Selling your old clothes is a great way to make some money from home while also cleaning out your closet. Not to mention recycling clothes is a great alternative to participating in fast fashion.
Whether you’re using an app like Depop or Poshmark, selling clothes through Instagram, or any other way to sell clothes online, the most important thing to know is how to actually make a profit.
- Look out for apps that collect a fee
-
Apps like Depop and Poshmark are a great place to sell and buy clothes online, and they are relatively easy to work. However apps like these do take a small fee for every item you sell, so it’s important to factor that into your profits. Fee amounts vary because they depend on how much money the seller makes from the item sold. These apps also provide sellers with free shipping labels, which can make up for the cost of the fee.
- Use Instagram if selling locally
-
If you’re planning on just selling to buyers in your community, Instagram is a great for this, and many people will make separate accounts for selling clothes. Instagram is more likely to draw in buyers that live close to you than apps specific to selling clothes. Local selling takes out the shipping factor of selling clothes online, so no need to worry about shipping costs for both the seller and buyer. The biggest pro about selling clothes on Instagram is there is absolutely no extra fee costs because you are directly controlling sales.
- Take good pictures
-
Sometimes it can be difficult to see the real potential of a piece of clothing through a screen, so making sure you have good pictures of your products is essential to online selling. Try using plain and non distracting backgrounds and make sure the lighting is good. Find angles that make the clothing item look the best. It is also highly recommended to have pictures of someone wearing the items so buyers can see what the piece will look like on. The risk factor of online shopping is you can’t try items on before purchasing, so giving the buyer a good idea of what it looks like will make them more likely to purchase.
- Make prices reasonable and relatively cheap
-
People buy recycled or used clothing most likely because they are looking for a good deal. Making sure your prices are fair for the quality of the item is essential, and it will also make buyers more likely to come back and buy more from your shop. It may take a while to make your desired profit selling used clothing, but it’s important to remember that no one is going to buy if your prices are too high, making it even harder to make a good profit.
- Thrifting
-
Don’t want to sell any of your own clothes? Go thrifting and find the best deals and trendy pieces that you know others would love too. Thrifting is more time consuming than selling your own clothes, but if you find the right items, it can be easier to make a bigger profit. While thrifting, avoid items that are damaged and too expensive. You want to find pieces that are relatively cheap and in good condition. One important thing to remember when thrifting is, even if you don’t think it’s cute, somebody else might! People love unique and vintage clothing, so reselling thrifted pieces is very popular today. Depop is also a great app for selling vintage clothing.