Woman's Brother Steals Her Clothes to Sell in His Online Thrift Store, Dad Sides with Brother and Threatens to Kick Her Out if She Files Police Report

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Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor
Nov 4, 2024 5:00 PM EST

Welcome, tea-lovin' ladies. Plenty of young women seem to be making a living off of showing off their OotD (Outfit of the Day) in quick, 15-second videos. Sure, they do get some brand deals here and there, but the real money comes from their storefront where they resell the very clothes that they pose with on camera. However, many of these thriving influencers have recently come under fire for their business model. After all, most of them get their clothing from charity shops, which are intended to cater to people who are struggling financially. They scour second-hand shops for brand names and high-quality clothing, buy them for cheap, and markup the prices in their online stores. 

While hitting up a Goodwill during a 10 for $10 sale in order to resell each piece for over 100 bucks is diabolical, there are even cheaper ways to get clothing for your vintage store. In our story today, a man ransacks his sister's closet while she is away for work, essentially Marie Kondo-ing her wardrobe without her permission. Get all the details down below. 

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  • 01
    r/relationship_advice u/Polaroid PhotoOfACat ⚫ 17h My (28F) brother (26M) stole the majority of my clothing and sold it to build his online thrift store business. How do I handle this?
    via u/PolaroidPhotoOfACat
  • 02
    When I moved back to my dad's house after losing my house last spring, I brought the majority of my clothing with me and stored it in my room. I left everything in my room and packed one bag to travel across the country for a work opportunity in the summer.
    via u/PolaroidPhotoOfACat
  • 03
    When I came home at the beginning of this year, my bedroom had clearly been picked through and my brother told me he "cleaned it for me." When I asked where all of my clothes were, he told me he'd stored them in the attic and I had no reason not to trust him, although I couldn't understand why he would do that. I had immediately launched into another job that dominated my time and knew a lot of my stuff was still in a storage unit, so I didn't really think about it. I told myself it was either i
    via u/PolaroidPhotoOfACat
  • 04
    I cleaned out my storage unit and realized that I had actually brought most of my wardrobe back. At the same time, my brother moved out. I asked him about the stuff in the attic over texting, and he told me he "thought more stuff was in there then there was" and apologized. At this point I realized he had lied.
    via u/PolaroidPhotoOfACat
  • 05
    I knew he had an online thrifting business spanning across multiple platforms. I couldn't find most of his accounts but I found one and he was actively selling several things of mine and I could see in the history that he had been selling things quite soon after I left for my seasonal job in 2023. However the history was only of items where the buyer had left reviews.
    via u/PolaroidPhotoOfACat
  • 06
    I confronted him in person and he doubled down and said he "donated" many of my items that I'd previously left behind when I was in a stage where I was moving often for school and storing things in my bedroom. He claimed he hadn't touched anything since 2022 and had no idea where any of these newer items were. It's incredibly obvious he's lying. He never admitted to selling anything online and gave me his account info for things like depop and Etsy (I only knew his eBay account) much later in th
    via u/PolaroidPhotoOfACat
  • 07
    My dad refuses to get involved and I'll get kicked out of his house if I file a police report. What I really want is to see a history of the listings to give me peace of mind and confirm everything that was stolen so I can let it go. I also want my brother to repay me several thousand dollars at least for the items. Individual pieces were worth upwards of $100 each and I think at least 100 items have been stolen.
    via u/PolaroidPhotoOfACat
  • 08
    I don't really know how to further confront my brother since all he's done is lie and I don't feel like I have a hand to play since I can't threaten legal action. I'm completely shocked because my brother essentially built his business off of selling clothes he stole from me and is seeing no recourse from it. My trust is completely broken and I feel gut-punched. He still regularly visits the family house.
    via u/PolaroidPhotoOfACat
  • 09
    TLDR; My brother stole and sold thousands of dollars worth of clothes from me to build his online thrifting business. He will not admit it and either lies directly or speaks in half-truths about it. I have no idea what to do or how to handle my relationship with him going forward since I still see him on a regular basis. 708 ⇓ 106
    via u/PolaroidPhotoOfACat
  • 10
    Snowybird60 • 14h You don't just have a brother problem. You have a father problem too. If I were you, I'd ask your father if he's willing to reimburse you for everything your brother stole from you. If he's not, then ask him why he thinks you shouldn't call the police. I'd love to hear his explanation.
    via u/PolaroidPhotoOfACat
  • 11
    And if he tries to give you some about "family,...ask him why it's OK to steal $$$$ of dollars worth from family and to threaten to kick family out for reporting the theft. Doesn't sound like family to me. Reply 756
    via u/PolaroidPhotoOfACat
  • 12
    stevencri ⚫ 17h First thing you need to do is get a lock for your room/wardrobe. After that, it's time to talk to a lawyer. Do it privately without your dad or brother knowing. A lot of lawyers will give you a free consultation to see if your case is worth pursuing without payment. Yes, it would to get kicked out of the house, but living under constant fear of your items being stolen and sold sounds a of a lot worse. If you won, you'd likely get a good amount of money that you can easily use to
    via u/PolaroidPhotoOfACat
  • 13
    Once everything is settled, cut all contact with your dad and brother. Your dads an absolute a h le for letting your brother do this. I wouldn't be surprised if he's in on it or getting a cut from your brother. Reply ✩ 760
    via u/PolaroidPhotoOfACat
  • 14
    Bonnm42 14h • You need to tell your Dad "If your not getting involved, than you can't tell me how to handle this. Saying if I go the legal route I'll get kicked out, is being involved and picking a side, my brothers side. I was the person wronged here. Your son, my brother, literally stole from me and sold my items. You have one of 2 choices. Either don't get involved and let me handle it as I see fit, including the legal route... or talk to your son and tell him he either pays me back or gets m
    via u/Bonnm42
  • 15
    Puzzled-Rip641 • 15h Honestly your choice is the law or just steal from him and be as brazen in your lies. 10k is not a small amount of money. ... ← ☑ Reply 224
    via u/Puzzled-Rip641
  • 16
    Reasonable-Crab4291 15h Tell him pay up or I go to the cops give him a short period of time. Don't allow him to try to explain it away. You know what happened tell him you have til - then I'm getting the cops involved. ... Reply 33 ↓
    via u/Reasonable-Crab4291
  • 17
    thenord321 15h Good thing he left a digital "paper trail" collect ad much evidence as possible and get the police to charge him with sale of stolen goods and theft. If you don't want to go cops route, collect evidence and threaten him with the cops. ... Reply 57
    via u/thenord321
  • 18
    beekeeper1981 • 14h Look into small claims court in your jurisdiction. It doesn't cost much and doesn't require a lawyer. Perhaps mention that you will be taking legal action if you aren't immediately paid for the stolen items. 22 ↓ ... ← ☑ Reply
    via u/beekeeper1981
  • 19
    Weak_Reports • 10h 10k if that estimate is accurate exceeds small claims court thresholds in many states unfortunately. 12
    via u/Weak_Reports
  • 20
    karjeda • 14h So you all live with dad? Who allows theft in his home? Maybe take a few of their items. Sell them, recoup your money then leave them to their lying and thievery. Your dad is guilty if he condones it in his home. You need your own space, this home isn't safe. Your things aren't safe even under lock and key. You obviously aren't scraping by. Reply 21
    via u/karjeda
  • 21
    CD274 • 12h This isn't a business of his. It's pawning and selling stolen stuff. Don't let him make it out to be more respectable than it is. Reply 19
    via u/CD274
  • 22
    Ok-Willow-9145 • 14h You're not going to be able to recover anything from him in the present circumstances. If your housing depends on living at your father's place let it go for now. Take steps to protect your other belongings. It's an expense, but you should put your stuff in storage offsite when you're going to be away from home any amount of time.
    via u/Ok-Willow-9145
  • 23
    Take an inventory of all of your possessions, google "household inventory "you'll find lots of forms you can use. Also, get a plan together to get a place of your own asap. Even a tiny studio would be more secure than your father's place. ... Reply 13
    via u/Ok-Willow-9145
  • 24
    ScammerC 14h Take everything your brother owns to the pawnshop and buy yourself some new clothes. Your father obviously won't let him file a police report, right? ← Reply 19 ↓
    via u/ScammerC
  • 25
    Efficient_Run63 • 13h He and your dad don't deserve u in their lives. I have 5 sisters and three brothers and I'd never do that to them ← ☑ Reply ☆ 4 ♡
    via u/Efficient_Run63

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family drama fashion toxic brother sibling rivalry Female Empowerment siblings reddit story relationships love entitled clothes sister reddit thread Reddit theft vintage
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