How to Sort and Sell your Clothes

Our wardrobes are jam packed – the average wardrobe holds 100 items, 22 of which are never worn. The average British woman has over £1000 worth of underused (only worn once) or unworn clothing items (tags still on) sitting in her wardrobe. Whether you want to move a few items on to make room for the new season purchases or you want to go on holiday this year but your bank balance is telling you ‘NO WAY’, then look inside your wardrobe: that’s money sitting right there!

Before you start there are 3 things to consider. Firstly, you have to be clear what you want to achieve – how much money do you need to make? This will keep you focused, and if necessary, ruthless when tackling your wardrobe. Secondly, the selling won’t happen overnight: expect a 2 month turnaround. Thirdly, only sell what you can see yourself without; selling then regretting is a horrible experience.

Ready to sort and sell? Let’s go:

1.      Focus on one section of your wardrobe at a time. Trying to tackle the whole wardrobe at once can be stressful so initially focus on 1 area: summer/winter, work/play, bags/clothes.

2.      Give yourself enough time. I clear out 1 section of a clients’ wardrobe in 3 hours but this includes re-styling the clothes as well. Set a stop watch for 30 minute intervals and see how many items you sort in the time allotted.

3.      Be prepared: lay out clothing bags on the bed and label them ALTERATIONS, SELLING, EBAY. You may come across a designer gem of a dress but the hem has dropped: put this in the alterations pile. A small outlay to get the hem fixed is worth it in the long run to get your dress sold.

4.      What are your sticking points? Those items we don’t wear any more but can’t bear to part with. My business The Wardrobe Angel, specialises in decluttering wardrobes and I know how hard it can be to let clothing items go but think of your goal: car, holiday, house deposit, wedding. You can’t wear memories so if you are keeping hold of dress because you had a particularly good night out wearing it, find photos of that night out instead and sell the dress.

5.      Be honest with yourself. How much you have used and worn your bags and clothes? If an item still has the tag on, this shows you didn’t love it enough to cut the tag off and wear it. Items with tags on sell really well; on eBay they are described as BNWT (Brand New With Tags) which gives you license to price them higher than a second hand item (no tags and which you have worn).

6.      Keep in tune with the seasons when you clear out. Coats and knits sell great on eBay from November through to February. Summer listings start to creep in around March. Don’t forget festival season as well – head bands, jean shorts, crop tops – all essential festival wear.

7.      What labels do you own? Mid to top-end high street labels like Zara, Whistles, Reiss sell really well on eBay, as does suiting and plus sized clothes. During the 3 years I have been running The Wardrobe Angel I have found that jeans don’t sell well, however blouses, tops, jumpers and coats do. Any vintage clothing should be taken to a specialist vintage dealer.

8.      Designer labels less than 2 years old sell really well. Sites such as Vestiaire Collective and Buy My Wardrobe offer a haven for second hand designer clothes. That said, classics will always sell: Channel bags and jackets and Louise Vuitton bags for instance.  Ring local dress agencies to ask what labels they stock and what their turnover of stock is like. You want to move your clothes on as quickly as possible so you need to make some decisions – sell on a designer clothing website (may sell immediately or not at all), sell at a dress agency (could sell in 6 weeks) or put on eBay (could sell in a week)? All have pros and cons.

9.      Always check an equivalent item on eBay before you list your item. This will give you an idea of how much you can expect in return. Don’t forget the charges! eBay and PayPal both charge you for using their sites as do dress agencies and online dress agencies. As a rule of thumb, whatever your items sell for you will get 50% of the sale price.

10.  All clothes should be clean and in a saleable condition: no holes, stains or alterations, ironed, crease free and on a hanger. Designer bags sell better with their dust bag so dig that out and iron it. Place the clothes for the vintage dealer and the designer clothes for the dress agency on wooden hangers and package them in a garment bag. Present your clothes like presents.

Links:

The Wardrobe Angel

The Wardrobe Angel eBay page – I’m an Above Average Seller. Check out the descriptions, photos and terms & conditions I use to successfully sell.

Vestiaire Collective

Buy My Wardrobe

The Big Blog Clothes Swap

So, you all know how I LOVE a Clothes Swap and chatting to my soon-to-be-sister-in-law, Janet, on Twitter recently we thought: what would happen if we tried to organise an internet clothes swap? I think most of us have those clothes in our wardrobe: the dress we can't quite work out how to style; the trousers that were a sale bargain... if only they fit properly; the shoes that don't go with anything. Stuff you can't bring yourself to donate or eBay, but haven't actually worn in months or even years. Clothes swaps are the perfect home for those clothes. We are going to gather together as many bloggers, and blog readers as possible, pairing them up according to clothes or shoe size, and let the swapping commence.

