If purging your closets, drawers, and storage spaces seems daunting, I get it. I was in the same boat. We typically know what to give or throw away, but what about the pieces that are still worth something? Turns out, Poshmark is far from the only “re-commerce” option. I was an overwhelmed new seller in January, but after much research, trial, and error, I’m riding up the learning curve. Here’s my easy-to-follow guide for actually making money selling your pre-loved stuff online.
Step 1: Sort your stuff.
As you categorize what to sell, start with known brand names, new-with-tags items, and never-worn/like-new items. These will sell more than random pieces that have been well-worn. People search for brands, and like-new without flaws will beat other items. The ten or so items I have sold of the 30 I have listed over the last two months have all been name-brand or brand-new items. Don’t forget to ask your partner and kids for their stuff, too.
I keep a drawer and a hanging section for items I am selling. If space is tight, and you really want to get stuff out and listed quickly, consider shipping a bundle of items to ThredUp. They do all the listing work for you, but the payouts might not be huge. The RealReal also lists and sells your certified designer items, and their payouts are between 20% and 70% of the selling price. It’s a hands-off way to sell, but it might not get you the most for your items. Keep reading for the ideal selling platforms …
Step 2: Gather key supplies.
Here are the things I use to prep my items:
- A pair of sewing scissors and a fabric shaver to de-pill and remove stray strings. This one is $14 on Amazon.
- A lint roller
- A quality steamer. This one ($25) on Amazon also has a lint brush, fabric brush, and a crease clip to maintain folds and pleats.
- A good stain remover to erase any noticeable marks. I use Shout and Miss Mouth’s.
I use these tools to ship my items:
- A printer for shipping labels. Any printer will do — you can tape the label to your package — but consider this Bluetooth, 4×6 label printer if you ship a lot. It’s a $126 investment, but it makes the shipping process a breeze.
- A scale to weigh your items. I use a kitchen scale like this $10 one from Amazon.
- Multiple sizes of shipping mailers. This pack of 100 assorted sizes is $17 on Amazon. I use them for returns and gifts, too!
- Keep old Amazon boxes on hand for things that need to be shipped in boxes, like shoes. You can cover up old labels with your item’s printed label.
- Shipping tape
- Plain white tissue paper
Step 3: Photograph your items and gather retailer pictures.
Once your items are steamed, stain-free, and ready to photograph, try a few solid backgrounds or surfaces to see what looks good. Try it with a flash, without a flash, and with some natural light, if possible. Sometimes, I take my items outside if it makes them look better. Here are a few more photo tips.
- Shoot your items from multiple angles.
- Get a few close-ups of the tag and any interesting characteristics like buttons, zippers, or embellishments.
- If you can find the original item listed online, you can save and upload those retailer images.
- Do some light editing before you upload: crop, add contrast and saturation, etc.
- For the selling sites that allow video, take a video of your item. You can talk about it while it’s hanging or put it on and take a video. Items with videos are much more likely to sell!
Step 4: Start a selling spreadsheet.
This is most likely my biggest tip of all. I love keeping everything on a Google spreadsheet with three tabs at the bottom and moving the items from sheet to sheet throughout the selling process.
- To List — These are the items I still need to list and photograph.
- For Sale — These are my items that are currently for sale online. I note which platforms they’re listed on.
- Sold — This is where I track sales to see which site it was sold on, how much I made, and when I shipped it out.
Step 5: Amazing descriptions + discounted prices = winning listings!
Aside from your photos, descriptions have the biggest potential to set your listings apart. I try to really “sell” the item with lots of details about it. Be super honest but specific and flowery with your description of the item’s origin, color, size, fit, condition, and flaws.
As you’re pricing your items, know that most resold items sell for between 20 and 40% of what the seller paid for them. Try to list below 50% unless the item is new with tags. I always opt for the automatic option to gradually drop the price over time.
Step 6: List your stuff … on more sites than just Poshmark.
Now that everything is on your spreadsheet, you can copy and paste the title and description into multiple selling platforms. There are so many options out there, but I will narrow it down for you. The sites that require you to list and ship your items are where you will make the most money.
Curtsy is my preferred selling site. It was founded by North Carolina natives and Ole Miss graduates and is a delight to sell and shop on. They offer the lowest fees of any resale app. When your item sells, the $1 plus 5% selling fee will be deducted from your earnings, along with a 2.9% processing fee. Here’s an example.
- Item sells for $100
- Selling Fee: $6
- Processing Fee: $2.90
- Earnings: $93.10
Another site I like is Mercari. This Japanese-run marketplace site sells everything you can think of, so you can list decor, accessories, kitchen items, art, you name it. They take 10% of the selling price and charge a 2.9% payment processing fee plus a $.50 fee for every completed transaction.
Vestiaire Collective takes 12% of items priced $100 and up and a flat fee of $12 for items sold below $100 plus a 3% processing fee. Some brands have NO selling fee!
Grailed takes 9% on all sales, plus standard PayPal fees.
Poshmark takes a flat commission of $2.95 for sales under $15 and 20% for sales over $15.
For larger items like furniture, consider staying local to avoid dealing with shipping. Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Nextdoor, and VarageSale are great options. Since these sites don’t operate like consignment stores, you interact directly with the buyer, so always be safe and fastidious during meet-ups.
Step 7: Offer free shipping.
If you offer free shipping, the retailer’s discounted shipping price comes out of your earnings. According to Curtsy, items that ship free are twice as likely to sell. And the shipping rates they offer are 39% better than retail carrier fees (like if you were to go to the post office and buy the label). Many sites will even ship you the label if you don’t have a printer. On some sites, USPS will print your label from a QR code when you drop off the package.
Step 8: Offer discounts to “likers.”
Your potential buyers are those who “star” or “like” your items. Offer them discounted deals directly! The apps make this very easy.
Step 9: If things aren’t selling, mix it up!
If you’re in a rut, I suggest mass discounting your items by 5 or 10%, swapping out some photos for better ones, or adding new seasonal items to refresh your listing pages.
Step 10: Ship quickly.
Faster shipping means higher ratings! Get your stuff out and get paid quicker. You can also set your stores to “Vacation Mode” when you will be out of town so that no orders come through. Don’t forget to remove the listing from the other sites when something sells.
Happy selling!
All photography within article by Zoe Yarborough
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