wrong decision you made and continuing to "force" it because we think sticking it out is the right thing to do. From low starts to sourcing wholesale, narrow margins, and all of it. Thank you for keeping me from doing probably exactly what you did. What I'm doing is working, and I'm learning to increase my sell-throughs, increase my margins, and continue to only buy from within my flip money profit. I can't tell you how grateful I am to have seen this, and I appreciate every moment of your honesty and vulnerability. You are amazing! Subscribed.
Thanks so much for watching and I’m glad I saved you from making my same mistakes ❤️
Hi Amber, you are now on your way! You completed the hardest part of business life. Profit. Failure. Get back up again. Reset. Retire. Now get going! The bad is behind you! Look over the rainbow 🌈. Mission in progress! You got this…keep going! Thanks for your honesty and helping others not to take this path. You have cured a lot of people, including myself. So mission accomplished. Ty
Thanks for the kind words :)
I pay very close attention to what I spend. At times I was just selling to cover my sourcing addiction. Times have changed and I need to make money without spending money, which is just working full time at my job .I still resell but I'm so much more mindful of how much I spend and what I buy to resell . I just can't afford to have money tied up in inventory at this time. I watch resellers who have a warehouse full of cash just tied up in inventory and much of it doesn't even move. Crazy
I totally agree with you. Sourcing is the fun part but if you don’t do anything with the items after or they just sit forever it’s hard tonjustifiy it all
Girl, you have been through it. I can literally feel how disappointed and hurt you are about what you've been through and what you've had thrown at you. I'm old enough to be your mom, so I hope you can take this with the loving intention it is given- I am SO PROUD OF YOU! You are still standing, still fighting, and still moving forward. Yes, you have made mistakes, but you've learned from them and now you are growing your business back. Your strong spirit is all it takes. One day at a time, one sale at a time. I am here cheering for you, sending the best wishes, and holding the hope that you will grow your business to 10 times what it was before all of the tough times. You are going to be better than okay, and we are here for it and for you girl!❤❤❤
Thanks so so much for watching I appreciate your kind words ❤️❤️❤️
Hi Amber. I really respect you for telling your story. There is nothing wrong with getting a 9-5 and reselling as a side hustle while you pay off your CC debt. CC debt is a real B. Good luck to you.
Agreed!
I started a business (not reselling) in 2013 from scratch. I put in $20k from savings and home refi. I raised $5.6m in investment. We opened our doors in 2017 and in 2020 we were a multi million dollar business, I had 120 employees, and was about to open our 3rd location one week after we had to shut our doors for the pandemic. It all fell apart and I lost it all. I lost friends, money and my dream but I learned the sun still comes up tomorrow. It just may not feel like it for a very long time. Thank you for your video. The strength that took to do was massive but the lessons you learn are going to reward you with great success in the future. Best wishes for you.
This is such a helpful video. How brave of you to share your journey. It’s appreciated!
You are going to be fine Amber! You got this! God got you! You are amazing and helping so many resellers with this genuine video. May God bless you and your family🤗🤗🤗
First video of yours I’ve come across and wow, so brutally honest and raw. Thanks for sharing the downside of reselling people don’t hear a lot about. I’m a long time reseller (16 years on eBay, 15 on Etsy, 8 on posh) and while I’ve been tempted to try live shows, I’ve always known the profit was so much less and the work (all that shipping, time, sourcing) was a lot! So I’ve never took the plunge and probably won’t. Really appreciate the honesty and while it’s hard to say the mistakes you’ve made it will help people to hear. I’m glad you are on a better track now and wishing you all the luck in the future. Just one piece of advice, one thing that I swear by is a diverse inventory. I’ve never been a clothing only reseller, about half clothing and half hard goods. It takes time to learn new inventory but can be so profitable and worth it in the end! Just something to think about
Thanks girl! I live in an apartment so I don’t have a lot of space for other categories but deff something to keep in mind for the future :)
I am a buyer not a seller. Thank you for sharing your story Be proud of yourself - you will go far with your tenacity-Just do it!! 💙💞💞❣️
Thanks so much 💛
This was SO helpful! Thank you so much for putting this vulnerable video out there. I am new to reselling, just started my business 4 months ago, and I already feel the temptation to try different things or feel like I should be doing something different because there are so many ideas and opinions out there about how to run a reselling business. This was such a good reminder to me to stick to what's working and not try to dip my toe into too many new ideas and things at once/ just keep working on what's working well. I appreciate you and always love your videos, and I know you are going to get everything turned around and going great again & land an amazing new job!
