Chloe Lovett, 25, has turned her Vinted hobby into a successful full-time job and is on course to make £100,000. She had been selling clothes on the resale app on and off for years to earn extra cash alongside her minimum wage job at a local spa.
She decided to take the plunge and make her passion for fashion a full-time career last September, selling more clothes online. In May, this turned into a fully-formed business as she opened her first in-person store, Lovett Or List It, near her home in Sheerness, Kent.
Earning up to £400 a day
The entrepreneur says she is now making up to £400 a day from her online sales alone, which, if she can continue at that rate, will work out to an annual salary of more than £100,000. Chloe said: “I am fully booked six days a week. It is honestly so busy. I just didn’t think it would take off like this. You get imposter syndrome.
“I thought that no one knew who I was or what I was doing. It obviously went crazy. Now the money is coming in but I am really stingy, I won’t go out and spend it.”
From home to high street
Chloe was previously helping her partner Jake with his marketing agency, which she says gave her great transferable skills. She was originally selling everything online from her home but desperately needed more space. Jake was driving to people’s houses to collect bags of clothes and eventually could not continue, encouraging Chloe to get somewhere for people to drop their items off.
She drove past the former council offices in Sheerness and thought it looked amazing, so she had a meeting with the owner and decided to take the leap. The store was officially opened in May and has rails of pre-loved clothing all organised by colour and size.
Chloe said: “I was using Vinted just for a bit of money on the side. I had done it on and off for a few years but always got busy with other stuff. In September I just decided to give it my all and see where it takes me. I never thought that so quickly I would be where I am now.
“I love the fashion side of it and having bits come in. Because it is pre-loved it is all one off pieces. The customers come in and they never know what they are going to find.”
Business growth and future plans
Chloe buys unwanted clothes from customers by weight before reselling them online and in store. She says her favourite items are the classic staples that can be worn for years over fast fashion trends. So far, there is no real trend in who comes to the store, with customers ranging from teenagers to pensioners. The shop is open six days a week, with Sunday off as a rest day.
She takes “everything and anything” woman-based but now knows exactly what her customers want to see in the shop. She says the great stock she has been getting helps, with someone donating five pairs of never-worn Levi’s jeans that still had the tags on them. She added: “I have people come in weekly just to see what I have got new in.
“I am learning along the way. The shop has been in a hundred different styles, and I have now got it to where I want it to be. It is crazy what people have and what people don’t wear. It is a lot of stuff that was bought in the sale. They picked it up because psychologically they thought they were getting a saving even if they didn’t like the item or know where to wear it.”
Though the shop is popular, most of Chloe’s income comes from online sales, with her website launching last week. She also gets other resellers buying items from her that her clientele aren’t interested in, so there is no wasted stock. At the moment, she is the only employee – along with her Jagdterrier Dolly, who has become a favourite with customers. The dream is to move to a commercial industrial unit in six months and look to hire more staff then.
Chloe said: “I enjoy it just being me. Loads of people were saying that I should get someone in but I just enjoy doing every aspect myself. Obviously, give it six months and I will definitely need someone to help me but I just really enjoy my own company. When my dog is not in here, every single person who comes in asks where is the dog. Everyone comes for her. She gets paid in treats. I have definitely made the right choice. It is really fun. I love working on my own and doing what I want to do.”
