I bought a $4 vintage band tee at a Nashville thrift store. Listed it on Depop for $32, sold in three weeks, kept $28.80 after fees. Same item listed on Poshmark would have left me with $25.60. On eBay, $27.83. The platform changes your margin by up to 12% before you touch sourcing strategy or time investment.
Over 18 months I tracked earnings, fees, and actual hours across five reselling platforms. The winner depends on what you’re flipping, where you source, and whether you’re optimizing for profit per item or profit per hour.
Quick verdict:
- eBay is best for electronics, collectibles, and anything requiring buyer protection trust
- Poshmark is best for brand-name clothing and accessories with fashion-conscious buyers
- Mercari is best for general household goods with the lowest fees and fastest listings
- Facebook Marketplace is best for local furniture, tools, and heavy items where pickup eliminates shipping
- Depop is best for vintage fashion and Gen-Z streetwear with strong visual branding
At a glance
| Platform | Fee Structure | Best Item Types | Avg. Time Per Listing | Biggest Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eBay | 12.9% + $0.30 + 2.35% on shipping | Electronics, collectibles, brand-new goods | 25–30 min | Highest fees; complex fee tiers |
| Poshmark | 20% flat on all sales | Clothing, handbags, shoes | 15–20 min | High fee; fashion-only; slower sell-through |
| Mercari | 10% on sale price | General household, toys, games | 10–15 min | Lower buyer trust; limited brand appeal |
| Facebook Marketplace | $0 platform fees | Furniture, local goods, tools | 5–10 min | Requires local pickup coordination; no buyer protection |
| Depop | 10% on in-app sales | Vintage fashion, streetwear | 15–20 min | Gen-Z audience only; limited categories |
Fees verified August 2026 from platform seller policies.
eBay — best for electronics and collectibles
eBay gives you the largest buyer base and strongest trust infrastructure for high-value or technical items. When I sold refurbished laptops and vintage gaming consoles, eBay’s buyer protection kept sales moving even when buyers questioned condition details. That trust costs you: eBay’s final value fee is 12.9% of the sale price, plus 2.35% + $0.30 on shipping costs.
On a $50 item with $8 shipping, you pay $6.45 in final value fees and $0.49 in shipping fees. After a $10 sourcing cost, you keep $33.06. That’s 20–30 minutes of work (sourcing, photos, listing, packing, shipping) for $33—about $66/hour if every item sells. But they don’t. My sell-through rate on eBay averaged 60% over six months, meaning 40% of listed items sat unsold or required relisting.
Strengths:
- Trusted by buyers for electronics, collectibles, and technical goods where condition details matter
- Integrated shipping labels and payment processing reduce administrative overhead
- Auction format can drive prices above your fixed-price floor for rare items
Weaknesses:
- Fees are the highest among major platforms and increase if you’re not a Top Rated Seller
- Listing process is more complex than competitors (category selection, item specifics, shipping options)
- Returns favor buyers; expect 5–10% return rate on electronics
Best for: People selling electronics, vintage collectibles, or brand-new overstock who can absorb 15% total fees and want national shipping reach.
If you’re flipping items from liquidation auctions or clearance racks where you source at $5–$10, eBay’s fee structure still leaves margin. But if you’re sourcing at thrift-store prices ($1–$3), the $0.30 insertion fee on unsold items adds up fast.
Poshmark — best for brand-name fashion
Poshmark takes a flat 20% of every sale, no insertion fees, and provides prepaid shipping labels for most items. For a $40 dress sourced at $8 from a thrift store, you keep $32 after Poshmark’s cut and pay nothing for the label (buyer pays shipping). That’s better margin than eBay on the same item, but Poshmark’s audience is narrower: fashion, shoes, handbags, and accessories only.
I listed about 200 clothing items on Poshmark over a year. Sell-through was 30%—lower than eBay—but the items that sold moved faster because Poshmark’s sharing and “Posh Party” features put your listings in front of buyers actively browsing fashion. Time per item averaged 15–20 minutes including photos, measurements, and listing details. Monthly earnings: around $585 for what I estimate was 12–15 active hours per month (not counting time spent sourcing).