So glad you found it helpful, I would continue what you’re doing and slowly add new ideas into your business. Being innovative is so powerful, you just need to be able to be consistent in what makes you successfull in the first place
It was heartbreaking to see you break down in this video. I can't imagine how tough it was to share this, but I truly appreciate your honesty and courage. You’ve shown the challenging side of reselling, and this will definitely help others avoid similar mistakes. Wishing you all the strength for a comeback and hoping you’ll conquer all those debts. You've got this!
Thanks so much for the support :)
Oh Amber you are so kind to share this honest and vulnerable story. Please don’t beat yourself up. You have learned so much from this experience that will help you in whatever you decide to do. And now you are helping others who are likely in your same situation or headed down that same road. There is value in that. I always feel like nothing is wasted even our mistakes if we learn something from them. And we all have them. I’ve stayed away from live shows because I couldn’t see a path to profit with them given all the time they require. I think you’re right though…it’s a business that is constantly changing with variables and we have to pivot as you said to adapt to it whether it’s increasing prices for goods, over saturation of brands etc. I wish you all the best and success in what you do. ❤
Thanks so so so much doe your kind words and for watching the video! I’m glad it helped you and yeah live selling is so new that it’s constantly changing, it’s okay for us to change as well
I am so sorry this all happened to you. I used to go to the bins in Rogers back in 2019-2021 and it was a great place to source. I had no idea they were struck by a tornado! I have been sick for the last two years so haven't been working my Poshmark that much and so no great money coming from that. I am feeling stronger so trying to try to list more but I am not a fan of going live. I would have to dedicate time I don't have to making that work. Thank you for sharing your story! It might help some of us in the long run! Peace!
Hey Amber, I had a similar reselling experience. I had a great career going into covid. Started dabbling with eBay selling for fun. The business began to grow and I slowly lost interest in my main job as I poured more and more energy into reselling. I felt the same up's and downs that you did. Eventually I had to scale my reselling business way back as I began focusing on my main career to survive. It's back to being a side hustle which is just fine with me. Anyway I wish you luck. Sending positive vibes
Thanks so so much for the comment. That’s what I tend to do going forward focus on my career and use reselling as a hobby, I was much happier then
Keep your head up. Much respect for not giving up! You’re not a quitter. Brighter days are ahead. Thank you for teaching others. Wish you many blessings
Thanks so much :)
Thank you for your honesty. That took a lot of courage,. No one talks about the down sides of being a reseller or how hard it is so your video is really helpful. I wish you the best at whatever comes next. And don't be afraid to seek out counseling for your mental health struggles. So many people are struggling with depression and anxiety now.
Yes! I’m currently looking for a therapist :)
So proud of you for being so vulnerable and transparent 💕 can’t wait to see where this new path takes you!
💕💕
JUST stumbled across you today. Thank you for your vulnerability and honesty in this. No fails here, all learnings for you and us, thank you. I am sending you the BIGGEST selling/money/do well vibes :)
Aww thank so much ❤️
Your honesty and vulnerability is amazing to hear. Be proud of yourself for being able to hold yourself accountable and make changes. Sending love to you
Aww thanks so so much ❤️
I was very touched by your story. You’re a good person. I’m know you’ll succeed because failure = learning and you’ve been through the hard knocks. Good luck with business in the coming months and much love.
Thanks so much for the support :)
Your story is relatable and lots of good lessons to be learned. You also confirmed the reason why I don't like live selling. It is too much work for too little profit. At the end of the day reselling is owning a retail business and that is not easy. If big retailers are going out of business, we can easily go out of business too!
I wish you success going forward. I live in Southeast Kansas and was going to the bins you referenced that was hit by the tornado. The shut down is temporary I hope as I live in a rural community and can feel your pain of not having thrifting options either. Stay strong and you can do this!
I heard from the grapevine that they are currently looking for a new location and plan to reopen in the new year but idk how true that is
Great content postive energy keep up with all the hard work and keep posting
Amber thank you so much for being so transparent about this business. It’s not always easy.
Thanks for being so honest. Yes it was a series of mistakes, but you can also look at it as over complicating it, a 100k eBay store is awesome and could be scaled up even more, but some things were out of your control like a tornado hitting your bins. Good luck to you, hope you keep at it, even if you get a regular job, keep that ebay going and remember theres way more stuff to sell than just clothing.
Thanks so much for the support!!
Thank you for your vulnerability. I am a very veryyyy new reseller and already have gotten in over my head. It’s become an obsession. Your testimony came across at the absolute most perfect time. I’m finding this a year and a half after you’ve filmed and I pray things have gotten so much better! ❤
So glad this is helpful for you 💛
Thank so much for making this video.I’m so sorry u had to go through this.I was about to give up but watching your video made me realize that I was not alone.
Don’t give up, just change your strategy! You’ll thank yourself later :)
Sending love girl!! I’ve also been struggling hard since Covid. I quit my job with no plan. I just started reselling. A couple months ago. I’Making small mistakes but learning so much. So thankful for you and others for sharing your ups and downs.
Im hopefully for my future. But there are still hard days. I don’t do live selling but like you said…when I have sales…it affects my mood in a positive and when it’s not a great day…it’s not great.
Wishing you the best. Just subscribed to your channel.
I’m so glad that you’re trying out reselling, it is an amazing way to grow a business but it does require a lot of work and patience! Goodluck my friend :)
Hi Amber, you are so brave I just want to give you a huge hug. It takes allot to admit that you made a mistake, I sold cosmetics successfully for 12 years untill covid hit and everyone thought they would become a reseller. I was using my savings each month to cover bills in the end, I felt like a failure, I was worried sick about money etc I called it quits on December 18th feeling a failure but the relief of not owing money was immense. I am now concentrating on vintage clothes, books, anything and everything the pressure is off and I am enjoying it again. I am stronger for it and I’m not a failure and neither are you, we will get there through sheer determination it’s hard work but we will make it. Huge hugs from the UK ❤️
Good job on pivoting your business to continue to do what you love! 💛
Just subbed. Hang in there. I'm a long time eBay seller since 1996. I'm only PT and used to chase inventory in the toys, collectibles, DVDs, video games, plush etc. I dabbled in clothing and soon found out it was not for me. Too low margins and not only competitive, but lots of work. So I purged most of my 10,000 or so listed items and reinvested in a niche I was passionate about. Something I enjoyed chasing, sourcing, photographing and selling. I then upgraded my stock from common to more rate and desirable items. My average sales price went up from $8 to over $30 ASP now. Yes I pick up an occasional item to sell outside my niche, but I built a more sustainable and profitable store now. I'm not ready to go full time just yet, even after 28 years on online selling...
Your honesty is refreshing. You will succeed because you are determined. Just remember that there are no failures, just learning experiences. We've all had them. They suck, but those are the lessons that stick.
Thanks for the support 💛
I have never related to a video more than this one and I just stumbled across it in my feed! Reselling is the loneliest job and can really take a toll on your mental health! I am in an area that has overpriced crap and the closest bins are 4+ hours away so I have been relying on liquidation that I sometimes put on my credit card and then I have to try and hype myself up to list it. I am like you were right now, I hate photographing and not fond of listing either. I have a lot of unlisted inventory because I just can’t find my motivation to get to work. I have tried to ask for help even offering to pay but nobody is interested and I really don’t want a stranger in my house so I need to have some shift in my mindset and get working again! I’m glad that you have been able to see some positive changes and I’m really glad that you shared your struggles. I’m sure that you aren’t the only one that has gone through this but the only thing anyone will talk about is the good things but it’s helpful to also hear the bad. I have subscribed to your channel now and can’t wait to see where you go from here! Thank you again for being so open it’s more helpful than you realize
Aww thanks so much for the support! I totally understand the struggle. I think if you can make tiny changes everyday like listing a couple items or organizing your items then by the time a few weeks happen you will be listing a bunch a day! :)
@@RenewingAmber Oh yes! Organization is not my strong suit lol. The really sad thing is that I have a lot of things photographed and I just haven’t listed them yet. I am just in a bit of a funk right now, the worst time to be in a funk, luckily I only do this as a way to have some sort of identity for myself instead of just being a mom or a wife so I’m not dependent on the money but it’s still very frustrating that I can’t get out of my own way lol. Thank you for your encouraging words!! We all need to try and lift each other up in this business because it is so lonely and isolating.
