I used to have a garage full of fidget spinners. That isn't a joke, and it isn't a metaphor. In 2017, I dropped nearly $2,000 on what I thought was the investment of a lifetime, convinced I was riding the wave of the future. By the time the shipment arrived, the wave had crashed, and I was left with boxes of plastic that I couldn't even give away at a yard sale.
That experience traumatized my wallet, but it taught me the most important lesson in retail: by the time you see a trend on the news, it is already over. For years, I operated my reselling business on "vibes" and "hunches," walking into thrift stores and guessing what people might want. Sometimes I won, but mostly, I tied up my cash in stagnant inventory.
It wasn't until I stopped guessing and started looking at data that my business actually became profitable. The difference between a hobbyist and a professional seller isn't luck; it's the ability to see the future before it happens. If you are tired of storing death piles of unsold clothes and gadgets, you need to stop sourcing with your eyes and start sourcing with algorithms.
The "Gut Feeling" Trap: Why Most Resellers Fail
When people ask me how to start selling online, they usually focus on the wrong things. They worry about which shipping tape is cheapest or which ring light makes their photos look best. While those things matter, they are secondary to the single most critical question: What to sell?
If you are buying the wrong items, no amount of beautiful photography or fast shipping will save you. For the first three years of my reselling career, I fell into the "Treasure Hunter" trap. I would walk into a Goodwill, see a cool-looking vintage vase, and think, "I bet someone would love this." I bought it based on my taste. But I wasn't the customer.
Here’s where it gets interesting... The market doesn't care about your taste. The market cares about what is currently trending in the collective consciousness. When I bought that vase, I didn't know that "Maximalism" was trending down and "Minimalist Beige" was trending up. I was betting against the current.
Honest Failure: In 2022, I went all-in on "Cottagecore" dresses because I saw them all over Instagram. I spent $800 sourcing floral prairie dresses. What I didn't realize was that the trend had peaked six months prior. By the time I listed them, the market was flooded. I ended up selling them for $15 each, barely breaking even after fees. I was reacting to the past, not predicting the future.
How Closo Demand Signals Help Me Predict Demand & Trends 6 Weeks Ahead
This is where the game changes. To make real money, you have to be there before the crowd. You need to know what to sell before the average Poshmark Seller even knows the brand name.
How Closo Demand Signals help me predict demand & trends 6 weeks ahead is by aggregating data points that are invisible to the naked eye. It doesn't just look at what sold yesterday on eBay. That is lagging data. If you only look at sold listings, you are looking in the rear-view mirror. Closo looks at leading indicators:
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Search Velocity: Are more people typing "Oversized Leather Jacket" into Google this week than last week?
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Social Sentiment: Are influencers on TikTok suddenly talking about "Balletcore"?
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Platform Gaps: Is there a high search volume for an item but very few listings available?
A Specific Anecdote: Last October, I was browsing the Closo dashboard, and I saw a massive spike in the signal for "Digital Cameras" specifically from the early 2000s (brands like Canon Powershot and Nikon Coolpix). To me, these were junk. I had thrown mine away years ago. But the signal was undeniable. Gen Z was rejecting the "perfect" iPhone photo in favor of the "gritty" Y2K aesthetic. Because I trusted the signal, I went to every pawn shop in my city and bought their old digital cameras for $5-$10 a piece. Six weeks later, around Christmas, the trend exploded mainstream. I sold those $5 cameras for $80 to $120 each. I made over $3,000 in one month on "junk" electronics because I knew the demand was coming.
Sourcing with Sniper Precision: Where to Source Products
Once you know the "What," you need to figure out the "Where." Knowing where to source products becomes infinitely easier when you know exactly what you are looking for. Instead of wandering the aisles aimlessly, I go in with a hit list.
The "Beige Flag" Effect: Without data, your brain filters out things you don't recognize. You might walk past a rack of "Owala" water bottles because you've never heard of them. But if Closo tells you that Owala is the new Stanley, suddenly those bottles pop out at you like neon signs.
My Sourcing Routine:
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Monday Morning: I check the Closo Demand Signals. I filter by category (e.g., Women's Fashion, Home Goods).
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The List: I write down the top 5 trending brands or aesthetics.
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Example: "Carhartt Detroit Jackets," "Vintage Pyrex (Pink)," "Hoka One One Shoes."
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The Hunt: I go to the thrift store. I ignore everything else. I scan the racks only for those items.
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The Result: I spend less time in the store (20 minutes vs 2 hours), and I leave with higher-value items.
Opinion Statement: I believe that "scanning everything" is a waste of time. New sellers are often told to scan every barcode they see. That is a recipe for burnout. You are better off becoming an expert in 5 trending categories than trying to be a generalist who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
The All-in-One Workflow: How Closo Enables to Check Demand, Source and List, All Through One Platform
Now the tricky part... Usually, this requires five different tabs open. You have Google Trends open to check demand.You have eBay open to check comps. You have Poshmark open to list. It’s a mess.
How Closo enables to check demand, source and list, all through one platform is by integrating the workflow. I don't just use it to see the future; I use it to execute the present. When I find that Canon Powershot camera, I don't have to leave the ecosystem. I can analyze the specific model within Closo to see the current sell-through rate. Then, I can draft the listing right there.
Why this matters for a Poshmark Seller: If you are active on Poshmark, you know that speed is everything. The faster you list, the faster you sell. By cutting out the "research phase" (because the signals already did it for you) and streamlining the "listing phase," I can list 20 items in the time it used to take me to list 5.
I use Closo to automate my daily listing targets – saves me about 3 hours weekly of switching between browser tabs and research tools.
Expanding to eBay: Why Multi-Platform Matters
If you are strictly a Poshmark seller or strictly an eBay seller, you are leaving money on the table. Different audiences shop in different places.
