Best Profitable Products to Sell Online in 2023: 12 Categories to Look For
Are you looking to start an online business and make money selling products in 2023? You’re in luck! With the ever-growing popularity of online marketplaces like eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, and more, it has never been easier for entrepreneurs and resellers alike to get started.
But how do you know what to buy to resell for a profit? What are the best products to sell in 2023? What tactics will help you find items that maximize your profits while minimizing your cost of goods?
In this article, we’ll explore profitable products to sell online that can be found at thrift stores, yard sales, discount stores, and even regular retail stores.
Note: This post is sponsored by Vendoo (my favorite reselling tool!) and contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are mine, and I only work with companies I genuinely recommend.
12 Best Products to Sell Online in 2023
Men’s Clothing
While women are generally bigger shoppers than men, men’s clothing tends to be overlooked when it comes to reselling. Go to any thrift store and you’ll see the women’s section is picked through, but if you know what you’re looking for, you can usually find a few good items in the men’s section.
Bonus: In my experience, men tend to return items less than women so there’s a chance you’ll get less returns for fit on these items.
Shoes (for everyone!)
While clothing can be difficult to buy online because fit differs, shoes are much easier as fit tends to be more universal and they are in high demand. Shoes can also be pretty expensive, depending on the brand and style, so people will be looking to save on shoes by buying them secondhand or at a discount through the various reselling marketplaces.
Although most people think the only way to make good money selling shoes is to find rare, highly sought after pairs that sell for hundreds or thousands, but that’s not true. There are plenty of sellers who sell shoes exclusively and make a good income buying them at $8-$15 a pair and selling for $30-$50 a pair. Keep in mind these are less risky and more people are able to afford this price range.
Kitchen Appliances
Everyone wants the newest mixer, instant pot, etc. so kitchen appliances and gadgets are a great item to buy used to resell. This is for a few reasons. For one, many people tend to buy these types of items and forget about them or only use them a couple of times before they donate them or sell them at a yard sale. Second, many people who want these items love to buy them secondhand because they’re easy to find in good condition and can save them a lot of money.
Specialty Baby and Kids Products
Your run of the mill items you can find at Target or Walmart probably aren’t going to get you much profit. However, if you know what to look for in speciality baby and kids products, you can make a good profit! For example, high quality montesorri and waldorf wooden toys often sell for close to their retail price in good condition.
Similarly, there are highly sought after baby and kids brands that can fetch a good profit if you find them and can get them in front of their target audience. These brands tend to fluxuate with trends, but right now organic cotton and bamboo baby items are very popular and some brands can get you a decent profit.
Video Games & Consoles
It’s not that surprising that video games and consoles are a great item to resell in 2023. There’s no shortage of people looking for the latest and greatest games and consoles. One thing that’s important to note about video games is that a large majority of gamers are younger with less funds, so they will be looking for ways to save like buying items secondhand.
In addition, it can be profitable to keep an eye out for someone who is selling a whole bundle of games because they need the cash or are not longer into gaming.
Vintage Items
One thing you can almost always find at thrift stores or yard sales are vintage items. These can’t be bought in regular stores and there are definitely people either looking for something from their childhood, or simply people who enjoy an aesthetic from the past.
Not all vintage sells well and the trends are always changing, so it’s important to stay up to date with what people are looking for if you want to sell vintage. However, if you find something in good condition and know it has a market, you can often make a good profit reselling vintage items.
Collectible Toys
Now, this is not something I pretend to know much about personally, but I know that if you do have the right knowledge, you can make a good profit on collectible toys. This is because the market for these items is so niche and specific, which means potential customers looking to buy them are willing to pay a higher price to get exactly what they’re looking for.
Designer Handbags & Purses
We all know that designer handbags can be SO expensive so the secondhand market for this is very good. People are always looking for a good deal on designer items and there’s definitely money to be had if you can find them in good condition. The tricky thing here is finding quality inventory and being able to ensure that you’re buying authentic designer items.
Smart Home Technology
When we sold our last house, we took out all of our Ring doorbells and our smart lock and were able to sell them pretty quickly. This is because smart home technology always has a market, since there are so many people out there who want to upgrade their systems and get the latest tech. Doorbell cameras, smart locks, smart security systems, etc. are some of the best things to resell if you know what to look for and can educate yourself on how to test them to ensure they’re working properly.
Discontinued Beauty Products
While you don’t find these all the time, discontinued beauty and personal items can get you a really good profit! I personally have really good luck selling discontinued perfumes at a premium. Because people get used to a certain scent, when that disappears they’re willing to pay up for them to get it. I’ve sold close to a dozen perfumes for over $100 because of this! Even opened perfume bottles may sell for higher prices if it’s sought after enough.
Hiking & Camping Gear
Quality hiking and camping gear can be really pricey and people who are into outdoor activities have no problem paying more for pieces of gear that will last them. Items like tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, etc. can be a really good investment if you know what kinds sell well. Depending on what you find, they can be a bit bulky to ship, but it can be worth it if you’re bringing in $50-$100 in profit on just one item!
Sustainable Clothing Brands
Although clothing does generally well on reselling marketplaces, if you want to focus on making a decent profit, get to know sustainable clothing brands. A lot of these brands have a good following and people who are willing to pay a premium for something that wasn’t made in sweatshops and/or was made with sustainable materials.
How to find the most profitable items for YOUR business
Above I outlined 12 of the best product categories to sell online in 2023, but how do you figure out what sells best for your business? This is sponsored by Vendoo, my absolute favorite reselling tool. In fact, I’ve been using it since the day it launched years ago!
Vendoo can help you see which products are selling well for you when you check your analytics. You can see which categories you’re selling the most of along with which brands are selling best.
Click here to check out Vendoo today and get 25% off your first month
Final thoughts
There are so many different products out there that can be sold for a profit, it’s just about finding your niche and knowing what sells. The above items are just some potential ideas to get you started, but you should do your own research to find out which ones make the most sense for you and your business.