Thank you for sharing your story. I am a reseller too and have ups and downs in this business. I failed in other businesses also but learned also. So be brave and keep on listing. Buy online from even eBay. Sell whatever you find and don't contain yourself to clothing only.
Thanks for the support!!
Take care of yourself. Forgive yourself. And focus on the future. Good luck
Thank you! I haven't really dabbled into live selling yet, so I appreciate you sharing your lessons learned as I start heading in that direction.
Of course :)
Thank you thank you so much for sitting here and telling us the reality of this business. I did almost the same thing when Posh Shows started. In the beginning things were amazing and I started to buy more things and they were not good things but they sold. Then, the shows started to have less and less people and I got stuck so many bad pieces. I took a break, tried again last year . First 2 shows were ok, but again they tanked, I thought that by having more shows and lowering my start prices I’d get more viewers and get stuff bid up. Nope….I was having 2 hr shows with only 2 $10 sales. I decided I would just stop the shows completely and invest more time on picking better items and listing them. When I made that choice, things just started to turn around. I think live selling really started to kill Posh which is now my lowest selling platform. I hope you get back on your feet soon and again, thank you for your vulnerability here and saying what needed to be said. I want to hear real stories, as I know not everything is amazing sales
Thanks girl, it does take a long time to build up an audience on posh shows but they are worth it especially for the community. Just need to sell items at the starting prices you’re comfortable with. My main focus now is listing but I’ll just shows an extra :)
Hey girl, this is Mandy from PM :-) while I don’t do live shows anymore (inventory is a struggle!) I so appreciate your transparent honesty. We truly have no clue what some people are going through and I applaud you for being willing to share your story with others. I know this information will be helpful and also encourage those who are trying reselling and don’t understand why it’s so hard. It’s hard (in different ways) for everyone! It takes work, effort, consistency etc. You are proof that if you don’t give up you can turn just about anything around. (PIVOT! Cue Ross with a 🛋️ in the stairwell😂)
Hey Mandy! Yeah reselling is hard especially when you think you’re doing things all right but in reality you’re doing them completely wrong 😂😂
It takes a strong person do you know that they've made a mistake. You can't really be a success unless you experience some failure. That's how we all learn . Have you considered other things than clothing? Such as accessories, home decor. Vintage items. I'm glad to see you haven't given up and just throwing in the towel. Best wishes for you in your personal life and in growing your business back up. Great video. I'm sure it will help many people that have chosen to resell. I thought of doing p.m. live but the five-dollar starts are just not for me, at least at this time. Anyhow, take care.
Thank you for being so raw and open and sharing this with us, that must have been so hard. I'm learning so much from the video and the comments, it's nice to hear people open up about what they wish they'd done differently. Buying mystery boxes and even going to the bins can be so addictive, it's like a low level form of gambling that people don't really talk about...based on the title I thought this would have gone in a different direction but it's interesting to hear from a live seller. I did live shows for a month or two and they drained me so much so fast and I hardly made anything, I knew quickly it wasn't going to work long term. - but I commend you for trying new things, and I'm so glad to hear you had a supportive partner at the time even though it didn't ultimately work out, too often you hear the opposite! Just subscribed and rooting for your success :)
Aww thanks so much for the support!! I’m so glad that you got some value from my story :)
Amber thank you so much for sharing, truthfully what the realities are of this business beyond lenses of what most resellers won’t share! I applaud your tenacity and able to be nimble and make course corrections! Bravo❤ THANK YOU❤
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Your story is so helpful. It will help so many people! I am so sorry you went thru it....but so very thankful that you are telling others!!! I reminds me of the Sam Walton Walmart story....but all the things he learned....all the things you learned! Don't forget that they economy, was and is really bad right now!!! If people have a hard time with the cost of food and gas....they aren't buying extras...
Yup totally agree with you!! Thanks so much for the support ❤️
Thanks so much for sharing. Your honest look at how you did things in your business will be so helpful to me and everyone who watches this video.
Ty so very much for being authentic & vulnerable 🙏
I loved your video. I understand the mental aspect of your business! I'm a reseller on ebay since 2019 and have my ups and downs depending on my mood! I personally think the harder you try, the harder it is to reach where you want to be in life. I personally have to focus on mental health first so I can focus on my listing. If I'm happy with myself, then I I'm happy listing! Don't cut yourself short, you are amazing person and have the whole business process down good but just need to work on self care!
Thanks girl appreciate the kind words and support
Thank you for sharing, it takes a lot of courage to be vulnerable and be able to recognize the mistakes. Best wishes as you keep pushing through this and figure what works best for you. Good luck, you got this!!!
Thanks so much for the kind words :)
Thank you, Amber. Your transparency and honesty is so appreciated and helpful. I have been dabbling in resale and Love the high one gets from sourcing amazing items, making sales, and seeing profits. However, I have also experienced the letdown when sales are stale or sourcing is difficult. You sharing your experiences is very insightful. Thank you. Best of luck as you rebuild.
Every one went through mistakes or lesson, but hardly anyone " sharing" the lesson as you, thanks for your mistake lesson ❤, God will help you to cope through it and will be successful!
💜 Thank you for being authentic. I learned a lot from your video. I'm not a seller, however, I feel the wisdom you gained and shared, is applicable to a wealth of life situations, to decision making overall. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
💥 Congratulations on your 1000+ subscribers!! 💥
I wish you positive and healing growth, and success in your current and future pursuits. Love! 💜💥
Thanks so much :)
Amber thank you so much for this. I feel everything that you went through, and I'm in the same situation mostly and just recently admitted it to myself. Tried the live shows with absolutely no luck. Having a really hard time sourcing for reasonable prices. Poshmark Ebay and Mercari have been so slow this summer I'm really questioning whether I want to continue selling clothing. I've spent way too much on inventory that just doesn't sell. Your story touched me. I'm so sorry that you had to go through everything, but so happy to hear that things are slowly getting better. You're an amazing person. Sending lots of good wishes and I have all confidence that you'll get through this. Love ya! Also - please don't beat yourself up over past mistakes. Look how much you learned 🥰
I feel like a lot of us are in the same situation but it’s incredibly hard to admit it! So glad you had the courage too and things will get better for you as well
Thank you Amber for your amazing insight. It's tough but with busines clarity like this, you and others can only go up! Keep on thriving!!! - The House Of Hillary
Thanks so much
I appreciate you stepping out and telling your story. I could see that it was hard for you. I appauld you for your bravery!
Thanks for the support :)
You'll be fine, just keep pushing and trust yourself. Hugs to you! Thank you for sharing. You are amazing!
Stay away from live selling. Whatnot and Posh push live selling for one reason--it makes them $$$ at your expense
The amount of times I gasped! When you said you stopped listing I was like omg no. But THANK YOU for being so transparent and honest. I learned so much from this video. Thank you for telling us your story. Breaks my heart when u started crying. I just wanted to hug you!! Subscribing ♥️
I know I can’t believe I stopped listing as well, lesson learned for sure!
Thank you for sharing I sell very poor time on posh and Mecari and I sell things locally too and I have a full-time job
I think you are a very strong person to make and put out such an honest video. You should feel proud of yourself. Best of luck with your job hunt 🙂
Thanks 💕
Thank you for sharing and being willing to be vulnerable. What Not was such an addiction for me. I bought so much more than I ever sold because I felt like I needed to buy to support my community. I miss the community. My wife's mood would 100% be determined by how our show went. Our mental health is much better since leaving the platform. My take-away is to be flexible, pivot quickly, and put your own needs above your business. I subscribed and look forward to seeing what else you share.
Ugh sorry that you spent so much for for WN last year .. I’m glad you resonated this video :)
I am a jewelry designer and my designs were the draw. When sales went down (due to economy) I thought the answer was to make cheaper items. I would display 10 6 foot tables of jewelry handmade all by me. Sales kept going down. I backed up and evaluated. What made me a successful designer was my unique designs so I stopped making tons of cheaper jewelry and concentrated on my forte of unique one of a kind work. I scaled down to half the amount of table and less than half the quality of items. I made more money again with fewer more expensive items. Different business similar story.
