You’re reading this because you came here from my “About” page and you want to know more about my reselling philosophy, or because you Googled “Reseller Ethics” to see if any resellers actually *have* ethics. I might be the only one, so let me tell about my code! I have been selling on Amazon, eBay, and Etsy for about 11 years and have been a six-figure seller for many of those. I am well-versed in and have done everything from wholesale to dropshipping to retail arbitrage and every other thing you can think of. I recently burned out on the straight-up retail arbitrage model and decided to use my skills to focus down and build a business I would actually enjoy doing.
That business is Scary Good, and because I already have the skills to resell, I do that for spooky season items. That does NOT make me a scumbug, and let me explain why.
At its core, reselling/ retail arbitrage is about buying and selling popular things. A cast iron cauldron goes viral on TikTok and everyone flocks to the store to buy it at $29.99 so they can throw it on Mercari or eBay for $129. Someone wants that item badly enough (and does not want to drive around all day looking for it), so they pay that inflated price.
1. I don’t price gouge. This policy actually makes me REALLY unpopular with other resellers, to the point where they try to exact their petty revenge on me. Case in point: you will no longer find me selling on Etsy despite my stellar track record, because another seller objected to me selling this viral coffin baking pan for an actual reasonable price.
I’m serious. Reselling/ retail arbitrage can be a super scary and dangerous job! I personally sell online because I like getting out of the house and it’s a good way to get exercise and break up my day, plus I love the products.
2. I take great pride in my packaging. If you’ve bought anything from me over on Etsy or eBay, you’ll know that my breakables come double-boxed with a ton of padding, a personal note, and a free gift. I want my customers to be super thrilled to get packages from me and to come back and buy more things from me in the future.
3. I ship fast. If you’ve ever ordered something from me you know this to be true.
4. I don’t call ahead. Maybe I’m old-school, but I think you find whatever you’re meant to find. If I’m on the lookout for something (for myself or someone else), I am so thrilled when I find it. If not, it wasn’t meant to be. That way you get the thrill of the hunt when you’re out looking.
5. I don’t swarm. I don’t wait at the door when the store opens. I don’t run in a crowd of joyless people to buy things like Stanley cups. Doing these types of things takes all the joy out of reselling for me.
6. I don’t buy every single unit, even of a viral item.