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The eBay Buyer: Looking for specific models, replacement parts, and collectibles. They search by keyword.
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The Poshmark Buyer: Looking for brands, trends, and aesthetics. They browse by feed.
Closo is all-in-one platform for sellers because it bridges this gap. The demand signals might tell me that "Carhartt Jackets" are trending. But where should I sell them? The data might show that Carhartt sells for a 20% premium on Depop compared to eBay. Or it might show that vintage electronics sell 5x faster on Ebay than Poshmark. Closo gives me that intelligence so I don't waste time listing a camera on a fashion app.
Parenthetical Aside: (I once listed a heavy vintage typewriter on Poshmark. It sat for two years. I assumed nobody wanted it. When I finally cross-listed it to eBay, it sold in 24 hours. The demand was there; I was just shouting into the wrong room.)
The Magic of the Crosslister: Closo 100% Free Crosslister
Let's talk about the tool that actually puts the listing live. There are a lot of crosslisting tools out there. Most of them cost $30-$50 a month. The Closo 100% Free Crosslister changed my ROI calculation completely. Since I don't have to pay a subscription fee, every dollar of profit stays in my pocket.
Why it is the best crosslister:
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No Image Degradation: Some tools compress your photos, making them look blurry on the destination site. Closo keeps them crisp.
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Inventory Sync: If I sell that camera on eBay, Closo helps me de-list it from Poshmark so I don't double-sell it.(Double-selling is the quickest way to ruin your seller rating).
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Field Mapping: It knows that "Condition: New with Tags" on Poshmark equals "Condition: New" on eBay. It handles the translation for me.
Real Result: I conducted an experiment last month. I listed 10 items only on Poshmark. I listed 10 identical items using Closo to cross-list to Poshmark, eBay, and Mercari. The cross-listed batch sold 60% of its inventory in the first week. The Poshmark-only batch sold 20%. More eyeballs = more money. It is simple math.
How to Sell: A Step-by-Step Guide for 2026
If you are wondering how to sell effectively in this new data-driven era, here is my exact playbook.
Step 1: The Morning Scan I wake up and check the Closo signals. I see that "Men's Pleated Trousers" are spiking.
Step 2: The Targeted Source I go to the thrift store. I head straight to the men's pant section. I grab anything with pleats from brands like Ralph Lauren, Dockers, or vintage labels. I leave the flat-front pants behind.
Step 3: The Data Check Before I check out, I verify the specific items in the Closo app. "Is this specific brand of pleated pant moving?" Yes? Into the cart.
Step 4: The Listing I get home. I take photos. I list them on Poshmark first (because it’s easiest for photos). Then, I use the Closo 100% Free Crosslister to blast them to eBay and Depop.
Step 5: The Sale Because I bought an item that data predicted was hot, and I put it in front of every possible buyer, it sells in 3 days instead of 3 months.
Common Questions I See
People always ask me... Do I really need data to sell thrifted clothes?
You can get lucky without it. But if you want this to be a business, yes. The thrift store is getting more expensive.Goodwill prices are up. You can't afford to buy "duds" anymore. If you pay $8 for a shirt, and it turns out to be worthless,you lost $8. If you use data to ensure that $8 shirt will sell for $40, you are investing, not gambling.How Closo Demand Signals help me predict demand & trends 6 weeks ahead is my insurance policy against bad buys.
Common question I see... Is cross-listing worth the extra effort?
With a manual process? No. It’s a nightmare. With an automated tool? Yes, absolutely. It takes me literally two clicks to cross-list an item. If those two clicks double my chance of selling the item, the ROI is infinite. Since Closo is free, there is no financial barrier to doing it.
People always ask me... Can I use this for Retail Arbitrage too?
Yes. The signals work for new items just as well as used ones. If Closo shows a spike in "Bluey Toys," you can go to Walmart, buy the clearance Bluey toys, and flip them on Amazon or eBay. Demand is demand, whether the item is new or vintage.
What to Sell When You Are Stuck
We all hit the "Sourcing Block." You go to three stores, and you find nothing. You feel discouraged. This is when I rely on the Closo is all-in-one platform for sellers features to dig deeper.
The "Long Tail" Strategy: When the obvious trends (like Carhartt jackets) are sold out, I look for the "weird" stuff.Closo often highlights niche spikes.
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Example: "Discontinued Bath & Body Works Scents."
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Example: "Vintage Blank VHS Tapes."
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Example: "Replacement Lids for Pyrex Bowls."
These aren't sexy. Nobody brags on Instagram about selling a Pyrex lid. But they sell instantly. The demand signals help me find the boring, unsexy items that keep the cash flow moving when the big scores are dry.
Honest Limitation: The data isn't magic. It can predict demand, but it can't predict condition. I once used the signal to buy a "Hot" vintage blender. I didn't test it at the store. I got home, listed it, sold it for $100. The buyer got it, plugged it in, and it smoked. I had to refund them and eat the shipping.Lesson: Data gets you the sale, but quality control keeps the money.
Conclusion
So, is data-driven selling the future? My honest assessment is that the "Wild West" days of reselling are over. The market is crowded. Everyone has a smartphone. Everyone is a "picker." To survive, you have to be smarter. You have to know what to sell before your competitor does.
Closo Demand Signals gave me my garage back. I no longer store hundreds of items hoping they will sell "someday." I buy items that I know will sell now. It turned my business from a storage unit into a moving river of inventory.
If you are ready to stop guessing and start knowing, check out the Closo Seller Hub to see what trends are spiking right now.
For more on how to manage your inventory once you find it, read our Selling on Poshmark Guide
And if you want to know the absolute best items to look for, check out Top Trending Dropshipping Products 2026
