Who searches for reselling spreadsheets
"DHgate reselling spreadsheet", "dhgate resell spreadsheet" and "reselling spreadsheet dhgate" together get around 200 searches a month. Most come from people who saw TikTok videos about buying cheaply on DHgate and selling on Depop, Vinted, eBay or at school. This page is about the rules and the numbers, not a sales pitch, because reselling the wrong goods is how buyers lose money, accounts and occasionally more.
The legal line: trademarks
Buying an item for personal use and reselling it are treated differently. Selling goods that carry another company's trademark without permission is trademark infringement in the United States, Canada, the UK, the EU and Australia. Marketplaces enforce this actively: listings get removed, accounts suspended and payouts held. Customs can seize stock at import, and seized goods are not refunded by DHgate or any agent. Rights holders also send claims to repeat sellers. None of that applies to unbranded goods, which is where legitimate DHgate reselling lives.
What is reasonable to resell
| Category | Resale risk | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Plain apparel, gym wear without logos | Low | Fibre content labelling rules |
| Hair accessories, phone cases, keyrings | Low | Character licensing (cartoon prints) |
| Party, craft and costume supplies | Low to medium | Toy safety rules for children's items |
| Jewelry | Medium | Nickel and lead limits in the EU and elsewhere |
| Electronics, chargers, cosmetics | High | Safety certification and liability |
| Anything with a brand's logo | Very high | Infringement, seizure, bans |
Unbranded, non-electrical goods are the realistic reselling space; branded copies are a liability, not a margin.
Working out the real margin
Start with the landed cost per unit: item price, shipping, import duty and tax, and any customs handling fee. In the US, every parcel owes duty since August 2025. In the EU, including the Netherlands, VAT applies from the first euro and there is a €3 duty per item category for parcels under €150 since July 2026, rising to normal duty above that. Then subtract the selling side: marketplace fees, payment fees, postage to your buyer, packaging and a realistic allowance for returns and defects, often 5 to 10% of units in cheap goods. Many items that look like a 3× markup on DHgate end up near break-even. The calculator handles the import side.
Test before you stock
Order one or two units first, check them against the listing, and photograph them yourself. Buyer-facing photos should be your own, not the seller's, both for honesty and because many marketplaces penalise stock images. Only order in quantity from a seller whose sample matched.
Tax and registration
Regular reselling is a business in most countries. In the UK, income from selling online above the trading allowance needs reporting; in the US, marketplaces issue tax forms above thresholds; in the EU, platforms report seller income under DAC7 rules. Check your country's rules before you scale up.
DHgate versus 1688 for stock
For larger quantities, 1688 often has lower unit prices than DHgate but sells to Chinese buyers, so you need an agent and must meet minimum order quantities. Our 1688 spreadsheet page covers that route. DHgate's advantage is small quantities shipped directly with escrow.
What this site will not help with
We do not list sellers of branded copies or suggest ways to describe them to get past marketplace filters or customs. If a reselling spreadsheet's main content is brand look-alikes, treat it as a risk list rather than an opportunity.
Product safety rules by market
Safety rules catch resellers more often than they expect. In the EU, products sold to consumers must meet the General Product Safety Regulation, jewelry is subject to limits on nickel, lead and cadmium, and toys need CE marking with a responsible person in the EU. In the UK, similar rules apply under UKCA and product safety law. In the US, children's products need testing and a Children's Product Certificate, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled cheap imported jewelry for lead. In Australia, mandatory standards cover items such as button batteries and children's nightwear. Cheap DHgate listings rarely come with the documents these rules require, which is why the safest resale categories are simple adult apparel and accessories.
Marketplace-specific notes
Depop and Vinted prioritise second-hand and handmade goods, and new mass-produced stock sold in volume can attract attention. eBay allows new goods but requires accurate descriptions and enforces its counterfeit policy through its VeRO programme, where rights owners report listings. Etsy is for handmade, vintage or craft supplies, so reselling finished DHgate goods there breaks its rules. Read the specific marketplace policy before listing, not after a suspension.
Returns and defects
Cheap goods arrive with a defect rate you have to absorb. Budget for it, inspect every unit before listing, and price so that a few unsellable units do not erase the margin. Returning defective stock to a DHgate seller across borders is rarely worth the postage; negotiate a partial refund through a dispute instead, with photos.
FAQ
Is it legal to resell DHgate items?
Unbranded items that meet safety rules, yes. Items with another brand's trademark, no.
Will Depop or eBay ban DHgate resellers?
They remove infringing listings and suspend repeat sellers. Unbranded goods are fine within their normal rules.
What margin can I expect?
After shipping, duty, fees and returns, often much less than the sticker difference suggests. Calculate per unit before buying stock.
Can customs seize resale stock?
Yes, if it infringes trademarks or breaks safety rules; there is no refund.
Is 1688 cheaper than DHgate for reselling?
Often for larger quantities, but you need an agent and must meet minimum orders.
Do I need a business registration to resell DHgate items?
Occasional sales of personal items usually do not, but regular buying to resell is treated as trading in most countries. Check your local thresholds for registering and reporting income before you scale up.
Can I use the seller's photos in my listing?
It is better not to. They may misrepresent the stock you received, and some marketplaces flag stock images. Photograph your own units.