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