And so here it is: the big blog clothes swap!

Want to take part? To sign up, all we need is the following information emailed to 

info@wardrobeangel.co.uk by the 9th February:

Name:
Address:
Blog address and/or social media:
Clothes size (if you need to split this for tops/bottoms, do):
Shoe size:
Swapping preferences (for example, Do you want to swap one item only or more? Do you have specific clothing preferences, e.g. dresses only? Would you be willing, or prefer, to swap shoes, bags, accessories, etc?):

We are especially keen to ensure this swap is inclusive for all sizes, so please do sign up whatever size you wear. Once we have all your responses, Janet and I will wade through them and pair you with someone of the same size. You can, if you wish, then use social media to get to know your partner and their style, or you may already have planned ahead about what you want to swap. Either way, you'll be responsible for parcelling up your swap items - be it one top or a whole horde of goodies - and posting them to your partner by the deadline of March 10th.

So what are you waiting for? Off you swap!

How to Buy on eBay

Last Christmas 1 in 4 purchases were made online and I predict that figure will rise this year. Hammering through my Christmas present shopping list, the majority of items have been purchased via the internet. It's been a joy to hear the sound of the thud on the welcome mat in my hall to know the postie has delivered all the Christmas cheer I need to spread around my family and friends.

I always find December to be a busy month on eBay and last year sales on Christmas Day and Boxing Day went through the roof - people were busy splashing their Christmas cash. I've done a couple of posts about selling on eBay but this one is about buying on eBay - what to do, what not to do and what to expect:

1. Do you really want the item or only the price.  If you are after a navy blue dress but you are bidding on a sky blue dress just because it is cheap then hold your horses; eBay isn't the only online shop! Sites like ShopStyle are a great way to compare and contrast clothing before you commit to a purchase.

2. Set your spending limit. The eBay auction system encourages panic buying by making you feel time is limited and will run out. As the clock counts down to the end of the auction your heart rate will quicken alarmingly. Panic sets in; you make bid after bid after bid and before you know it you've gone over your budget by £40 not to mention postage and packaging. Before you place your starting bid write down what you are willing to pay for the item on a post-it note and stick it to your computer screen. This will keep you focused when the bidding gets out of hand. Another option is to bid once with your final bid and then stay away from the computer screen - if your price is right then you'll win the auction without really having to participate.

3. Be prepared to walk away. You'd be surprised how often things come back around again on eBay. If the bidding goes crazy stick to your budget then set up an email alert for the item you want. Give it a few weeks and your item will pop up again from another seller and probably at a cheaper price. I was after a leopard H&M Coat and it has popped up 4 times from 4 different sellers this year alone.

4. Read, read, read. Some eBay sellers (mostly using the mobile app) keep their descriptions brief. I like a lengthy text detailing size measurements, when and where to wear the item in question. Read all the information that the seller gives at least twice before you bid or ask questions. Check their postage and packaging charges meet your expectations, check the sizing, the colour and enlarge any photos which show defects. If what you want to know isn't there then contact the seller, don't jump the gun.

5. Pay straight away. You've won the bid! It's yours! Congratulations! You can't walk out of a shop without paying for something so don't irritate your seller by withholding payment. Set up the automatic payment option on your account and settle your debts immediately. The sooner you pay, the sooner you receive your item.

And on a final note, shop wisely and safely: keep your transactions inside eBay. At this time of year there is a bigger risk of your parcel getting lost due to the high volumes being posted. If you have agreed to a transaction outside of eBay you will have no re-course if you don't receive your item. You have been warned!

Shop happy!

Til next time...x

London Fashion Week - The British Red Cross Take Over

We all pour over fashion magazines thinking about what to buy next, grieving over what's missing from our wardrobe, wishing we had a spare pile of dosh lying around to splurge on the look of the season. But the clothes on the catwalk are unachievable for many which is where fast fashion comes in with its catwalk replicas made by exploiting workers and the environment. Not so win win. 

But. Something AMAZING happened on Saturday in the British Red Cross shop on Buckingham Palace Road. Something that deserves a mighty, huge fanfare and deafening applause: the case for shopping second hand, vintage and charity shop clothing just got a hell of a lot stronger. Emma Slade, a personal style favourite of mine, took catwalk looks direct from the shows at London Fashion Week and recreated them using clothes from the rails in the charity shop - no mean feat when a fashion show lasts less than 5 minutes and looks disappear in the blink of an eye. 

With the intention to

"prove that you don’t need a big budget to be on trend, that fashion is for everyone, and that shopping sustainably by buying charity shop and second hand clothing is cooler than you ever imagined"

Emma Slade created and styled a series of phenomenal looks which in my eyes are WIN-WIN for all. Not only does it show you that style doesn't come from splashing loads of cash but that charity shops can have the latest trends even quicker than the High Street, you've just got to have a bit of imagination to put the looks together. 

You can even purchase the items on eBay with all proceeds going to The British Red Cross: 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/cln/emm.slad/London-Fashion-Week-Looks-SS15/120764807010

Emma, I salute you. Now where can I get one of those IMMENSE black head bows???

Celebrating small achievements

This week has seen three seemingly small but hugely significant changes in my life as The Wardrobe Angel and I celebrated BIG TIME thanks to the wonderful Gala Darlings's magnificent blog post on Redefining Success (click here for a read). I read Gala's post slack jawed with realisation that I don't down tools and celebrate enough, I normally make another brew and plough on. Reading Gala's wise words was eye opening because those even seemingly small successes are something that I created, worked for and deserve:

Learning to celebrate your small successes is a essential part of entrepreneurship.

First up my seller rating on eBay went from STANDARD to ABOVE STANDARD. I have been watching and waiting for this to happen for a long time; I even had the date marked in my diary! It not only means I am doing my job properly and that my customers are happy, but that I comfortable and deserving of the tag "eBay Expert". I spend at least 1 day a week doing eBay - wrapping, posting, uploading, answering questions - and to be rewarded for all my hard work felt AWESOME. (Plus it extends the life cycle of clothing, keeping it out of landfill so double awesome.)

Second up was something I have been working away on since June: my blog. Hand on heart, my blog was almost an afterthought to my online presence. Then something clicked: my blog came together and worked. Confidence, cause and clothing have made my blog fun to be around these past few months and I plucked up the courage to apply for the Oxfam Fashion Blogger Network. I got an email this week telling me I have been officially accepted:

Thank you very much for your application to be an Oxfam Fashion Blogger. I am pleased to inform you that you have been successful and I warmly welcome you to the Oxfam Fashion blogger network.

We really liked your blog post and you showed a lot of creativity with your photos. We are also impressed by your blog and your commitment to sustainability in fashion, something we are very passionate about. We are sure you could bring a lot to the Oxfam Fashion blog and it’s great to have you on board. 

The third thing worthy of celebration is a little more personal. Recently I bought a house where I grew up. Returning to my old stomping ground to put down new roots, I am in love with this feeling of permanency after years of what seems like a nomadic existence which has taken me to: Manchester, Liverpool, London, Dubai, Halifax and back to Manchester.

We were taught as kids that blowing your own trumpet plays a very bitter tune, that it wasn't the 'done thing' to talk about what we achieved, that bragging was unattractive: I say SOD IT. So back to Gala Darling - how did I celebrate? I jumped up and down on the sofa. Good, proper childlike bouncing with glee etched on my face and my hair flying in the wind. Roll on success!

Til next time....!x

Getting for bang for your wedding buck

Weddings are big business: the dress, the flowers, the food, the drink, the rings, the honeymoon....  Over 230,000 people walk down the aisle in the UK each year to the tune of £18,000 (the average cost of a wedding in the UK.)* Jaw-droppingly expensive! With all the "love" (read: money spent) it's really easy to see why people sell their wedding dresses (typically the most expensive item in the wedding) after the main event. But what about taking it one step further? People nowadays are more creatively involved in their own weddings sourcing table decorations, props, signs, suitcases (the 'in' thing in which guests leave cards in) but along with planning the wedding and sourcing all these individual props people also have lives to lead and often, little time to lead them in.

And here's where SELL MY WEDDING comes in, like a knight in a shining wedding dress and saves the day (read: money). Not only can you sell items from your wedding on here, recouping your costs, but you can also buy items for your wedding on here, making your wedding more affordable. The self-styled online wedding marketplace has over 500 completed transactions every year which just shows how successful it is.

