Fashion Briefing: Inside the growing, sometimes sketchy, world of inventory sourcing for resale

Until now, a fragmented network of gray market suppliers, excess stock from brands and retailers and drop-shipped items from factories have made up the bulk of the inventory one finds on platforms like TikTok Shop and Whanot. But as the revenue opportunity for these marketplaces increase, new players are looking to formalize the sourcing of inventory for independent sellers.