With the US finally back open for travel, there are simple tricks to take advantage of to pay for your trip and have fun at the same time.
The first step is to fly to the US with a suitcase either entirely full of items to sell or at least half full. Then, you return Stateside with American goods to flog to Britons – you can skip this entirely and buy a cheap suitcase in the US to fill, but check baggage costs and the profit margin is a little more squeezed.
It amazes me how many people will book a shopping weekend to New York, but not think about how to return to Britain with unique and in-demand items that will be snapped up for at least triple the outlay.
As an LA native, I split half my time in England – Hertfordshire and Lancashire – and perform this trick every time to at least cover my flight cost, but more often than not make a profit.
The big winner is clothes. When you bring them back to the UK, they become unique and people like to try to be individuals.
Let’s say you come back with 30 t-shirts that you’ve paid a dollar apiece for. These could be a mix of band, locations, ones with US sports emblazoned on them which are bang on trend, US apparel clothing and whatever known brands you can get your mitts on easily at a flea market, thrift store, garage sale or even Facebook Marketplace.
Now say you can sell 25 of them for £8 to £10 a pop and you manage to unearth five that you can list for a bit more, say £15 – Depop and Vinted are good options for this. You’re looking at a £325 return, minus the small outlay and listing costs. Believe me, it is easily done.
Here is some inspiration: I was in a US thrift store recently, and I snapped up five band tees with tour years and locations for a grand total of $25. The Queen, Van Halen and ZZ Top tops were collectors’ items and I sold them for… $1,800, a couple in the UK and a couple in the US. An extreme example – but there is gold to be found, even in thrift shops.
When you list the clothes in the UK, you can say that they’re from the US and are unlikely to be found anywhere else. It ramps up the price. It’s not just clothing either...
Any kind of American memorabilia can be a winner, especially if it is a genre you have an interest and expertise in and can easily fit in your case. Think posters, sports cards and American icons, like Disney and Star Wars mementos.
I’m surprised more travellers don’t take advantage of this. You can pay for a holiday pretty quickly with resale and not just in the US. All you have to do is take a little time out to find the best second hand shops and sellers, and take the plunge.
On the flip side of this, when you enter the States, take items with you to enhance profits – think Royal memorabilia, items from the Second World War and football shirts of big teams. Funny enough, my biggest profit items have been 'UK Pressings' of Beatles vinyl records and other quintessential British rock bands. Regular vinyl records for you, but a rare and unique version to us Yanks!
Believe me, Americans love buying British goods, and vice versa. You can even use Facebook Marketplace to facilitate the sale quicker, and list it while bored on the flight across the Pond on the free airline wi-fi, setting your address as the accommodation you’re staying in.
My full-time job is resale and I have turned over £2million-plus items in the last decade.
To discover hundreds of tips to become a resale king or queen, pick up a copy of Never Go Broke: How To Make Money Out Of Just About Anything (£9.99, Cassell).
