Tips for Reselling Designer Items

Do you have a designer handbag that you aren’t crazy about?  Some trendy wedges that didn’t end up fitting as well as you’d hoped?  A gorgeous dress that doesn’t fit your style anymore?  Well, you’ve come to the right place.  For years, I’ve been reselling items on eBay in order to make space in my closet and recoup a generous percentage of the retail price.  In my experience, the best way resell designer items is online.  At first, it can be a bit tricky to navigate eBay and designer resale sites – but I promise you will get a lot more money selling your used designer goods online than you would by handing your gently-used items over to a consignment store for them to resell.  Do it yourself and get more than just a small percentage of the sale.  Join the millions of fashionistas that are reselling their pre-loved designer items online!

I have quite a bit of experience in designer resale online and have put together my best tips below for those of you who are ready to get rid of a few things while also recovering some of the funds you put into them.  Hopefully my tips make letting go of your gently used items a little less painful!

 

1) WHAT TO SELL. Remember to make sure your “give away,”  “throw out,” and “sell online” piles don’t get crossed in the process of cleaning out your closet!  This way, things won’t go missing and you won’t accidentally toss something that could have easily been donated.  I recommend giving gently used items (that you don’t mind giving away) to the Salvation Army,  Goodwill, or a similar organization.  For items that have clearly seen their day – such as broken jewelry, items with holes, or items that don’t have sizes – resale will be fairly difficult and damaged items would probably be better off being recycled, tossed, or given away.  Designer items that are gently worn/used and are in overall “good condition” can easily be sold online since there is a huge designer resale market.  If you’re selling items in a market that is specifically for designer items, make sure you don’t list anything that is a replica.  This is not only dishonest and unfair to buyers, but also violates rules of resale sites, including eBay.

2) SELL IT WISELY.  My favorite way to sell online is through eBay, for a number of reasons. Selling through eBay gets your item seen, guides you through making a listing for your item, protects buyers/sellers, and doesn’t take a large portion of your sales.  Plus, listing items on eBay is free!  You may have to pay extra for added listing features (such as adding more photos), but I’ve rarely had to do this.  Determine your item’s value – taking into account what you paid for it (retail) and, more importantly, find out what comparable items (from the same brand and in the same condition condition) are selling for.  It’s good to price your item competitively, but don’t let go of something for less than you are comfortable with.

3) SHOWCASE IT WELL. Once you begin the process of setting up a  listing for your item, take some GREAT pictures of it with a plain background.  Don’t post pictures with beds, kitchens, or anything weird in the background – that can turn buyers away.  And please, no stock photos!  The lighting and angles can be the difference between an item selling or not selling.  If your photos are blurry, dark, and don’t show the product off well, it will be hard for your listing to really stand out amongst the dozens of other listings on eBay for that very same item.

4) BE HONEST ABOUT IT. Be honest about your items.  If it is used, worn, or in poor condition – say so.  Leave additional information in the description part and let people viewing your listing know that they can reach out with questions, if needed.  Include information such as “this item comes from a smoke-free home” since buyers might want to know. Also, be sure that there are not typos or errors in your listing.  You won’t really seem like a competent  sales person if you give inaccurate measurements of an item or can’t spell the designer’s name correctly.  After all, this person is trusting you, a complete stranger, with boxing and shipping an item that they purchased.  They need to know that you are honest and able to get them their item smoothly.

5) COMMUNICATE WITH BUYERS APPROPRIATELY.  Keep checking your eBay regularly so that you can answer any messages you may receive regarding one of your listings.  Often people will message you requesting specific information about an item, and it would be a shame to lose the sale because you were unable to respond!  Also, do not give our your personal email, PayPal email, or any other personal information via messages with other eBay members.  This is against eBay’s rules because it could lead to buyers (or sellers) getting ripped off.

6) BE PATIENT. Not everyone sells their items the first time around!  You might have to renew a listing several times or have several offers fall through before finding the right buyer.  You also may not make the bigger sales until you have a few positive reviews under your belt.  If people come to your account looking for a pricy item, they will more than likely be put at ease after seeing a few stellar reviews.  For this reason, you should always be cordial with buyers (whether they commit to buying the item or not!) and send items on time.

Thanks for stopping by and get selling! 🙂