Photography by Ally Byrom

Here's why I love SELL MY WEDDING and have already recommended it to clients and friends:

• It's fairly priced: registration to sell is only £10. You can list an unlimited number of wedding items, there are no individual listing fees, no sales commission and items won't expire until they have been sold. 
• You can Pin to Pinterest from the site - a great source of inspiration and fun when planning your own wedding deciding what you do and don't want.
• It's authentic.

After the glow of a wedding has faded you must look at the photobooth props you bought and think "am I ever going to use these again?" And that's where the authenticity and heritage of this site comes in: Rebecca Aspin set up SELL MY WEDDING after discovering bits and bobs from her wedding 3 years after the event and realised she would never use them again. That resonated hugely with me: I set up The Wardrobe Angel after my own personal experience of rapidly downsizing my own wardrobe.

Rebecca in her wedding dress shot by Simon Kench

When is the best time to sell your wedding dress?

"Straight away," says Rebecca, "with a dress sell it as soon as you can - it will still be in the shops and on-trend which will make it attractive to buyers to get it at a lower price. You can also sell bridesmaid dresses and we recently added a HIRE function so you can rent pieces for a day, rather than buy them outright."

And what make of dress sells the best?

"Jenny Packham. They retail at £3000 but sell for £1500 on Sell My Wedding."

Ally Byrom Photography

What's the best day to become a seller?

"On a Sunday. We have up to 1000 unique visitors per day."

What's selling well this month?

"DIY stuff - things people have made that other people don't have time or the creativity to make for themselves. Reception decor - particularly bunting, signs and paper lanterns along with centrepieces and vases. Vintage crockery is also very popular alongside vintage props such as suitcases and old fashioned sweetie scoops."

Photography by Ally Byrom

As mentioned there is no commission - all the sellers money is theirs (unlike with eBay) so it's win-win!

Check out SELL MY WEDDING here!

*Telegraph 2013

Baukjen, you beauty

My phone pinged with a message yesterday morning. As I looked at the screen I smiled an ear to ear grin. This was the kind of message that makes my job as The Wardrobe Angel feel AWESOME. It was a photo message from a client of her wearing one of the dresses I had recommended to her on her follow up Shopping List. It was early and she was dressed to give a presentation that day.  She felt “AMAZING.”

This is what makes me different from other image consultants and stylists, one of my USP’s if you will (the other is eBay but we’ll cover that in another post). It’s all very well saying to clients “this style of dress will really suit you” or “you need some find some trousers in this style” when odds are the client has neither time nor shopping fervour to go out and find them. A lot of my clients are pushed for time and/or have never had much success with shopping and that’s why they have called me in the first place.  They want answers:  how to organise their wardrobe and style themselves, how to save time getting dressed and make money from the items they no longer wear. What they don’t want are more futile shopping trips and wasted money on ‘meh’ purchases. 

After I have sorted a wardrobe and ascertained the ‘gaps’, I put my knowledge and expertise to work to fill them for the client. That’s why I included the Shopping List as part of the Sort, Style and Sell service (click here for more information). I do all the leg work – checking sizing, availability, seeing if I can get them a discount. Then I send them the Shopping List via email. This is done in tandem alongside a Pinterest board so they can see how their new wardrobe will fit together.

So back to the dress which made my client feel “AMAZING.” Which one was it? The Baukjen Jersey Drape dress. It is double layered so it “holds and contours the figure” which translates as YOU DON’T NEED SHAPEWEAR. My client vouched for this, the rest of her message said 

“The material is thick and wraps around, sucking me in. I have a presentation this morning and it feels great!”

Job well done, Baukjen!

In praise of sensible clothing...

Late last month I trekked over to Holland to see my mate Clare and take part in a half marathon on the island of Terschelling. This winter season I have been rocking my grey Cos wool with it's hint of androgyny but Holland ain't like here - the dress is a lot more casual and they bike EVERYWHERE. I also knew that Terschelling would be, in the kind words of Clare "freezing" so I didn't think said Cos coat would cut the freezing cold mustard plus I didn't want to tempt fate by getting greasy bike oil all over it either.

Now I have a very dramatic style and it has taken years for me to settle on a wardrobe which works for me and the upshot is that I don't really do 'dressed down'. Each year when my family pile into Centre Parcs I am probably the least equipped and therefore the most cold. I love an oversized camel coat but at Centre Parcs it won't really keep you toasty when you are hanging
out with your nephew at the outdoor play area with the wind whipping around you. I was determined to be warm for my Holland trip, Being cold is downright miserable and I wanted to enjoy the whole experience of cycling EVERYWHERE and not be thinking "how long is this going to last? I want to go home and have a brew."

