1. Quiz
  2. Your result
  3. Your plan
  4. Your guide

Step-by-step guide

Selling second-hand clothes from bales: your step-by-step start

Buy graded bales of second-hand clothes from wholesalers, sort, wash and price them, and sell from home, a stall, a WhatsApp group or Facebook.

  • 21 lessons
  • 5 modules
  • About 1 hour
  • First lesson free

Is this guide for you?

Good fit if

  • People with some savings to risk, space to sort clothes and a good sense of what sells in their area.

Think twice if

  • You have no way to get to customers or move your kit.
  • You cannot put about R1 500 into getting started.

Honest expectations

  • First income usually takes about 14 days.
  • Part time, most people earn a modest top-up from this. Treat bigger numbers you see online with care.
  • The main risk to plan for: poor bales with many damaged items: buy a small bale first and inspect a sample if you can.

What is inside

  1. Module 1

    Is this right for you?

    What it involves, who pays, and honest expectations.

    1. How selling second-hand clothes from bales worksFree · 5 min
    2. Honest expectations4 min (in the full guide)
  2. Module 2

    Set up and price

    What you need and what to charge.

    1. Your startup kit, costs and skills5 min (in the full guide)
    2. Pricing and getting paid5 min (in the full guide)
    3. Your numbers: a worked example in rands5 min (in the full guide)
  3. Module 3

    Your first week

    The first steps, in order.

    1. Your first week, step by step6 min (in the full guide)
    2. Week one, step 2: Decide your selling day and place3 min (in the full guide)
    3. Week one, step 3: Plan your price bands (for example R20, R50, R100) before the bale arrives3 min (in the full guide)
    4. Week one, step 4: Set up a WhatsApp Business catalogue for your best pieces3 min (in the full guide)
    5. Finding your first customers: who to message5 min (in the full guide)
    6. Messages to copy: your first customers5 min (in the full guide)
  4. Module 4

    Your first month

    A routine that brings in customers.

    1. Your first 30 days: build a routine4 min (in the full guide)
    2. Month one, task 1: Open, sort, wash and price your first bale3 min (in the full guide)
    3. Month one, task 2: Post the best pieces on WhatsApp status the day before your selling day3 min (in the full guide)
    4. Month one, task 3: Record what sold and what did not3 min (in the full guide)
  5. Module 5

    Months two and three

    Repeat what works, grow and stay safe.

    1. Days 31 to 90: repeat what works and grow4 min (in the full guide)
    2. Months two and three, task 1: Buy only the grades and categories that sold3 min (in the full guide)
    3. Months two and three, task 2: Sell the best items on Yaga or Marketplace at higher prices3 min (in the full guide)
    4. Months two and three, task 3: Plan stock around seasons (winter jackets, school holidays)3 min (in the full guide)
    5. Getting paid safely and spotting scams4 min (in the full guide)
    6. Risks, rules, tax and staying safe5 min (in the full guide)

What it costs to start

R1 500 to R6 000 to get started, from our research

What you will use:

  • Clothes rail and hangers
  • Washing powder and pegs
  • Price tags
  • WhatsApp Business
  • Stock notebook

Prices change and differ by area, so check two places near you before you buy.

Try it before you buy

Lesson one is free. If it helps, the whole guide is R149 once-off.

Start the free lesson

Reviewed 24 October 2026 by the Earn Path team. Next review due 24 October 2027.