I Used the Organization Triangle Method to Transform My Clothing Resale Business

I've sold my old stuff online off and on for years, but over the last few months or so, I've gone a little crazy with it. The volume of things I have on hand to sell has increased quite a bit, which means I have hundreds of listings up on Poshmark and other resale sites now—and when someone buys something, I need to be prepared to find it, wash it, and ship it immediately to keep my high seller rating. For a while, this bedeviled me, but then I started using a time-tested organizational method to keep me on track.

The Organizational Triangle streamlines my mini-business

I am not delusional enough to consider myself a small business owner, but I do put a lot of work into this endeavor and consider my resale presence online a deeply scaled-down version of a regular retail business. If you've ever worked retail, you know that everything is kept highly organized in the stock room (or that it's supposed to be). My apartment is my stock room. Actually, I turned my entire front closet into my stock room—and then I used the principles of the Organizational Triangle to organize it. Those principles are:

1. Every item needs a home.

2. Keep like with like.

3. Use a "something in, something out" approach.

Every item needs a home

This first step involves making sure every single item you have has someplace it belongs. Usually, this involves using boxes or storage bins to keep categories of items separate. I use the shelves of my front closet: Workout and lounge sets are on the top shelf, tops are on the next shelf down, shorts, skirts, and pants are on the next one, and so on.

Keeping my resale goods in a designated resale spot, instead of letting them remain in the closet and shelving units I use for my actual wardrobe, makes it easy to access them and keeps them out of sight until I need them. That makes it simpler to organize my real wardrobe, too, since the things I no longer wear are not in there taking up space.

Keep like with like

Categorization is a major component of organizing in general. Whether you're organizing your kitchen, your work desk, or, in my case, the closet where all your too-big clothes are waiting to be sold to a new owner, you should be grouping categories of items together. I keep categories separated by shelves within that closet, so when someone buys a skirt from me, I know immediately where it will be.

Since implementing this step, I've decreased my "average shipping time," which is a metric that counts toward my continued inclusion as a top seller under Poshmark's "Ambassador" program. My average ship time went from three days to two because it no longer takes me forever to find the sold item. I can find it the moment it sells, bring it to the laundromat, and have it to the Post Office much faster than before.

Use a "something in, something out" approach

This is the part of the Organizational Triangle I was already using for my resales. For years, when I've wanted something simple—a pink bag, black heels—I've forced myself to first sell the version I have, then use that money to buy a new one. This means I always have something fresh, but I don't have a bunch of similar items clogging up my space.

How and why this has helped me with resale

I don't love that an entire closet in my small apartment has been taken over, but I know that's temporary as I seek to get rid of the clothes that no longer fit me. Eventually, once they're gone, I can start using a smaller storage nook in my loft, organizing it the same way. What I do love is that keeping everything in a designated spot, organizing it by category, and prioritizing a one-out-one-in approach has streamlined my process.

I'm also a resale buyer, not just a seller. On a handful of occasions, I've purchased an item, waited days for it to ship, and ended up disappointed when the other person messaged me to say they "couldn't find" the thing I bought. I know we're all human, but it's still bad customer service and it sucks. I don't want to do that to anyone else.

I sell mostly on Poshmark, where feedback from buyers is optional but public. My buyers have included notes that say I'm a fast, efficient, friendly shipper who sends out clean, nice goods as described. I've definitely received more positive reviews since restructuring with the Organizational Triangle. The items waiting to sell are safe and secure in the "resale closet"; I can quickly find and wash them; and my entire process has been sped up. Positive reviews mean more sales—and more sales mean I'll have that closet cleared out in no time, earn money to buy clothes that fit me better, and succeed more in my endeavor.