Man, 29, who worked as a shoe-cleaner to earn extra cash at university is now earning £100,000-a-month selling secondhand trainers on eBay

A man who worked as a shoe-cleaner to earn some extra cash at university is now raking in more than £100,000-a-month selling pre-loved trainers on eBay.Kingsley Earl, 29, from Woking, Surrey, had initially started buying, restoring and reselling pre-loved trainers on eBay while studying media production at university to fund his student lifestyle. Now, after just four months of selling on eBay live, Kingsley has generated about £300,000 in sales and grown Kings Kleans from a one-person operation to a team of eight. Kingsley, who has a total online following of more than four million across various platforms, streams three times a week to thousands of viewers and is making six-figure monthly sales, with his highest figure so far being £127,000.For instance, one pair of shoes – Off-White x Air Jordan 1 Chicago trainers, which were initially worth £3,500 – have now sold 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,' he said. '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 per cent less in terms of price, so it's a no-brainer to me. Kingsley Earl, 29, from Woking, Surrey, wa siniitally working as a shoe-cleaner to earn some extra cash at university. Now, he is now raking in more than £100,000-a-month on eBay In just four months, Kingsley has generated about £300,000 in sales and grown Kings Kleans from a one-person operation to a team of eight. He is now making six-figure monthly sales, with his highest so far being £127,000 Kingsley, who has a total online following of more than four million across various platforms, streams three times a week to thousands of viewers and has made some remarkable profits'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'.During his time at university, Kingsley was keen to expand his shoe collection and soon realised that 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,' Kingsley explained. '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, Kingsley 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.' Kingsley (who is pictured here restoring a pair of shoes) now wants to continue growing the business and help more people access premium items that might otherwise be above their budgetInitially, Kingsley said his unusual venture 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 restorationInitially, Kingsley said his unusual venture 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.'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.While he was initially worried that his followers on other platforms would not make the 'jump' to eBay, he now has a total of 4,013,366 followers and subscribers across four platforms.'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 explained that 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.Kingsley also wants to continue offering his customers 'endless insane deals', while giving back, and he is looking forward to seeing 'where it goes'.He shared that he 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,' Kingsley 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.'