Stacy Jenkins: The Secondhand Economy Through the Eyes of an Olympia Grandmother
January 19, 2024 at 9:43 a.m.
Stacy Jenkins created her own reselling business, which has become something of a family affair. "Not only does my husband of 37 years get into the action, but so do my grandchildren"
...by Michelle Roedell, Editor, Northwest Prime Time
"A little backstory," says Stacy. "Six years ago, I had bariatric surgery to help get my health back under control." She needed new clothes, and discovered Poshmark when looking for a particular brand of dress that she knew would fit her.
"After making that first purchase, I realized I had my own storage of clothing in various sizes and started listing these in Poshmark."
From there, what started as a matter of convenience has grown into a reselling business for the Olympia grandmother.
"I’ve gone from selling my own clothing to a full-on reselling business," says Stacy. "Not only does my husband of 37 years get into the action, but so do my grandchildren. Researching and finding vintage luxury, acquiring amazing deals on quality second hand items, and purchasing buyouts are all part of my business adventure."
Those who sign up to sell on Poshmark have a virtual "closet" -- their own boutique of items for sale. Stacy has named her closet Nene Retirement (nene_retirement). Nene is an affectionate name for Grandmother. She explains: "My closet name says it all: nene_retirement, which means a grandma with a goal to retire some day... While not really retiring!" Because, she adds, "I love working."
Stacy still has her fulltime career but is working towards her retirement plans.
When she first started with Poshmark, Stacy didn't think that her forays into selling on Poshmark would become a full-blown business, but that's what it has become.
"Learning the ropes has come in stages. To begin with, the platform is fairly intuitive. My first purchase started me off." Now she finds herself tweaking her selling strategies. "The greatest part of community selling is the other sellers. I’ve learned most of my valuable lessons from many of them."
Poshmark's website states: "Here's how it works: List. Ship. Earn. It's really as simple as 1-2-3... Start by finding an item in your closet that you love but just don't use anymore." The formula also works for home decor or even new beauty items.
She adds that Poshmark has made the business side easy to manage. "Right now, I use the simple tracking metrics of a spreadsheet. This is simple because Poshmark has the system set to pull my inventory and sales reports into a spreadsheet."
Stacy's "closet" of items ready for resale. Her husband, pictured with Stacy in the photo on the wall, helps with the new business.
Stacy's advice to others considering joining the reselling market: "Just go for it. Start out small. Set reasonable expectations. Don’t think, 'If you list, buyers will swarm.'"
From her own experience, Stacy feels that selling two to four items a week can net well over $100 a month. "Long term: the sky is the limit," she adds. "But it takes consistency and work!"
One of her greatest challenges has been time. "I still work fulltime in my longer career. Finding enough time to run this business can be my biggest challenge!"
Still, Stacy believes that the secondhand economy offers seniors an opportunity to fulfill their own passions while helping to supplement their income.
Stacy considers reselling on Poshmark as her side gig, building for her future. As an interesting sidenote, Stacy's career has been in fighting for small businesses.
"I’ve always loved that anyone can build their own empire, no matter how big or small... That is what jazzes me up!" Poshmark, she adds, has given her something that was completely unexpected: "A community of new, amazing friendships in other sellers and buyers. An outlet for my passions to own and operate a small business. And a platform to build for my retirement."
Stacy's Tips:
-- Despite the name, Poshmark items can be anything that will sell online... items do not need to be designer labels. "Anything!" exlaims Stacy. "Secondhand unique, low cost, good condition items do the best."
-- Stacy uses her phone or iPad to take photos of the items.
-- When she posts the items, she labels them with Brand, Model Name, Type, Size, Color. She then describes the item with a jazzy sentence or two, followed by a full description. Use approximate measurements, color, materials, condition, etc.
-- Stacy is careful to use disclaimers, such as "as is," "review all details including photos before purchasing."
-- "I also sell luxury handbags and use an authentication service," adds Stacy. Poshmark's Authenticate service is utilized on high-price items.
Visit Stacy Jenkins' online "closet boutique" at
For more information about Poshmark, visit
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