Meet Courtney Buchanan | Part-time reseller & content creator (Magnolia Thrifts)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Courtney Buchanan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Courtney, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Most will disagree with this, but I have never been of the mindset that I should budget to save money to be able to do the things I want to do or buy the things I want to buy. My mindset has always been that there is more money to be made somewhere, somehow. Back in 2018, I was still working what would be considered an entry level position at my corporate job for a local healthcare staffing company. Although the salary was comparable to similar positions at similar companies, it wasn’t enough for me to be able to pay my bills with Atlanta’s high cost of living AND have a fulfilling social life going fun places, doing fun things and buying the things I wanted to buy. To add to it, I was engaged to be married and the credit card charges for that were racking up. It also didn’t help that I (admittedly) had a shopping problem.

I was at a crossroads; I realized that I couldn’t afford to live the life I wanted to live and do the things I wanted to do in Atlanta while making what I was making, but I also did not have any desire to cut anything out of my life…so I got creative. I searched something like “easy side hustles to make extra money” on YouTube and stumbled across a video from a girl who called herself a “reseller.” The gist of her video was a “haul” of items that she purchased for a low price with the intent to list and flip online for a profit on online resale platforms like Poshmark and eBay. The concept of this seemed so simple, and so doable. That week I created a Poshmark account, went out “sourcing” for inventory, and listed my first item – a faux fur cheetah print Bebe purse (cringe) – for sale. Surprisingly, it sold within a month of listing it and I saw that return on investment (ROI) that the YouTuber had talked about. I’d invested $5 into the item and it sold for $30 on Poshmark. After Poshmark took its 20% platform fee out, I was left with $24, which meant that after my cost of goods was removed, my total profit was $19. My mind was blown, and I was HOOKED. Over the last 6 years my sales on Poshmark have allowed my husband and I to afford experiences and things that we wouldn’t have been able to afford on our modest full-time job salaries alone, and I have been able to take what I’ve learned from reselling and turn it into my brand, “Magnolia Thrifts,” that include an Instagram account (@magnolia.thrifter) and a monetized YouTube channel (Magnolia Thrifts)!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My reselling business has been such an incredible journey that has opened SO many doors that I never could have imagined.

One of my favorite quotes is “Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes.” After I was reselling for 3-4 years, I was watching a lot of reselling YouTube content to try to keep up with what brands were selling well and what to look out for when sourcing. With each new video I would watch, I couldn’t stop thinking to myself “I bet I could do this” until one day, I impulsively decided to turn on the camera and record a thrift haul. Was I afraid to post a video of me talking to a camera on the internet for anyone to see? Sure. Did I have any idea what I was doing? Absolutely not. But I knew what video styles I liked the most, and I took notes and tried to implement some of the things I was seeing. After posting that first video a little over a year ago, and receiving good feedback on it, I became more intentional about taking risks in the name of growth in my reselling business and otherwise. I made it an integral part of my business plan. Since that first video, I’ve reached out to big name sellers that had no idea who I was that have large YouTube Channels and have built partnerships with them that has lead to my channel quickly growing and becoming monetized – something that can sometimes take years. Because of my small success on YouTube, I was able to create a reselling Instagram page (@Magnolia.Thrifter) for my reselling business, which has lead to another new leg of my reselling business – offering other resellers mystery boxes. I continue to push myself out of my comfort zone in the name of growth, and each time it ends up being worth it because I either grow, or I learn something in the process.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would not be the reseller I am today without the love & appreciation of a good deal that was instilled in my by my Dad. He taught me the thrill of the hunt from an early age, and that is still how I approach my sourcing for my reselling business today. Thanks, Daddy-O! I love you!

Instagram: @CourtGetsReal (personal) & @Magnolia.Thrifter (reselling)

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MagnoliaThrifts