Maria Jones has always had a love for secondhand clothing, which she attributes to her mom taking her to thrift stores as a child to find affordable, quality items. In October 2017, Jones decided to turn this passion into a business and started a store on online marketplace Poshmark called The Lemon Theory. Initially, she sold items from her own closet, but eventually expanded to selling items she found at used clothing stores or ordered in bulk. Her store now features over 1,700 listings, and she has grossed more than $300,000 on the site.
Jones, who studied math at the University of California, Berkeley, left school before graduating due to financial constraints. She worked at an airplane maintenance company before her sister suggested she open a Poshmark store. Jones quickly realized the earning potential on the platform and decided to focus on paying off her $25,000 worth of student loans through her store. By the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, she had become debt-free, thanks to her Poshmark earnings.
During the pandemic, Jones saw an opportunity to expand her family earlier than planned as she could work on her store flexibly and make a steady income. With the extra time from cutting her commute, she focused on buying and listing more inventory to scale up her business. She continued to put in effort into her store even after her daughter was born in December 2020, finding ways to work around her infant’s schedule. Jones began buying pallets of clothing in bulk from sites like Helpsy, which sell items from brand names like Tommy Hilfiger and Madewell. She would wash and sell these items secondhand, with each item averaging around $8 to purchase but selling for $40.
Jones currently works about three to four hours a day, often around her daughters’ schedules. From April 2023 to March 2024, she grossed approximately $45,000 from her Poshmark store. She has found success in selling plus-sized bras, which are harder to come by secondhand. Jones sees the potential to venture into selling high-end designer items in the future, although they require more effort and research. Despite the potential higher profits from designer items, she is content with her current pace of work and enjoys the flexibility that her online hustle provides.
Jones’ husband jokingly expresses interest in quitting his job to join her in her entrepreneurial endeavors, demonstrating the success and stability she has achieved through her online clothing store. If you are looking to make extra money outside of your day job, you can learn more about earning passive income online through CNBC’s online course, “How to Earn Passive Income Online.” By signing up for the course, you can learn about common passive income streams, tips to get started, and real-life success stories. CNBC Make It readers can also receive a discount on the course by using the special discount code CNBC40 until 8/15/24. Additionally, signing up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter can provide tips and tricks for success at work, with money, and in life.