Strengths:
- Simple flat fee structure with no surprise charges
- Strong community features (sharing, following, offers) drive organic visibility without paid ads
- Prepaid shipping labels simplify logistics
Weaknesses:
- 20% fee is higher than Mercari or Depop for the same item
- Fashion-only limits what you can sell; no electronics, home goods, or general merchandise
- Sell-through rate is lower unless you actively share and engage daily
Best for: Resellers focused on thrift-store clothing flips, brand-name handbags, or shoes who can invest 10–15 minutes per day sharing listings to boost visibility.
Poshmark works if your sourcing gives you $10–$30 margin per item after fees. On lower-margin goods (items you source for $3–$5 and sell for $12–$18), the 20% fee eats too much of your profit.
Mercari — best for general household goods
Mercari charges 10% commission on the sale price and nothing to list. For general household items—toys, small appliances, home decor, books—it’s the lowest-fee option that still offers national shipping. On a $25 item sourced for $5, Mercari takes $2.50, leaving you $17.50 before shipping costs (which the buyer typically pays).
Listings take 10–15 minutes: snap photos, write a short description, set a price. Mercari’s app is faster than eBay’s desktop-first interface and simpler than Poshmark’s fashion-specific fields. My sell-through rate was around 40%, slightly lower than eBay but better than Poshmark, and items moved within 2–4 weeks on average.
Strengths:
- Lowest fees among shipped platforms (10% vs. 12.9% on eBay or 20% on Poshmark)
- Fast listing process; mobile-first design reduces friction
- Accepts almost any category: toys, electronics, clothing, home goods
Weaknesses:
- Lower buyer trust than eBay for high-value items (I wouldn’t sell a $300 laptop here)
- Smaller active buyer base means slower sales on niche items
- Shipping costs can surprise you if you don’t weigh items accurately upfront
Best for: Resellers moving volume on $10–$50 household goods sourced from thrift stores, garage sales, or retail clearance racks who want the lowest fees and fastest listings.
If you’re buying and reselling for profit at scale (100+ items per month), Mercari’s low fees and simple workflow make it easier to maintain margin than eBay’s complex fee tiers.
Facebook Marketplace — best for local pickup goods
Facebook Marketplace charges zero platform fees. You list for free, sell for free, and keep the full sale price. For heavy or bulky items—furniture, tools, exercise equipment, large toys—eliminating shipping costs makes Marketplace the only platform where you can compete on price and still clear 50%+ margin.
I sold a $120 vintage desk I sourced from an estate sale for $30. After zero fees and local pickup (buyer drove to me), I kept $90. Total time: 10 minutes to post, 15 minutes to coordinate pickup, 5 minutes to help load. That’s $180/hour, but volume is lower—I averaged 2–3 Marketplace sales per week, not per day.
Strengths:
- Zero fees mean full sale price is yours
- Local pickup eliminates shipping logistics and costs
- Huge audience (Facebook’s user base dwarfs dedicated resale platforms)
Weaknesses:
- No buyer protection or payment processing (you handle cash, Venmo, etc.)
- Requires coordinating pickup times, which adds unpaid admin work
- Higher no-show rate than shipped platforms (buyers flake on pickups ~20% of the time in my experience)
Best for: Resellers flipping furniture, local tools, or heavy goods where shipping would eat all margin, and who can handle in-person meetups or porch pickup.
Marketplace works for items that would cost $30–$80 to ship but sell for $50–$200. On smaller, lighter items, the lack of buyer protection and payment processing makes it less attractive than Mercari or eBay.
Depop — best for vintage fashion and Gen-Z streetwear
Depop charges 10% on in-app payments and targets Gen-Z buyers hunting vintage, Y2K fashion, streetwear, and one-of-a-kind pieces. If you’re sourcing thrift-store band tees, vintage denim, or ’90s windbreakers, Depop’s visual-first interface (Instagram-style grid) and younger audience can move items Poshmark won’t touch.
Listings take 15–20 minutes including styled photos (Depop buyers expect aesthetic presentation, not catalog shots). My sell-through on Depop was around 25%, lower than other platforms, but successful items sold at higher multiples—sourcing a $4 vintage tee and selling it for $28–$35 was common.
