By this point, I’ve covered:
- How I take photos
- How I prepare shipments
- How I list items
- How I price and accept offers
- What I do after an item sells
This post pulls it all together.
This isn’t a warehouse. It isn’t aesthetic. It isn’t optimized for YouTube.
It’s just a small, practical workspace inside my apartment that lets me list, pack, and ship consistently without overcomplicating things.
Here’s exactly how it’s laid out and what I use every day.
The Layout (How Everything Is Positioned)
My setup works because everything is within arm’s reach.
I sit at a small desk.
To my left is my office door — and that door is my photography backdrop.
I drape a neutral blanket over the top of the door so it hangs down cleanly. In front of the door, I stack sturdy boxes to create a flat horizontal surface. That becomes my photo platform.
So photography doesn’t happen on my desk — it happens just to the left of it.
When I’m listing, I swivel my chair slightly and I’m in photo mode.
When I’m packing, I swivel back.
No walking across rooms. No resetting equipment.
Just small movements.
Storage (Totes + SKU System)
My inventory lives in labeled totes.
Each listing has an SKU that corresponds to a tote.
When something sells, I check my orders in the morning, see which SKUs sold, and grab the items directly from those totes.
The totes stay where they are. I don’t reorganize them constantly.
I just pull what I need.
Simple is the goal.
My Packing Flow (From Item to Label)
Once I bring sold items to my desk area, I pack one at a time.
My bubble wrap is kept in the corner to the right of my desk.
My poly mailers are stored under my desk on the left side.
My scale sits on the photo surface near the door.
Everything is positioned so I can swivel in my chair and grab what I need.
For small items, I’ll often pack right on my lap.
I wrap the item, tape it so it doesn’t unravel, slide it into a poly mailer, then place it on the scale one last time to confirm weight before purchasing the shipping label.
It’s not glamorous.
But it works.
The Tools I Actually Use
Here’s the short list of what I use every single day.
1. LED Panel Lights
Two basic LED panel lights on stands. Nothing fancy. They’ve lasted years.
2. Neutral Blanket Backdrop
Just a clean, neutral fleece blanket draped over my office door.
3. Digital Scale
A small kitchen-style scale that handles most of my packages.
4. Rollo Thermal Label Printer
This is probably the nicest piece of equipment I’ve bought for the business.
It’s been running strong since the beginning.
It uses 4×6 thermal labels, so there’s no ink required.
Important note: if you buy a Rollo, you do not need official Rollo labels. Third-party fanfold labels from eBay or Amazon work perfectly and are much cheaper.
5. Officemate Heavy Duty Weighted 2‑in‑1 Tape Dispenser
This sits right above my printer on my desk.
It sounds small, but having a weighted dispenser that doesn’t slide around saves time and frustration every single day.
When you pack a lot, little efficiencies matter.
Why This Setup Works
Everything is within arm’s reach.
I don’t have to:
- Walk to another room to print labels
- Set up lighting every time
- Clear a dining table to pack
I just swivel in my chair.
Photo.
Wrap.
Weigh.
Print.
Stack by the door.
That’s it.
The goal isn’t perfection.
The goal is reducing friction.
If your setup removes friction, you’ll list more and ship faster without feeling overwhelmed.
A Note on Space
I don’t operate out of a warehouse.
I operate out of an apartment.
This setup proves you don’t need massive square footage to run a real reselling operation.
You need:
- A defined space
- A repeatable system
- Tools that don’t break every month
Everything else is optional.
Final Thoughts
Your setup doesn’t have to look impressive.
It has to work for you.
Start small.
Refine over time.
Keep friction low.
In the next post, I’ll talk about how I source items consistently without overpaying — and how that fits into this same simple system.
If you’re building your store slowly and deliberately, you’re doing it right.
New to Reselling on eBay? Start Here
If you’re new to reselling, these posts will walk you through my exact system from start to finish: