Buying/Selling Smocked Clothing on eBay:

A Primer - First Draft

I love smocked clothing and have bought, sold and "watched" many auctions on eBay over the last few years.  Here are a few thoughts I hope will be helpful.  I am not a seamstress, so I appreciate any comments or edits on this guide.

1. Terminology:  There are several formats for boutique clothing; for girls there are dresses, rompers, and outfits; for boys there are rompers (which may be synonymous with "jon jons") and outfits.

• Bishops generally do not have collars, but bias bands around the neckline.
• Float dresses have a peter pan collar and may or may not be smocked at the bodice.
• Jon jons are rompers for boys and may or may not be smocked.
• Smocked dresses may also have embroidery across the smocking often with topical or seasonal designs (ballerinas, pumpkins, flamingos, etc, etc.).
• Sleeving: may be sleeveless, angel-wing (short-sleeved with a slight angle at the shoulder), short-sleeved with or without "puffy" sleeves, or long-sleeved.
• The bodice may be fully smocked, may have a band of smocking, or be in the bishop design.

2. What is "hot"?  In my experience, the boutique bishops with topical, popular, and/or seasonal embroidery tend to sell well on eBay.  Some examples might include ballet, animals, horses, ladybugs, bugs, flowers, and seasonal - pumpkins, Fourth of July, back to school, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, etc.  Of course, you have to sell them at the right time - sleeveless and short-sleeves leading up to spring and summer and long-sleeved leading up to back to school, fall and winter.

I have had less experience with boys clothing in general, but I have had excellent success selling a few smocked rompers with cute embroidery (bugs in one case).

In addition to the fact that these items tend to be cute and well made, my theory is that they are good sellers on eBay specifically because their unique embroidered themes stand out from other items on eBay.  For example, my daughter is particularly into horses right now, so a dress embroidered with horses would be a good bet for me.  Dresses with smocking-only might sell uniquely well in stores as buyers can appreciate their simplicity or fine fabrics.  A simple smocked dress in a fine fabric might "undersell" on eBay.  I mean no slight to either version - I am just offering a theory of what sells uniquely well on eBay.

3. Boutique Brands/Smocked Bishops: The smocked bishop dresses with embroidery tend to be made and sold by smaller boutique labels whereas basic smocked dresses are often, but certainly not always, made by good department store brands.  The following are some of the boutique brands that are common on eBay.  I will put an asterisk next to those I have bought or sold:

• Amanda Remembered*
• Anavini*
• Beaux et Belles*
• Be Mine
• Cupcake Original(s)
• Orient Expressed*
• Plantation Shop
• Rosalina*
• Silly Goose*
• Vive La Fete*

Other boutique brands (newer, less volume, or I am less familiar with these):

• Fast Friends
• Just Ducky
• Le Cirque
• Maria Elena or M.E. Kids*
• Remember Nguyen

4. Other Brands, including department store brands. These brands tend to have the traditional band of smocking across the bodice which may or may not be embroidered or these are brands that make some smocked clothing, although it is not necessarily their main area:

• Bailey Boys
• Carriage Boutiques*
• Feltman Brothers
• Friedknit Boutique*
• Gymboree (occasionally has smocked clothing; has done at lease one embr. bishop)*
• House of Hatten*
• Kelly's Kids*
• Petit Ami*
• Ralph Lauren*
• Royal Child
• Sophie Dess
• Strasburg*

  I welcome any edits, additions, or other modifications to this guide. 

Good luck and please email me with suggestions for this guide - I hope it is helpful!