Thanks so much for sharing that, deff good advice :)
I can relate to everything you're saying. I will say that I refused to do low starts on WN from day one. Everyone told me to lower my prices but I never did. I haven't sold much but at least the stuff that did sell was at a profit. It's good to know that this was the right choice. It's frustrating putting all the time, energy and effort then not seeing the results you're expecting. It's also normal to keep on going with the hope that you will everyday get there. Most of us never know when stop and accept the reality. Please be kind to yourself. You don't have to apologize for investing in yourself and believing in yourself. Even with the mistakes you've made the average person would just be complaining about the job they hate but doing nothing about it at all
Thanks for the support, glad you stuck with yours thoughts on not selling everything for very low! Great choice
Sorry it was so hard the learning experiences. I think we all go through them. Growing pains! I have only ever grossed $20,000 a year. When I hear higher numbers I am like wow! I am struggling sales are so slow but, I was not listing enough over the summer long story. Listing like crazy now. Getting ready to start live selling and all your information is in invaluable. TYVM 💕
I’m so excited for your live selling journey, it truly is incredible! Just make sure you start your items where you’re comfortable 💕
I'd be thrilled with 20,000! 😂
Thank you for sharing this, I know it wasn't easy. I do get frustrated hearing from all of these uber successful resellers on TH-cam and I wonder why it is I can barely scrape by. I think your experience is by far much more realistic than many of the other resellers on TH-cam. You shared some tough lessons which I think will help me.
Thanks for the support and I’m glad you got some value from this video :)
Thank you for your transparency. I think this video will help a lot of people including me.
Thanks so much for sharing this. I applaud you for trying so many ways to source and resell. Plus, you didn’t give up. To grow we have to take risks. The pay off may still be coming and may not look like what you think it will. Keep your spirits up.
Thanks so much for the kind words, I will keep staying positive 💛
I understand that this was hard to share, but thank you! Good luck to you going forward.
Thanks for sharing this! It takes courage to talk about our “failures”❤
Thank you so much for sharing your story. That must have been really hard to live through. I'm glad that you have a new perspective and I hope things improve for you.
I wish more resellers were like you and put it out there raw and honest. It sure would help the rest of us. I’m sorry you had to learn a tough lesson but thank you for your honesty.
Technsports says sometimes we have to travel far to get the inventory. I finally decided to get out of my 5 mile radius and it has helped😉
Hey Girl! Just wanted to say, I went through this exact same thing with whatnot. I put all my eggs in that basket and I blew through all my savings in the span of a year trying to compensate for what I was losing from live selling. I, too, would go to the bins daily and sell everything that night for between $5-$8. When I factored in gas, shipping supplies, and COG, I didn't make a single penny for the whole year I did it. I went back to listing full time in October and it's been better since. I also use the bins that you're referencing, so it has been killer to lose that, however, I have been taking full advantage of yard sales, liquidation stores, and occasionally the KC or Little Rock bins. I just wanted you to know that you aren't alone and I get everything you're talking about. I heard that Goodwill is looking for a new location and fingers crossed, will hopefully open again early next year. Wishing you all the best in the mean time!!
Girl! You are in my area?! Do we know each other from the bins hahaha?! If not do you have an insta let’s connect :)
Hi, I live in your area. Just wanted to let you know you're not alone. The thrifting here has definitely gotten harder the past year. I had pivoted away from the bins about 6 months before they got hit by the tornado but would still shop there to bring down my cost of goods. It hurt when they closed.
I don't do live sales but I'm down about 20% from the prior year and I have to hit the pavement twice as long to get the same amount of inventory. I've been reselling for 20 years and have a pretty good knowledge base but I often walk out of a thrift with just a few items. I kinda got desperate there for a while and was making some bad buys too.
I also stopped buying thredup boxes. I was buying 100 lb mens and 200 lb women's and they went from being always profitable to just so crappy. I'm still selling off a lot of slow selling inventory from that. Hang in there!
I know we get amazing donations in this area I just have no idea where they go to be honest
Goodwill is selling them online at eBay prices :( @@RenewingAmber
This was so amazing as are you!! The most successful people fall and learn from their falls. I am also one of those trip myself up to learn. Have faith this is your path.
Thank you for sharing your experience, I felt this alot. The struggles of reselling is real. People don’t realize how much location matters to success in resellering all the top resellers live in FL or Cali or TX it seems. I hope your business turns around soon.
Young lady, you still have plenty of time. I can relate to all of this because I wasted decades working as a contract worker and being grossly underpaid. We all live and learn. Good for you in evaluating and changing course. In business, it's always "profit" first.
