12 Best Products to Resell for Profit in the UK?
2021 saw the UK’s consumer goods market bounce right from its lowest point to its highest in the last decade. Consumer goods resale in Great Britain moved from -16.7% in 2020 straight up to 24.1% in 2021.
Before 2021, the highest it had been was 18.9% in 2019. That’s nothing short of remarkable, considering sales had superbly dipped just the year before.
2020 was a difficult time for people who resell products in the UK and other parts of Europe. However, now things are slowly going back to normal, and people are back to visiting online eCommerce stores for their needs.
But, which products are currently the best to resell in the UK? We’ll get to them shortly.
What Type of Products Can You Resell in the UK
The best way to make money reselling products in the UK is by identifying items that’ll sell fast. You need to determine which goods are valuable and your customers are likely to buy quickly. Then, once you know which items fit the bill, make your move quickly and take opportunities.
If you’re unsure of which products to resell in the UK, check out our suggestions below.
- Furniture
Furniture is one of the best items you can hope to resell in the UK. In fact, flipping furniture is a full-time business for many people. There’s always a ready supply of stock as artisans in the UK always put out new creative designs. So, you can purchase some of the home items they put out. You can also get supplies from large retail stores during clearance sales.
Good quality furniture can last for decades, whether it’s wood, metal, or upholstery material. So, you can keep them for as long as it takes to find a suitable buyer. But then again, it never takes long before interested buyers come along to pick up the furniture.
Wood furniture particularly tends to last longer and attract better value. Although, while it’s not a necessity, you may need to do some retouching to make wooden furniture look presentable — especially if it’s been in stock for a long time. Sanding and staining wooden furniture is always an excellent way to maximise the product’s resale value.
- Exercise Equipment
Sports and exercise equipment is another set of items people prefer to buy from resellers in the UK. The average fitness enthusiast won’t mind getting a home gym set from resale at a slightly higher price than directly from the manufacturers — as long as you tick boxes like simple delivery and installation.
Sets like exercise bikes, treadmills, and other fitness equipment are bulky. So, most times, interested buyers will prefer to get them from the nearest sellers if they get to save money on delivery. So, you can take advantage of that by providing fitness products at affordable delivery rates.
You can always make good money selling bikes, skis, and skateboards. Buyers are always looking to get these items for a bargain on resale, so you can quickly flip them for profit.
- Sports Memorabilia
The high population of sports fans in the UK is no secret. Approximately, 40.7% of adult males and 31.7% of female adults in the UK participate in sports every week. Considering the population of the UK, those stats represent millions of people, not counting teenagers.
Being a big-time sports fans, UK citizens also love their sports memorabilia. Items like cards, ticket stubs, jerseys, shirts, bobbleheads, vintage hats, and winners’ medals are all priced items that can fetch a good bargain.
People will purchase them as gifts for others or add them to their collection. Needless to say, you can make money reselling these products in a favourable market.
Then again, the UK culture prioritises safety during sports and recreational activities. So, many sports enthusiasts invest in safety materials. That’s why sports safety gears are also some of the best reselling products in the UK in 2022.
- Power Tools and Garage Items
Power tools and other garage items are never out of demand, and there’s always a steady supply. So, you won’t have any issues making sales if you resell these products in the UK. Stock items will also be readily available to cater to your customers’ needs.
Buyers are always attracted to name-brand items. You can get good value in name-brand tools, and they’ll also be easier to sell. A shrewd reseller can always sell these branded tools faster and at higher prices than generic power tool products in the UK.
- Musical Instruments
Musical instruments are another set of items that sell out quickly on resale. There are always endless supplies of musical products that you can resell in the UK. In addition, instruments like guitars, drumsets, and keyboards are often in high demand as kids and adults pick up or rediscover hobbies.
The niche is quite lucrative. After, several known businesses around you likely specialise in flipping musical instruments. So, there’s already an established niche and market for your reselling business.
Plus, you can make a massive profit if you get your hands on some antique instruments. For example, say you acquire a musical item that once belonged to a widely recognised legendary musician. A musical instrument like this is likely to sell for a price higher than the average.
- Appliances
Appliances (mainly old ones) are usually big, bulky, and heavy, making them difficult to carry. That’s why most people would rather have the seller deliver it directly to their doorsteps. That’s where you get to swoop in to take care of the big bulky problem. You can make thousands of pounds as an appliance reseller when you also bear the responsibility for picking up and delivering the item to the buyer.
Regardless of the size, people will buy home appliances because they make chores easier to do and life more comfortable. However, they may not be willing to purchase products from particular brands — especially when home appliances from that brand come with a higher price tag.
You can take full advantage by reselling cheaper alternatives to target that section of the appliance market. Look for more affordable/friendlier models with as much efficiency as the expensive types.
It’s important to take extra care when buying appliances for resale. You don’t want to fall victim to a scam or purchase a defective machine. It’ll be challenging to get it off your hands once you buy it. And, if you do manage to sell it to a consumer, it may negatively affect your reputation as the buyer can leave a negative online review for your products. The best way to avoid this is to get your supplies straight from manufacturer-accredited sources.
- Limited Edition Fashion Items
The fashion industry is enormous, with several players and many different niches you can make your own. Fashion items are some of the most common products you’ll find on resale in the UK and even the rest of the world. People are constantly looking to try new fashion items, hop on trends and turn out in nice threads.
Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of businesses that resell fashion products in the UK. That’s because it’s a lucrative venture – people are constantly buying clothes.
Limited edition designs are some of the best products to resell in the UK. They’re particularly lucrative as they attract relatively high demand. Many premium brand manufacturers intentionally don’t produce enough items to match the demand. This strategy creates scarcity, hence more demand. Top brands like the Air Jordan resale market thrive on this idea.
- Name Brand Clothing and Shoes
Similar to limited edition wear, name-brand fashion items also attract a high volume of interest. There’s always a mass desire to capture a trendy look and wear fashion merch belonging to famous brands. This desire provides an opportunity for you to profit by reselling fashion items from popular brands.
Reselling top products from premium brands enables you to piggyback on the brand’s popularity and tap into an existing market base. Essentially, you don’t need to compete with the big brands or try to build a customer following.
The good news is there’s space for everyone in this niche as long as you can get your hands on the good stuff. Of course, you may need substantial capital to set up. But, there’s plenty of profit in it. Flipping fashion items can be super lucrative if you crack how to buy and resell them in the UK.
But it can also be time and be labour intensive. In addition, you’ll need to invest effort into sourcing, listing, and delivering the items. So, you should prepare yourself accordingly.
- Books
Books are some of the most popular commodities on resale across the UK. Despite the ungrounded opinion that people no longer go around with hardcopy books, the book industry keeps thriving.
You can resell individual books, textbooks, hard-cover books, fiction and non-fiction novels, and any other book-related product in the UK. Old texts, classics, and special edition books are the biggest money earners. School textbooks are also profitable, especially during school sessions.
- Vehicles
People will continue to buy vehicles until the day comes when they run out of relevance. Collectors will often purchase classic designs, and commuters will procure cars for personal transportation. Bolt and Uber drivers will also buy vehicles for their business needs. Regardless of the reasons, you can be sure residents in the UK are always looking to buy vehicles on resale.
Many vehicle brands are battling for supremacy out there. So, they’re always trying to outdo each other by consistently putting out new attractive vehicle models. Finding vehicles to sell wouldn’t be difficult. But then again, it may be a bit tricky to find specific models.
Antique and classic vehicle designs are especially difficult to find. However, you can still make a good profit from reselling regular cars. And you can always make more profit if you get your hands on the scarce models.
- Electronics, Phones, and Computers
Some will argue that tech items are the best products to resell in the UK. However, not all gadgets have equal design or value. Models from premium brands are often in higher demand. Consequently, they retain their value and sell more.
This means you’ll have more demand for products from popular brands like Apple, Samsung, Huawei, and Sony.
That doesn’t mean you can’t resell products from other brands in the UK. People with peculiar interests may purchase less known brand items. You can also play on the average customer’s desire to save money by marketing less popular gadgets to them.
While the biggest sellers are smartphones and PCs, you can also profit from reselling electronics. Game consoles, Playstation, Xbox, VR sets, monitor screens, and computer peripheral devices are all big sellers in the tech market.
- Jewellery
Jewellery pieces sell fast in the UK. Ornamental items and fashion accessories sell as quickly as clothing in the UK. So, you can make a good amount of money getting and reselling diamonds, necklaces, watches, and rings.
Jewellery pieces are abundant in several jewellery stores. So you can expect some stiff competition. However, you can carve out a space for your business in the niche by selling top-quality accessories. And, with great marketing strategies, you’ll get to flip them for a far higher price than you initially got them.
