Best Items to Resell for Profit
Reselling antiques, vintage goods, and collectibles can be a rewarding side hustle or a full-time business. The key is knowing what to look for, where to find it, how to price it, and where to sell it. This guide covers the categories with the strongest profit potential, the sourcing channels that consistently deliver, and the practical workflows that turn finds into money.
What Makes an Item Good for Resale?
Not everything old is profitable to resell. The best resale items share several characteristics:
- High demand relative to supply: Items that buyers actively search for and that are not abundantly available. Scarcity drives pricing power.
- Identifiable and searchable: Items with a known maker, brand, or category that buyers can find through search. A piece that can be described specifically — "Midwinter Stylecraft Zambesi plate" rather than "old patterned plate" — reaches its target buyer.
- Reasonable size and weight: Shipping costs eat into margins. Small, lightweight items that can be posted affordably have a built-in advantage. Large furniture pieces can still be profitable but work best sold locally.
- Condition resilience: Items that tend to survive well — ceramics, glass, jewellery, metal items — are more likely to be found in sellable condition than fragile or perishable items.
- Consistent sourcing: The best resale categories are ones where you can reliably find stock. A category that yields one find per year is a hobby, not a business.
Top Categories for Profitable Resale
1. Ceramics and Pottery
Ceramics are one of the strongest resale categories because they are abundant at car boots, charity shops, and house clearances, easy to identify through backstamps, lightweight to ship, and highly searchable online.
What to look for: Named makers command the best prices. Clarice Cliff, Moorcroft, Troika, Poole Pottery, Midwinter, Hornsea, and Denby are consistently strong sellers. Even common makers like Royal Doulton, Wedgwood, and Royal Worcester have valuable patterns and rare pieces. Check the backstamp on every piece — it tells you the maker, often the pattern, and sometimes the exact date.
Typical margins: A charity shop find bought for one to five pounds can often sell for twenty to a hundred pounds or more online. Rare pieces from top makers regularly sell for several hundred.
Watch out for: Chips and cracks. Even small damage to ceramics dramatically reduces value. Inspect rims, handles, and spouts carefully before buying.
2. Vintage and Antique Jewellery
Jewellery is compact, lightweight, and has both material value (gold, silver, gemstones) and design value. It is one of the highest-margin resale categories.
What to look for: Hallmarked gold and silver pieces have a guaranteed floor value based on weight. Art Deco, Victorian, and Edwardian pieces are particularly sought after. Designer costume jewellery by makers like Trifari, Miriam Haskell, and Monet has a strong collector market. Look for quality construction, interesting design, and any maker's marks.
Typical margins: Extremely variable. A gold ring bought for scrap value might sell for five to ten times that amount to a collector who appreciates the design and period. Costume jewellery bought for fifty pence at a charity shop can sell for twenty to fifty pounds to the right collector.
Watch out for: Fake hallmarks, plated items marketed as solid, and stones that are glass or synthetic rather than natural. A basic knowledge of hallmarks and a jeweller's loupe are essential tools.
3. Glassware
Vintage and antique glass is widely available and often underpriced at source because many sellers do not recognise the makers.
What to look for: Whitefriars, Murano, Mdina, Holmegaard, and Scandinavian art glass from the mid-century period are consistently strong. Carnival glass by Fenton, Northwood, and others has a dedicated collector base. Cut crystal by makers like Waterford, Edinburgh, and Stuart is sellable though less exciting than art glass. Coloured glass, unusual forms, and pieces with labels or signatures command premiums.
Typical margins: A piece of unrecognised Whitefriars glass bought for a few pounds at a charity shop can sell for fifty to several hundred pounds online. Murano glass varies hugely — common tourist pieces are worth little, but genuine mid-century pieces by named designers fetch hundreds or thousands.
Watch out for: Damage is hard to spot on glass. Check rims for chips by running your finger around the edge. Hold pieces up to light to reveal cracks. Reproductions are common in popular categories like carnival glass.
