4 Pieces of Gear That Will Instantly Protect Your Reseller Margins
My partner tripped over a mountain of pink polymailers in our hallway again this morning. He called it an occupational hazard. I reminded him that those plastic bags are the only thing standing between us and the crushing reality of USPS retail packaging prices.
If you are figuring out how to start selling clothes, calculating your profit is the first hurdle. If you are already running your numbers through the ResellerFees Calculator to figure out exactly how much Depop is taking from your soul this week, you are halfway there. But knowing your true margins doesn't matter if you immediately lose that money to expensive printer ink and overpriced tape.
Treating your cross-listing habit like a business means having the right gear. Here is the exact setup that keeps my death pile moving and my cost-per-shipment firmly in the pennies.
Stop buying printer ink. Seriously.
I used to print shipping labels on standard printer paper, cut them out with kitchen scissors, and tape them directly over the barcode. I am a marketing professional in my thirties.
Eventually, you have to upgrade. If you are asking yourself, "is a thermal printer worth it?" the answer is a resounding yes. Because if you're wondering, "do thermal printers require ink?"—they don't. They use heat instead of ink, which means you never have to buy a $40 ink cartridge again.
When looking for the best thermal printer for shipping labels, the debate is usually Rollo vs Munbyn (skip the DYMO—their newer models require you to buy their proprietary, overpriced labels just to function).
The Rollo Thermal Printer is the gold standard and easily the best thermal printer for home use. It takes cheap, generic third-party labels that you can buy in bulk online, prints a label a second, and integrates perfectly with anywhere you sell, making it the best thermal printer for eBay, Poshmark, and Depop. The money you save on packing tape alone pays for the machine.
If you have the budget, spring for the Rollo Wireless Printer (X1040). Being able to tap "print" directly from the Depop or Poshmark app on your phone without ever booting up your laptop is a massive quality-of-life upgrade. Otherwise, the classic Rollo USB version will serve you perfectly well.
If you are on a strict budget and just trying to get your death pile moving, check out the Munbyn or Phomemo thermal printers. They operate exactly the same way—freeing you from the ink cartridge cartel—but usually run a bit cheaper for beginners.
- Upgrade to the Rollo Wireless (and print straight from your phone)
- Grab the classic Rollo USB (the absolute reseller workhorse)
- Save your margins with the budget-friendly Munbyn
- Keep your startup costs rock-bottom with the Phomemo
- Never buy printer ink again: Generic Thermal Labels (500-pack)
Never guess the shipping weight.
Guessing the weight of a vintage wool coat is a massive financial gamble. If you guess too low, your buyer gets hit with postage due at their door, which guarantees a one-star review. If you guess too high, you overpay for the label and eat your own margin.
You need the Accuteck Digital Postal Scale, specifically the model with the detached display. It is arguably the best shipping scale for small business operations and the absolute best scale for shipping from home.
When you put an oversized boot box on a standard scale, the box completely covers the screen. You end up lifting the edge of the box and doing a weird squat just to read the weight. The Accuteck has an extended cord with a separate digital display. It sounds like a minor detail until you are packing a massive bundle at midnight.
Drop your packaging costs to pennies.
New resellers often search for where to buy poly mailers in store. Do not do it! Buying a single padded mailer at the post office costs around $2.50. If your net profit on a vintage tee is $8, you just handed a third of it back to the federal government for a piece of plastic.
You need to buy the best poly mailers for clothes in bulk online. The 10x13 inch Poly Mailer is the absolute sweet spot. They perfectly fit jeans, sweaters, and t-shirts. They are waterproof, they don't tear, and when you buy them in a pack of 200, the cost drops to about ten cents per shipment.
(Yes, you will have to find a place to store 200 poly mailers in your apartment. Consider it modern decor.)
Photos that actually sell your death pile.
If you are trying to figure out how to take good pictures of clothes to sell, you do not need an expensive DSLR camera. If you want to know how to take pictures of clothes to sell with iPhone (or any smartphone), your phone camera is perfectly fine. What you do need is honest lighting.
Here is a hard truth about sourcing at the bins. Nine out of ten vintage silk blouses have a phantom pit stain. Under the harsh fluorescent lights of the Goodwill Outlet, a shirt looks flawless. Then you get it home, put it under a cheap desk lamp, and miss the decades-old oxidized aluminum baked into the fabric. The buyer won't miss it.
While a lot of beginners start with a ring light, they quickly realize it leaves a blinding, harsh circular glare on anything slightly shiny, like leather boots, jackets, or items in polybags. You need a Softbox Lighting Kit. Softboxes diffuse the bulb, perfectly mimicking crisp natural daylight even if you are photographing a bundle in your living room at midnight.
Plus, if you are researching how to take pictures of clothes to sell without mannequin, a basic two-pack of softboxes is the ultimate hack for stunning flat lays. It eliminates heavy shadows, makes your photos look incredibly professional, and teaches you exactly how to take pictures of clothes to sell online without accidentally hiding a flaw.
Run your numbers.
Having the right gear keeps your costs down, but your pricing strategy still has to make sense. Stop guessing your margins and losing money to buyer sales taxes and hidden platform fees.
Drop your exact numbers into ResellerFees before you list that heavy jacket.
(Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, ResellerFees may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page. We only recommend gear that actually keeps your margins intact.)
Calculate your profit, print that thermal label, and drop it at the post office before you accidentally decide to keep the vintage Levi's for yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a thermal printer worth it for resellers? Yes, absolutely. If you are wondering how to start selling clothes profitably, cutting overhead costs is essential. Because you never have to buy expensive ink cartridges or packing tape to cover paper labels, a thermal printer pays for itself very quickly.
Do thermal printers require ink? No, thermal printers do not require ink. They use heat to activate chemicals on specially treated thermal labels to create the text and barcodes. This makes them incredibly cost-effective for home businesses.
What is the best thermal printer for shipping labels? When comparing top brands like Rollo vs Munbyn, the Rollo Thermal Printer is widely considered the best thermal printer for home use and the best thermal printer for eBay, Depop, and Poshmark. However, if you are on a strict budget, Munbyn offers a highly reliable, cheaper alternative for beginners.
Where is the best place to buy poly mailers? Many beginners search for where to buy poly mailers in store, but buying retail (like at the post office) destroys your profit margins. The best poly mailers for clothes are 10x13 inch bags bought in bulk online, which drops your cost down to mere pennies per shipment.
What is the best scale for shipping from home? The best shipping scale for small business operations is the Accuteck Digital Postal Scale. It features a detached digital display on an extended cord, meaning oversized boxes won't block the screen when you are trying to read the weight.
How do I take pictures of clothes to sell without a mannequin? You don't need a mannequin to take professional photos. Learning how to take pictures of clothes to sell without a mannequin usually involves doing "flat lays" on a clean surface. To get the best results, use a softbox lighting kit to mimic natural daylight and eliminate harsh shadows. You can easily learn how to take pictures of clothes to sell with iPhone or any modern smartphone as long as your lighting is right!