Selling Secondhand Clothes
Want to make some cash and benefit from that wardrobe declutter? Selling clothes can seem daunting but it doesn’t have to be. There are multiple things you can do that are not only great for your wallet but excellent on the environment! Every piece of clothing repurchased is an item out of landfill.
Fallen Out Of Love With Your Designer Pieces?
We have all heard it before, quality over quantity will make our wardrobes live for longer, but sometimes we simply fall out of love with our quality clothes and well known designer purchases. And that’s okay because those are the pieces that sell the best on the secondhand market. People are much more likely to buy pre-loved brands they know and love. Australian labels such as Kookai, Zimmerman, Gorman & Alice McCall sell very well. Don’t be afraid to advertise other pieces, but be mindful that they might a little harder to sell, especially via online channels.
Where To Sell
Online
Online stores like eBay, Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace are the sale path of least resistance. Everyone is allowed to sell online and your audience is far-reaching. Just make sure you have quality photos and lots of detail
Consignment Stores
Consignment stores like SWOP Clothing Exchange, the Recycle Boutique and The Closet are following the lead of America’s Buffalo Exchange, making the resale of unique and quality items easy.
Take your clothes to these locations, and they will purchase from you (if saleable) for a % of what they can sell it for; or sell on your behalf.
Host A Stall
Hosting a stall at a pre-loved fashion market is not only a great way to sell clothes, it’s a really fun day out. For a fee, businesses like Round She Goes and Hunter Markets will set you up with a beautiful space and round-up hungry shoppers…all you need to do is turn up and start selling. Last month I held a stall at Hunter Markets and I had an absolute ball. I met lots of lovely like-minded sustainable fashion folks.
Garage Sale Trail
Every October, 40,000 Australia’s sell their pre-loved belongings via the Garage Sale Trail, and clothes sell really well. Some communities host collective sale locations in Town Halls or Community Centres, others set up on the nature strip. This amazing initiative is a fun hassle-free way to give your clothes a second life and meet your neighbours!
Visit GarageSale and find out what’s happening in your community.
Garage Sale Trail, the easist way to host a sale
How To Sell Secondhand Clothes
Presentation counts
Make sure all of your items are washed and presentable. For expensive garments have it laundered and leave the dry-cleaning tag on.
TIP: Clean clothes is a must for consignment stores, they will take nothing unwashed
Good Lighting
If you are selling online take your photos in natural light using the best camera you can. Hung clothes always photograph better than those laid on a bed.
TIP: For the best hung clothes photos, hook items on the back of a door or my personal fav – take down a painting and use the picture hook on the wall.
Sizing It Up
Always including sizing in the sale heading or tag if at a fashion market. For unique, vintage or odd sized pieces I recommend adding measurements, it’s a bit of extra work but it might be what makes your piece stand-out (and sell) over others.
Sell Seasonally
No one wants to buy a winter jacket in summer, think like a department store and sell what is in season. Consignment stores will only take in-season clothes, so store those winter warmers at home until it cools down.
Garage Sale Trail, putting secondhand first
The Dos & Don’ts
Do Make Yourself Easy To Buy From
Whether it is online or in-person, it pays to be nice. For online sales provide as much detail as you can, including where to park and distance from a key landmark, i.e. “pick up in Tidy Town, only a 100m walk from Tidy Town Railway”. Providing multiple pick-ups or posting options also makes your add more attractive. If you work in a city offer a city pick up! It is convenient and public places are generally safer.
In a stall or garage sale setting, make small talk with your potential customers, encourage them to try on items and talk about what made you buy it. Make yourself approachable, and remember smiles sell!!
Don’t Forget Your Street Smarts
I don’t like to think the worst in people, but there are fraudsters out there. So be smart.
Play it safe and don’t give out your phone number selling online.
Don’t give out your phone number, all conversations must go through Facebook, eBay or gumtree. And it might pay to pull down that sexy profile pic you loaded last week to annoy your ex!
If you live in an apartment block, don’t give out your unit number, meet in the lobby out front of the block.
Don’t give your street number until your buyer is committed. In fact leave out the street number from the add completely, only show the suburb or street name.
Do make your meeting time specific, avoid lines like “pick up anytime” or “between X o’clock and Y o’clock” from your pick up chit chat. Prepare yourself and ideally have more than one person at home.
If all of that has freaked you out, meet in a public place or post it.
I hope those tips help, secondhand or pre-loved fashion is the way of the future. And remember to buy second hand yourself, putting #prelovedfirst is one of the best things you can do to improve your environmental footprint.
Visit our Sustainability Journal for more earth-loving ideas 🙂
Prepare for your sale and learn How To Declutter Your Wardrobe
