We recently connected with Liz Sonnenberg and have shared our conversation below.

Liz, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I was never a great student, I attended a private catholic high school and was kicked out my sophomore year. After I graduated in 2018, I attended college in Florida. My first year I failed out. I somehow convinced my parents to let me continue to live in Florida and attend a community college for the second year. But I failed out again. Simply because I couldn’t get myself to attend the classes. I was working full time at a tanning salon chain in South Florida, for $11/hour, and I still would rather do that than go to class.

In spring of 2020, my parents made me move back to NJ because the tanning salon shut down due to covid and I wasn’t going to college anymore so there was really no reason for me to live down there. My parents had always hoped I would get a 4 year degree but after how difficult I had been for two years, they settled for an associates degree. They had me enroll at our local community college that fall.

Jack (my husband) and I met at the end of 2020 and we started dating right as 2021 began. Right off the bat, I knew Jack was different from anyone else I’ve ever dated. I always dated guys a few years older but always ended up breaking up with them due to the same laziness and lack of motivation. Jack and I were both 20 years old and we had the same work ethic, tendency to go against the crowd, and we were both very very motivated to make money. A few months into 2021, we both dropped out of college. He was on a full scholarship for basketball so I guess seeing him leave all of that behind gave me the courage to also finally drop out considering I didn’t have anything nearly as bad to lose. He was door dashing and I was working as a secretary in a dental office for minimum wage.

While I was working at the dental office, I was trading bags on Poshmark as a hobby. It started with one vintage Louis Vuitton ($250-400 value), and I traded my way up to a Chanel bag. I did a bunch of trade deals through poshmark which was very risky because you have to trust that this complete stranger will ship your item too. I did get screwed a couple of times, but I mostly won. And because I was so obsessed with owning these luxury pieces that I could only ever dream of affording/owning, I did so much research and it forced me to learn a lot in a very short period of time. I remember how I felt when I first received my first Chanel bag in the mail, even though it was vintage, it was surreal. It was a beige caviar Petite Shopping Tote (model name). I used it for a few days then I decided to sell it rather than trade it. I made a decent amount of money doing that, and then I had some money to actually start buying and selling bags. Eventually I was making significantly more money on Poshmark than what I was getting paid at the office job. So on August 4th 2021, I quit because it was Jack’s 21st birthday.

The entire time, it was Jack who kept telling me how crazy it was. He was more fascinated by it than I was. When everyone downplayed it, he was the one telling me this could be huge. I couldn’t put into words how supportive he was been since day 1.

So I made the Instagram account named “lizsonnenbags” as a play on my name Liz Sonnenberg. I started selling some of the pieces that I got through poshmark and also some of my clothes. When I started selling everything I had within the little community I built on there, I decided to make a website. That way people could sell directly to us as well. I also had a lot of the women that I did trades with on Poshmark follow the instagram account and to this day they’re amazing customers and friends of mine and I talk to them all the time.

From there I had a very clear vision of what I wanted LSB to be, but I never thought it would be as big as it is… and we still have a long way to go.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

It feels like I truly lucked out, finding the perfect industry at just the right time. Designer handbags are something many women aspire to own, and discovering how affordable they can be through the secondhand market is often a game-changer. Plus, sustainability is incredibly popular right now, especially as awareness grows around the problems of overconsumption and fast fashion waste.

LSB is an e-commerce platform specializing in buying and selling pre-owned designer handbags, shoes, and accessories. We proudly serve customers across the U.S. and also now worldwide. What makes us unique is our personalized approach to both buying and selling.

We are the only company that offers live negotiations. When shopping on our site, you can submit an offer on an item and receive an immediate response—whether it’s a counteroffer or acceptance. The acceptance email includes a checkout link with your discount already applied, making the process seamless.

For selling your items, we provide buyout offers within 24 hours and include a prepaid shipping label for your convenience. Once we receive your item, payment is processed within 48 hours. Our payment system is flexible, allowing you to choose from Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, or a mailed check.

I’m most proud of the community and connections I’ve built with our customers over the past three years. It’s incredible that we’ve been able to rely entirely on Instagram for marketing, which really shows how powerful and profitable social media marketing can be.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Authenticity is at the core of everything we do. Customers will not buy unless they know that the designer items they’re purchasing are real. That’s why we offer our Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee, ensuring that every item we sell is authentic. If a customer ever finds that their item counterfeit, no matter if it’s one year or five years later, they will receive a full refund. This gives our customers peace of mind and helps build the trust that’s so essential in the luxury resale market, where counterfeits are way too common.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

When Jack and I were newly dating, we listened to the audiobook Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, and it changed everything for us. It made us realize that we didn’t want to be stuck in the rat race, living paycheck to paycheck, and trading our time for money forever.

The concept of building assets, learning to make money work for you, and breaking free from the “go to school, get a job, retire at 65”.. It also gave us the confidence to drop out of college and follow our instincts, knowing that the entrepreneurial route aligned more with the life we envisioned for ourselves. That book was definitely a big reason why we felt empowered to take those risks and ultimately start LSB.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lizsonnenbags.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizsonnenbags/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-sonnenberg-193643253/