Strengths:
- 10% fee is half of Poshmark’s for the same category (fashion)
- Gen-Z audience pays premium for curated vintage and niche aesthetics
- Visual storefront feels more like social media, which some sellers prefer
Weaknesses:
- Narrow audience (Gen-Z fashion focus) limits what sells
- Lower overall traffic than Poshmark or eBay
- Requires more effort on photography and styling to compete
Best for: Resellers who know vintage fashion trends, can style items for photos, and want higher margins on curated thrift finds than mass-market platforms offer.
Depop isn’t for general reselling. If you’re flipping electronics, home goods, or non-fashion items, use eBay or Mercari instead.
Sourcing strategy by platform: where to find inventory that actually sells
Unit economics change completely based on where you source. A $1 thrift-store sweater and a $6 liquidation-pallet item have different margin floors and platform fit.
Thrift stores ($1–$5 per item): Best platforms: Poshmark, Depop, Mercari. At this sourcing cost, you need low fees and fast listing workflows to make volume work. Poshmark’s 20% fee still leaves $15–$25 margin on a $30 sale. eBay’s insertion fees and complex listings eat too much time at this price point.
What to look for: Brand-name clothing (Levi’s, Nike, Patagonia), vintage fashion with visible labels, small electronics that test working (calculators, alarm clocks), hardcover books in excellent condition.
Retail arbitrage/clearance racks ($3–$15 per item): Best platforms: eBay, Mercari. You’re competing with other resellers who found the same clearance rack, so national reach (eBay) or low fees (Mercari) matter more than niche audience. Items are new-in-box, which eBay buyers trust.
What to look for: Toys during post-holiday clearance, small kitchen appliances, overstocked seasonal decor, beauty/skincare products near expiration that still have 6+ months shelf life.
Liquidation auctions ($5–$50 per item in bulk lots): Best platforms: eBay, Facebook Marketplace. You bought a pallet of 40 returns for $200 ($5/item average). Half are unsellable (damaged, missing parts). The 20 that work need to sell for $25+ each to break even. eBay’s buyer trust matters for “tested working” claims on electronics; Marketplace works for furniture or tools where buyers can inspect in person.
What to look for: Electronics liquidation from big-box retailers, furniture returns (often just cosmetic damage), overstock tools, returned appliances you can test and verify working.
Estate sales and garage sales ($2–$20 per item): Best platforms: eBay for collectibles and antiques, Facebook Marketplace for furniture and large items, Depop for vintage fashion. Estate sales give you access to older inventory (pre-2000s) that has collector value. Garage sales are hit-or-miss but occasionally yield underpriced tools, electronics, or brand-name goods.
What to look for: Vintage glassware and collectibles (eBay has the audience), mid-century furniture (Marketplace for local pickup), estate jewelry (eBay for authentication and trust), vintage band tees and denim (Depop’s audience pays more than Poshmark).
The sourcing method determines your margin floor. Thrift-store flips at $1–$3 cost need 300%–500% markup to justify your time. Liquidation pallets at $5–$10/item need 200%–300% markup. Retail arbitrage at $8–$15 needs 100%–150% markup because you’re buying closer to retail and competing on speed (listing new items before competitors flood the market).
Full cost of your time: what nobody tells you
Most reselling advice focuses on “25 minutes per listing” but ignores everything else. Here’s the real time breakdown per item that sells:
- Sourcing: 15–30 min (driving to thrift stores, scanning clearance racks, attending estate sales)
- Intake and testing: 5–10 min (inspecting condition, testing electronics, checking for damage)
- Photography: 5–15 min (depends on platform; Depop needs styled shots, Mercari accepts quick phone photos)
- Listing creation: 10–25 min (eBay’s detailed forms take longer than Mercari’s mobile-first app)
- Buyer communication: 5–15 min (answering questions, negotiating offers, providing measurements)
- Packing and shipping: 10–20 min (finding box, printing label, trip to post office or porch pickup)
- Returns and disputes: 0–60 min (most items have none; 5–10% require refund processing or dispute resolution)
Total time per item sold: 50–175 minutes (0.83–2.9 hours), depending on platform and item complexity.
