The Truth About the best stuff to resell in 2025 (And Why Most Sellers Guess Wrong)

Introduction

Back in 2019, when I listed my very first thrifted pair of Levi’s 501s, I assumed that reselling was all about “finding hot items.” I spent entire weekends scanning aisles for hidden gems because that’s what YouTube told me to do. But one Saturday, after two hours in a Goodwill, the only thing I found was a $9 vintage Nike tee that took 28 days to sell for $22. It wasn’t a bad sale — but that’s when I realized something important: my success didn’t come from finding rare pieces. It came from understanding patterns.

Fast-forward a few years, and I’ve tested almost everything — clothes, electronics, tools, small furniture, beauty items, shoes, collectibles, accessories, even random liquidation box leftovers. The best stuff to resell turned out to be categories I completely overlooked in the beginning.

In this guide, I’ll break it all down exactly the way I wish someone had done when I started.

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Why the best stuff to resell is almost never what beginners expect

Here’s where it gets interesting: beginners usually chase the same categories — sneakers, vintage clothing, electronics — which means the competition is brutal and the margins thin. The best stuff to resell isn’t found in hype categories. It’s found in categories where:

• supply is predictable

• pricing is stable

• demand is evergreen

• condition can be verified

• shipping is manageable

• sourcing is scalable

Anecdote:
In early 2023, I sold a simple $14 home organizer 168 times in one quarter. Meanwhile, the hyped sneakers I sourced took far longer to move and required more effort. The “boring stuff” outperformed everything.

Opinion: consistency beats trend-chasing every single time.

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What stuff to resell — understanding demand instead of guessing

Most people ask, “What is best to resell?” But the real question is: what stuff is in demand consistently?

Demand is built on:

• seasonality

• price elasticity

• replenishable inventory

• platform behavior

• buyer intent

• repeatability

Now the tricky part: none of these are obvious when you start.

Anecdote:
In late 2022, I discovered that small household tools sell year-round, even used. I listed a $6 measuring tool from a liquidation lot and it sold the same afternoon for $21. That single sale pulled me into an entire niche I’d ignored for years.

Failure #1:
I used to list only clothing because I assumed “clothes always sell.” They do, but not always at a profit — especially if you overspend on sourcing. I learned this the hard way after buying 40+ mediocre sweaters that sat for months.

Lesson: follow data, not assumptions.

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The best stuff to resell that works across almost every platform

Instead of giving you hype categories, here’s what consistently works across eBay, Mercari, Poshmark, and Facebook Marketplace — based on real sell-through rates.

1. Small home goods

These surprised me the most. Sub-categories include:

• storage organizers

• “aesthetic” home accessories

• kitchen gadgets

• minimalist décor

• office accessories

They’re lightweight, cheap to source, and buyers purchase them quickly.

2. Used electronics (the unsexy ones)

Not AirPods or iPhones — those are flooded.
But things like:

• routers

• old gaming peripherals

• calculators

• small speakers

• remotes

A $3 remote once netted me $18 profit.

3. Shoes (but not collectible shoes)

The best shoes to resell are:

• running shoes in good condition

• work boots

• comfort brands (SAS, Clarks, Hoka)

• sandals in summer

• boots in Q4

Failure #2:
I once bought six pairs of Jordans thinking “they’ll flip fast.” They didn’t. The size/condition/market saturation killed the margin.

4. Beauty bundles

Not single items — bundles.
Especially:

• skincare duos

• hair-care sets

• fragrance sample lots

These move fast on Poshmark and Facebook.

5. Clothing (but only specific categories)

The best clothes to resell are:

• denim

• outerwear

• athletic apparel

• linen in summer

• wool in winter

Everything else is hit-or-miss.

Parenthetical aside: denim is always dependable — even when everything else slows down.

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A platform-by-platform breakdown of the stuff to resell

eBay: Best products to resell for consistent margins

• electronics

• small appliances

• tools

• collectibles

• accessories

• refurbished items

Poshmark: Best clothes to resell

• denim

• outerwear

• dresses

• shoes

• athleisure

Mercari: Best stuff to resell for fast cash

• beauty bundles

• toys

• small electronics

• shoes

• décor

Facebook Marketplace: Bigger, local-only items

• small furniture

• shoe racks

• desks

• organizers

• home accessories

Depop: Trend-driven items

• vintage tees

• Y2K clothing

• cargo pants

• rings

• retro jackets

Opinion: the platform matters more than the product.

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Comparison Table: What stuff is in demand by platform (2025)

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The best source to resell items — where I actually find winners

Here’s the part no one explains clearly. The best stuff to resell comes from sources that offer volume and consistency.

My top reliable sources

• Liquidation.com — for tools and home goods

• Goodwill Outlet — for shoes and denim

• Facebook Marketplace — for furniture and small appliances

• B-stock — for store returns

• Yard sales — best ROI

Anecdote:
I once bought a box of wireless routers for $92 and flipped them across three marketplaces for $760 profit in 18 days.

Parenthetical aside: it’s always the stuff you least expect that becomes the winner.

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People always ask me… “What is best to resell for beginners?”

Here’s something everyone wants to know: the best stuff to resell as a beginner is whatever you can source for cheap, in good condition, and in volume.

If I were starting from scratch today, I’d begin with:

• shoes

• small home goods

• accessories

• simple electronics

• décor

They’re cheap to ship, predictable, and fast to list.

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The sourcing mistakes that cost me the most time (and money)

Here’s what I wish I knew sooner:

Buying one-off “cool” items

If you can’t repeat the purchase, don’t build a strategy around it.

Overspending at thrift stores

You can’t out-thrift someone who lives next door to the store.

Listing without automation

I manually crosslisted for two years before I realized how much time I was burning.

I use Closo to automate listing, pricing, and inventory sync — and it saves me about 3 hours weekly. It also stops me from double-selling across platforms, which used to be a problem when I scaled past 400 active listings.

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Worth Reading

When I was struggling to decide which categories to pursue, I found the Beginner Marketplace Strategy Guide inside the Closo Seller Hub surprisingly helpful because it explained which categories performed best on each marketplace. And later, when I wanted to test rotation cycles, the Inventory Optimization Playbook gave me a framework for deciding which SKUs should be liquidated or crosslisted aggressively.

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Conclusion

After five years of selling online, the biggest lesson is that the best stuff to resell isn’t glamorous — it’s consistent. The categories that made me the most money weren’t hyped or trendy. They were simple, repeatable, and easy to source in volume. The truth is, you don’t need secret items — you need a process. Once you understand demand, platforms, and sourcing patterns, you’ll recognize winners instantly.

The limitation? Inventory isn’t perfect. Some items take longer than expected. Some categories dry up. But when you automate your listing process and focus on replenishable items, reselling becomes scalable instead of chaotic. That’s why I use Closo across all my marketplaces — it keeps pricing synced, listings updated, and saves me hours every week.

Use this best stuff to resell breakdown as your map — and you won’t be guessing anymore.