Entrepreneur’s side hustle reselling pre-loved trainers transforms into business with £100,000+ monthly sales on eBay
Kingsley Earl said he ‘never dreamt of even making £100,000 a year, never mind selling that much in a month’.
An entrepreneur who started a university side hustle to fund and expand his personal shoe collection is now generating more than £100,000 in monthly sales on eBay and “giving back” to others.
Kingsley Earl, 29, a director who lives in Woking, Surrey, always thought about launching his own business, but never thought it would happen – until he started seeing success with his side hustle at university.
What started out as buying, restoring and reselling pre-loved trainers has now become a live-selling-first business on eBay, with a total online following of more than four million across various platforms.
In four months of selling on eBay Live, Kingsley has generated about £300,000 in sales, grown Kings Kleans from a one-person operation to a team of eight, and is now making six-figure monthly sales, with his highest so far being £127,000.
He streams three times a week to thousands of viewers and offers free giveaways, and he said the savings are “insane”, with one pair of shoes – Off-White x Air Jordan 1 Chicago trainers, worth £3,500 – selling for £450.
Kingsley now wants to continue growing the business and help more people access premium items that might otherwise be above their budget.
“When I first started, there was a stigma about wearing pre-loved shoes and no-one wanted to do it. It was almost frowned upon,” Kingsley told PA Real Life.
“I felt that was ridiculous because I know I can clean them, make them look almost no different from the new pairs and they’re 80% less in terms of price, so it’s a no-brainer to me.
“I just want to put everything into the business because it’s almost my baby, in a way… I just want to share that passion with everyone.”
Kingsley has “always loved fashion” and started collecting shoes when he was younger, describing himself as an “obsessive collector”.
He said setting up his own business was “something that appealed” to him, but he never thought it would become reality.
“I wasn’t always convinced that I had what it takes to do it,” he said.
While studying media production at university, Kingsley wanted to expand his shoe collection and soon realised he could buy cheaper pre-loved pairs and revamp them himself.
He said he studied tips and tricks through his own research, social media and YouTube tutorials, learning how to restore them to an almost-new condition.
“It just started from always wanting the expensive shoes, these premium pairs that I’d always seen people wear but never been able to afford,” he said.
“So, I started to find out that I can buy them online for cheap, more used, but clean them up, make them look new and then be able to enjoy them myself.”
With a desire to earn some extra cash to help with university rent and everyday living, he started buying shoes in sizes other than his own, restoring them and selling them for profit.
He said he wanted to help “combat fast fashion” too, and give others the opportunity to buy expensive shoes at cheaper prices.
“In the third or fourth year of university, I started to figure out that what I do love, and what I’ve got a passion for, could actually turn into a career,” he said.
“For a long time, it just felt like it was only ever going to be a side hustle.”
Initially, Kingsley said his sidle hustle gained attention through “word of mouth” before he started selling on platforms such as Instagram and Depop.
He also started sharing “educational-style” content on shoe restoration, before launching his own shoe-cleaning service.
However, after several months, Kingsley said he did not envision himself solely as a shoe cleaner – and this prompted him to set up Kings Kleans on eBay in March 2026.
“I’ve always loved selling, and I think eBay has just been one of those trusted household names that always made sense,” he said.
Kingsley said he wanted to offer “competitive prices” and, once sales “ramped up”, he started improving the service by adding small freebies.
His shoes can now sell for hundreds less than their original price, such as a pair of Jordan 3 Green Glow trainers selling for £6, with an RRP of £190; some Burberry Block Heels for £30, with an RRP of £690; and a pair of Yeezy Boost 380 Azure trainers for £20, with an RRP of £240.
Kingsley said he was initially worried that his followers on other platforms would not make the “jump” to eBay, but it has “completely blown (his) expectations” and he now has a total of 4,013,366 followers and subscribers across four platforms at the time of writing.
“It showed me the power of that community as it doesn’t matter where you are, the people who love what you do will always show up, no matter where it is,” he said.
Kingsley has started doing eBay Live streams – where he sells items in real time in an auction format – and he said this is where his “true authentic self can come across”.
He said auctions start at £1 with no reserve and customers determine the final selling price, and he does three regular livestreams per week, ranging from three to five hours on average.
It is free to join, as viewers do not have to buy anything to participate, and Kingsley enjoys doing giveaways with free postage, with 30 or more happening on a typical livestream.
He loves the sense of community and how generous people can be, particularly with the giveaways, as he said they are “spending their hard-earned money just to put a smile on someone else’s face”.
“It’s not just people coming for the great deals, they’re coming for the bigger picture of the community,” he explained.
“We’ve got people from every background, every location, and it’s nice that it brings people together.”
Kingsley said eBay shoppers can buy everything from £4 clothing to rare designer collaborations, along with shoes – and so far, his highest monthly revenue has been £127,000.
He said his long-term vision is to have a 24-hour live streaming service on eBay, with even more categories for products, and he is soon planning to move into a larger venue.
He also loves seeing the comments online and said people will often tune in for the whole live stream.
“A lot of people say, ‘Oh, this is better than The Traitors that’s on right now,” he said.
Kingsley wants to continue offering his customers “endless insane deals”, while giving back, and he is looking forward to seeing “where it goes”.
He wants to create a “legacy” and would advise other young entrepreneurs to try setting up their own side hustle or business, as he said “now is a better time than ever”.
“I always wanted to find a way to make money because I’ve always liked the finer things in life, I guess,” he said.
“But I never dreamt of even making £100,000 a year, never mind selling that much in a month.
“I just want to build a business in a sustainable way where we can give back, help out, leave a good imprint, give more than we take and just enjoy the journey as well.”