Chloe Thompson, a 32-year-old former orthopaedic nurse from Torbay, Devon, has recently gone public with her transition from healthcare into second-hand reselling. Within four months she quit nursing and turned buying and selling second-hand clothing and accessories on Vinted into a full-time business, now earning a monthly income that covers or even exceeds her previous nursing salary.

Thompson had never used Vinted before. Her idea to sell second-hand clothes came from helping her partner, who deals in antiques. She said she found her partner's work more interesting than her own job at the time and began wondering whether she could do something similar. Since she had always been more interested in clothing and bags, she decided to try reselling those items.

Despite having no platform selling experience, she threw herself into it almost entirely. Less than four months after starting, she left her nursing post to buy and sell second-hand goods full-time. Her income fluctuates month to month—some months clearly higher than when she was employed, others close to her old salary—but overall her finances are better than when she was in full-time employment, and she enjoys having control over the pace of her business.

Thompson's stock mainly comes from charity shops and wholesalers. The vast majority of her orders sell on Vinted, where clothing usually turns over faster; for higher-priced or more niche items, she uses eBay. Recently she bought a denim jacket for £12 and sold it on Vinted for £70. She says the start of a new season and the period around Christmas are usually busy sales times, as customers' need to change their wardrobes drives volume.

Buying from wholesalers is not without risk, though. Second-hand sellers often buy clothes by the box or even by the bag, unable to confirm in advance which brands they will receive, what condition the goods will be in, or whether customers will buy them. Thompson describes it as sellers essentially betting on their own inventory.

Her business is still expanding, and her stock has filled an entire room at home. She is considering renting an office or warehouse for more space and plans to grow the business further over the next year. She also documents her reselling journey on TikTok under the username @xochloesellsxo, sharing tips and advice.

Reselling is growing in popularity in the UK. Data cited by Buzz Bingo shows that UK search interest on TikTok for "Vinted reselling and seller setups" has surged 199.4%, reaching 3.25 million searches. Research by second-hand resale platform Fleek also found that 28% of surveyed sellers already resell full-time, suggesting some people are turning what was once a side hustle into a career.

For those who want to follow in her footsteps, Thompson advises not being afraid to make mistakes. She says mistakes are inevitable, and she may have learned more from them than from her successes.

Source: How to make money on Vinted: Nurse quits job and turns reselling into full-time income · Originally published 2026-09-26