That time estimate excludes unsold items. If your sell-through rate is 40%, you spent time sourcing, photographing, and listing 100 items but only 40 sold. The 60 that didn’t sell still consumed 15–40 minutes each of unpaid work.
Real monthly income scenarios:
5 hours per week (20 hours/month):
- List 30 items/month (40 min per listing including sourcing)
- 40% sell-through = 12 sales
- Avg. margin $18/item after fees and sourcing cost
- Monthly profit: $216
- Hourly rate: $10.80/hour before taxes
20 hours per week (80 hours/month):
- List 120 items/month (40 min per listing including sourcing)
- 40% sell-through = 48 sales
- Avg. margin $18/item after fees and sourcing cost
- Monthly profit: $864
- Hourly rate: $10.80/hour before taxes
Volume doesn’t improve hourly rate unless you improve sell-through or margin. Resellers who hit $15–$20/hour do it by niching into one category (vintage fashion, refurbished electronics, collectible toys) where they know what sells, can source faster, and achieve 50–60% sell-through instead of 30–40%.
The unpaid work (sourcing items that don’t sell, answering buyer questions that don’t convert, relisting stale inventory) is why most resellers quit before 100 listings. It feels like a loss because it is—time invested with no return.
Side-by-side: fees and take-home on a $50 item
Assume you source an item for $10 and sell it for $50. Here’s what you keep after platform fees, excluding shipping (which varies by item weight and buyer location):
- eBay: $50 − ($6.45 FVF + $0.30) = $43.25 − $10 sourcing = $33.25 profit (66.5% margin)
- Poshmark: $50 − ($10 Poshmark fee) = $40 − $10 sourcing = $30 profit (60% margin)
- Mercari: $50 − ($5 Mercari fee) = $45 − $10 sourcing = $35 profit (70% margin)
- Facebook Marketplace: $50 − $0 fees = $50 − $10 sourcing = $40 profit (80% margin)
- Depop: $50 − ($5 Depop fee) = $45 − $10 sourcing = $35 profit (70% margin)
Fees alone don’t decide profitability. eBay’s higher fees come with faster sell-through and buyer trust on electronics. Marketplace’s zero fees require local pickup, which limits your buyer pool. Mercari’s low fees work best when you can list quickly and ship cheaply.
Side-by-side: time to first sale and sell-through rates
From my tracking across 18 months:
- eBay: 60% sell-through rate; avg. 7–14 days to first sale (electronics and collectibles faster, niche items slower)
- Poshmark: 30% sell-through; avg. 14–30 days (requires daily sharing to stay visible)
- Mercari: 40% sell-through; avg. 10–21 days (general goods move steadily but not fast)
- Facebook Marketplace: 50% sell-through; avg. 3–10 days (local goods move fast or not at all)
- Depop: 25% sell-through; avg. 21–45 days (niche fashion audience means right buyer is harder to find)
Sell-through rate matters more than fees for your hourly rate. If you list 100 items on Poshmark and 30 sell, you invested time photographing and listing 70 items that earned nothing. On eBay, 60 of those 100 sell, cutting your unpaid listing time in half.
Taxes and compliance: what you owe (and what platforms report)
Reselling income is self-employment income. You report profit on Schedule C (Form 1040) and owe self-employment tax—15.3% for Social Security and Medicare—on your net profit, plus your regular income tax rate.
If you profit $6,000 in a year from reselling, you owe roughly $918 in self-employment tax (15.3% of $6,000) before calculating income tax. Self-employment tax applies even if reselling is a side hustle and you have W-2 income from a day job.
1099-K reporting thresholds: Platforms issue a 1099-K if you exceed $600 in gross payment transactions in a calendar year (lowered from $20,000 in prior years). eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, and Depop all report to the IRS once you cross this threshold. Facebook Marketplace does not issue 1099-Ks because it doesn’t process payments.
You must report all reselling income even if you don’t receive a 1099-K. Gross sales under $600 on a single platform still count as taxable income.
Sales tax obligations: Depending on your state, you may need to register for a seller’s permit and collect sales tax. eBay and Poshmark handle sales tax collection in many states under marketplace facilitator laws, but not all. Check your state’s revenue department for nexus rules and registration requirements. This varies significantly—some states require registration after your first sale; others set thresholds at $100,000+ in annual sales.
