You don't need to spend money on tools to start reselling. Everything essential is either free or already on your phone. Paid software can wait until you're doing enough volume to justify it.
Here's your complete free toolkit—organized by what you'll actually use it for.
Research & Pricing
Knowing what something is worth before you buy it is the most important skill in reselling. These tools make that research fast.
eBay App (Sold Listings)
Price Research • iOS & Android
The gold standard for pricing. Search for any item, tap "Filter," enable "Sold Items," and see exactly what people actually paid—not what sellers hope to get. This is your primary pricing oracle. Use it before every purchase.
eBay Barcode Scanner
Quick Lookup • Built into eBay App
Within the eBay app, use the camera to scan barcodes on books, games, toys, and media. Instantly see recent sales. Perfect for rapid-fire decisions at the bins or when evaluating a shelf of books.
Google Lens
Visual Search • iOS & Android
Point your camera at anything and Google identifies it. Useful for finding brand names on logos you don't recognize, identifying patterns on vintage items, or deciphering foreign tags. Faster than typing a description.
Poshmark App (Sold Filter)
Fashion Pricing • iOS & Android
For clothing specifically, Poshmark's sold listings show what fashion items bring. Search the brand and item type, filter by "Sold," and you have comps. Cross-reference with eBay for the full picture.
Photography
Great photos sell items faster and for more money. Your phone camera is already good enough—these tools make it better.
Your iPhone/Android Camera
Photography • Built-in
Seriously, this is all you need. The camera on any phone from the last 5 years produces photos good enough to sell. The secret isn't the camera—it's the lighting. Shoot near a window during daytime and you'll outperform most sellers.
Snapseed
Photo Editing • iOS & Android
Google's free photo editor. Adjust brightness, crop, straighten, and enhance. The "Tune Image" and "White Balance" tools fix most lighting issues in seconds. Far more powerful than Instagram filters and designed for real editing.
PhotoRoom (Free Tier)
Background Removal • iOS & Android
Automatically removes backgrounds and places items on clean white or custom backdrops. The free tier has a small watermark, but for most resellers, it's invisible or easily cropped. Great for a professional look.
Pro tip: Don't over-edit. Buyers want to see the actual item, not an Instagram-filtered version. Adjust brightness and color balance if needed, but keep it realistic. Overly processed photos create distrust and lead to returns.
Listing & Selling
Platform Apps (eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, Depop)
Listing • iOS & Android
Every major platform has a free app that lets you create listings entirely from your phone. Take photos, write descriptions, set prices, and publish without ever touching a computer. You can run an entire reselling business from your phone.
Google Sheets / Excel (Free)
Inventory Tracking • Web & Mobile
Track every purchase, listing, and sale. Know your cost of goods, selling prices, fees, and profit margins. Google Sheets is free and syncs across devices. This is essential—you can't improve what you don't measure.
Notes App
Quick Reference • Built-in
Keep a running BOLO list, track thrift store discount schedules, note brands you want to research later. Simple but effective. Always accessible, no login required.
Shipping
Pirate Ship
Discounted Shipping Labels • Web
Free to use, no subscription, no minimum volume. Pirate Ship offers commercial rates for USPS and UPS that beat what you'd pay at the post office. For eBay sellers especially, it often saves $1-3 per package over platform-generated labels.
USPS Mobile App
Scheduling & Tracking • iOS & Android
Schedule free package pickups from your home. Track shipments. Find post office hours. Avoid the counter line entirely by scheduling pickups—the mail carrier takes packages when they deliver your mail.
Learning & Community
YouTube
Education • Web & App
Thousands of free videos on every reselling topic. Search for specific brands, sourcing strategies, platform tutorials. Channels like "Thrift School" and similar provide deep dives on niche categories.
Reddit (r/Flipping, r/Poshmark, r/eBay)
Community • Web & App
Active communities of resellers sharing finds, asking questions, and discussing strategy. The r/Flipping subreddit is especially useful for beginners—search before asking and you'll find answers to almost everything.
What About Paid Tools?
You'll eventually hear about paid services like Vendoo, List Perfectly, or Crosslist for cross-listing automation. These are worth considering once you're listing 50+ items per month across multiple platforms. Until then, they're an unnecessary expense.
The same applies to paid research tools, inventory management software, and premium app subscriptions. Start with free tools, learn the fundamentals, and upgrade only when the free version becomes a genuine bottleneck.
As we cover in how much you need to start, almost all your early budget should go toward inventory—not software subscriptions.
Your Starter Stack
If you install nothing else, here's the minimum viable toolkit:
- eBay app — for pricing research (sold listings)
- One selling platform app — wherever you'll list first
- Google Sheets — for tracking purchases and sales
- Your phone camera — with good natural lighting
That's genuinely enough to start. Everything else is optimization. Add tools as you need them, not before.