It takes work, say small business owners who have done it.
But it is possible.
At first, she shopped for herself and bought items tailored to her tastes.
DiNatale loves secondhand clothing, so she started a side business selling vintage pieces with a friend in January 2020. Her biggest piece of advice: Know what sells. Chris Zuppa/The Penny Hoarder
I did it enough times that I was like: Why dont I try this?
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When it arrived, she discovered that it didnt fit.
She resold the piece for more than double what she paid.
That was a teaching moment for DiNatale: She realized that there was money to be made in vintage.
So she took the profits and invested them back into more vintage purchases that she would then sell.
For those starting out, she says, dont take money straight out of your pocket.
Either sell what you already own or invest what youve already earned into something else.
DiNatale partnered with a friend when she decided to officially start a vintage side-hustle.
DiNatales colleague came up with the nameLucky 727 Vintage, a play off of St. Petersburgs area code.
The vintage business is what you make of it, DiNatale said.
It wasnt until she got older that she realized thrifting could be cool.
Now, Wu has come full circle.
When Wu started thrifting for money, she was working in customer service and felt drained by her 9-to-5.
Running a thrifting business was an artistic outlet that she actually enjoyed.
Her partner encouraged her to pursue it full-time.
And theres one thing she absolutely doesnt do streetwear.
All that time spent goes into the price a reseller will charge for a garment.
Wu started by selling her items on Depop and found success.
She was selling at least one item a day.
But a year in, she saw her sales drop off.
She wasnt sure why had the algorithm changed?
As sales continued to dwindle, she decided to switch to Instagram.
It was a learning curve at first.
When Wu first started, in 2019, her entire income from vintage for the year was $5,000.
In December 2020, she made $1,200 in profit.
But she wanted to sell on a more aesthetic-driven forum thats why she initially chose Depop.
Like DiNatale, Castaneda recommends starting with selling your own clothes rather than buying clothes to sell.
But its harder to experiment if youre depending on a return from your investment.
Understanding the history behind the clothing helps to make your products better.
Thats the thing with vintage, she says.
You really cant dictate too much unless you are going to be exclusive.
Youre not going to find enough to make a really good income.
You really need to have a broader reach.
For those starting out, Castaneda recommends starting on Instagram and building a brand there.
You do have to do something to get the income going.
Elizabeth Djinis is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder.
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