The FTC’s business guidance resources outline federal requirements for online sellers, including rules around shipping timelines, refund policies, and accurate product descriptions.
What to track (and how):
- Every sourcing receipt (thrift stores, garage sales, clearance purchases)—these are your cost of goods sold
- Platform fees and payment processing charges (download monthly statements from each platform)
- Shipping costs you paid, even if the buyer reimbursed you (track actual spend for accuracy)
- Mileage to/from sourcing locations and post office (IRS standard mileage rate was $0.67/mile in 2024; deductible as business expense)
- Home office space if you dedicate a room or area to inventory storage and listing (proportional square footage deduction)
- Packaging supplies (boxes, tape, bubble wrap, printer ink for labels)
Most resellers don’t track mileage or home office deductions and overpay on taxes. A tax preparer familiar with Schedule C or a tool like QuickBooks Self-Employed costs $200–$500/year but often saves more than that in deductions. Self-employment tax alone makes record-keeping worth the effort—missing $2,000 in deductible expenses costs you $306 in self-employment tax plus your marginal income tax rate.
Quarterly estimated tax payments: If you owe more than $1,000 in tax from reselling (common if you’re profiting $500+/month), you must make quarterly estimated tax payments to avoid underpayment penalties. The IRS expects payment as you earn, not just at year-end. Use Form 1040-ES to calculate quarterly estimates.
FAQ
Which platform has the lowest fees?
Facebook Marketplace has zero fees, but requires local pickup and no payment processing. Among shipped platforms, Mercari and Depop charge 10%, the lowest rate. eBay charges 12.9% + transaction fees; Poshmark charges 20%.
Can you actually make money buying and reselling for profit from thrift stores?
Yes, but at lower hourly rates than most people expect. Casual resellers earn $8–$12/hour after fees and full time investment (including sourcing and unsold items). Specialized resellers who niche into one category (vintage fashion, collectible toys, refurbished electronics) can hit $15–$20/hour, but that requires months of learning what sells and building efficient sourcing routines.
Do I need a business license to resell online?
Most states don’t require a business license for occasional reselling, but you may need a seller’s permit to collect sales tax if you exceed certain thresholds. Check your state’s business registration requirements. Even without a license, you must report income on Schedule C and pay self-employment tax on profit.
How long does it take to actually make money reselling?
Your first sale can happen within a week if you list in-demand items on eBay or Mercari. Consistent monthly income ($300–$600) typically requires 2–3 months of listing 50–100 items to build inventory and learn what sells. Most resellers quit before hitting 100 listings because the unpaid upfront work (sourcing, photographing, listing unsold items) feels like a loss.
What happens if I don’t report reselling income under $600?
You’re still legally required to report it. The $600 threshold is for when platforms issue a 1099-K to the IRS, not for when income becomes taxable. All self-employment income is taxable regardless of amount. The IRS can assess penalties and interest on unreported income even if you didn’t receive a tax form.
Reselling works, but your hourly rate depends on sourcing skill, platform choice, and sell-through rate more than effort. If you can source consistently at $3–$8, list efficiently in 15–25 minutes, and maintain 40–60% sell-through, you’ll clear $10–$15/hour once you niche into a category and platform. That’s real, repeatable income—but it’s not passive, and the math only improves after months of learning what actually sells.
For related earning strategies with better hourly rates at scale, see Making Money with Affiliate Marketing: Real Numbers & Real Timelines. If you’re starting reselling with no upfront capital, How to Start a Side Hustle With No Money: 7 Real Options covers low-risk sourcing methods. For tax obligations across all side hustles, Gig Economy Taxes Explained: What You Actually Owe breaks down self-employment tax and quarterly estimated payments.
Tax disclaimer: Tax laws vary by state and jurisdiction. Consult a tax professional or CPA about your obligations; this article is for education only, not tax advice.
Not financial advice: This article provides educational information about reselling platforms and does not constitute financial, legal, or tax advice. Earnings vary based on sourcing skill, item category, time invested, and market conditions.