Emily Benton, 34, from Bewdley, Worcestershire, has turned over £100,000 in the first six months of 2026 by reselling pre-loved clothing on eBay. She now earns approximately £16,000 per month, a dramatic shift from her previous minimum-wage job managing pubs.
From hospitality to fashion entrepreneur
After leaving college at 18, Benton worked in hospitality for years, rising from waitress to pub manager. But she felt “done” with the industry and opened a consignment shop called The Fluffy Cow in Bewdley in 2018, with a £10,000 loan from her mother.
When the Covid-19 pandemic forced her shop to close in 2020, she turned to eBay, where she had previously sold items as a hobby. “I wish I would have had this idea when I was 16,” she told PA Real Life.
How a Laura Ashley dress sparked a business
Benton’s reselling journey began when she bought Marc Jacobs snow boots from a Mega Value shop for £5 and sold them on eBay for £35 that same night. She soon found a Laura Ashley dress at a car boot sale for £35 and sold it for £350. “It was a 1970s dress, so they’re collector’s pieces… it’s crazy (what you can find),” she said.
Another standout find was a Saint Laurent dress bought for £5 from the same discount store and sold for around £500. These successes convinced her to scale up.
eBay Live auctions boost sales
Benton now runs The Fluffy Cow on eBay full-time, sourcing stock from charity shops, car boot sales, and wholesale retailers. She buys up to 300 items at a time, photographing and listing each one herself. Her sales have surged thanks to eBay Live streams, where she auctions items in real time. She does three to four live streams per week, selling 100 to 150 items each session. One 24-hour stream saw her sell 750 pieces after being awake for 36 hours.
“Last year, I turned over £86,000 on eBay as a whole. My aim for this year was £100,000 and I’ve already reached that,” she said.
Sustainability and future plans
Benton emphasises the environmental benefits of her work: “It’s about sustainability… when I’m buying from the wholesalers, retail returns, it’s great what those companies are doing because it’s saving them from landfill.”
Looking ahead, she hopes to hire staff and work directly with brands to resell end-of-line items. Ultimately, she dreams of starting her own knitwear business. “It’s mind-blowing that eBay has become my full-time career,” she said. “You never know what’s around the corner.”
