Shopping for yourself is a necessity. But shopping for others? That is a skill — and one you can market as a bespoke service to consumers who don't have the time, patience, or eye for thrifting.

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Style bundles are curated collections of used clothes hand-selected by a reseller based on a buyer's preferences.

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For the buyer, it's an economical way to update their wardrobe for a season or find an outfit for a specific event. For the seller, it's an alternative to the online market hustle and an opportunity to build a community of repeat customers.

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What's included can vary, but the concept remains the same: your buyer picks the aesthetic, and you do all the shopping.

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Thanks to TikTok, style bundles are having a serious moment. So if you're curious about how to make money thrifting for total strangers, you're in luck.

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We asked three experienced sellers who have mastered the art of bundling to deconstruct their process — from understanding a buyer's style to creating a personalized package that will leave them speechless — and turned their insight into a five-step process any seller can recreate.

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Step 1: Build your bundles.

Most sellers offer a small bundle of three to five items and a large bundle of seven to ten items, but you can go as little or as big as you want.

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Indianapolis-based seller Arianna Davis has a $300 bundle that includes up to 18 items, and she'll occasionally offer monthly deals of two items for $20, which allows people to try out her styling service.

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But you don't have to build your bundles on quantity alone. You can curate collections for different aesthetics, seasonal updates, vacation capsules, or specific events like weddings.

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Celeste Shoop-Cohen, a vintage seller out of San Diego, even offers surprise bundles, where the buyer simply provides their size and lets her work her magic.

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Step 2: Determine your price.

Unlike the spur-of-the-moment discount you offer buyers for bundling multiple items, a style bundle is predetermined in price.

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To make sure you're, you know, making money, you'll want to take local prices into account as well as your talent and time.

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This isn't a simple haul-and-ship situation. People aren't just paying for cool clothes. They're also paying for convenience and expertise.

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If you're feeling a little squeamish about pricing yourself, take a page out of vintage reseller Abbey Crittenden’s book.

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When she offered bundles, she let her buyers set the budget and then decided the number of pieces they could get for that price point.

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But no matter how you price it, clearly outline what your buyers can expect to receive so there are no surprises (other than the pleasant ones) when they open their package.

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Step 3: Create a detailed style quiz.

The biggest tool in your bundle-building arsenal is information. The more you know about your buyer, the easier it will be to find clothes they love.

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Abbey, Arianna, and Celeste send their buyers a survey (usually via Google Forms) that gathers the details below.

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Measurements

Sizes vary among brands, so get your buyers to measure their height, waist, bust, hips and inseam.

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If they're looking for pants or jeans, Abbey says to have them measure the length of their favourite pair to get a more accurate idea of their preferred fit.

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Favourites

Get their preferred patterns, colours, fabrics, sleeve lengths, necklines, jean cuts, and anything else to help narrow your search.

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Celeste likes to get their Instagram handle to get a feel for what they normally wear and what their overall vibe is.

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Least favourites

It’s just as important to know what they hate as much as what they love. Ask if they have any allergies or skin sensitivities to certain fabrics.

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Inspiration

Pinterest is your best friend. Have them share a secret board full of their favourite looks and any specific items they’d love for you to find.

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When reviewing it, Arianna pays attention to repeated outfits, colours, and patterns.

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“If someone puts really bright and vibrant things on their board, it must mean they want some bright and vibrant things in their wardrobe,” she says. “You’ve got to be intuitive and pay attention to what people want.”

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Dream finds

‍There are no guarantees when it comes to thrifting. But get an idea of what your buyer wants out of this bundle.

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Are they changing their aesthetic? Filling gaps in their wardrobe? Just want to be surprised? Knowing their ultimate goal will help you keep an eye out when shopping.

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Step 4: Give yourself a realistic timeline.

Arianna says the biggest mistake she sees other sellers make is getting too backed up with orders. Thrifting — especially for someone else — takes time.

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Bespoke services like this are meant to be personal, not mass-produced.

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That's why Abbey only ever took on two or three bundles at a time. Once her queue was full, she paused new orders until she could catch up.

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That way, people weren't waiting for weeks, and she wasn't stressing out on fulfilling multiple orders.

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If you have a full-time job or other time commitments, be honest about how many bundles you can realistically create and manage.

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Start with just one or two and see how it goes before taking on more. Two to three weeks is a standard turnaround time, but you can adjust to what works best.

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Step 5: Thrift for their requests — and throw in a surprise or two.

I'm not going to sit here and tell you how to thrift. Whether you’re armed with a written to-do list like Arianna, love to dig through the Goodwill bins like Celeste, or start with the buyer's must-haves before browsing for aesthetic complements like Abbey, every reseller has their rhythm.

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So long as you stay within the buyer’s budget and style guidelines, you’re golden.

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But don't be afraid to throw in an item or two that you think they'll love — especially if it means giving them more than what you originally agreed on.

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Everyone loves surprise gifts, and it's an easy way to exceed a buyer's expectations and build loyalty.

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Thrift bundles are a win-win for all involved: you get to shop for fun and profit, and your buyers get a sustainable, second-hand wardrobe tailored just for them. What's not to love?

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Emily Blackwood is a freelance journalist based in San Diego, California. She covers entertainment, wellness, travel, home, food, culture—all the things that make life interesting, tantalizing, and just the right amount of weird. Her work has been published in SELF, Apartment Therapy, Stylist, HuffPost, and National Geographic. Learn more at emily-blackwood.com.

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