Growing up, Rachel Cuccia would often collect treasured items and keep an eye out for great bargains in her hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As an old soul and curious kid, Rachel would often tag along with her mother and visit garage sales and thrift stores in the neighborhood.
Rachel’s love for all things vintage also helped spur her entrepreneurial spirit in high school.
“In high school, my mother bought me off-the-shoulder tops and I would bedazzle them and then sell them. As a young adult, if I wanted something and I didn’t want to pay for it, I would take stuff from my house or my closet that I was no longer using…I would sell it and then use that money to buy what I wanted,” Rachel told mornings with moni.
After losing her job during the pandemic, Rachel was determined to revisit her childhood hobby and turn it into a women-owned business flipping thrifted and rare goods.
“I used to work in retail, but since the pandemic, I have shifted to starting an online business in digital products and also reselling,” said Rachel.
With a good eye for finding unique items, Rachel and her mom decided it was the perfect time to launch a mother-daughter business selling flipped vintage and thrift items on eBay and Etsy. They launched their Etsy shop, TheManorHouseVintage, with the goal of selling vintage and antique items that could bring joy to others.
“I didn’t ever think about seriously starting a reselling business until I watched my first episode of CrazyLampLady on YouTube. I was hooked at that point,” said Rachel.
Together with her mom, the both of them scoured Goodwill, estate sales, garage sales, flea markets, and various other local stores to flip vintage or hard-to-find items. Rachel shares that reselling is one of those businesses that you can start without any initial startup money. For those on a budget, she recommends starting with finding things around your house or your closet to help you get started. Once you make a profit out of those items, you can start investing and get the ball rolling, says Rachel.
“I think it is important to understand that starting a small business is no easy feat, but if you have the willpower and you are skilled at something and love to do it–then you should focus on that,” said Rachel.
Along with selling vintage goods through her Etsy and eBay shops, Rachel also helps women with tools that turn their products into profit.
Rachel carefully selects and resells unique pieces like vintage toys and modern pieces. Her passion stems from the idea of saving vintage or antique treasure from being thrown away. Similar to flipping houses, Rachel says there’s a lot of money to be made flipping antiques or vintage items.
“You [can] purchase the items at a very low cost and sell them high to turn a profit,” said Rachel. She shared that recently, she purchased an item for 50 cents and flipped it for $36. One of the tips that she likes to give new business owners or individuals interested in flipping and reselling is to develop a good eye and research the item to find out what it’s actually sold for.
“Sometimes I get rare, one-of-a-kind pieces. I like those because there isn’t much competition and I can really just price them as I choose,” shares Rachel. For those wanting to start their own reselling or flipping business, Rachel says you can focus on starting with items in your home that you don’t use. From there, focus on a particular area of interest and find your niche.
Rachel enjoys the thrill of hunting for vintage and antique goods and finds joy knowing that she is able to salvage items that are not made anymore.
“Some of these items have amazing stories behind them. Knowing I can find these [items] and then resell them to people who are collectors or [people] who will really enjoy them — it’s a good feeling.”
Rachel feels a great sense of accomplishment knowing that she can run and market a small business with her mom and still have fun while discovering rare vintage finds.
“I hope this empowers other women to do what they love to do, and if there is someone who is wanting to start a reselling business but wasn’t sure how, I hope this helps them.”
-Written by Monica Luhar for mornings with moni
To learn more about TheManorHouseVintage, visit https://www.instagram.com/manorhousevintage/
Mornings with Moni 