Tell me your online selling secrets!

approprio

Having just relieved myself of a rather large amount of cash, I feel motivated to monetise a few things to make room for the new acquisition. I know many of you offer items on Style Exchange and I may yet push a few things in that direction, but I was wondering which other avenues you use.

Do you favour Ebay or Etsy? Have you offloaded trophies via Poshmark or Vestiare? And if you're a regular, what sells well, and where?

Any golden tips for listings? Have you run into any risks or hazards with selling online? If you buy online from individuals, what do you look for from a vendor?

Please tell me your stories!

7 years ago

General

9 replies

Latest reply was from columbine(erin)

Anonymous

I've been selling odds and ends on eBay since the late 90's. I never really sold clothes, there, though. Clothes are such a saturated category on eBay that I never had success getting eyes on my listings, but I may not have been doing it right.

I have much better luck selling clothes on Poshmark. I've sold my own stuff during a closet purge, and occasionally I'll pick something up at a thrift store just to resell if it's a bargain and I think it will do well. Trendy stuff as well as higher quality brands seem to do well. Think Free People and Eileen Fisher, not Banana Republic and Talbots.

Poshmark is awesome for selling shoes because they charge the buyer a flat $6.50 shipping fee and you can ship up to 5 pounds. On eBay you'd have to charge about double that to ship a pair of shoes. Conversely, though, Poshmark is not great for lightweight clothes that could go first class because the buyer ends up overpaying for shipping.

As an example, there's a top I recently considered buying on Poshmark. Just a lightweight knit top. The seller has it listed at $17, so I would pay $23.50 with shipping. The seller will only make $13.60 off the sale. They could list it for about $20 shipped on eBay and make the same amount of money after fees and shipping. Or they could charge a dollar or two more and we'd both be better off.

My tips for Poshmark are:

Take good pictures, including the tags and a detail of the print/fabric - they allow 8 pictures now.
Describe things really carefully, including any flaws.
Post measurements! As a buyer I often just pass a listing by if there are no measurements. It's a hassle to ask the seller every time.
Offer a bundle discount, and also mention in your listings if you have a similar item the buyer might also be interested in.
Price things just slightly high of what you're expecting to leave room for the buyer to make an offer. But don't go too high or people won't bother.
Browse the app and like and share other people's listings. Those people will get notified and usually they will also share one of your listings. You can pick up followers this way. I don't bother sharing to parties, though.

7 years ago

Diana

Veteran

I use ebay to sell things with mixed success. I only bother to list higher end and high-brand-recognition items (e.g. Eileen Fisher or Fluevog). It's totally not worth the effort for me if I can't get at least $20 or so for the item, which basically rules out things like BR, Gap, etc (those things I used to occasionally sell to places like Thredup but honestly you get pennies on the dollar so it's hardly worth it to me).

I have thought about Poshmark but never taken the plunge. Honestlly the social aspect of it is a big turn off for me, as is the idea that you have to negotiate every transaction.

Agree with catty that the biggest thing is to post measurements and lots of clear photos, whatever platform you end up using. Check for what similar items have sold for recently (on ebay, there's a way to filter search for sold items, which is helpful when looking for this info) and set your prices accordingly. If you're going to use an auction style site set your starting price (or reserve price) for the lowest you're willing to sell the item for.

7 years ago

Kate

Veteran

I've only sold clothes on ebay, and have had a lot of luck there. The best advice I can give is research your item on ebay to check how others have priced similar garments, provide a great description, including measurements, and provide LOTS of photos. My best sellers have been shoes, boots, and outerwear. Good luck!

7 years ago

Kate

Veteran

Just wanted to add that I don't offer returns (don't want the hassle)—another reason I give such detailed into on garments I sell—and normally offer free shipping. If it's a relatively lightweight item, I eat the cost of shipping; if it's a pair of heavy boots or a wool coat, I will make up the cost of shipping in the price. I also only sell in the continental US. These are all things you'll have to figure out how you want to roll if you decide to sell online. I was very extremely apprehensive about selling online, but I will say that ebay made it pretty easy. I'm glad you brought this up, because I have a slew of items that I need to post and have been avoiding that task now for months!

7 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I have never sold my wardrobe items, so I have no secrets to share. All my stuff is passed onto Dress For Success, Goodwill, Salvation Army, or friends.

7 years ago

Diana

Veteran

Oh, just coming back to add that I do also use the style exchange on ylf. A lot of times I'll lost something here first for a week or so, then post it on eBay if there are no takers. Especially f it's something that was an Angie pick or a forum favorite. I've had items get snapped up almost immediately here. So it's definitely worth trying first.

7 years ago

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

If your stuff is designer, try theRealReal. If that is inconvenient where you are look into the Vestaire Collective.

I have sold on theRealReal and if you can get them your stuff and they accept it, they do all the photography and advertising for you and give you 60%. Eventually they sell everything.

Ebay is probably your best bet for diy, but check what others have sold your item for and figure out if it is worth the trouble. Let me know if you need more information.

7 years ago

approprio

(website)

Veteran

Wow! Wisdom of the YLF hive mind! Thank you so much for all the tips. Lots to think on here.

catty: thanks for the lowdown on Poshmark. I really appreciate the detail, particularly on the shipping costs. I'll take a closer look at how it compares with the other platforms.

Diana: I'm thinking eBay could be a good option for things like English shoes, which don't feature so much on the high fashion radar but have a strong cult following. Thanks for the tip on searching for selling histories - that will be very useful!

Kate: I like your thinking on detailed descriptions. Good to know about shoes and toppers moving on eBay. I'll definitely look into that side of things a bit further.

shevia: I have an account on Vestiare, but never did anything with it until yesterday, when I submitted something for sale to test out the process. Waiting to see what happens there. I hadn't heard of TheRealReal before, so I'll check them out too.

And Angie, that's what I've always done in the past, but I realised lately that I found it very hard to release certain items into the wild without knowing where they were bound for. Emotionally, I need to take this responsibility for my wardrobe pets. Don't ask me why.

And the extra cash for my shopping budget is a bonus, of course

7 years ago

columbine(erin)

Veteran

I decided to take the plunge with Poshmark and sell some shoes that I can no longer wear due to foot injury. I did sell one pair already. The social aspects of the site might wear me out eventually. So I think I"ll only try to sell things worth a bit more. I've sold to Thredup and Swap.com, but did make much back. I'd rather give things away than sell there, probably. I just use those sites for kids' play clothes these days. Anyway, I appreciate all the selling tips I learned from this thread!

7 years ago

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