Scarlet, 23, was struggling to afford her bills when she stumbled across an idea that completely changed her life
A young woman has revealed how she makes £2,500 a month doing part-time hours. Scarlet Nation says it leaves her so much free time she can travel and see her friends whenever she likes – and it’s so successful that the returns she makes come in ‘quickly’.
When Scarlet left home for university, she was confronted with a harsh reality. The 23 year old found herself struggling to cover basic expenses such as rent, prompting her to seek a swift way to earn additional income.
After browsing social media, she stumbled upon a £40 bundle on Facebook Marketplace containing 120 pieces of vintage clothing. Using her keen fashion sense, Scarlet managed to sell a single dress for £10 more than she’d paid for the entire collection.
Within just seven days, she’d earned £2,000 – with plenty of stock remaining – and has since transformed her talent into a full-time business generating up to £2,500 monthly. “This bundle completely changed things for me,” Scarlet, from Dorset, said. “I make a full-time wage doing part-time hours.
“I felt unsure [before] about how I was going to continue affording rent and food as student finance didn’t cover it. I was in debt from paying bills during my previous year at university – but I managed to pay this off within a month from reselling.
“I feel so much lighter and free as I’m earning a decent wage while studying. I’m able to be flexible and see my friends and travel whenever I want without restrictions.
“I will definitely continue doing this on the side after graduating and I’m even thinking about writing my dissertation on women with side hustles who don’t even realise it. My friends at university have started to sell their own clothes on Vinted because of me, too.
“A few of them have looked into reselling and I’ve given them tips. We’re all drowning in exams at the moment, but they hope to start in the summer.”
‘It’s grown beyond my expectations’
Scarlet snapped up the bundle mentioned earlier back in October 2025. The haul featured pieces like the Jane Norman dress, Charlotte Russe tops, Vintage Aéropostable tops, Superdry vintage jackets and Billabong jackets.
She explained: “My initial goal was simple. I just wanted to make some extra money while studying.
“But, within a year, reselling had grown far beyond my expectations. One of my biggest highlights so far has been doing a dream Christmas trip to London with my boyfriend and my friend, as well as her fiancé.
“We stayed in a small cottage and fully embraced the festive atmosphere. And it was all on my tab. My boyfriend had very kindly paid for our trips before this, so it was nice to be able to treat him.”
Scarlet trades through Vinted, concentrating on fashionable vintage categories, featuring labels like Roxy and Billabong, alongside crochet garments, low-waisted shorts and accessories. Another website is Fleek, which provides a marketplace for vintage wholesalers to buy and resell items.
She noted: “Accessories do so much better in summer. And colours really matter. I use bundles to scale more efficiently and access higher-value stock. For example, I’ve bought four bundles and in my latest one, I spent £100 on 20 items.
“The returns came quickly. I made my entire investment back from just three items, as they sold for £40 each.
“Scouring social media has played a huge role, too.” Scarlet now shares her reselling successes and documents her ‘flips’ on TikTok.
She’s managing all of this while studying for a business and finance degree at university. She explained: “I’ve been balancing university exams at the same time and I’m doing really well.
“I think reselling has helped me mentally, financially and educationally. Doing my own taxes and running a business has given me real life practice for what I study.
“On average, I spent 20 hours per week on the physical side of the business, such as washing, photographing, packaging and posting. This drops during busy university periods to 10 hours a week.
“Alongside that, I spent eight hours on admin, such as creating listings, replying to messages and sourcing stock online. It’s shown me how valuable the knowledge I’ve gained at university has been.
“I honestly don’t think I’d have been able to grow it to this point without what I’ve learned so far. It makes me really excited to see what I can achieve if I’m able to take it on full-time after I graduate.”
