A British Army soldier who got into £48,000 worth of debt after developing PTSD has found a way to pay the money back – by reselling vintage clothes.
Rachel Davies is using Vinted, eBay and Tilt to turn her life around.
The 40-year-old mum has already made a big dent in her debt, earning £12,000 with her side gig in one year.
She is sharing her story on TikTok to share her tricks and inspire others to tackle financial troubles in inventive ways – and says her army colleagues are “very proud” of her resilience.
“After my last tour, I got diagnosed with PTSD and I was kind of trying to search for a dopamine hit,” Rachel told Absolutely Business.
“I started gambling and investing in hobbies I had no right in doing – I was buying clothes for myself I knew I would never wear, as I didn’t really go anywhere because I was depressed.
“I put myself in £48,000 worth of debt through credit cards and personal loans.
“Eventually, I thought to myself ‘What have I done? I’ve got nothing to show for spending this money.
“I started selling things on Vinted to try and pay some of the debt off.”
Rachel started out by flogging the clothes she had already bought for herself.
Once those were gone, she purchased a bundle from eBay for £30 and resold it at higher prices, making £500 in profit.
The soldier, who is currently stationed in England, also used a live online marketplace called Tilt.
Aside from paying off her debt, she says the side hustle has had a very positive impact on her mental health.
She said: “I saw people talking about reselling bundles on TikTok and that’s where it all came about.
“I’m enjoying reselling.
“My mental health is always up and down.
“PTSD will never leave me, but reselling helps to keep me busy and my mind occupied.
“My family and friends have been really supportive of my journey.
“They constantly champion me in my venture.
“My army colleagues are very proud of what I have achieved.”
Rachel admits that reselling is not as easy as it might look but it can pay off in spades if you get it right.
She once made £1,500 in two days and an impressive £3,500 in a month.
Rachel, who has two children (Megan, 21 and Archie, 13), said: “I did look into other side hustles like surveys, but it was just too much time for too little money.
“I just stick purely with just buying and selling now but things really need to be cheap if you want to resell them for more.
“If you find a really good seller on Vinted, you can create a little bundle on there, send an offer and get them that way.
“Mystery bundles on eBay are hit and miss but basically, you want to be getting things for 50p to £1 per item to maximise profits, so you triple or quadruple the money that you bring in.”
Rachel also recommends visiting car boot sales to stock up on goods and not to be disheartened by days where sales don’t move as well.
She said: “I pack parcels every morning if I can.
“After working and spending time with family, from 6pm midnight, I’m sorting out clothing, loading and prepping for tilts and things.
“Some days I can’t do the reselling because I am too tired, and work has really taken it out of me.
“I do have to give myself a bit of leeway.
“I have good and bad days, I’ll never be without PTSD but reselling is a very good distraction.”