Shop manager quit her job to resell second-hand clothing and now makes up to $5k-a-month from crazy leveling system 43 Watch Video

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✓ Published: 23-May-2024

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A shop manager quit her job to resell second-hand clothing - and now makes up to $5k-a-month. <br/><br/>Stephanie Thornsburg, 43, ran a thrift shop for 16 years - before turning her side hustle of selling her old clothes online into a full-time career. <br/><br/>She started off listing the clothes in her wardrobe - but now makes a living buying and selling second-hand items.<br/><br/>As well as being able to pay herself a salary, Stephanie also uses it to support her two children, 23 and 18, with her husband, Luke, 44, a configuration lead. <br/><br/>Stephanie, from Cincinnati, Ohio, US, said: “I make money by spending time digging and finding the treasures - then putting them on the second-hand market. <br/><br/>“I was ready to be my own boss, too - really take the leap. <br/><br/>“I managed other people for 16 years, after a while, it gets a little overwhelming. <br/><br/>“Now, I’ve never been happier - I’m helping promote slow fashion and I have so much free time on my hands.”<br/><br/>The mum-of-two has always worked in the second-hand industry. <br/><br/>She was the first person to open up a “bricks-and-mortar buy-and-sell store” in her area. <br/><br/>Stephanie managed the shop for 16 years and often felt she had to give up her free time to help out.<br/><br/>“My kids were eight months and five years old at the time,” she said. <br/><br/>“I started out as a store manager - and ended up working my way to district manager. <br/><br/>“When you’re manager, you’re the one who has to end up going in and taking care of things. <br/><br/>“I had to come in on so many of my days off, and work lots of overtime. <br/><br/>“Even if I wasn’t at work, you still get phone calls, and you’re still needed. <br/><br/>“You’d be getting questions at any time of the day. <br/><br/>“I also had some crazy emergencies - like a kid once accidentally crashing his car into the front of our store.”<br/><br/>Other full-time clothing resellers would often come to Stephanie’s shop for “inventory” - which inspired her to make the transition. <br/><br/>She said: “Resellers would particularly come to our women’s and designer stores. <br/><br/>“People bought our stuff to try and sell it on and make some money. <br/><br/>“It piqued my interest that people can do this all by themselves - they don’t have to work for someone.”<br/><br/>In 2020, Stephanie started selling the clothes in her wardrobe as a side hustle - before branching out to other products bought at second-hand shops. <br/><br/>It took her four years to make enough money to replace her nine-to-five income. <br/><br/>She initially started out making $1k profit per month, and now has a turnover of $60k-a-year.<br/><br/>“The trick is to learn which brands sell well,” she said. <br/><br/>“The money comes in when you figure out what those pieces are.<br/><br/>“Size is a huge component for me. <br/><br/>“The average size of a woman in the US is a 16, so I often find sizes 10 and up perform the best. <br/><br/>“It took me a full year to profit $1k to $2k-a-month doing this as a side-hustle - now, it’s $4k to $5k. <br/><br/>“I’ve been able to make what I was making at my old job - but I’m my own boss, and continuing to grow.”<br/><br/>Stephanie said her best-selling brands often “shock” friends who ask - as they’re all on the high street. <br/><br/>She said: “It’s stuff people wear every day - but the top three brands are J-Crew, Madewell and Athleta. <br/><br/>“My top seller has to be a J-Crew cashmere sweater, they always do really well.”<br/><br/>The thrifter has much more time on her hands since she started working for herself - and now her kids are grown up, she invests that time on herself. <br/><br/>She spends her free hours coaching others on reselling full-time - as well as filming training videos. <br/><br/>“My son’s a full-time nurse,” she said. <br/><br/>“And my daughter is 18.<br/><br/>“I don’t have little kids anymore, so I can use my free time on myself. <br/><br/>“Reselling used to be my hobby - but now I spend time putting together coaching videos. <br/><br/>“I have a training background - and have learnt so much from reselling, I thought I’d share my journey.”