Being a full-time college student requires a lot of work, commitment, and money.
While many students opt for part-time jobs with local businesses to manage these demands, Matea Gomes has taken a unique approach by venturing into the world of vintage clothing sales.
As a first-year dental assistant program student, Gomes runs “Thrifted By Tea,” an online business where she curates and sells vintage items to buyers worldwide.
“I’ve sent stuff to people in Germany, Australia, and even all across Canada,” she said. “They usually pay way more in shipping, and it doesn’t happen often because of that.”
Gomes’ entrepreneurial journey began in high school, after receiving requests from peers who wanted items similar to what she buys from second-hand stores.
“It started with people from my high school asking me, ‘Oh, can you find me this? Can you find me that?'” she said. “Eventually, I just started picking up other cool things that I would find, and then I just started selling them on my Instagram.”
Now that Gomes is in school full time, she says running this business alongside her busy school schedule can be a lot of work and “a little overwhelming.”
She said managing her business can be unpredictable, adding that there are times when she feels she won’t receive any orders, only to suddenly find herself handling three orders simultaneously. “It’s hectic at times, but sometimes it’s fine,” she said.
Looking ahead, Gomes envisions dedicating herself to her vintage clothing business full-time, with dentistry serving as a reliable fallback.
In terms of orders, she says running it through the online shopping company Depop makes it the easiest.
“Depop kind of does everything for you,” she said. “It gives me your address right away. All the payments are done through PayPal.”
However, Gomes expressed some frustrations with Depop, particularly regarding fees.
“The only thing is, I have to charge a little more on my Depop because eBay and a bunch of other selling sites take a huge chunk of your money,” she said. “They say it’s 10 per cent, but it’s like way more than that.”
Gomes offers advice to those new to online selling, emphasizing patience and strategic marketing. She encourages aspiring sellers not to lose heart in the early stages, acknowledging that initial progress may seem slow.
“The thing with Depop and all of these reselling apps is you’ve got to get the right keywords,” she advised. “Don’t go spamming your listings with different brands that don’t relate to the item you’re selling,” Gomes continued, “or you’ll get a lot of hate.”