Finding your ReSelling Thrift Niche

If someone asked me a few months ago about having a ReSelling Thrift Niche I probably wouldn't have thought much about it. I find that in this day and age of ReSelling, having a large variety of items to ReSell is what can make us successful. What I didn't realize for me is that by selling too much of everything would cause me to freeze up and not sell much of anything.

As of today I am a niche seller. I sell media which consists of books, DVD's, CD's and VHS tapes which I sell mostly on Amazon. I also sell vintage kitchen wares on Etsy. I'm also excited to report that I had my first Etsy sale yesterday when I sold these two sweet Mod chickens.

Mod Chicken Salt & Pepper Set

I need this narrow focus of concentrating on two niches. Even within my kitchen wares I'm really only sticking with items of very high quality or unique in design or just so kitschy that I love the piece.

4 Mid Century Modern Teak Napkin Rings

When I was taking this photograph yesterday, I found myself enjoying ReSelling again. I found the process of photography and writing up descriptions fun. The pressure has been removed because instead of having 25 boxes of inventory to list, I have 3 banker boxes of kitchen items that are heading to Etsy.

If you have a similar situation where you tend to buy everything and you find yourself facing boxes of unlisted & unresearched inventory week after week, then finding a niche may be something to think about and even try.

Here are some niches that you might consider:

• vintage magazine ads
• Hollywood Regency
• Mid Century Modern
• Industrial
• Vintage Ephemera
• Vintage toys
• Vintage Tools & Signs (think American Pickers)
• Children's Clothing
• Women's Clothing & Shoes 
• Vintage Christmas
• Jewelry

The thing about finding your ReSelling Thrift Niche is to make sure that you love what you are selling. When I first became a bookseller I was in heaven. I have loved books since I was a toddler and only survived high school by reading non-stop for four years. I too love the kitchen and especially love Mid Century Modern and Design.

 Do you have a ReSelling Niche already? Do you have one that you want to start selling?

Comments

[Shara]

This post couldn't be better timing for me. Last month I decided to concentrate on etsy. It has paid off big time!

I am going to dump a bunch of stuff on ebay in November so I can focus more on vintage Christmas and crafting items on etsy.

We are moving out of state in December which will give me the opportunity to start new. I cannot wait.

[Modlodgevintage.blogspot.com]

I guess I am thrift niche reseller, too. My ebay store is mostly vintage travel souvenir items because I love to travel myself and I think it is fun to read up on some of the history of particular places on my items. I probably spend too much time when I am listing things but oh well!

[Van]

Excellent advice! You chicken salt/pepper shakers were beautiful, no wonder they sold so fast. I found myself overwhelmed by the variety of stock to sell, so I'm going to attempt to sell everything in a space at the antique store and start new when I find the right niche.

I love your new kitchenware store, congratulations on your sale. Do you have any specific tips for success on Etsy to share?

[Alyssa @ Clever Penguin]

Thanks for the great post. I've been considering this lately, because even though I'm not selling yet, I do plan to sell. So what to do? I'm going to keep looking into the things I'm drawn to and see if I can carve myself a niche.

Congratulations on your sale. The chickens are wonderful!

[Carla G.]

Hi Selena! I was just talking with my husband about this last weekend. I go to many, many garage and yard sales and see things for very cheap that I know I could buy and resell but I'm not sure what direction I want to go in. Do I want to have so many different things, or do I want to narrow the field down a little bit? I guess I need to figure that out before I jump in.

I love what you have done with both of your blogs and your new life outlook! I've been a longtime fan and I would hate to see you throw in the towel.

[Julie]

This is the first year I've started re-selling and I find myself buying vintage kitchenware almost exclusively -- because that is what I love. I don't have much inventory yet, but I'm hoping to start listing items over the winter while there are no yard sales here.

Glad to hear you found our niche! It is so much easier when you only have to research in one area. There is just so much to know about all these vintage items!

[Jackie]

Hey, Van. Just out of curiosity, was there a lot of start-up cost involved with your re-selling business? (Marketing, ad space, supplies, shipping options...etc)

These sort of niche markets have always interested me. Though I'm not sure how well my potential products would interest many others. I tend to thrift oddities... books, records, decor, toys...pretty much anything strange and interesting to me. And I'm not sure how profitable these "oddities" would be. Hmm. I guess it's something to look into!

[dogsmom]

Congratulations on your first sale. May this be the start of a continuous roll.
I think my niche may be vintage children's books and 1 or 2 category of nonfiction.
I can throw in an altered book or handmade book and stay on track.
With a virtual or live shop it is easier to get a sale if the customer focus is not scattered. Too many choices is not really a good thing, and too wide choices doesn't lead/direct to a sale. Niche marketing keeps the focus on what they want to buy, their choice then is which to buy.

[Teresa Raines]

I've thought much on this topic too because I've been reading through everything on Etsy and I think I've finally come up with a niche. I love vintage items and I have loads to sell in storage but I really want to focus on using my vintage thrifted items in a new way, like the tags I created and the gift boxes I'm working on. I still haven't listed anything on Etsy because I feel so unfocused, but the more I work on new items the better focused I feel!

[Teresa Raines]

BTW Selena... I forgot to say how much I like your new shop and blog!

[jerilyn]

Hi! I loved this post! I'm a vintage/designer clothes reseller - I guess that's my niche. My best resale so far is a unusual dog bowl that I got for 10$ and resold for 800$ - i wish every sale could be like that! LOL! Here's a photo http://www.thebecauseshow.com/?page_id=106

[Mary]

Glad to hear that some of you have been succesful with etsy. I never really sold much on the site, but perhaps I should have narrowed my focus a little. I found (find) the volume of goods on etsy overwhelming though. The simplest search will return 15 pages of results. Oy!

[Ivy@Spinning Lovely Days]

Thanks so much for the tips! :) I'm really interested in reselling vintage items, but don't know how or where to begin...
Spinning Lovely Days

[Gigi]

Such a great post! I think that finding a niche market is also an important part of creating a specific identity/"brand", something that sets you apart from other resellers.

Those napkin rings are awesome, no wonder they sold!

[Kelsey Kelly]

Those Napkin rings are fantastic!

[Halima]

Your Etsy store is very diverse, your pictures are clear and really showcase the items perfectly, wow!
My niche is perhaps those things that I am drawn to the most - Vintage linen and sewing patterns, I cannot get enough! I would like to spread out a bit and try vintage kitchen items as well, because I do come across some very interesting items.
I would have had a hard time selling those magnificent napkin rings, such beauties :)