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The Dos and Don’ts of Selling Secondhand Clothes
If you’ve just done a wardrobe declutter , the idea of making a little extra cash by selling some of your clothes can be enticing. The process of selling secondhand clothes can however be a little daunting.
Trust me, I’ve been there. I’m a big seller of secondhand clothes and I’ve made all of the typical mistakes. It’s really worth persevering though. Every piece of clothing repurchased is an item that won’t go to landfill.
Follow the below do’s and don’ts, and I guarantee your selling experience will be smoother and enjoyable.
The Dos – when selling secondhand clothes
1. Plan ahead - get organised before you sell
Save yourself time when decluttering by making a separate ‘selling pile’ from the get go. You won’t need to review all of your decluttered clothes again once you’ve finished.
DECLUTTER TIP:
Before any wardrobe declutter get four separate boxes or bags ready – one for donation, textile recycling, landfill and sell. Textile recycling is for pilled, stained or worn out clothes that can’t be resold, see Recycling Your Old Clothes in Australia for details on where and why. Landfill is for underwear, used swimwear and unwashed items.
2. Value your time
Make sure you’re using your time wisely. Ask yourself ‘is selling this piece the best use of my time?’ If you have three kids under five and struggle to find time to wash your hair, then selling a $25 jacket probably isn’t the best use of your time.
Some people even like to use a dollar value, i.e.; ‘I will only sell an item if I can get X dollars for it’.
During your declutter process, ask yourself for each decluttered piece; would someone actually buy this from me or is it better donated or recycled?
3. Create a clothes selling plan
What happens if you don’t sell the item? Will you donate it, keep it, lower the price until it is free? How long are you willing to advertise it for? Would you be willing to store unsold items on the floor of your freshly organised wardrobe for six months?
Answer all of these questions FIRST. Having a selling plan in place will limit the amount of pieces that sneak back into your wardrobe, AND respect your space.
4. Make yourself easy to buy clothes from
Whether it’s online or in-person, it pays to be nice. For online sales, provide as much detail to buyers as you can, including where to park and distance from a key landmark, e.g. ‘pick up in Tidy Town, only a 100m walk from Tidy Town Railway’.
Providing multiple pick-up or posting options also makes your ad more attractive. If you travel into the city for work, offer a city pick-up option.
In a market stall or garage sale setting, make small talk with your potential secondhand clothes customers. Encourage them to try on items and talk about what made you buy it. Make yourself approachable, and remember smiles sell!!
5. Manage your clothes selling expectations
Selling on the secondhand market takes a little work. Many people will ask questions, so you’ll need to respond to messages, often from people who don’t follow through. You’ll need to plan when to pick up, negotiate the price and often it will all fall through.
I am not saying it isn’t worth it, just to manage your expectations.
The Don’ts – when selling secondhand clothes
1. Don’t sell something you’ll regret
Selling an item because you can’t decide if you want to keep it or not, is not a good idea. I once sold an item I was unsure about. At the last minute I even doubled the price and it still sold, making me miss it even more.
Don’t use selling as a decision tactic, only sell what you’re truly ready to part with.
Don’t use selling as a decision tactic, only sell what you’re truly ready to part with.
2. Don’t expect people to love your clothes as much as you do
The things we love, we often over-value. Many of my clients over-value unique pieces because they have fond memories of them.
Save yourself the heartache by doing a little Google research to get the true value of an item before listing it.
3. Don’t forget your street smarts
I never like to think the worst in people, but there are fraudsters out there. So be smart. So;
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Don’t give out your phone number.
All conversations must go through Facebook, eBay, Instagram or Gumtree.
Don’t give out your unit number if you live in an apartment block.
Meet them in the lobby instead.
Don’t give your street number until your buyer is committed.
In fact, leave out the street number from the ad completely, only show the suburb or street name.
Do make your meeting time specific
Avoid lines like “pick up anytime” or “between X o’clock and Y o’clock”. Prepare yourself and ideally have more than one person at home.
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