Why I Quit Reselling Online (And What I Do Instead Now)
For years, reselling thrifted items online was my side hustle. I sourced at thrift stores, listed items on resale platforms, shipped orders from home, and made real money doing it. For a long time, it worked…until it didn’t work any more.
About 2-3 years ago, I stepped away from the grind that is reselling. I still sold things here and there and still do to this day, but it’s not nearly on the same scale or with the same intention as I used to have.
It wasn’t a sudden or impulsive decision to stop. It was a slow realization that the reselling felt like more of a burden than a joy and the hustle I once enjoyed no longer fit my life, my effort, and my goals.
Reselling was a large part of my life for so long. But now I want to share why I quit reselling and what I do now instead..
Why I Quit Reselling Online
1. The Time-to-Money Ratio Stopped Making Sense
When I first started selling back in 2015, it was much easier for me to make sales. I’d list a bunch of items and several of them would sell within a few days.
The sales came relatively easily for everyday items as long as it was the right brand. But by 2023, that wasn’t the case anymore. Sales slowed and profit per sale declined.
Reselling was no longer worth the amount of time it required from me. It required:
Driving to thrift stores
Sorting through racks and shelves hoping to find profitable items
Photographing, measuring, and writing listings
Tracking inventory
Packing and shipping orders
Sending offers to interested buyers and answering buyer messages and questions
I realized how many hours of work were tied to each sale. And when I broke down my profit per hour, it was minimal.
I thought about pushing a little harder to source more, list more, and try to sell more but all of that took time away from being with my family and taking care of myself.
I was giving up moments I couldn’t get back in exchange for a small amount of income. It was no longer worth the trade. At that point, reselling didn’t make sense for me, so I stopped.
2. I Burned Out on Reselling
I burned out to the point that I didn’t want to sell anymore. I worked a full-time job and took care of my family and myself while reselling. It was a struggle physically and mentally to balance everything I needed to do every day.
The weight of slow sales and low profits drained me emotionally. I lost my motivation to work on anything related to reselling.
3. Inventory Took Over My Home
I’d always had a small inventory of less than 200 items at a time, which is nothing compared to many serious resellers, but even that amount was too much physically and mentally.
Inventory takes up space, and even though I had space and a system for inventory, it was more than I wanted in my home.
I prefer a cleaner and clearer space. The inventory, no matter how neatly organized, felt like stuff that cluttered up my home.
And I always had a pile of items waiting to be listed or washed and cleaned. The inventory was a reminder of unfinished work.
4. Platforms Changed & Competition Grew
Another turning point for me was realizing that I didn’t want to do live selling. Poshmark introduced live selling in 2023 and it felt like the next “required” step to stay competitive.
Live selling meant being on camera at specific times, performing energy I didn’t always have, and turning my evenings and weekends into scheduled sales events. It required a level of real-time engagement and pressure that didn’t align with what I wanted in a side hustle.
Thrifting had also become more competitive over the years. More people got into reselling and prices at thrift stores went up, so it was harder to find good items to resell for a decent profit. Plus a lot of the items I used to sell were selling for less, so profits shrank that way too.
Amazon Influencer Program
I decided at the end of 2023 that I would take a break from reselling in 2024 to explore what else I wanted to do, if anything at all.
I picked up the piano and actually had plenty of time to practice because I wasn’t reselling or thinking about side hustles anymore.
But I couldn’t stay away from side hustles for long. In mid-2024, I signed up for TikTok, and I got into the Amazon Influencer Program shortly after that.
I started listing videos to Amazon as part of their Influencer Program. I made money via affiliate commissions, not much at first, but I could see how the endeavor had potential.
After doing the Amazon Influencer Program for a few months, I didn’t find the time worth the amount I was making. I wanted to try something that had potential for greater returns, so I started doing the TikTok Shop Affiliate Program.
Why I Transitioned to TikTok Shop Affiliate Sales
How TikTok Affiliate Sales Work
TikTok affiliate marketing allows creators to earn commission by sharing products they use and recommend. You create video content or go live, link products, and earn a percentage when someone purchases through your link.
Why It Fit My Life Better Than Reselling
Some things that drew me to being a TikTok Shop affiliate:
I could do it 100% from home whenever I had time for it
I could work from my phone versus going to thrift stores to source inventory
Minimal inventory required, which made for less physical and mental clutter
Potential for greater income than via reselling or Amazon
Video content can continue earning after posting
I don’t have to ship products and handle customer service
What Making Money Looks Like for Me Now
My side hustle now looks very different. Instead of driving from store to store searching for items to resell, I now have items shipped to me and I make videos about them from the comfort of my home.
These items are often free samples from the seller. Sometimes I purchase items myself. When I started, I made videos of items I already had around the house so I didn’t have to purchase anything new.
I started livestreaming a few months ago as well, so I guess I’ve come around to doing live sales. I enjoy it and keep going because it’s profitable.
TikTok affiliate sales aren’t effortless or instant. My income fluctuates as I’m still learning how to be a better affiliate, but it feels more scalable and more flexible than reselling.
What’s Next
I was hesitant to quit reselling for such a long time because it was such a big part of my life for so long. But once I let it go, I knew I made the right choice to stop.
I didn’t return to reselling in 2025, and I don’t plan on doing it again in the future. I’m fully focused on being a TikTok Shop affiliate for the coming year.
This experience taught me that you’re allowed to outgrow situations and side hustles that don’t suit you anymore, even if they were successful at one point. That leaves a space for you to find something else that better aligns with you and your goals. For me, that’s being a TikTok Shop affiliate.
What are your thoughts about continuing or quitting reselling? What else have you pursued besides reselling?