Emily Benton, 34, from Bewdley, Worcestershire, has transformed her career from working in pubs on minimum wage to running a successful eBay business, The Fluffy Cow, turning over £100,000 in just six months this year. Her journey began with a passion for fashion and a knack for finding hidden gems in charity shops and car boot sales.
From Hospitality to Fashion Entrepreneurship
After studying fashion at college, Emily initially worked in hospitality, progressing from waitress to head receptionist and then pub manager. Despite considering running her own pub, she realised she was "done" with hospitality and opened a consignment shop called The Fluffy Cow in 2018. When the Covid-19 pandemic forced her shop to close in 2020, she pivoted to selling pre-loved clothing on eBay full-time.
"I wish I would have had this idea when I was 16," Emily told PA Real Life. "I always remember going into charity shops and thinking, 'that is amazing but it doesn't fit'. So, if something in my head would have gone, 'that is amazing, it doesn't fit, but it would fit somebody else', I feel like could have done this business 20 years ago."
The Turning Point: A £5 Bargain
Emily's reselling journey started when she discovered a Mega Value shop owned by Sports Direct, selling luxury brand shoes for just £5 each. She bought Marc Jacobs snow boots and sold them on eBay for £35 that same night. "All the pieces just came together at once because I had never bought clothes to sell for profit," she explained. She went on to buy a Laura Ashley dress from a car boot sale for £35 and sold it for £350, and found a Saint Laurent dress for £5 that fetched around £500.
Building The Fluffy Cow Brand
With a £10,000 loan from her mother, Emily initially ran the business from her spare bedroom before renting a unit to accommodate more stock. She now buys up to 300 items at a time, photographing and listing each one herself. Her sales skyrocketed after she started 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 time. One 24-hour live stream saw her awake for 36 hours and selling 750 pieces.
"I'm now on eBay Live and it has boosted, absolutely boosted, my business to a level that I didn't even see coming," she said. "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."
Sustainability and Future Plans
Emily focuses on working with brands and retailers to resell pre-loved clothing, non-faulty returns, and end-of-line pieces, as well as buying from charity shops and car boot sales. "It's about sustainability, too," she explained. "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 employ staff and work directly with more brands. She also dreams of starting her own knitwear business, inspired by her love of "granny's handmade knitted jumper".
Advice for Aspiring Resellers
"Literally anybody can do this job," Emily said. "It's saving clothes from landfill and it's a sustainable career, and it's just like a treasure hunt every day."