I've been a buyer since 2018, but only recently began selling. I appreciated your video very much. I'm now at the point of deciding whether to just be happy with 2-3 sales a week , or, to start doing lives and see how far I can take this. Several cautions plus your sharing, plus you even answered several of my biggest questions. I have " followed and liked" your content, and looking forward to your next video!
I'm about to make a video like this which makes me wonder that my phone is listening to me. Just this morning I was saying out loud how I miss reselling since I took up a server job. I love making my money the same day but being a server is so draining. I head over to my reselling channel and see everyone else can do it and find these awesome finds but the clutter is what really hinders me. Thanks for sharing, new sub luv ❤
Wow can’t believe it showed you this at the right time 💕
Clutter is a huge part of reselling that other sellers don’t talk about. I watched Mel Back From Burnout show how she was disorganized and in time and tremendous hard work turned it around. I’m in that spot now trying to organize over 5k items. I love the rawness of these videos as so many make it look easy but it’s hard work.
I started off like you selling on eBay from 2018. My problem was not having much good inventory in my area. So I drove to other Locations to source inventory that would bring me a higher profit. I was a small type of reseller. I wanted to build up my inventory, list daily, make sales daily. But covid hit. I started making more sales. The thrift store were closed. So I had to source used clothing thru Facebook reseller groups. So I bought in bulk, but inventory quality wasn’t very good. So slowly my business went down.
I lost the passion to sell. And now I no longer sell on eBay. I have learnt a lot from this experience. Going back, the one thing I didn’t do was my Taxes. And now I am in the process of doing it from 2019 until 2023. If you reading this, do your Taxes. I wouldn’t want anyone to be in the same mess that I am in. And I never set aside any money for Taxes. Those are the regrets that I have. We learn from our mistakes. Thank you for sharing your story.
Thankfully I have done my taxes every year 💛
I’m in the same position with my taxes but years 2021 to current. It’s a nightmare trying to go back that far and extremely frustrating. I agree with your advice that sellers need to do their paperwork daily and not push it to the side. I’m so angry that I did this to myself for years and can honestly say the lesson is learned. Doing it daily for an hour over the past 2 months hasn’t even dented it because it’s difficult trying to match things up now. Slowly but surely I will get through it and never do it to myself again. I have over 5k in items and it’s extremely hard to go backwards on the accounting. Best of luck to you and I hope all goes well for you.
Hi Amber. You are very strong, and you will get through this. I am praying for you, and I will continue to support you. You will come out on top! Stay strong ! You got this!❤❤❤❤❤
Aww thanks so much for the support and kind words ❤️
New sub. It's refreshing to hear honesty regarding reselling. Your experience and insight are very helpful. You tried a couple of the new "miraculous" avenues for resale. I decided against live selling some time ago and this really confirms to me it wouldn't have been for me. Thank you for sharing. Looking forward to your future vids. (Fellow AR seller here.) 🙂
Thanks so much for the support :)
Wow! This is only the third time I've watched one of your videos and I cannot tell you how impressed I am with what you shared today.
Your mental health along with your physical health is everything. You seeing that it was degrading and that things had to change is admirable.
You are doing the right things now financially, mentally, etc. and that's fantastic.
I know you'll be amazing moving forward. You're asking yourself all the right questions and taking 100% responsibility.
My best wishes as you journey on and good luck with that job hunt! ❤
Thanks so much for watching 💕 life is hard sometimes and only sharing the positive isn’t portraying it truly! So I set out to be transparent, vulnerable and honest
@@RenewingAmber Well you succeeded. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing... New subbie... Excited to watch your journey. This insight was so helpful. I know you'll bounce back stronger than Ever❤❤❤
Thanks so much ❤️
You did what most new resellers since 2019 did,and failed like most resellers like 2019 did. You went in balls to the wall buying everything with no tactics thinking it would sell fast. Bit off more then you could chew not realizing thousands of others were doing the same exact thing that you had in mind, the "Get rich quick" type of mentality usually leaves you broke. Successful reselling businesses can take years to establish. Take your time,and build with each victory. Definitely not going to happen as fast as you want it.
