Starting reselling in Canada, meaning listing goods you can describe honestly on a marketplace or for local pickup, can cost about $15–$50 when the items are already in a closet, about $50–$180 for a typical ship-from-home start with mailers, a tape, and a scale, or about $400–$1,200 when you add sourced inventory, a storage bin that is actually full, and a month of your own checkout. Those reselling figures mix typical Canadian retail ranges to verify locally with platform fees in Canadian dollars on the pages linked below. They suit people who will photograph flaws, and they do not assume a pallet.
How to list, pack, and meet a buyer safely is the reselling side hustle guide. This page is the cash. The first listings come from what you already own.
How much does reselling cost to start in Canada?
Reselling in Canada starts at about $15–$50 for tape, a few mailers, and closet stock, about $50–$180 when a scale, a measuring tape, and a bin join the kit, and about $400–$1,200 when you have spent real money on inventory, you are shipping often enough to care about fees, and a Shopify month is a choice you made on purpose. The ranges are not quotes. A city’s second-hand shop licence, if you open a shop, is extra and local.
| How you start | First-month cash, about | What you can sell |
|---|---|---|
| Lean closet clear-out | $15–$50 | Items you already own. Local pickup needs almost no packaging. A few mailers if one item will ship. |
| Typical ship-from-home | $50–$180 | A small pack of mailers, tape, a scale, a measuring tape, and one bin. Fees come out of the sale, not out of this column, until something sells. |
| Doing it properly | $400–$1,200 | The shipping kit, inventory you paid for and wrote down, FreshBooks or a disciplined spreadsheet once the volume is a month of sales, and Shopify Basic only if marketplace listings are no longer the whole business. A shop licence is a separate civic fee. |
Platform fees below are from the sellers’ own pages. Those pages change. Confirm them before you price a listing.
Who should use a reselling startup budget in Canada?
A reselling startup budget in Canada fits people who can describe condition, measure an item, and wait for a buyer without buying a second room of stock. The lean column fits a closet. Reselling is a poor fit if you need rent from the first weekend, if you will hide a stain, or if the budget is a pallet you have not opened.
Your own checkout, later, is Shopify store startup costs. A file with no mailer is Notion template startup costs.
What are the one-time costs for reselling in Canada?
One-time reselling costs in Canada are packaging, a way to weigh and measure, and a place to keep listed items off the floor. Inventory you buy is a repeating cost, even though the first sourcing trip feels like startup.
Supplies and gear
| Item | Typical CAD | Timing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Items you already own | $0 cash | First listings | The closet is the inventory. A pallet waits. |
| Soft mailer or small box | $1–$4 each, in a small pack | When you ship | A case of mailers waits until shipped sales repeat. Retail range to verify locally. |
| Tape, tissue, a poly bag | $8–$20 | One-time start | Enough for about ten packages. |
| Measuring tape and a scale | $15–$40 | Before you ship clothing or use a weight rule | Poshmark’s label rules need a weight. Size claims need a measurement. |
| One storage bin | $10–$25 | When listed items leave the closet | A second room means you bought inventory too soon. |
| Phone you have, for photos | $0 | Already owned | Daylight and the real flaw. Not a borrowed lifestyle photo. |
| Domain | Confirm the registrar | Optional | A marketplace listing does not need a domain. |
| Course on flipping | Confirm that course’s page | Optional | The fee page of the site you list on is the manual that changes your price. |
Fees that are not a subscription
| Platform | What the page says | When it hits |
|---|---|---|
| eBay.ca | The selling fees page says most categories get a zero insertion fee for the first 250 listings in a month, then $0.30 per listing. The final value fee for most categories is 13.6% on the total amount of the sale up to $7,500, plus $0.30 per order of $10.00 or less and $0.40 on orders over $10.00. The total includes item price, handling, shipping collected, and sales tax, with exceptions on that page. Fees are in Canadian dollars. | When you list past the free insertions, and when the item sells. |
| Poshmark Canada | The getting started guide says listing is free. Sales under C$20 cost a flat C$3.95. Sales of C$20 or more cost 20% of the listing price. The fee covers payment handling and a prepaid label. The shipping guide says to use that label. The label upgrade page says the printed label is 0.75 kg, you can ship up to 2.5 kg without an extra fee, and heavier packages need an upgrade deducted from earnings. | When it sells. |
| Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji | This guide does not state a Canada-wide commission. Read the help centre for the category in front of you. | Local pickup can still cost a drive. |
| Toronto second-hand shop, if you are that business | The city’s Second Hand Shop page lists a $242.82 application fee and a $545.51 licence fee, $788.33 combined, and a renewal of $384.88. Confirm the live fees. | A closet is not a shop. Do not copy Toronto’s fee onto another city. |
What are the monthly costs for reselling in Canada?
Monthly reselling costs in Canada are inventory you keep buying, fees on what sold, and a store subscription only if you opened one. A closet clear-out can have a $0 subscription month.
| Item | Published price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| eBay.ca and Poshmark | The per-sale fees above, not a flat membership in this guide | Other eBay categories differ. Confirm the live page. A consumption tax might apply on eBay fees depending on residency, which that fees page mentions. |
| Shopify Basic, if you open a store | $49 CAD a month, or $37 CAD a month billed yearly, on the Canada pricing page | Online standard card rates on Basic are 2.8% + 30¢ CAD. The page describes a 3-day trial and then $1 a month for 3 months on many plans. That intro is not the ongoing price. Hosting is included. There is no setup fee on the plans described there. |
| Shopify Grow or Advanced | $132 or $517 CAD a month, or $99 or $389 billed yearly | Not a first bin of clothes. |
| FreshBooks Lite, list price | $23 USD a month on the pricing page, about $33 CAD | The Canadian figure uses the Bank of Canada rate of 1.4188 per US dollar on 29 September 2026 and is approximate. A $1 USD first-year offer is not the list price. A spreadsheet can hold a closet. A month of sourced goods should not. |
| Insurance | A quote | Ask whether a home policy covers stored goods you intend to sell. This is not insurance advice. |
| Storage | The bin, then a real cost if you rent space | Rent is a monthly cost. A second bedroom you needed for sleep is a different decision. |
Pack the first shipped sale with supplies you can rebuy. A small pack of padded mailers and packing tape TODO-AFFILIATE is the week-one kit if Poshmark or eBay.ca is the path. Local pickup does not need a mailer.
Sales money and sourcing money get confused in one chequing account. KOHO TODO-AFFILIATE is one Canadian account that can hold marketplace payouts until you know the item’s real profit, after the fee and the mailer.
A store with your own checkout is a later decision. Shopify TODO-AFFILIATE fits when listings on someone else’s marketplace are no longer the whole business. Read the current Canada pricing page before you subscribe. The reselling start in this guide does not require it.
How do ongoing costs and break-even work for reselling in Canada?
Ongoing reselling costs in Canada are the cost of the item, the fee on the page you actually used, the mailer or the drive, and returns. Reselling break-even in the sketch is a method, not an average flip profit.
Fee base. eBay’s page includes shipping you collected and sales tax in the amount the percentage applies to. A sketch that uses only the item price can be too low.
Weight. A Poshmark package over 2.5 kg is an upgrade taken from earnings. Weigh it before you list.
Returns. A stain you missed is a refund plus the mailer you do not get back.
Imports. Goods you import to sell follow the CBSA commercial import guide, not a personal exemption story.
Step 1: Start with owned items
Cash outlay is packaging, not inventory, until the closet is done.
Step 2: Write the platform fee before you list
Use the page for that site. A $40 Poshmark item at C$20 or more is not a $40 payout.
Step 3: Add the mailer or the kilometres
Local pickup has a drive. Shipping has a bag. Both are costs.
Step 4: Hold the payout until the fee and the cost are subtracted
The deposit is not profit on the day it lands.
Step 5: Stop sourcing when the bin is full of unsold items
A second bin is a decision after the first bin has sales, not before.
Illustrative example
A teaching sketch, not a quote, a forecast, or a survey of resale profits.
Suppose you list a jacket you already own on Poshmark at C$40. The getting-started guide says the fee at C$20 or more is 20% of the listing price, so 0.20 × $40 = $8, and you keep $32 before a label upgrade. Suppose the jacket is under 2.5 kg, so this sketch adds no upgrade. Suppose you bought one mailer at $2 even though Poshmark’s fee includes a label, and you should not double-count a mailer you did not need. Owned jacket, label included: remainder = $32, minus $0 item cost. Packaging you did not need is $0 in the honest version of this sketch.
Suppose instead you thrifted the jacket for an assumed $12 and you are on eBay.ca in a most-categories listing. Simplify the fee base to the item price only: 0.136 × $40 = $5.44, plus the $0.40 per-order fee, which is $5.84. A mailer at $2. Remainder = $40 − $12 − $5.84 − $2 = $20.16 before your time and before tax set-aside. eBay’s own page includes shipping collected and sales tax in the fee base, so a real fee can be higher than this simplified sketch. These totals are assumptions. Do not copy $40.
A Shopify Basic month at $37, the yearly rate, on top of a single $20 sketch does not pay for the store. That is why the store is the later column.
Where can reselling startup spending be lower in Canada?
Reselling startup spending in Canada stays lower when the first ten listings are things you own, pickup is local, and you buy a few mailers instead of a case. Listing on Poshmark is free on the getting-started guide. eBay’s first 250 listings in most categories have a zero insertion fee. Kijiji or Marketplace for a pickup can avoid a mailer. You still disclose condition.
Skip Shopify until the marketplace is the constraint. Skip a course that promises a weekend number. Skip a second-hand shop licence you do not need because you do not have a shop. Toronto’s fee is for the activity that page describes. A closet is a different activity. Confirm your own city before you assume you are exempt. This is not legal advice.
A spreadsheet is enough until you cannot match a payout to an item. Then invoicing software earns its place.
Where should reselling spending not be cut in Canada?
Reselling spending in Canada should not skip honest condition notes, a scale once you ship, or a record of what you paid. A stain you hoped nobody would see becomes a return and a fee you already lost. A guessed weight becomes a label upgrade or a dispute.
Do not hide the platform fee inside a “sold for $40” story. Do not import commercial goods and call them personal shopping. The CBSA guide is the path for goods you import to sell.
Insurance and a municipal licence are the lines to ask about when the activity stops being a closet. This guide does not copy one city’s fee onto another, and it is not insurance or legal advice.
Keep sourcing money separate from household spending. A payout that you spend before you subtract the cost of the next item is how the bin looks profitable and the account is empty.
Which tax rules apply to a reselling budget in Canada?
Reselling income in Canada, when you are carrying on the activity for profit, is self-employment income reported on Form T2125, and self-employed people pay the whole Canada Pension Plan contribution, both portions, on the net. The cost of goods, mailers, and platform fees are generally current expenses. A scale or a computer that lasts for years may be capital cost allowance on the business portion. GST/HST uses the $30,000 small-supplier test, not the taxi and ride-sharing rule. Nova Scotia’s HST is 14% as of 1 April 2025 on the CRA charge and collect the GST/HST table.
This is not tax, legal, or insurance advice.
A one-off clear-out of personal belongings is not the same picture as an ongoing buy-and-sell activity. Keep purchase notes either way, and ask a tax adviser if you are unsure which one you are doing. The small-supplier test is worldwide taxable supplies, yours and your associates’, of $30,000 or less in a quarter and over four consecutive quarters. Platforms may have their own collection rules. Reselling is not ride-sharing.
If you are registered, GST/HST you paid on business purchases can often be recovered as an input tax credit to the extent of commercial use. You generally need to be a registrant and you need receipts that show the tax. If you are not registered, do not add GST/HST yourself and do not claim the credit. Confirm the current rules, including how a marketplace’s collection affects you, with the CRA or a tax professional.
Once registered, charge the rate for the province where the supply is made, unless a platform rule you have read says the platform collects. Some provinces use HST. Others add PST on top of GST. Quebec charges GST and QST. Use the GST/HST calculator (and rates).
Which budgets sit next to reselling in Canada?
Listing and the first week are in how to start reselling in Canada. Your own checkout is Shopify store startup costs. A downloadable file is Notion template startup costs. Hours instead of goods are freelance writing startup costs.
What are the common questions?
How much does it cost to start reselling in Canada?
A closet clear-out in Canada is often about $15 to $50 for a few mailers and tape if you already own the items. A typical ship-from-home kit with a scale and a bin is often about $50 to $180. A fuller start with paid inventory and your own store subscription can reach about $400 to $1,200 before a municipal shop licence. These are ranges to verify, not quotes.
What does eBay.ca charge to sell in Canada?
eBay.ca's selling-fees page says most categories get 250 zero-insertion listings a month, then $0.30 a listing, and a final value fee of 13.6% up to $7,500 plus a per-order fee of $0.30 or $0.40. The fee base includes shipping collected and sales tax. Other categories differ. Confirm the live page.
What does Poshmark Canada charge?
Poshmark Canada's getting-started guide says listing is free, sales under C$20 cost a flat C$3.95, and sales of C$20 or more cost 20% of the listing price. The fee includes a prepaid label. Packages over 2.5 kg need a label upgrade deducted from earnings.
Should I open Shopify before I have sold anything in Canada?
No. Shopify's Canada pricing page lists Basic at $49 CAD a month, or $37 CAD a month billed yearly, after a short introductory offer. Marketplace listings do not require that subscription. Open a store when listings on someone else's site are the constraint, and confirm the live price.
Do resellers in Canada charge GST/HST on the first sale?
Only if you are registered, unless a platform's own rule collects tax for that sale. The small-supplier test is $30,000 of worldwide taxable supplies in a quarter or over four consecutive quarters. A one-off personal clear-out is a different question from an ongoing business. This is not tax advice.
Which sources support this guide?
The rules, rates, and platform requirements in this guide are checked against these primary sources. Retail price ranges are labelled as ranges to verify locally, and they are not quotes.
- When to register for and start charging the GST/HST — Canada Revenue Agency
- Charge and collect the GST/HST — Canada Revenue Agency
- GST/HST calculator (and rates) — Canada Revenue Agency
- Form T2125, Statement of Business or Professional Activities — Canada Revenue Agency
- Contributions to the Canada Pension Plan — Government of Canada
- Claiming capital cost allowance (CCA) — Canada Revenue Agency
- Input tax credits — Canada Revenue Agency
- GST/HST for taxi and ride-sharing drivers — Canada Revenue Agency
- eBay.ca selling fees — eBay.ca
- Get started on Poshmark — Poshmark Canada
- How to ship on Poshmark — Poshmark Canada
- Poshmark overweight shipping label — Poshmark Canada
- Shopify pricing — Shopify Canada
- FreshBooks pricing — FreshBooks
- Second Hand Shop — City of Toronto
- Guide to importing commercial goods into Canada — Canada Border Services Agency