{ How to sell Clothes on eBay }
In preparation for the irresistible trends of the AW13 season, I decided to dedicate a whole weekend to clearing out my wardrobe. Although pretty time consuming, I found it rather therapeutic and now, not only do I have lots more room in my wardrobe, but I’ve also made enough money to treat myself to some new pieces!
So I started by bringing my Autumn Winter clothes down from the loft and making three piles, one for keepers, one for charity, and one for eBay. Generally anything with a label (Reiss, Whistles, Cos, Topshop) will sell for at least £5, or anything that is good quality or features quality fabrics should sell well. Cashmere and Angora are key search points at this time of year.
Once you’ve decided what clothes you want to sell online, these are my top tips on how to make as much money as possible from them:
1.) Take good pics! I hang my garments on a white wooden coat hander, and hang the hanger from a picture hook on the wall. Take the picture with nothing else in shot, so that all the focus is on the garment.
2.) Understand your garment – Look at the brand, the size and the fabric. These can all be used as selling points. When you write your descriptions, make sure to personalise each one to focus on the benefits of each product. I have a document on Word which I copy and paste into each, but alter each time.
Inspire buyers with what they can wear it with ‘looks great with skinny jeans and ankle boots..’ and let them know its condition. (‘BNWT’ = Brand New With Tags, ‘NWOT’ = New Without Tags or ‘Used’)
Always be honest – if there is anything wrong with the garment, make sure you note this in the description, even if it is just a pull in the fabric or a small mark. I recently purchased a Bobble Off – and I use this or a knitwear comb to improve the condition of knitwear before selling.
3.) Timing is everything – I usually only list on free listings weekends, so ideally on a Sunday evening so that the auction ends on a Sunday evening. This is an ideal time to encourage bidding wars when the auction ends.
4.) Price it right – Start bidding at the lowest price that you would be happy to accept for the items. With basic pieces, like T shirts, I start the bidding at 99p. I usually start coats at £10.00 and shoes at £5.00. Have a look at what similar items are listed for. For the postage, consider the size of the garment.
5.) Answer bidder questions! Check your emails for questions from buyers. Make sure to answer quickly to get the most out of the bidding.
6.) The Wrap Up – Personally I like to include a little thank you note in my parcels, and I think it is nice to receive a well wrapped item so I’ve bought loads of pink postage bags (£3 for 50 on eBay) and have used some old address labels from work.
Hope this helps!
