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Finding Your Niche As A Reseller
Monday Holland, 27, found success on Depop after finding her niche: quality leather goods.
“After graduating in 2023, I found it really difficult to get a job, and nothing was working out. I thought about what I have some knowledge in, and I love thrifting, so I thought it might be a good fit. It took months of selling to make it profitable. But I’ve always tried to keep my prices reasonable, the quality of my items high, and my customer service skills fair.
Things really did not start working for me until I found what I was actually interested in and what I was good at.
I can spot good quality leather pieces pretty quickly and that’s what I’m best at. I also think learning how to fix up the stuff you’re interested in is a huge asset. As vintage sellers, we should know the importance of secondhand shopping. I think part of that is knowing how to revive something that is beautiful and old. Flaws do not make something trash, more often than not it can be fixed pretty easily. Even if it does take more work than you might expect, vintage goods beat the quality of new shit everyday of the week.
I focus on leather goods because I know they’re quality and were probably very expensive at some point.
I also worked at a cobbler for a short time and that taught me that you can give new life to leather and especially shoes and bottoms of shoes. I don’t think people (or I don’t expect people) to realize how much work I actually do on these pieces.
When I find things, they might have holes, or smell like they’ve been in the closet for 30 years, or are screaming for moisture. Some of the leather needs a condition so bad that it literally changes color when you moisturize it. I feel that when I wash, repair, and moisturize the things I get, I am giving them a new chance at another 25 or more years. When I find something I don’t need to fix u,p it’s definitely a treat. I do that stuff because I want the things I sell to be cherished and cared for for years to come.
Quality things should never end up in the landfill – you can have your shoes resoled instead of just throwing them away, you can repair something with leather glue.
I did not know this stuff until recently, either, and that’s why I add it to a lot of my descriptions just to show people there is another option.
I am not focused on the brands as much as the quality of the leather. If it’s really soft it is probably lamb leather (which is really sad in a way but it’s secondhand so I don’t feel as bad!). A lot of times the leather jackets have crazy brand names that I’ve never heard of but can date through the font (super 90s or 80s). I’m always visiting the men’s and women’s sections because there’s always great leather pieces in both that anyone can wear.
Recently I found this cropped zip up purple leather jacket with the brand WILDA. It was definitely in someone’s closet for awhile and exposed to the sun in a certain way where it has a light blue discoloration running down one sleeve. I thought about putting it back because I thought, “oh no one is going to want this cuz the discoloration” until I realized it’s actually really cool – I hope someone will love it when I post it this fall!
I try to focus on quality basics because you can wear them every day.
I find the best mix is something unexpected paired with a basic that grounds it, for example a traditional silhouette for a jacket that is in a purple color that I have never seen before. I love that leather boots have become an all year round closet staple. I really think they add some surprise to a summer outfit and elevate it significantly.
I only grab items that are real leather, I can’t stand the peeling that happens with fake leather. I can usually tell right away if it’s fake or not, and I would say the ratio is 80% fake leather to 20% real leather. I find some brands that use real leather outside and fake leather inside and it really bothers me. When they cut corners it feels like such a let down because y’all were so close but now these are unwearable and crumbling. Sometimes they only have about an inch of fake leather in a boot and if the rest is real leather, I will remove the crumbling vinyl. You can do this with sandpaper and dedication. It takes some time but at least someone’s going to wear them now instead of throwing them away.
I try to find items that meet current trend standards but don’t have to be new. I think that’s a great way to participate in trends if you want, without overconsuming.
I love that people are not looking for heavy jackets in the summer, so I can find some really great pieces. I secretly cannot wait for fall as I have been stockpiling all the leather goods. I think it is going to be a great sales period for me soon.
For cleaning the leather products, I use leather CPR (holy grail), saddle soap, horsehair brush, and leather glue.
Removing smells from leather goods can be tricky and can vary from piece to piece. For starters, I lay my jackets out in the sun first just for like 2 hours. Then I wash them with saddle soap and condition them with leather CPR. You can also steam the lining and add a splash of vinegar in there. Then I will lay them out one more time for the sun to do its thing.
I don’t think people often remember that cobblers exist.
I tell people constantly to take their boots and shoes to a cobbler. The bottoms of your shoes really take a beating, but luckily soles and heels can be replaced, the color can be returned, and the leather can look good as new. It might seem daunting or expensive but if you compare it to buying new shoes it’s definitely worth it.
For jackets I have had to find my own ways to repair. For suede jackets I recommend a suede brush because you can’t wash suede. Sometimes leather jackets have tiny knicks that you can repair with leather glue, but mostly they all just need a good conditioning with leather CPR.
I still do not make enough by reselling but minimum wage is $7.25 an hour here in Pennsylvania and I do better than that. I usually sell 10-20 items a week.”
Follow Monday on Depop @savingvintagefromlandfill
brown teal leather cowboy boots