Spice up your Auction! –Tips on Selling Clothing & More

We’ve all been there.
Browsing auctions in our free time, looking for that one special item and finding tons of auctions with mediocre pictures and one sentence item descriptions and told ourselves, “I can do better then that!”
Well, your probably right, but where to start?
Selling juniors and women’s clothing on eBay is fun and easy—and hopefully the next few guides will help clear the fog. This guide is to help those looking who are just staring out selling on eBay. Hopefully, this guide will help you find the right lines of clothing to sell and where to find them. Enjoy!

Know your product

Before you start, find a product [or in our case of clothing line/label] that you know well or fell comfortable with. Research that label on eBay and see how well it is selling, how many sellers are selling that brand and what the highest bid is for the brand.
Brands that seem to overall sell well on eBay [new or used]:

• Abercrombie & Fitch | Hollister Co.
• Juicy Couture
• Urban Outfitters
• Baby Phat
• Ecko
• BeBe

Express | The Limited | Victoria’s Secret
But remember, just because it is not a designer label or a well known brand does not mean it won’t sell. Most buyers buy items that they think are just cute, regardless if it is new or used. Brands like:

• Energie
• Bongo
• Wet Seal
• L.E.I

sell just as well [or sometimes even better!] as bigger retail brands.

Other brands of clothing to keep an eye for are what I call “specialty brands.” These are brands that cater to a certain rowd, life style and/or sport. Brands like:

• Etnies | Hurely  [skateboarding, BMX clothing companies]
• O’Neill [surfboarding]
• Harley Davison
• Morbid Threads
• LOST…enterprises

sell very well since not all stores at the local mall will sell these brands. These brands have a unique quality to their clothing that a lot of buyers want.

Were do you find this stuff?

This is the number one question I receive in my inbox, “Where do I go to buy this stuff?”
Granted, no seller will tell you all their secrets, but here are just a few ways to get items to sell:

Thrift Stores
I know, you have probably heard this one a million times, but thrift stores are some of the greatest places to find items.

Granted, it can take some time sifting through dozens of out-dated, tacky items, but eventually you will find a real gem-of-an-item(s) to sell. Also, get to know the employees, and this goes for anywhere you go, and start picking their brains. Once they see your face showing up every Saturday, they’ll be willing to help you and maybe give you a sneak peek on items not yet put out!

Flea Markets & Garage Sales
Flea Markets are good places to check out too if they are “real” markets. Beware of places that claim to be a “market” and not just a bunch of dealers with a numbered space selling over-priced junk. Where I live, I don’t find too many “good” flea markets [though I do know of a few] but I have found amazing markets in my travels, so always keep an eye out.

Garage sales are great too, especially with the growing trend of “neighborhood sales” with entire communities selling oodles, and oodles of items!
With both Flea Markets & Garage sales, don’t be afraid to use the power of bargaining [especially at the markets]. Remember: The worst thing they can say to you is “no.”

Marshalls & all those closeout retailers!
These are my personal favorite! These are the places where, if you time it right, can find the famous $1 rack. Just because those items did not sell well at one store, does not mean they won’t sell. eBay is huge, and with so many different people in different sizes, styles and tastes, that one dollar tank you bought might just sell for booku bucks!
Tip: When purchasing items from the “Red Line—One Dollar” racks, always check out the garment before buying. Really examine it, look at the seams [especially where store sensors go—usually in the lower left hand side of a seam] the back, inside, anywhere there might be a hole or a major stain. Remember: Again, get to know the sales employees! Knowing them will help your eBay business. They can tell you when things are going on sale, when the store receives shipments, etc. They can also tell you what items are selling well—they see the items everyday, so they know.

Other places to check out are local shops and specialty stores in your home area. Think about what items you are able to find that would be hard to find elsewhere. Most retail shops have a collection of “damage” goods that they just get rid of. Ask them if you could buy them or just look at a few. Some of these items have hardly “damage” to them, but because of one small imperfection, retailers cannot price them for full price. You can always ask you buds for any items they don’t want or stuff from your own closet to help get you selling and receiving + feedback.

Hopefully this will help you get a start in your clothing selling career!