For those of you thinking of selling clothes on eBay...
For those of you thinking of selling clothes on eBay, I just wanted to share a revelation I had about 2 weeks ago. I had had like 3 huge Tupperware tubs full of clothes that needed to be photographed and sold on eBay (because they were nice clothes, mostly name brands, and as generous as I generally am I tend to donate the less-trendy or non-name brands to Salvation Army and hold on to the rest, thinking I can squeeze some money out of them, since I spent so much on them initially, right?)
So there they sat, for over a year, taking up space and irritating me every time I saw them
One day I went to a shop called Nearly New, a consignment shop (but it wasn't like a stuffy-old-lady place, it was more like a hip thrift store of sorts) and realized that there were clothes there that were worse off than mine, that people had consigned! And it occurred to me how much less work it would be just to drag the load up there and consign it, and let the clothes speak for themselves.
Because, let me tell you, selling clothes on eBay is a BIG pain.
First, you have to make sure they look nice (wash, iron, etc. You have to do this for consignment too, but there is a little more leeway since people will be able to see them in real life and not just photos; every little wrinkle stands out in a photo.)
Second, you have to photograph them. This involves finding a neutral background, hanging the item or putting it on a dummy, getting the right amount and type and color of light, setting the camera to the right setting, taking the photos, uploading the photos to the computer, and then editing/cropping/adjusting/reducing the file size of the photos.
Third, you have to decide whether they will be sold in lots or not, what the starting price should be for each item, what day of the week to list them on (so they end at a time when a lot of people will see them), etc.
Fourth, you have to type the descriptions. You have to use every descriptive word you can think of (blue, ruffles, buttons, zipper, bias-cut, midlength, mini, etc.) and use some spicy adjectives (sexy, preppy, punk, slimming, etc.) and describe the item in excruciating detail, including the size and measurements.
And then you will STILL get tons of questions like: "Is this true to size? What would the UK size equivalent be? How many inches is it shoulder to shoulder? Is it as purple as it looks in the pic? That little spot next to the collar looks like a stain--is it a stain?" And on, and on, and on.
Fifth, once the item IS sold, you better hope the person pays promptly, because if not it's time to bug them by sending reminder emails and thinly veiled threats to make them pay.
Sixth, once they finally DO pay, you have to box the item up, label it, go to the post office/UPS/etc, and mail it. And you have to do it promptly, or risk getting negative feedback.
Seventh, you have to leave feedback (out of courtesy!), and there may still be follow-up issues and emails like "Yes, it was mailed yesterday, so you should get it anytime," or "Really? I know it was not stained when I sent it!," or "Sorry that it doesn't fit, but the size was specifically stated in the auction," etc.
By contrast:
To consign something, all you have to do is:
#1. Make sure the item is clean and nice-looking.
#2. Take it to the consignment shop.
#3. Fill out a very short form to consign it.
#4. Pick up your money once it sells. And if it doesn't sell, for goodness sakes donate it!!
That's my rant of the day.... hope you appreciated it and were able to get some use out of it!
Feel free to post your own ebay/consignment stories here as well! :)
So there they sat, for over a year, taking up space and irritating me every time I saw them
One day I went to a shop called Nearly New, a consignment shop (but it wasn't like a stuffy-old-lady place, it was more like a hip thrift store of sorts) and realized that there were clothes there that were worse off than mine, that people had consigned! And it occurred to me how much less work it would be just to drag the load up there and consign it, and let the clothes speak for themselves.
Because, let me tell you, selling clothes on eBay is a BIG pain.
First, you have to make sure they look nice (wash, iron, etc. You have to do this for consignment too, but there is a little more leeway since people will be able to see them in real life and not just photos; every little wrinkle stands out in a photo.)
Second, you have to photograph them. This involves finding a neutral background, hanging the item or putting it on a dummy, getting the right amount and type and color of light, setting the camera to the right setting, taking the photos, uploading the photos to the computer, and then editing/cropping/adjusting/reducing the file size of the photos.
Third, you have to decide whether they will be sold in lots or not, what the starting price should be for each item, what day of the week to list them on (so they end at a time when a lot of people will see them), etc.
Fourth, you have to type the descriptions. You have to use every descriptive word you can think of (blue, ruffles, buttons, zipper, bias-cut, midlength, mini, etc.) and use some spicy adjectives (sexy, preppy, punk, slimming, etc.) and describe the item in excruciating detail, including the size and measurements.
And then you will STILL get tons of questions like: "Is this true to size? What would the UK size equivalent be? How many inches is it shoulder to shoulder? Is it as purple as it looks in the pic? That little spot next to the collar looks like a stain--is it a stain?" And on, and on, and on.
Fifth, once the item IS sold, you better hope the person pays promptly, because if not it's time to bug them by sending reminder emails and thinly veiled threats to make them pay.
Sixth, once they finally DO pay, you have to box the item up, label it, go to the post office/UPS/etc, and mail it. And you have to do it promptly, or risk getting negative feedback.
Seventh, you have to leave feedback (out of courtesy!), and there may still be follow-up issues and emails like "Yes, it was mailed yesterday, so you should get it anytime," or "Really? I know it was not stained when I sent it!," or "Sorry that it doesn't fit, but the size was specifically stated in the auction," etc.
By contrast:
To consign something, all you have to do is:
#1. Make sure the item is clean and nice-looking.
#2. Take it to the consignment shop.
#3. Fill out a very short form to consign it.
#4. Pick up your money once it sells. And if it doesn't sell, for goodness sakes donate it!!
That's my rant of the day.... hope you appreciated it and were able to get some use out of it!
Feel free to post your own ebay/consignment stories here as well! :)