What is An Online Reseller -- A Defined Take on What It Means

Whenever I hear someone ask "What is an online reseller" my immediate thoughts are someone who has probably failed in a lot of areas. Because honestly, when it comes to online reselling, you're going to fail.

Repeatedly...

Not to say this discourage anyone from jumping into the field themselves. Being an online reseller has been probably the best career move I ever made, and not just in terms of dollars.

You see, when we ask what is an online reseller, what we really are asking is what does it mean to have complete control of a business in a field that allows you to work from home and control your own destiny. Which is why I want to share my own take on the field.

Without further ado then, I present my following list of what an online reseller is, at least according to my take. I speak only from experience and am in way an expert, but do know a thing or two when it comes to flipping used stuff on the Web.

1. Scavenger

First and foremost, someone who resells stuff online will always be at heart a scavenger. I say this not because we are vultures sneaking up on your goodwill trying to profit off your own mistakes, but because we generally view used items as gold worth sharing with the world.

And when we're out in the field, trying to figure out how to flip those used sandals that might be an Armani exclusive, we're basically scavenging for the left over treasures that everyone else seems to think is junk.

Which is why in many ways, we are the last saviors of capitalism, in that instead of throwing something that might have value in the trash, we actually outperform the life of that item by finding revalue on it thru online marketplaces.

This is esecpially true for all my eBay and Etsy sellers of the world out there who are trying to find the most unique and one of a kind item to sell on the internet.

2. Entrepreneur

Before I get too far into my own digression on what it means to be a reseller, let's get to the heart of the matter. Selling online is always going to be an entrepreneur embarkment. And what exactly does that entail?

At it's heart, an entrepreneur is someone who sells something for profit. And when we talk about profits, we talk about maximizing the potential value of an item so that we can get a nice return on investment and hopefully survive in what is one of the toughest marks to crack.

Because let's face it, everyone and their brother are selling online today. And with any good entrepreneurial endeavor, what would a market be without competition?

And just because someone may scoff when I tell them I sell used guitar hoodies online, I always like to be the one reminding them that I own my own business. Tell that to you're Office Space clone of a boss!

3. Independent

Last but not least, an online reseller will always in their heart be independent, mainly because that is why we got into this business in the first place.

I know from my own experience that when I wake up at 12 in the afternoon and go to work in my stained Adidas boxers and socks from last night that I have to bow down to no one. Because face it, if you're not in business for yourself, you're someone's employee.

And not to make fun of anyone who works a 9-5 to barely survive, but face it. Not everyone is cut out to work for someone else. Those who are truly adventurous of spirit and willing to go the extra mile to make an income on their own time and dime are always going to be the ones who end up creating their own time slip, if not timeclock.

Which is why rock, if you ask me!


In Conclusion...

To be quite honest, I could go on and on about what it actually means to be an online reseller. But if you're the one asking this question, you probably should be spending less time reading this definition and more time out in the field getting some more reps thrifting and hauling all that glorious treasure waiting to be found.

So let me ask you, what's stopping you?