Yesterday we discussed, in detail, the secretive world of eBay’s Mature Adult (AKA “M.A.”) category so if you read that blog post and if you still think you want to try this venture, today I am going to tell you how to get inventory.

As mentioned yesterday, quality doesn’t matter because you are selling to people with fetishes, meaning the person buying the used shoes doesn’t plan to ever wear them in public (I hope you catch my drift here. If you are super confused by what I am saying you should probably avoid the MA category. No offense. I just want to spare you from falling into a world that will disturb you forever).

With that being said, you can aim for quantity, cheap and somewhat cute. Things that are generally a quick sell often include ruffles, lace, silk, pink, girly, leather / pleather, animal prints, straps (think BDSM-style), super soft materials and damaged (yes, damaged. Holes, rips, stains, severe signs of wear, etc). Although other colors, materials and styles also sell. Keeping that in mind, here’s ways to obtain your inventory:

Wholesale Store Returns- Since damage is overall fine (and often preferred), plus 25% - 50% of the time someone wore the item already (which is what the fetish buyer WANTS), this is a win-win for you and the buyer.

Wholesale Salvage Clothing can also work. Just try to avoid mixed salvage because you don’t want to end up with a bunch of damaged home goods and electronics mixed in with a small percentage of womens / mens clothing.

Yard Sales / Garage Sales

Estate Sales

Thrift Stores

Craigslist - Personally, I find CL a little creepy these days but you can get entire trash bags filled with used clothing for $5 - $10. If you’re going to buy stuff on Craigs make sure you meet them at a public place and bring a friend with you. If you’re a female, bring a male friend… preferably a big, scary-looking one.

Dollar Store or Budget Stores - You can usually find tank tops and / or underwear for $0.50 - $1 per piece. However, this is a fairly common way for people to obtain inventory so you may have to “customize” the items so they stand out and you can command a higher pricepoint than the other sellers with the same items.

Wholesale SETS- The trick here is to aim for sets, for example, here at BigBrandWholesale.com we usually have many listings for sets available:

As you will see, if you divide the sets shown above and sell by the piece you are paying an average of $1.50 per item AND you are getting a nice, designer item made of good quality materials. I know, you’re currently thinking “You just said quality doesn’t matter, now you’re saying I should pay more for quality?!” - you have such a good memory! Here’s the thing; if the items cost for crappy material is $1 and the items cost for silky-smooth, stretchy material is $1.50, then it’s a no-brainer to pay the extra fifty cents and get the soft item because as I also mentioned earlier, silky, soft, lace, etc is a solid seller.

Facebook Marketplace - Be sure to follow the same safety guidelines as Craigslist

Consignment Shops - This is really hit-or-miss but worth checking out if it’s local

Your Closet - I know you have all those items (just like I do) that we never wear. 

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