Definitely. Happened to me. Bought junk when I started 4 years ago. Donated a lot of it back. Now my COGs are 4-5 dollars with ASP nearing 40 and over 200k a year in sales. Can be done
Thank you for your honesty about your experience with reselling. It’s never as easy as some think and jump in head first. Your experience needed to be heard and I thank you for sharing your story. I’m a seller and I’ve never shifted to lives but I’m in/out. I feel like it’s getting harder and harder with clothing and with shipping costs. Some days I’m extremely busy and other days I never want to be bothered. I buy in bulk inventory and inventory is disorganized right now so that makes it worse. I always think I need to pivot but honestly I’m afraid to because I hear so much about live shows selling cheaper than at market prices. I just want to get rid of all the overbuying I did and start over. I watched you today for the first time and know there are very valuable lessons learned from your experience. Great to hear this kind of reality story about being a seller. Thank you for the rawness of your story.
Honestly I love live shows and will continue to use them as a tool in my business but I will only use it when it makes sense. Starting items at what they are worth is a good tool to sell items fast :) hope this helps
❤ thank you for sharing!
Thank you for your honestly and vulnerability. God bless
It’s really hard doing it all yourself. I had a full meltdown last December and I was unable to do live shows or even list for months. For the past few months I’ve been trying to claw my way back up after losing all the momentum I built up on Whatnot and it feels like starting over. I have no clue what the future holds but I just have to be gentle with myself and realize that I’m doing my best and that it’s going to take time again. Also, realizing that there is no one solution and diversifying how and what I source and how and what I sell will not enslave me to a very narrow way of running my business.
Yes I think taking a break when needed is important, also learning how to pivot in your business!
Thank You for sharing your journey. There were a lot of mistakes along your journey. As a season seller, one advice I would like to give is to be resourceful on where to buy inventory. Don’t rely on one vendor but have multiple vendors lined up. I have a different business model so I don’t sell mall or low end brands and i have multiple sources to buy inventory.
Yes this is a hard lesson I neeed to learn
Hi
I just found your video today. I have been feeling so defeated about my closest,.I work very hard to try to make it work. I know how you feel I ran my credit card up also. Don't give up .I enjoy what I do .Keep your head up.
Thanks! You keep your head up as well, eveyrthing will work out :)
Thank you so much for doing this video. It must have been very difficult for you. If it’s any consolation you have probably helped 100’s of resellers today. Yes, I have learned something.
Aww thank you so much I appreciate it :)
Thank you for your story…understand your struggle, and I am in bad situation too, but just remember, everything will going to be alright, it’s just very hard lesson…God bless you !
Everything will get better for you as well :)
Hi Amber, Love your honesty. Wishing you the best of getting back on your feet.
Thanks so much
Hi Amber, this is Mtcoder from Poshmark, I was wondering where you were 🙁 soooo sorry you went thru all this but youve learned!
I personally have wanted to take the next step but Im afraid of doing a live 🤷🏼♀️
At age 63 I lost my corp job and now dont even make 1/2 of my prior salary so yes I am now starting over 🤦🏼♀️
I wish where was a utube that would teach the behind the scenes doing a live on poshmark
Thank Amber your success will now come just dont push it, slow is the way to go kiddo 💞
Girl you got this! I’ll do some videos about hosting a live show!!
Thank you for sharing. This is super helpful. I think this learning will propel you to greater heights. Don’t stop trying. 🙏🏼 we can do this.
Thanks so much 💛
Thank you so much for all the information, I’m sure you’re going to be great ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Aww thanks :)
Thank you for sharing your story. Everyone online makes reselling seem like a low effort get rich quick plan and it’s really not. It’s a business like any other
I agree there isn’t much honest videos about how much work actually goes into being a “successful” reseller
Thank you for sharing. I appreciate your transparency.
Thank you for sharing your story. It helps new sellers like me what to watch out for. I just started and part time only. Doing good for part time. I budget my purchases every week , no more than under $200. My cost is around $4-12 on my items. My prices range $21-49. Seems to be a sweet spot to sell on eBay. I pay off my credit to zero every month from my sales. I don’t over buy. I buy only when I check the sales comp and see if it’s more than 15% up sell through rate. Seems to work. My rule is to sell under 90 days . I only have under 200 listed , just listing 5 a day. Again, I appreciate you sharing your experience in the reselling. This helps me put in place some proper rules on how to manage my reselling. Reselling is a lot of work. Thank you .
I think that is a great way to run your business, personally sourcing all the items and selling them quickly with a fast sell through rate
I'm sorry you had a hard learning curve. It sounds like you are going to turn it around. It's very important to do what to like. Best wishes.
Thanks for watching and the support :)