As a 29-year-old content creator who shares her thrift store hauls at @thestylesecondhand on TikTok, Kendall VanGilder is  part of a new generation of eBay store owners. She shares her curated selection of top brands and unique apparel with other Gen Z fashion lovers.

When Kendall realized that the profits from her eBay shop, Style Secondhand, could support her full-time, she left her 9-5 at a luxury activewear brand. Now, she owns her own business, selling internationally through the eBay International Shipping program, while enjoying a flexible lifestyle and envy-inducing wardrobe.

In her own words, here’s the story behind Kendall’s eBay shop:

From weekend thrifter to full-time reseller

My passion for fashion started when I began working in retail. I ended up working at a luxury activewear brand for five years, most recently as an assistant manager of operations.

I started thrifting with my husband for fun on the weekends, and I realized that I could find a lot of the labels that I love for way less, as well as some cool, one-of-a-kind pieces. I began to resell my finds on eBay in December of 2022 to make a little extra cash.

After just six months, I realized I could support myself from the profits I was making reselling. So I quit my job in April of 2023, and hit the ground running as a full-time eBay seller. And now I’m making just as much money, if not more, than I did at my retail job.  

Sharing her hauls and tips on TikTok

I started posting on TikTok (@thestylesecondhand) a few months after I started reselling because I wanted to share some of my best fashion finds with other people. I’d come home from the thrift store with my husband and we’d be giddy with excitement over the things that we were digging up. It was such an adrenaline rush and I had nobody to tell.

So I posted my first TikTok and began slowly sharing the great stuff I was uncovering, and that grew into sharing how to resell and best practices for selling on eBay. Now I have a ton of exposure and a whole community on TikTok that gets excited to see my hauls and has been learning from me. We've been on this journey together because they’ve been there from the beginning.

Thrifting with quality and profit in mind

Working at a high-end luxury activewear company has really given me an edge when searching for pieces at the thrift store, because I can feel an item and know right away whether it’s quality. I pay close attention to the fabric and the care label – is it silk, wool, linen? Often the more premium fabrics will increase your profits.

One of the coolest sales that I ever thrifted was a Philipp Plein designer studded leather jacket. It actually sold to an international customer, so I was able to use eBay International Shipping and ship it out with peace of mind knowing that eBay will handle any return that may arise from that sale. I also found and sold a two-tone colorblocked leather jacket by the brand Diesel.

Finding a flexible lifestyle in fashion

Reselling on eBay has impacted my life immensely. I’m now able to go home for the holidays. I have a flexible schedule, and I'm able to work when it works for me. That has been a huge change from a retail job where I had to be there nights, weekends, and holidays. It’s just given me a lot of flexibility back. Plus, I pretty much have my dream wardrobe at this point.

Reflecting on the future of fashion reselling

I see fashion reselling just continuing to grow in the future. With sustainability efforts and being able to find such fun and trendy clothing on eBay, I think that more and more people are going to be shopping secondhand. It's good for the environment and it's good for the wallet. So I plan to be part of it and to keep offering stylish pieces to my buyers at an affordable price.