“It is like recycling: Selling old clothes to help make new ones.” –Erin OConnor
There comes a certain point in every year wherein we, ourselves would resign to the fact that we have hoarded too many clothes over the last decade. As we accumulate more clothes over the months—or years even, we may have noticed how we no longer have the designated space allocated for new clothes in our closets. For fashionistas, this is as close as they can get to a fashion travesty as that highly prized closet space is equated to precious real estate space wherein every square meter matters. So much so, that old clothes tend to eat up the precious and valuable space in our closets that could have been otherwise allocated for newer, fresh and trendier clothes. Fortunately for us, there are innumerable ways of getting rid of these yesteryear’s trends and purchases and one of them is to make a huge profit out of them. And in this time and age of technology, selling used clothes online guarantees you not only some results but convenience as well. Getting rid of your old sartorial items this way hits two birds with one stone: It allows you to declutter your closet from the plethora of clothing you own and make money out of it as well.
However, as you peruse your old buys from a multitude of clothing shops whether wholesale or retail, branded or generic, either wholesale coogi or retail bought Louis Vuitton, you inwardly cringe at some of the choices you have bought previously– from that tacky fringed crop top to that pair of bell-bottom jeans you used to be so fond of. But, what you need to keep in mind is that regardless of how eclectic or eccentric your fashion choices may be (as evidenced by the salad of clothes you own), there is always someone out there who would buy it—provided that you would upload it to the right platform which could be an avenue for buyers seeking for the same. There is a very diverse bunch of buyers out there (from brand collectors to bargain hunters) and surely, there is one of them that would find your item worth the price you might have given it. However, to make these items sell faster or get a firm traction over this type of business ; here are guidelines to assist you with that.
1.) BEFORE ANYTHING, LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS
A golden rule that remains to be true online until today is that the cheaper an item is, the more receptive a person would be to buying that particular item—most especially if it comes preloved (an online slang for used items). The truth is, if you price your clothes at a reasonable amount, you would still get inquiries regarding your item, but pricing them lower by a percent than what you intended initially would make it sell even faster. The truth is, there is no way you would sell your used clothes within a margin of how much you originally paid for it if you want to sell it fast enough. You need to keep in mind that you need to lower your expectations and unless there is a very specific demand for your particular item or brand, you cannot exactly dictate the price and your profit margin will be relatively slim.
2.) REPAIR YOUR CLOTHES FIRST
If you do not want clothes that are missing their buttons or have faulty zippers, chances are your potential buyers would not want to buy them either. When you are advertising used clothes online, you need to factor in the presentation of your clothes and how it would look as opposed to clothes that are off the rack. For one, it should be at least presentable so, in essence, it should be washed and pressed. Essentially, you would need to make the necessary repairs as well so as to make it look its very best.
3.) OFFER IT TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS FIRST
If this is your first time to venture into the world of online selling and business, the chances of getting your items seen are relatively slim. Seeing as this is the case, offer your preloved clothes to family and friends first and sell them those that they want. Of course, considering the close ties of your relationship, they may ask to haggle with your asking price. Do not be a scrooge by denying them this instead come up with a compromise wherein you would sell them the piece for less provided that they promote your online shop in their respective social media platforms or tell their other friends about this. In this way, you get to reach more potential customers with minimal effort.
4.) SET IT UP
The logistics to becoming an online seller are not always the same and it largely depends on which platform you choose to post your items and the process of getting paid. However, if you want to give your online shop a professional veneer, it is best if you tied up with websites such as PayPal. However, if you want to give it a more personal tone, you can always tie it up with a separate bank account or your own—whichever you prefer.
5.) PRESENT IT IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE
One of the many faux pas online sellers commit when selling used clothes is to present them as they are: strewn across or laid on a bed or photographed from a hanger. Additionally, lighting and photography are of minimal value to them as well. But take note: You want your used product to sell and you need to make it convincing enough to buy. So, keeping this in mind, like capturing photographs of people, it is best to take a photo of your used clothes from the best angle. Apart from that, most people would want to see your used clothes on an actual model and worn rather than see them hanged from a hanger as it gives them an idea how it would look like when they would be the one donning your used clothes.
6.) GIVE IT A BRIEF DESCRIPTION
You may think of this superfluous as an extraneous description could hardly achieve what your photo already could. But the reality is, your potential buyers would want a bit more insight about the item you are trying to sell. For one, giving it a brief description by essentially stating what size it is, and how many times it has been used and in what condition you are selling it in would help you a lot. It would give your buyers an idea of what to expect when they do get the item. Lastly, giving them suggestions of which clothes would look best with your used clothes and where and what occasions it would look perfect for would give you a lot of bonus points.
In conclusion…
Considering how easy it is to set up an online clothes shop nowadays, competition may be a little stiff when it comes to selling used clothes. However, it does come with its perks as for one; you do not necessarily need to pay the rental a retail store does but it certainly affords you the convenience of selling your used clothes from wherever without the need for a physical store. So, when you are planning to sell your used clothes online, keep the six things above in mind to make the process easier for you and your potential buyers.