I paid my $80k student debt off in 3 years by reselling thrift store buys on eBay & Depop and even quit my full-time job
A MONEY-SAVVY woman has paid off her $80,000 student loan in three years by buying and reselling clothes on eBay and Depop.
Kelsey Mikula, 26, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, started buying and reselling clothes in 2020 when she struggled to find a job after graduating from college.
During this time, Kelsey would work shifts as a unit secretary in a hospital and sell clothes as a side hustle.
Kelsey thrifts clothes from charity shops like Salvation Army, Goodwill, and other thrift stores, then sells them on sites like eBay and Depop.
After graduating, Kelsey started paying off her $80,000 student loan debt in April 2020, successfully paying it off by March 2023.
After paying off her loan, Kelsey quit her job in the hospital and went full-time reselling in December 2023 on her site @mellowstate.
"My main niche is clothing and shoes, specifically for women but I do dabble in household items too," Kelsey said in an exclusive interview.
"I get paid $5,000 a month in profit - it can really depend.
"I have been able to pay off my $80,000 student debt and I did that in just three years by reselling.
"It was an amazing feeling, it felt like I was able to finally save the money I was making."
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Kelsey started reselling after her graduation in May 2019.
She struggled to get a job in zoology which she majored in at Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia.
"My first experience reselling was when I was in middle school and I would sell discontinued mascara," she said.
"I didn't start taking it seriously until 2020 when I finished university and couldn't get a job in my major.
"The first platform I started selling on was Poshmark and I slowly went over to eBay and Depop," she said.
Each month, she spends $1,800 buying clothes and then sells them, earning $6,300 a month.
In December 2023, Kelsey took the plunge and went full-time.
"I made so much more doing this than I was in my full-time job which is why I decided to quit,"; she said.
"I love the freedom this job has given me, I am my own boss.
"If I don't want to work in the morning I don't have to, I can work what hours I want," she said.
Since she started reselling, Kelsey has been able to pay off her student debt and buy her dream car, a Ford Explorer.
"I am grateful that my hard work has paid off and I am debt-free," she said.
"I am currently still living with my parents and working out of their basement - the next step is to buy a house."
The biggest profit Kelsey has made on an item was a Christian Dior sweater she bought for $10 and made a $700 profit.
She also found a pair of Chanel shoes that she bought for $20 and made a $200 profit.
Despite buying and selling some luxury items, Kelsey said she is never tempted to keep them.
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"I don't tend to keep clothes but if I do I will keep them for a few months and sell them on," she said.
"I am not a materialistic person and I would much rather see the paycheck."