4. Silver and Silver Plate
Silver offers a unique advantage: a guaranteed minimum value based on metal weight. This makes it lower risk than most categories.
What to look for: Sterling silver (hallmarked 925 or with British hallmarks) has melt value plus collector premium. Maker-marked pieces by notable silversmiths command significant premiums. Georgian and Victorian silver is particularly sought after. Even silver plate has value if the pieces are by good makers (Elkington, Mappin & Webb, Walker & Hall) and in good condition.
Typical margins: Buying silver near melt value and selling for retail prices can yield margins of fifty to two hundred percent. Rare or maker-marked pieces can sell for many times their melt value.
Watch out for: Silver plate that has worn through to reveal the base metal underneath. Pieces that have been over-polished and lost their detail. Fake hallmarks — always check marks carefully against reference guides.
5. Books and Ephemera
First editions, signed copies, antiquarian books, vintage maps, postcards, and printed ephemera are lightweight, easy to ship, and have passionate collector markets.
What to look for: First editions of notable titles, books with dust jackets in good condition, signed copies, illustrated books, local history, and niche specialist subjects. Vintage postcards, particularly photographic postcards of specific locations or events, can be surprisingly valuable. Maps, prints, and advertising ephemera all have collector markets.
Typical margins: Highly variable. A first edition bought for a pound at a charity shop could sell for hundreds. Local history books with limited print runs often sell for twenty to fifty pounds. Vintage postcards can sell for five to twenty pounds each for desirable subjects.
Watch out for: Condition is paramount for books. Foxing, water damage, loose pages, missing dust jackets, and library stamps all reduce value significantly. Book club editions are often mistaken for first editions and are worth much less.
6. Vintage Clothing and Accessories
Vintage fashion is a growing market driven by sustainability trends and the desire for unique, non-mass-produced clothing.
What to look for: Designer labels from any era (Burberry, Aquascutum, Jaeger, Biba, Laura Ashley vintage). Quality materials — silk, cashmere, wool, leather. Distinctive prints and patterns from the 1960s and 1970s. Vintage denim, particularly Levi's. Accessories — scarves, handbags, belts — are often easier to sell than clothing because they are not size-dependent.
Typical margins: A vintage Burberry trench bought for ten pounds can sell for a hundred or more. Designer silk scarves bought for a few pounds regularly sell for twenty to fifty. Vintage Levi's 501s can sell for fifty to several hundred pounds depending on wash, size, and era.
Watch out for: Condition issues that are hard to see — moth holes, stains, odours, broken zips. Fakes are common for high-value designer labels. Check labels, stitching quality, and hardware carefully.
7. Art and Prints
Original artwork, limited-edition prints, and vintage posters can be highly profitable, though this category requires more knowledge than most.
What to look for: Signed original works by any artist — even lesser-known artists can have followings. Limited-edition prints that are numbered and signed. Vintage travel and advertising posters. Mid-century prints and illustrations. Local artists with regional followings.
Typical margins: An unsigned painting bought for a few pounds at a house clearance might sell for fifty to a hundred pounds if well-framed and decoratively appealing. Signed limited-edition prints by known artists can sell for hundreds. Vintage posters in good condition command strong prices from specialist collectors.
Watch out for: Reproductions marketed as originals. Sun damage and fading. Water damage and foxing on paper items. The cost of framing can eat into margins if the piece needs reframing.
Where to Source Resale Stock
Charity Shops and Thrift Stores
The classic starting point for resellers. Charity shops receive donated goods and price them for quick turnover, often well below market value. The best approach is to visit regularly — good stock appears unpredictably and sells quickly. Build relationships with staff so they know what you are looking for. Some charity shops have learned to price better than others, so focus on the ones where you consistently find value.
Car Boot Sales and Flea Markets
Sellers at car boots are typically clearing out unwanted items and will often accept low offers. Arrive early for the best selection. Bring cash in small denominations. Be prepared to walk away — there will always be another sale. Car boots are particularly good for ceramics, glass, books, and small collectibles.
