Fashion

Tips to Selling Clothing Items Online

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Selling clothing items online can be a great way to earn some extra cash and do your part in ending the fast fashion trend. Online secondhand clothing sites are a great way to reach people and sell things you no longer wear. 

If you’re interested in selling clothing online, we have some great tips for you!

Take Tons of Good Photos

When selling online, you want to use as many photos from different angles as you can. Not only does this help the customer get a better idea of what the product looks like to encourage them to buy it, but it helps in making sure they’re satisfied with the product when it arrives.

“Make sure your lighting and angles display the true product,” says Lori Price, Founder of PixieLane. “Don’t try to make it look nicer than it is or use filters on the photos because you’ll end up disappointing the buyer. If you have people reviewing your items as ‘not true to photos’ or ‘inaccurate description’, others are going to be very wary of buying from you and it’s hard to come back from that reputation.”

Stage the Items

Staging doesn’t mean manipulating or making it look nicer than it is. Every store you’ve ever walked into stages their clothes – why shouldn’t you do it online? Staging your clothing can help it stand out and look more like a certain aesthetic that you’re looking to sell to. Often, you can use the same items to stage for multiple items so this won’t be something that’s super time consuming or costly. You probably have props laying around your house.

“Use plants, furniture, and decor to amp up your photo listings,” says Karim Hachem, VP of eCommerce at Sunshine 79. “If you’re going to have someone model the clothing, you may want to stage a corner or small area of your home or yard to do a little photoshoot. Not only is this fun, but it can attract people to your post because it looks more like something you’d see from a store than a secondhand listing.”

Disclose Potential Allergens

Things like dogs, cats, and smoking should be disclosed in the listing. Not only is it polite to let the person know if there might be a smell on the item, but there’s also a chance someone could be allergic to something in your home. Pet allergies are nothing to mess with and some people even have reactions to cigarette smoke.

“Pets in the home don’t necessarily affect every purchaser, but if you or someone in your household smokes, this may be a bigger deal to buyers,” says Sumeer Kaur, CEO of Lashkaraa. “While pets are only typically a concern to buyers with allergies, the smell of smoke can be a major concern for a lot more people. Unfortunately, there aren’t many ways to get a strong smoke smell out of clothing, so people will be wary of that. However, if it’s not disclosed, you risk potential negative reviews disclosing that fact for you.”

Be Realistic in Price

As mentioned in the last tip, some things can affect the price. If you have an item that is damaged, smells like smoke, or is a little more unique, you may have to price it significantly lower than you bought it for. Remember, you’re selling it secondhand. On average, a second hand article of clothing sells for about 30-40% of its original price if it’s in good condition. 

“Accept the fact that your sweater from 2 years ago that you loved so much isn’t going to sell for what you might value it at,” says Eric Elggren, Co-Founder of Andar. “Sometimes something becomes too small or we just don’t have the space and it’s hard to let go. Unfortunately, setting unrealistic prices is just going to leave you disappointed, frustrated, and with extra clothing sitting around.

Use Appropriate Tags

Tags are essential for making sure people see your posts, but you have to do this the right way. If you are putting every tag under the sun on your post, it’s not going to make it to the right people. Look for similar items on the platform you’re posting on to get inspiration for the types of tags to use for each item. 

“Tags can be the make or break part of your listing,” says Dan Potter, Managing Director and CEO of CRAFTD London. “You can have a great price, awesome photos, and wonderful descriptions, but if you don’t use the right tags, it may not make it to the search results of the people who’d be interested in the item.”

Ship on Time

As mentioned a couple of times before, if you mess up with an online clothing listing, you’ll probably get a bad review and that can be hard to come back from. Make sure you’re shipping on time and being clear about the timeline for shipping. 

“It’s super frustrating as a buyer to have to wait an extra few days for an item,” says Haim Medine, Creative Director of Mark Henry. “You have to assume that your buyer is going to need that item to wear the day you tell them it will be delivered – because that can be a reality. A lot of people shop online for secondhand clothing when they need something for a trip or an event that requires attire outside of their normal wardrobe. Clarify what shipping methods are going to be used and provide them with a tracking number if possible.” 

Conclusion

Photos are a big deal when it comes to listing an item. Make sure you’re showing exactly what’s for sale. You’ll also want to stage it using props or having someone model it so it looks appealing and not like an article of clothing laying on your bedroom floor.

You also want to make sure you’re avoiding any issues that could cause a negative review. Make sure you disclose smoke and pet allergens that could have contaminated the clothing and ship on time to avoid backlash from unhappy customers.

Finally, make sure you’re being realistic with your price and using appropriate tags to list your items. People can sort by tags and prices so you’ll want to make sure your item is popping up on the screens of people who would be most interested.

 

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