Selling clothes online is one of the best ways to get rid of the stuff you don’t wear anymore. No need to trek to the charity shop, no putting them in landfill, just actual cash money for the stuff you don’t want. What more could you want? A handy guide to help you sell your clothes online? Say less.
We’ve got tonnes of top tips to help you sell secondhand clothes online. From pricing to negotiating, packaging, posting and building a loyal customer base, get ready to turn your unloved stuff into £££.
Is it worth selling your clothes online?
Obviously, we’re biased. We absolutely believe it is worth selling clothes online. What are the alternatives…
- Taking them to a charity shop? Ok, that’s a fair one but… it doesn’t put any money in your pocket.
- Putting them in the bin? No. Just no.
- Giving them to your friends? Hmm, this is a maybe but are you getting anything in return?
- Leaving them sitting in your wardrobe unworn? The easy way out but completely pointless.
Selling your clothes means money in your pocket. It also means the clothes are going onto a better life, with someone who will wear them. Isn’t that sweet? So, now that we’ve hopefully convinced you, let’s get into the nitty-gritty.
Prepping your clothes for sale
Before you put your second-hand, pre-loved, vintage and retro clothes up for sale, you’ve got to get them looking their best.
Make sure your clothes are clean before you snap any pictures. You should also fix any obvious signs of wear or damage, especially if you’re selling high-value pieces.
Before you get snap-happy, give your items a good once over to make sure they’re ironed, spotless and not smelly. This will help you land your first sale. It’ll also ensure your customers aren’t disappointed when their order arrives. You don’t want your listings to be featured on DM Drama.
If you do have clothes or items with missing parts or holes, it’s up to you if you want to mend these. If you are just selling your high street items like Zara pieces, for some extra cash, it might not be worth it. But, if you’ve got any designer vintage clothing, it could be worth a quick trip to the tailors before you list.
By putting some effort into prepping your clothes properly, you’ll be able to show them off in their best light which could mean quicker sales and higher sale prices.
Taking photos of your clothing
Taking good photos is the only way to catch people’s attention. It seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how many rubbish pictures we see online.
Here are some ways you can make sure you get the best angles:
- Good lighting: Good lighting can work wonders. Make sure you take your photos in a bright space, preferably with natural light. Near the window or outdoors are the best places to photograph your items. Good lighting will show the real colours off better, plus, the pictures are way more attractive to look at.
- Sell it: Make sure you take photos from different angles, get close-ups and clearly show any special features. This goes for any flaws too, make sure they are properly shown in the item images to avoid disputes and complaints.
- Style it: Give people ideas of how to style the item, what it looks great with and what accessories they could match the item with, you get the gist. If the item fits you, it can be nice to take a photo of the item on yourself, so people can see how it fits.
- Don’t distract people: A little bit of styling and creativity is great, but try not to go overboard. Keep backgrounds plain and preferably in a neutral colour like white.
- Tweak your photos: Once you’ve got your shots, don’t be afraid to edit them. We don’t mean adding crazy filters, but if your picture needs to be brightened or softened to make the colours look more realistic, go ahead.
Sticking to these tips should help you land more sales.
Setting prices and haggling like a pro
When you’re trying to sell your used clothes, figuring out the best price can be tricky. You want a price that will draw people in, but that also lets you earn something from the sale. You also need to think about wiggle room for negotiation, as people love making offers and feeling like they’ve got a deal.
Think about how worn the clothes are, what brand they are, whether they have any flaws, whether they are rare, and what similar items are selling for so you can come up with the right item price.
Some tips on setting prices:
You have to find the balance between making enough money and making sure people want to buy your stuff.
Set your prices too high and no one will be interested. Set them too low and you’ll be selling things left, right and centre, but hardly making any money.
Here are some tips for setting the perfect price:
- Start by checking out what similar pieces are going for. You can check on other apps like eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Depop. This will give you a good ballpark.
- Think about how worn your item is. If it’s been well-loved, this should be reflected in the price. Likewise, if it still has the tags on.
- Think about what your item costs originally and what brand it is. Designer labels usually mean higher prices and high-street labels mean your pricing needs to be more competitive.
- Keep it realistic when setting your pricing. We know you want to make money, but people are looking for bargains. A fair price will bring in more interested buyers.
- Know when to cut people a deal. If you only listed your item 5 minutes ago and someone is asking for a discount, you might want to hold off. But if your item has been listed for a while with little interest, it could be time to accept an offer.
Chatting with buyers
Talking to potential buyers is really important if you want to make sales.
Make sure you are responsive if people have questions. This can help you seal the deal if people are on the fence about buying.
Here are some tips for better communication with buyers:
Reply quickly
No one wants to be left hanging. If someone has a question, get back to them as quickly as possible. If you take too long to reply, the buyer might have found something else to buy instead.
Send extra pictures
We get it, it can be a bit of a pain when someone asks for extra pictures, but this could help you get the sale. So get snapping.
The devil is in the details
It’s hard buying online, especially buying second-hand clothing online. So make sure you give as much detail as possible when you’re selling clothes online. If people have questions, give them as much info as you can.
Keep it friendly
Keep your chats friendly but professional at all times.
Always be nice and professional
Keep conversations friendly but professional at all times. Think of yourself as a small business owner, you’ve got a reputation to keep.
Sending your items
After you’ve sold something, it’s time to pack and send. Make sure you wrap things properly and in appropriate packaging. This will make sure it gets to the buyer in good condition. It also makes you look more professional. No one wants to receive their new clothes wrapped in an old Tesco bag.
Including a handwritten note or using nice packaging can be a great way to get some good feedback.
Knowing when to sell
Knowing when to sell and what to sell can make a big difference to your income.
Follow fashion trends on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, so you know what people are looking for. Following influencers will also keep you in the loop.
Also, think about the weather. People don’t usually shop for winter coats in summer and bikinis in winter. Selling your items at the right time can help you land a higher final sale price.
Protecting yourself
When you’re selling clothes online, you need to know how to protect yourself and how to avoid scams. Make sure you know your rights and how to keep your sales safe.
- Make sure you’re allowed to sell the clothes you are posting without facing any copyright issues.
- Stick with secure payment methods. If someone asks you to accept a bank transfer you should be wary.
- Don’t give out your contact info. All communications should be done via the selling app you are using, in case there are any disputes.
Your rights as a seller
When you’re selling used clothes online, it’s really important to know what rights you have. This means understanding how things work with returns, refunds and any problems that might come up.
Most selling websites, like Depop, Vinted and Vint Street (that’s us!) will have certain rules that are there to keep both the buyer and the seller safe. We know no one likes reading terms and conditions, but it really is a good idea to cast your eyes over these before you start selling clothes online. That way, if anything does go wrong, you’ll know where you stand.
Building your customer base
To really get your second-hand selling business up and running, you need a loyal customer base. Then, you need to keep them coming back again.
If you are a business selling vintage clothing, an app like Instagram is a great place to build a good reputation with your clients. You can post behind-the-scenes snaps and you can build interest for special/rare items going live.
As a private seller, you shouldn’t be giving out personal information, but you can build a good customer base with great service, fast postage times, fair prices and special discounts for bundles.
You're just about ready to start selling clothes online
Now you know it’s definitely worth selling clothes online, time to get going.
Make sure you check your clothes carefully, take good pictures, set fair prices, negotiate, package and post properly, and build up a loyal gang of happy customers who love your stuff and your service.
Vint Street is a new space for people who sell vintage clothing. We’re on a mission to minimise fashion waste, so we’ve built a new platform for selling clothes online.
Sign up for a seller’s account and list your first piece with us if you want to make some extra cash from your tired wardrobe.
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