Estate Sales and House Clearances
Estate sales can be goldmines because they often contain decades of accumulated possessions, many of which the family does not recognise as valuable. Some estates are sold by specialist companies; others are handled by families directly. In either case, the volume of goods often means items are priced to move.
Auctions
Both online and in-person auctions can be excellent sourcing channels, particularly for buying in bulk. Look for mixed lots — a box of assorted ceramics might contain one piece worth more than the entire lot cost. General household auctions tend to have lower prices than specialist antique auctions.
Online Marketplaces
Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, and similar platforms often have underpriced antiques from sellers who do not know what they have. Search for generic terms like "old china," "vintage," or "house clearance" to find sellers who are pricing without research.
How to Price for Maximum Profit
Calculate Your True Costs
Profit is not sale price minus purchase price. It is sale price minus all costs:
- Purchase price
- Platform fees (eBay, Etsy, etc.)
- Payment processing fees
- Shipping costs and packaging materials
- Petrol and travel costs for sourcing
- Storage costs if applicable
- Your time — even if you do not pay yourself an hourly rate, be aware of how much time each item takes
Research Before Listing
Check sold prices for comparable items before setting your price. Use eBay's completed listings filter, auction results, and identification apps like Trove to establish a realistic value range. Price at the mid-point of comparable sold prices for the best balance of speed and margin.
Know When to Hold and When to Sell
Some items sell better at certain times. Christmas-related items peak in November. Garden items sell best in spring. Tax refund season can boost discretionary spending. But do not hold stock indefinitely waiting for the perfect moment — tied-up capital has an opportunity cost.
Choosing the Right Selling Platform
- eBay: The largest audience. Best for identifiable, searchable items. Strong for ceramics, silver, collectibles, and electronics. Fees are approximately thirteen to fifteen percent all-in.
- Etsy: Best for vintage decor, jewellery, clothing, and items with visual or lifestyle appeal. Attracts buyers who value aesthetics and uniqueness. Lower fees than eBay.
- Vinted and Depop: Best for vintage clothing, shoes, and fashion accessories. Younger buyer demographic. Low or no seller fees.
- Facebook Marketplace: Best for larger items (furniture, art, mirrors) that are expensive to ship. No fees for local collection. Fast sales but typically at lower prices.
- Specialist platforms: For niche categories, specialist platforms or dealer websites may reach a more targeted audience willing to pay premium prices.
- Antique fairs: Ideal for building a dealer business. Higher margins than online due to no platform fees, but requires investment in stock, stand fees, and time.
Building a Sustainable Resale Operation
Start Narrow, Then Expand
Do not try to resell everything. Start with one or two categories you find interesting and learn them deeply. Understanding the makers, marks, values, and buyer preferences in a specific niche gives you a huge advantage over generalist sellers. As your knowledge grows, expand into related categories.
Track Your Numbers
Record every purchase (what, where, how much), every sale (platform, price, fees, shipping cost), and your time spent. This data tells you which categories, sourcing channels, and platforms are most profitable. Without tracking, you are guessing.
Manage Your Inventory
Dead stock — items that sit unsold for months — ties up your capital and space. Set a rule: if an item has not sold within a set period (sixty to ninety days is reasonable), lower the price, relist on a different platform, lot it with similar items, or donate it. Rotate your stock to keep capital working.
Invest in Knowledge
The more you know, the more you earn. Visit museums to train your eye. Read reference books on your specialist categories. Follow auction results to stay current on values. Use identification tools like Trove regularly — the pattern recognition you build from repeated use is one of your most valuable assets as a reseller.
Using Trove to Source Smarter
When you are out sourcing — walking through a charity shop, browsing a car boot, previewing an auction — speed matters. You cannot spend twenty minutes researching every item. Trove lets you snap a photo and get an instant identification and value estimate, so you can make quick, informed decisions about what to buy.
This is particularly valuable for categories you are still learning. If you specialise in ceramics but spot an interesting piece of glass or jewellery, the app gives you enough information to decide whether it is worth the risk — without having to be an expert in every category.
