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At a recent virtual Posh N Coffee event, we met Emma Panepucci, a traveling speech pathologist who makes extra money through reselling clothes, accessories, and other various items online. Like most resellers, Emma sources her inventory from thrift stores before cleaning and restoring them as needed and posting them for sale on platforms such as Poshmark and eBay.
She was kind enough to answer a few questions for us on what it’s like to source and resell from an RV, and hopefully to inspire other RVers who are interested in reselling while on the road.
Emma and her husband in front of their new 2020 Grand Design Imagine
1. What kind of RV/trailer do you have?
We previously lived/traveled in a 2012 Coachmen Freedom Express LTZ 246rks, but in February we upgraded to a 2020 Grand Design Imagine 2670mks.
2. Do you travel with family?
I travel with my husband of 5 years and our cat Noel.
3. How long have you been RVing?
We started working in travel healthcare (I’m a travel speech pathologist and my husband a travel physical therapist) in October 2018. We bought the Coachmen from a couple in my hometown that August and moved in and hit the road in early October.
4. How often do you travel in your RV?
Our travel jobs usually take us to a new spot every 3-4 months, but I accepted a position for the full 2019-2020 school year in Washington. We make it a goal each year to spend 1-2 months back in Ohio in the late summer/early fall before taking off again.
5. Where are some of your favorite places that you’ve visited?
We did a road trip camping in my husband’s truck and hit 12 national parks between Ohio and the West Coast. That kind of sparked the travel bug. Since RVing, we have been able to live in Tennessee (lived on the Cumberland Plateau and spent time in the Smoky Mountains, Knoxville, and Nashville).
We lived in Bluffton, South Carolina, which was a perfect halfway point between working on Hilton Head Island and exploring Savannah, Georgia. On the way out to Washington, we spent about a week sight-seeing in Montana which is one of our favorite states (stayed at the world’s first KOA in Billings, visited friends in Helena and just enjoyed all the scenery). We’re currently living at the South Prairie RV Park in Washington and on clear days can view Mt. Rainier from our living room window!
Getting photos of inventory to list online
6. Where/how do you store inventory in your RV?
All my inventory is cleaned, organized, and stored in bins in my husband’s truck. I keep packing supplies in there as well. Everything else I need for reselling is inside the camper in my desk (tape, printer, lint roller, ring light, etc). I used to keep around 150-250 items before RVing but stick with around 50-100 now.
7. How has COVID-19 affected your travels?
Unfortunately, my husband has been laid off. My school district immediately kicked off a distance learning program so I’m still employed. We’re relying on reselling for any extra cash we can make. We had trips planned for the spring and early summer to the San Juan Islands, Oregon Coast, sightseeing in Seattle, and North Cascades, but have halted all of our plans. We also had planned to head up through Canada to Alaska this summer then over to Banff and Jasper before heading back to Ohio and that will probably not be possible either.
8. What kind of items do you look for? Do you sell home items as well?
My favorite things to thrift are shoes, followed by jackets, athleisure, and bags, but I will try most anything. My husband gets into home items more than I do, primarily mugs or ceramics to sell on eBay.
Their mobile office, which houses a ring light, a printer to print out shipping labels, and other shipping supplies
9. What are some of your favorite brands to resell?
Outerwear brands I’ve done well with since being in Washington include Patagonia and Arc’Teryx. I love looking for quality vintage items, especially Levi’s jeans and jackets. Some shoe brands I’ve done really well with include Rothys, Tieks, and Sorel.
10. Aside from limited space, do you have any other challenges from reselling while traveling?
Finding sourcing spots is challenging but fun because you don’t get into much of a routine. I like to keep my Poshmark closet aesthetically consistent and clean, but my backdrop may change based on weather and lighting (i.e. do I have enough light to list inside when it’s raining, do I have a clean background to go outside to photograph when it’s not raining, etc). I’ve made sales while actively on the road and while it’s a little inconvenient to get to the post office, there’s always one within a few miles.
11. Do you have any advice for RVers who are interested in getting into reselling?
Just go for it, the benefits outweigh the struggles. It’s something you can do from anywhere and at the least can help you save some extra spending/travel money. And like I mentioned before, sourcing while traveling is really interesting and exciting. Things can be so different and new from state to state. I had been reselling for 6 years before finding Johnny Was for the first time when we were in Montana last summer.
Their cat, Noel, ready to jump on the stack of packages
You can browse Emma’s Poshmark closet at poshmark.com/closet/rethreaded. She also shares RV and reselling related tips and photos on her Instagram, @rethreaded_style.
See also: This RVer Travels In A Modified Class C With Her Show Dogs
Really innovative and flexible ways to make some money as well as living the life you want! (And I like kitties too)
Do you pay postage? How do you determine the postage costs and weight of merchandise? Do you have a certain amount of mark up on your purchases?Do have a certain percent mark up that you use or do you actually research each and every item and them use a percentage markup? I am very interested in doing this, but just don’t know how to get started! Where do you advertise? Ebay, Amazon? Thank you for your information and any advice you may offer.
Don’t you need an actual address & what do you if someone wants to return an item? Where would they return them to?