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For over three years, Maggie Nett has served as a digital marketing specialist for University Marketing and Communications at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. In that role, she assists with enrollment management by creating email marketing campaigns for prospective, incoming and current students.

When not busy promoting UWO, she spends her free time running her own online resale business.

Nett’s resale journey began in 2018 with an abundance of unwanted clothes that she was looking to get rid of. She knew that the items still had value, but was having trouble selling them at retail resale shops.

That’s when she turned to Poshmark, a marketplace platform for buying and selling clothes and home goods.

UWO’s Maggie Nett with her resale items

“I knew they were worth something, so I didn’t want to just donate them. I researched ways to sell clothes on my own and came across Poshmark. I’d never heard of it before, but I was intrigued, so I created an account and posted my items,” Nett said.

Nett discovered a whole community of resellers on Poshmark and other online platforms that make money reselling clothes. She soon found herself learning as much as she could about how to effectively resell items online.

She has since sold more than 3,000 items on various platforms.

“I mainly source my items from thrift stores in person, but also enjoy sourcing items from online. To get the items ready to be listed, I first have to steam the clothes or wash the shoes to get them photo ready, photograph the items and then inventory them,” she said. “I list one to three new items a day, which also takes time to research the style and price I should list something at.”

Successfully reselling items is more time consuming and difficult than it may seem. Nett has spent an extensive amount of time researching brands and trends, as well as what other sellers are offering. Even after four years, she said there’s still some trial and error involved.

“Trends are always changing, so it’s important to know what the next up-and-coming styles are. I also think it’s important to sell items that bring me joy, and not just pick up items based on brand. Some resellers focus solely on vintage items or only sell items based on a specific style. That’s what is so great about reselling–it’s all up to you for what you want to sell,” she said.

Maggie Nett ’14

However, for the 2014 marketing graduate and Fond du Lac native, reselling isn’t just about the extra income.

“I’m very passionate about buying secondhand for sustainability reasons. The fast-fashion industry is incredibly destructive to the environment, and it creates so much waste. Thrift stores often throw away items that don’t sell or send them to other stores to be sold by the pound as a last chance. Resellers are another great avenue for items to be given a second chance.”

“I’m also passionate about sharing my love of thrifted clothes, accessories, shoes and even household décor and furniture with others–and educating about how shopping secondhand can lower environmental impact,” she said.

As a woman-owned business, Nett feels proud of what she’s accomplished so far and encourages others to give resale a try if they have an interest.

“Anyone can get into reselling as a hobby or side hustle, and I encourage you to try it, even if it’s listing unused household items or clothing on Facebook Marketplace. Any time an item can get a second life before being thrown in the trash is a win in my book,” she said. “Cyclical fashion is sustainable. Thrifting is a great way to get unique items at a great price, and knowing I can bring in extra income for my future doing something I love brings me so much joy.”

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