Everyone has clothes that they no longer wear. If they are in good shape, you may be able to turn them into cash. Many people also sell clothing as a way to get their feet wet in eBay sales, or sell them in order to have the Paypal funds to buy more clothes online. Here’s how to get more money out of those clothes:
The first step is to evaluate the clothing. Take the first item and look it over carefully. Is it old? Smelly? Does it have any imperfections? Is it a major name brand? If it is old and out of style, so much the better- vintage clothing is a hot seller. Capitalize on that in your listing. If it is in good condition, but smells a bit, invest in some Fabreeze to get rid of any odors.If it has holes, it’s best just to throw it out. If it has stains, try to wash it first, but if the stains persist, and it is not an outrageously expensive item, it’s best to toss it in the trash.
When you come down to a few good items, in nice condition with no stains or weird smells, take a look at the name on the tag. If it is not a recognizable name brand, do an eBay search on the brand. Remember that it costs money to list items, and listing lots of items that have little chance of selling is a bad business move. If you see hundreds of them, and they are not selling, do not sell the item unless it is truly unusual or it is brand new with the tags still on. A weird item- a shirt with a poodle playing the piano, has a chance to sell. A use, plain blue shirt with a no-name brand does not. That one needs to go to the thrift store.
When you have your items well selected, take a few digital pictures of each. Make sure that the pictures are well lit, close up, and are not grainy or blurry. You will need a shot of the entire front of the garment, then one of the back if there are any special details of the back, then a close up or two if there are any special features that you want to highlight. Crop the photos if you can so that there are not a lot of distractions in the background. The first picture is free from eBay, any additional ones are .15 apiece if you host through eBay. One way to get around the extra fees is to host the photos elsewhere. There are quite a few free picture hosting sites that make it easy.
Write an excellent description. Make sure your description includes a few measurements, or the item will likely not sell. For women’s items, you will need the bust size, overall length, inseam, waist, etc. For men’s items you need a chest measurement and the waist and inseam measurement. For children’s items, the length of the item is usually sufficient.
Unless the item is really unusual, and will likely be found in an eBay search of keywords, make sure to get the gallery picture option. Most buyers use the gallery picture to see what clothing items they want to look at further. The gallery picture costs .35 extra, but it greatly increases your chances of getting clothing sold.
Offer excellent customer service. Be sure to answer questions about your clothing, and to take extra measurements if potential buyers ask for them. Little services like that are appreciated and can not only get your item sold, but can get you repeat buyers. As long as you keep your shipping prices reasonable and offer to combine shipping for multiple purchases, chances are you will get a lot more attention rfom people who like to purchse several eBay items at once to save on shipping.
