Where to find stock: a reseller's sourcing guide

Part 2 of the Getting Started series. Read part 1, How to start reselling, first.

Once you can list and sell, the question becomes what to sell, and where to get it cheaply. Good sourcing is a habit, not a secret. The people who do well are the ones who turn up often, look properly, and check before they buy. Here is where to look, in roughly the order a beginner should try them.

Charity shops

The classic starting point, and still one of the best. Stock changes daily, prices are low, and nobody behind the counter is pricing for the resale market. Build a route of five or six shops you can do in a loop, and go often. Shops in wealthier areas tend to get better donations. Dig past the front rail, because the good pieces are rarely the ones on display.

Tip: go on weekday mornings when fresh stock has just been put out and the rails are full.

Car boot sales

Cheaper than charity shops and far more plentiful, but you have to get there early and move fast. Sellers want rid of things, so prices are soft and haggling is expected. Bring cash in small notes, wear something with big pockets, and do a quick first lap of the whole field before you start buying in detail.

Online bargains

You can source from your sofa. Mispriced and badly photographed listings, end of line stock, and people who just want something gone all show up online daily. The trick is speed and a trained eye, because everyone else can see the same listings. This is also where deteqta earns its keep, because you can check a listing’s real value before you commit.

A morning’s sourcing, sorted. Not everything is a winner, and that is normal.

House clearances, family and friends

Word of mouth is underrated. Let people know you sell, and clear outs, lofts, and garages start coming your way, often for free or next to nothing. A single house clearance can be a month of stock.

Markets, fairs and jumble sales

Flea markets, vintage fairs, and jumble sales sit between car boots and shops on price. Vintage fairs cost more but the quality is higher and the sellers know their stuff, so they suit you better once you have learned what you are doing.

The one rule that ties it all together

Wherever you source, deteqt the item before you pay. Your Valuation gives the most to pay, a target sell price from real sold prices, and your profit after fees. If the numbers do not work, you put it back. Discipline at the point of buying is where the money is made.

Where this series goes next

You know where to look. Next is what to actually pick up, because some items are far kinder to a beginner than others.

Next: What to start with.