If you're like most women, shopping for clothes is most likely one of the most enjoyable experiences for you — and what's not to like about it? You step into a clothing store, browse through the many different colours, fabrics and styles, try on certain outfits to see how they look on you, and walk away with a paper bag holding your precious new style finds.
You love the feeling because you're happy after being able to find a dress, blouse, skirt or pair of jeans that looks good on you, you imagine how people will compliment your outfit when you get to wear it, and you like being able to look pretty and appropriately dressed for specific occasions.
Bursting closets, anyone?
However, frequently stopping by the shops can soon cause your closet to fill to bursting, especially since women have so many clothing variations. There are T-shirts, shirts with V or round necks, button-down shirts, pants, jeans, slacks, shorts, tank tops, halter tops, dresses, skirts, vests, shawls, jackets, coats, cardigans, swimsuits, workout suits, formal wear, seasonal wear, and so much more. And all these can come in different materials and styles. No wonder women are always running out of closet space!
If you're living with family, you may notice that this phenomenon is happening to your parents' and siblings' closets, too. Over time, a household can accumulate an alarming amount of clothing — and unfortunately, the reality is that not all of them will be part of the owner's rotation of frequently used garments. It's a pretty sure bet that much of the items pushed farther inside the closet have hardly been touched at all during the past year.
Put them all away — permanently!
If you're aware of the mounting clothing emergency taking place in your home, then it's time to take action. One excellent way to rid your closets of clothing items (in varying degrees of use, or lack thereof) is to sell them online. How's that for a nifty solution? You get to trim down your wardrobe to your favourite, most versatile pieces only, and you can make money from the items that you no longer want or need.
Here are some simple tips you can try to get started on your little garment-selling project.
1. Sort the items accordingly. You're bound to have an assortment of items, so the first step is to organise them into the right groups, with the right labels (which you will need for informing your potential customers later about their condition).
Poor refers to clothing items that are no longer wearable and have several flaws, but may offer some use to certain buyers. Fair is for previously worn items that have been worn and washed often, and have visible flaws. Good is for previously worn clothing that sports considerable wear from washings and use. Very Good condition is for clothing items that have been used and washed, but have no visible flaws.
Excellent condition is for items that have been used but have very slight wash wear. Gently Used may have been worn or washed, but display no signs of such and no flaws. And for new items, there are two or three common classifications: Never Been Worn or New Without Tags (no retail tags but have never been worn or washed) and New With Tags (never been worn or washed and still has the tags).
2. Take great photos of each item. When you're selling items online, photos of the merchandise do most of the promotion for them — there's no way for buyers to touch and feel the material or try them on for size, so your pictures have to give as much detail about the products as possible.
Photograph clothing on hanger or slipped onto a mannequin so that buyers can see what they look like on a person's body, instead of laying them flat over a surface and photographing from the top.
Choose a plain white or black background to give the right amount of contrast and help the item stand out.
Take photos from different angles. Snap photos of the garment from the front, back and sides, and zoom in on particular details like logos, tags (with sizing information), linings, textures, etc. If there are flaws, take photos of those as well so your buyers can trust that you share all the information about the items.
Use proper lighting so that each item can be presented in an attractive manner, while still providing a glimpse of the necessary details.
Post the photos in an organised manner online. Group photos by category (e.g., Dresses, Tops, Pants, Jackets, Gowns, etc.) so that buyers will know what to expect and easily find what they are looking for.
3. Put together the sale details. You need to decide on your selling prices, reservation prices, shipping costs, shipping insurance, and policies for reservations, cancellations, returns, etc. Also, you have to clearly indicate legitimate payment methods and choose your shipping company wisely. After all, your purpose is to sell your clothing, but you also have to ensure that your potential customers will be sure to send their payments with ease and receive their parcel promptly and in excellent condition, too.