So casting off my stylish sensibilities I went in search of a down jacket...

My Cos coat shot at dusk

The criteria were clear: black, belted and won't make me look like the Michelin man. With that in mind I took my search to eBay, found a jacket and promptly ordered it. I don't think I have ever had such a warm coat. It was hands-down IMMENSE. Black, belted and with faux fur around the hood all the way from Zara - it served me so well during my 4 day away - it was like living in a sleeping bag. Only my nose was cold. 

Hi Selfie! You can just see a peek of a vintage scarf creeping out, 

Vintage boots and bag completed my sensible "look".

 The weekend was lived out of a carry-on suitcase so all of my clothing was tonal (except my high vis vest which I had ready to rock on the morning of the half marathon) - black Jamie High Waisted jeans and black cashmere were the wardrobes of the day with some navy cashmere thrown in for good measure and a couple of vintage scarves to add some pattern and a shot of colour.

Ah sensible clothing! I can remember trotting out in the snow through the mean streets of Halifax on many a winters night our when I was a teenager in nowt but a dress - that's right - WITH NO COAT. Maybe its because I turned 33 this month but sensible clothing, I salute you. 

Drug Free eBay Top 10 Tips (read on - it'll all make sense...)

With the sun beginning to finally break through the clouds this month it is the perfect time to clear out your wardrobe and generate some cash from things you don’t wear. Back in 2011 I wrote my first blog post about eBay and I have learnt a lot since then about successful selling, so much so that PayPal put a hold on my account in February: they thought I was a drug dealing money launderer because of all the money going in and out of my account. True Fact! Last year I made nearly £2000 for clients selling their unsuitable clothes.

Here are my updated, drug free eBay Top 10 Tips:

1.      What’s New Pussycat? eBay Pulse used to be a great barometer to check what was and wasn’t selling and sadly, as of September 2012 it no longer exists. In its place there is the most awesome Watch Count (click here for their website). Simply select your country and then search for your key words. They even have an option to see items with zero/fewest bids - great if you need a specific item for minimal cash. I use this function to see why things haven’t sold: it may the description, the starting bid price, a badly pose photo.

2.      Knowledge is power. You wouldn’t go and buy a car without checking out the market and seeing what is on offer elsewhere. Say I am listing a Boden Top size 18, I run a search on the item to see if there are any similar items selling with that description. I check out the listing price, the photos, the description and the delivery time of similar items.

3.      Standing out from the crowd. There are 1000’s of items for sale on eBay: you have to make your listing stand out. List the garment attributes in the title - BNWT (Brand New With Tags), 100% Silk, Cashmere mix, BN (Brand New). I use a mix of capital and lower case letters as well.

4.       Descriptions which actually describe. I did an English degree so I secretly love this part but 1 sentence about your item alongside 1 photo? Would you buy that? If you were on a market stall shouting your wares what would you say? This is your chance to really sell your item: fit, cut, quality, washing instructions. Why are you selling it? When did you wear it? It is races season soon so a dress you wore to Ascot, York or Aintree will sell better with that information included in the description – buyers will know what the end use is.

5.      Givers gain - I always include the measurements of the garment. This also saves you time – the more info you give, the less questions buyers ask.

6.       Phototastic – these babies come before your now wordy and bursting at the seams descriptions. Some buyers, if they really want the item, will buy from the photos alone. Think of your photos as a sequence of events: front, back, sleeve detail, front detail, lining, damage (if any), tags (if still attached), close up of the original price on tag, retailer label showing brand and size. Make sure the photos are turned to right way round before uploading.

7.      Be honest – if you say you’ll deliver in 3 days but you know work is going to be pretty hectic and you’d rather spend your lunch hour on Twitter than queuing at the Post Office then don’t make promises you can’t keep. Bad service = bad feedback which affects your seller ratings.  

8.      Packaged to perfection – Buy your packaging from Wilkinson’s – super cheap and great quality.

9.      It’s all about the timing – As with so many things in life, eBay really is all about the timing. Sunday night between 6.30pm and 9pm is the optimum time to list on eBay: more traffic, more bids, more money. Use the scheduling option on the selling form if you are batch listing. It will cost you £0.06 per item and saves a lot of stress.

10.  Money, money, money – Ah yes, eBay has to pay themselves somehow. They take 15% of your final sale price and PayPal charges a 3.4% transaction fee plus 20p per transaction.

Let me know how you get on! Til next time..x