How To Choose Products to Resell
When choosing products to resell in the UK, it’s easier to go for any of the commodities we’ve discussed above. However, some products will sell better than others, depending on the market you dive into.
Below are some pointers to help you determine which products resell fast and bring maximum profit.
Find Products People Need
The items that sell most are what people need. ‘Needs’ are essentials that buyers will always purchase regardless of the economic condition — as long as it suffices for the situation. Need commodities are the safest to sell without worrying about the market drying up.
By selling goods that people need, you’ll be providing a solution to problems. Unfortunately, that means you’ll probably have to deal with massive competition. That may be a discouraging factor for a newcomer. Nonetheless, reselling a product people genuinely need can fetch you reasonable profits.
Find Products People Want
People’s wants are different from people’s needs. You may want something, but you may not need the item. Nonetheless, you’ll still buy the thing anyway, even though it’s not a necessity. Such is the nature of humans, and you can leverage that to make money reselling “luxury” items.
You can leverage digital marketing tools to identify some of the biggest sellers in this category. You only need to determine what products in this group resell best in the UK. An excellent example of such products are commodities that fulfil guilty pleasures for people.
Sell Things That Interest You
Marketing is easier when you’re selling a product that holds your interest. You’ll always be eager to talk about it with a prospective buyer. You also won’t have any qualms showing the product to anyone and going to great lengths to convince them to buy it. Genuine interest is a market game-changer.
Interestingly, interest can be infectious. The excitement level you display regarding a product may intrigue a buyer and tempt them to buy it. Then again, passion will give you extra motivation to push through when sales aren’t going very well. If you’re emotionally invested in a product, you’ll be able to deliver its value to the market better.
Sell Products With Branding Potential
Once you’ve identified products that can satisfy the buyer’s wants and needs, the next thing is to ascertain the product’s branding potential. This point sounds a bit like a secondary factor when choosing resale products. However, you should be able to create a unique resale brand off the products you’re selling.
A unique brand identity can help you stand out in the highly competitive UK retail market. So put in the time to research specific products you’ll like people to identify with your reseller business. Then, invest yourself in branding the business to the best of your capability. This way, every time people need that particular product, they know they can easily get it with you.
Sell Trending Items
Trending items sell fast. There’s always a huge demand for commodities that are in vogue. Therefore, you should always look out for emerging markets and carve out a spot for your business. Stay up-to-date on current trending products to take full advantage of the opportunities they offer.
But it’s not enough to simply hop on trends; you need to get on them early. You don’t want to start selling trendy items after they’ve passed their peak popularity period. Nonetheless, you can be sure that people will always try to follow the trend as long as it’s still the ‘in’ thing. So, reselling trending items can give your business a considerable upside.
Sell Products That Have Global Appeal
While your target market may be the UK, you should invest more in products that appeal to a global audience. The UK is full of different individuals with different cultural backgrounds, and you can’t possibly satisfy them all. So, selling a product with an international appeal will help you reach a wider audience.
Then again, if you can identify a product that’s in short supply in one location, you can easily take advantage of the scarcity. In that case, you can appeal to a local market by making the scarce commodity easily accessible to the local market.
Why You Should Consider Going Into Product Reselling in the UK
The 2020 pandemic devastated many sectors of the world’s economy. The consumer products resale sector was one of the numerous casualties of the COVID-19 rampage. People were afraid of a lot of things at the time. So, you wouldn’t expect anyone to be trying to flip items for a profit at the time. The year was one of the lowest points in the history of the modern business world.
However, how the sector bounced back the following year shows just how resilient it is. The reseller market in the UK effectively proved that it’s not only lucrative; it’ll always survive. So you can always count on the retail market to hold firm. In fact, there’s no better time to resell products in the UK than now.
Find Your UK Reselling Niche
It doesn’t matter if you’re a full-time into products resale or you’re simply looking to resell some items to make quick cash. You’re sure to find a market for your commodity if you know where to look. And with the advent of eCommerce websites, it’s never been easier to make a profit reselling consumer goods.
But we understand that deciding which products to sell may be somewhat tricky. All the commodities and niches seem lucrative, but you can’t trade in all of them. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the top products to resell in the UK.
It’s all part of the work we do at CrepChiefNotify, a brand looking to redefine the reselling market in the UK. Join our subscription list to be the first to know what product to buy and the best time to sell it.