How to Sell Clothes Online

"Ugh, what do I wear?"

Ever find yourself on a Friday night with no clothes to wear, but a full closet? How many jumpers and shoes do you have that you no longer wear. Let me guess, plenty.

What if we told you that you have a potential $500 or more sitting in your closet. If you're willing to put in some work to sell your old clothes online, you could make some serious cash. In fact, by 2022 the eCommerce fashion market is said to be worth $713B worldwide.

In this article, we'll show you how to start making money from your bedroom by selling your clothes online, and build your online profile.

How to declutter your closet

So you've been saving your clothes in your wardrobe for "someday". We've all been there. But decluttering your wardrobe can give you the tidy closet that you want.

• Gather all your clothes in one spot, bring some boxes
• Go through each item and ask yourself if you wear it regularly, if it's stained or torn, and if it fits you well.
• Put the clothes that you're keeping back where they belong
• Sort your clothes into three piles - selling, charity and tossing
• Sort the items in your selling pile into categories (ex. shoes, shirts, designer)

What clothes do I sell?

As you sort through your clothes, put everything that you want to keep that's still in good enough condition to sell or is of value in a box. Anything that is ripped, stained or too worn should be excluded from your selling pile. The next thing you want to do is conduct some market research. Look at the Amazons and eBays of the world to determine what sells best and at what price point. Don't sell items that are too cheap, it's probably not worth your time.

How to prepare your clothes for selling

Chances are if you're selling it, you haven't used it in quite a while. Dust off the old iron and chuck it into the washer to give it a good makeover. You need your garment looking the best it can be. If there's any small repairs you can make yourself, be sure to do it, but make note of it in your listing. Make sure you take any photos with a white uncluttered background with natural light. Use wooden hangers for that extra touch.

What is the best platform to sell clothes online?

Selling clothes online is easier now more than ever. There are lots of apps and platforms that have streamlined the online store process so that even if you're a newbie, you can still start your online store. Ultimately, it all comes down to preference; and don't feel limited to only one platform, the more shops you open, the more reach you have. Here's a list of some of the top places to sell clothes online:

• Depop
• eBay
• ASOS Marketplace
• Facebook Marketplace
• Etsy
• Instagram

Depop

Best for: All fashion, but vintage and quirky items sell best

Charges: 10% flat fee on every item sold. No listing or subscription fees.

eBay

Best for: Due to high competition, well-priced brand name fashion items sell best

Charges: 40 free auction-style or fixed price listings per month. After these free listings have been used, you will be charged an insertion fee depending on price and category. There are also optional upgrades that, if selected, will incur a fee.

ASOS Marketplace

Best for: All fashion items, but especially vintage and independent brands

Charges: A $36.00 monthly subscription fee, plus a 20% commission on each item sold.

Facebook Marketplace

Best for: Reselling all fashion items

Charges: Sellers pay 5% commission per transaction and for transactions $8 or less, a flat fee of $0.40.

Etsy

Best for: Selling handmade and vintage fashion items, especially accessories

Charges: $0.20 USD listing fee, plus a 5% transaction fee and

Instagram

Best for: Resellers, but especially independent brands and high-end fashion

Charges: None

Making your listing

There are four components of a listing that can make or break your sale:

• Your photos
• Your description
• Your shipping costs
• Your responsiveness

Taking photos that sell

The nature of an online store, means that a potential buyer cannot physically pick up and inspect an item. They have to rely on the images that you provide. This is the part that could make or break your sale.

So how do you do your clothes justice and take photos that sell?

Ensure that your clothes are displayed in front of a white, uncluttered background; either flat or on a wooden hanger (not a metal hanger) and with a model wearing one of your items. You also want to take multiple photos from different angles and use natural light as opposed to artificial light.

How to write a clothing product description that works?

It's important to remember who your target audience and what your brand voice is is when writing product descriptions. Depending on these two things, you should be as creative and descriptive as possible to describe the condition and color. These descriptions should be short and easy to understand, and use bullet points where possible. Studies suggest that more than 79% of readers scan through text picking out individual sentences and words. Think about the types of questions that your customers might have, like any additional features like pockets. If you're selling more than one category of clothing, try offering style advice in each product description to promote cross-selling.

How responsive are you?

Be responsive with any questions or queries you have from interested customers. Keep on top of your listings and be sure to check for emails and messages daily. Be polite and professional in your response, but above all be honest.