Do you want to start reselling products online, but aren’t sure where to source items? This list of unique sourcing ideas will keep your reselling business stocked with products!
Whether you are a full-time reseller or just looking to make some extra cash as a part-time side hustle, sourcing items in person to resell online can consume large chunks of your day if you don’t know where to look.
A lot of people start out going to thrift shops and local estate sales to find items they can buy for low prices and resell at higher ones. While those sourcing methods are both solid options for smaller resellers, they likely won’t get you where you need to be if you want to scale your small business and have it grow into a gig that brings in a full-time income.
And make no mistake. There is money to be made – and the potential for even more growth – in certain sectors of the resale market, including reselling used clothing. “The U.S. secondhand apparel market is expected to reach $74 billion by 2029, growing 9% annually on average,” according to the ThredUp 2025 Resale Report. In fact, between 2023 and 2024, the global resale market grew by 15%, data from the report shows.
For those who want to make a real go of reselling, seasoned entrepreneurs say that your sourcing process should include being on the lookout for new product suppliers and other wholesalers and distributors as you continue to diversify where you find your own products on a regular basis.
We are here to help with your sourcing strategy. Consider these sources, platforms, and potential suppliers when looking for large quantities of items to stock your reselling business.
1. Government Auctions and Sales
Whether you’re looking to source bookshelves, computer monitors, or even lawnmowers at rock-bottom prices, government auctions can be a great source for your reselling business. Many municipalities across the United States and locations in Canada now use GovDeals.com to list their surplus items.
You can bid on items and wait to see which buyer offers the highest price, or you can simply select the ‘buy now’ price to snag the merchandise you want. The website also offers a location search page, allowing you to narrow down the area where you purchase items.
2. Estate Sales
Another option for sourcing items in one setting is going to estate sales in your community and the surrounding cities where you live. To find estate sales, you can scour social media marketplaces and check out local news websites that advertise events on community calendars. Some higher-end estate sales are also advertised on EstateSales.com, a directory of upcoming sales that includes photos of some of the items that will be available. There are also options for making purchases online if you can’t travel to the site of the sale. The company also offers a newsletter, where you can sign up to be notified when new sales are added.
3. Helpsy Source
With a mission to help keep millions of pounds of clothes out of landfills, Helpsy Source is a female-led business that is a certified B Corp and public benefit corporation based in New Jersey. The company ships and delivers pallets and smaller reseller packs of used and unused clothing, among other things. This may sound perfect to those who don’t want to spend their time standing in the aisles of retail stores and other thrift businesses. You can visit their website to see what they offer in your area.
4. Community and Neighborhood Yard Sales
While individual yard sales and garage sales are great places for sourcing items at low prices, you can potentially get much more bang for your buck when you strategically plan your day around attending a community or neighborhood yard sale. Why is that? Multi-family yard sales and those held by churches and other community groups tend to bring together dozens of people and the things they are hoping to sell from their households. Spring, summer, and fall are all great seasons to get out and treasure hunt at these types of sales, so make sure to plan accordingly. Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are both good places to start your search for local community yard sales in your area.
5. The 127 Yard Sale
Ready for the granddaddy of all outdoor sales? Mark your calendar for the first weekend in August 2025. That’s when The 127 Yard Sale – also known as The World’s Longest Yard Sale – takes place on the first Thursday through Sunday in August. In its 39th year, the route spans 690 miles across six states: Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. Judging from past events, there’s a little bit of everything at this sale, from flea market finds to old cars to trading cards, vintage furniture, and antiques. This annual event has been known to attract hundreds of thousands of bargain hunters from across the United States and the world each year. Learn more about the vendors, routes, and locations of the sale at 127YardSale.com.
6. Going out of Business Sales & Liquidation Sales
When small businesses and other brick-and-mortar stores shut down or close a location, they will sometimes offer great deals to consumers on their remaining merchandise so they don’t have to pay for storage space or move it to another location. And when larger companies, including some of the big box chains, decide they need to purge inventory or shut down, they sometimes hire liquidation firms to do the heavy lifting for them. These sites can offer an opportunity to snag great deals on high-quality products.
One of the largest of these companies is B Stock, an online retailer that resells returned and overstock items from big labels and companies, including Amazon, Wayfair, and Target. Product categories include clothing and accessories, cell phones, electronics, pets, toys, furniture, and more.
7. Walmart Liquidation Auctions
While you may not think of Walmart as a place to pick up pallets of returned items for your reselling business, they are absolutely a player in the billion-dollar resale industry. Walmart Liquidation Auctions is another source for online deals for your business or yourself. This Walmart-backed business allows resellers to bid on excess inventory, refurbished bulk lots, and even store returns directly from the popular retailer.
How much can you buy? According to its website, lots range in size from single pallets all the way up to truckloads of inventory, so be sure to check individual listings to understand their minimum order quantities. Common product categories on the site include bikes, furniture, electronics, appliances, clothes, and more. In other words, nearly anything you could buy at a Walmart could be available through the Walmart Liquidation Auction site.
8. Facebook Marketplace
Since its launch in 2016, Facebook Marketplace has become an increasingly popular online platform where users meet virtually to buy and sell millions of items. And while Facebook Marketplace is a good spot to sell, it can also be a great place to buy low-priced items, especially if you are willing to travel and pick something up or pay for shipping.
The fact is that the online marketplace has been logging more than one billion monthly users worldwide since 2021, according to e-commerce data from Statista.com. And those users have been busy. On average, up to 1.2 billion online shoppers buy something on Facebook Marketplace each month, according to Capital One Shopping.
9. Goodwill
While you may be familiar with your local Goodwill thrift store, you may not know about the larger online offerings from Goodwill Industries, such as Goodwill.com and the auction site ShopGoodwill.com, both of which are great places to snag previously used items. Because they have an extensive directory with thousands of items available, you may spend as much time browsing the site as you would your favorite resale store location. Speaking of locations, you can use the website location tab to discover other Goodwill stores in surrounding states.
Pro tip: Look for thrift stores that are located in resort areas or other upscale communities. Those stores tend to carry higher-end merchandise that can potentially fetch a higher price when it’s sold again.
10. eBay
When searching for select niche products, the online auction site eBay can be a great procurement source for your online store or other reselling business. To keep your profit margins where they need to be, make sure you buy items on eBay at a price low enough to allow for long-term profitability when reselling.
Creative Ideas for Sourcing Items for Your Reselling Business: Conclusion
As the resale market continues to grow, there are opportunities for those looking to create a profitable side hustle or full-time income by reselling items through an e-commerce business. Because sourcing items can be challenging, it’s important to be continually on the lookout for new manufacturers that offer previously used or returned merchandise at a deep discount. While online buy-in-bulk businesses can be great for sourcing items, don’t forget about local vendors and other sellers who use trade shows and other community sales to find new buyers and sellers.
Not sure what app you should use for reselling your items online? Check out this list of popular reselling apps, which can also be used for sourcing items!
