Pro Tips for Selling Clothes Online – We asked the experts—professional online clothing retailers—for their top tips on selling secondhand and vintage clothing online.
- Choose clothes that are on-trend or from particular decade.
A Career Flex
You can sell items that either trending right now, or develop a niche (regardless of current trends). How do you find a niche? By selling similar items that are similar to one another. “You can sell items that correspond to each other. Some sellers focus on specific decades, styles, colors or type of item,” says Kristina Franco, owner of the Etsy shop Allen Company.
- Photograph items clearly.
“High-quality pictures are very important,” say Laura Mae and Amanda Jean, owners of the Etsy shop MaeJean Vintage. “Utilize natural light and capture the images with a quality camera.”
- Take specific measurements of clothing.
“It isn’t easy to convey all the lovely aspects of a garment on a computer screen,” says Lauren Naimola, owner of the Etsy shop Dear Golden. “Many people want to feel the garment and try it on, so you have to be exhaustive in the way you render the garment visually as well as describe it. Measurements are provided for every garment. A dress is measured at the shoulders, bust, waist, hip and length. Every girl should know her measurements, especially if she wants to shop online.”
- Provide accurate details about the condition of your items.
“Build a good reputation,” says Franco. “Accurately portray your items and be upfront and honest about the details. This is the only way to gain the trust of buyers who are already faced with the challenge of buying something they cannot try on or inspect. A good reputation goes a long way!”
- Keep an international audience in mind.
“Selling online allows you to reach a very wide and international audience,” says Lauren. “A lot of my business comes from awesome vintage-loving gals in Australia and the UK.”
If you’re selling clothes to a consignment boutique, you’re limited by locality and seasonality. But if you’re selling online, you can consider an international audience. For example, you might be selling a coat in the spring, when no one in the United States is really looking for coats. But someone in Argentina might want that coat because it’s becoming fall there.
- Prioritize customer service.
“Customer service is so important,” say Mae and Jean. “We have a very flexible return policy so that if customers are not 100% content, they are welcome to ship items back to us.”
- Study before you sell.
“There are many people selling vintage online, but there are only a few who are educated about garment dating and fabric composition,” says Lauren. “Learn as much as possible about vintage garments.”
How much money can I make from selling clothes online?
There is no one answer to this question. However, you can make a profit from selling clothes online by selling items that sell at high prices. For example, if you sell knitwear, you could make a lot of money by selling items that are in high demand and have high margins. Additionally, you might be able to sell clothes at a lower price and still make a profit. You also need to take into account the size of your order and the cost of shipping.