A British woman has shared how she managed to sell a vintage coat she bought for just £10 for £115.
Hannah Divine says autism and ADHD made conventional employment difficult to navigate, prompting her to look for an alternative way to earn a living.
The 26-year-old, from Berkshire, decided to take a “leap of faith” and start buying and selling vintage fashion online.
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Just months later, the gamble paid off in a massive way, and Hannah realised she had a knack for turning a profit.
She bought a vintage Ralph Lauren denim jacket for just £10 and sold it on for a whopping £115.
“I wanted to make money from the comfort of my own home,” Hannah told What’s The Jam.
“I was determined to make a profit – and thankfully, I did.”
Hannah now sells on Vinted, under the name ‘afghan_aura’, where she has made an incredible £2,351 in just over six months.
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On average, Hannah makes between £500 – £1,000 per month, which is roughly what she would make working at a part-time job before.
Hannah previously struggled with a traditional 9-5 job, having worked in retail, which she called a “very stressful” environment that clashed with her “neurodivergent ways”.
She said she wanted a career that offered flexibility, independence and control over her own schedule.
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A long-time fan of vintage fashion, she realised her eye for unique pieces could potentially become a business.
With no guarantee of success, she began by investing £800 in stock and sourcing items to resell.
She used online vintage wholesale platform Fleek to buy bundles of clothing which she then listed for sale.
What started as a small side project soon grew into something much bigger.
Within a matter of months, Hannah was making regular sales, building confidence and selling multiple items a day.
She now specialises in vintage coats and focuses on sourcing pieces she genuinely loves herself.
Alongside the Ralph Lauren jacket, one of her best deals was a vintage men’s Timberland jacket she snapped up for £14 – and later sold for £120.
She added: “I do a lot of price research, type in the brand names and see what pops up on eBay, Depop, Vinted and other selling platforms for profit.
“Making nearly 10x profit per item is amazing!”
A huge benefit, she says, is being able to work entirely on her own terms.
Hannah said: “There’s no waking up early and no strict schedule.
“I can do everything in my own time, and I genuinely enjoy it.
“Sometimes I even keep the odd piece for myself.”
But Hannah says the real reward has been gaining financial independence.
Reselling has allowed her to earn her own income, make her own decisions and build a career that suits her needs.
She said: “I feel empowered when I make my own money and can be my own boss.”
Hannah says a quick search on eBay showed her vintage Ralph Lauren denim jackets were popular and allowed her to price her item accurately.
She added: “eBay is very popular for vintage items like t-shirts and objects, but Vinted is a quicker sale, and is a more popular platform for clothing mainly so I gravitate towards the quicker selling website.
“My tips are to see which platform has the most ‘favourites’ or ‘saves’ of the item you are interested in selling, then you know if it’s a quick flip or not!
“Try and find vintage branded items, rather than unbranded as the name can add a lot more value to the item.”
Hannah credits Fleek with helping her get started, particularly through discounted deals and by enabling her to build relationships with suppliers.
She is now working towards making reselling her full-time career.
Hannah hopes her story will encourage others who feel restricted by traditional employment to consider alternative routes.
She added: “Take the leap of faith and give it a go.”
“Start with one bundle, see how it goes, and then build from there.”
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