Expanding my store
I'm still fairly new to the reselling hustle. I've done eBay causally for a couple years but want to get more into it. I've consider selling clothing, but haven't had much luck with it. What are some good clothing items that yall look for?
22 comments
bashort
·5 months agoI never sold clothing to speak of but if I were going to just like anything else I would not try to compete with amazon or any big retailer and look for the unusual and hard to find.
bonanza125
·5 months agoComes down to demand. Check to see what clothes interest you in selling and see if those type of clothes are actually selling. If the demand is low and not too many buyers than I wouldn't waste time selling those items. Personally I have had high return rates on clothes due to the clothes not fitting the buyer. If it doesn't fit they can return for refund.
nshideout
OP5 months agoThank you!
dhbookds
·5 months agoIf you can get them............men's 3x and above.......from observation (not experience).........
mtgraves7984
·5 months agoMy sister does awfully well here with the same ^^^ in Women's clothing, too.
nshideout
OP5 months agoFrom doing some research I've noticed that as well.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
·5 months ago@nshideout
A few questions:
1. If you haven't had "much luck" with clothing, why are you even considering it?
2. What HAVE you had much luck with?
3. Are you talking about pre-owned clothing, or do you have sources for new clothing?
4. What is the sourcing for clothing like in your area? For example, I live in a rural/small town area, and we don't really have a lot of serious fashionistas here. That impacts what I can source.
5. Other than posting your question here, what efforts have you made to learn about the current market for clothing?
6. One plus is that ebay has made "pre-loved fashion" a Focus Category, which means ebay is spending time and money on marketing used clothing. However, much of this focus is on "grails"---high end stuff, not the stuff most of us are likely to encounter in B&M sourcing. Still, at least it is finally a category that ebay is paying attention to, which should benefit all clothing sellers to some extent. Have you watched any of the ebay Lives centered around fashion?
7. How much knowledge do you already possess about clothing? Not just "hot brands" but different styles, how to identify vintage labels , keywords that help sell a product, etc?
nshideout
OP5 months agoI have had a little luck, sold a couple clothing items, but its not moving as I thought. I will say I considered jumping on clothing because of YouTube videos, which I know may not be the best idea so that's why I haven't fully got into it.
I'm mostly talking about preowned. I've done some research on items but there seems to be a mix of possible good sales and some bad. I see some brand names sell for high and other items with the same brand sell low, and have tried to understand why. I tried to see what the difference is between the items to get an idea and still doing research.
tobaccocardyahoo
·5 months agoIf I were looking to expand my offerings. It is hard to say which would be the category which I would rank lowest on my list, clothing or auto parts.
Both have high returns rates. Auto parts may have the edge because it also has high shipping costs.
Sellers who are successful in either category have specialized skills sets and personalities which are suited to their markets. I have neither the skills required or the right personality.
Sourcing for either category is readily available, but selecting the right products requires those specialized skills.
Your current inventory and recent sales look like they are random targets of opportunity, and you might consider finding reliable sources of supply for more of the types of items which have sold for you. Rather than attempting to find random items of clothing and hoping the sell in a crowded category, with enough margin to support the almost mandatory promotion fees in clothing.
jonathanbrightlight
·5 months agoThe general advice that I've always thought was wise is to "sell what you know". You can learn new things, but know the market and the items before you sell them, or at least before you invest much into sourcing items.
tarotfindsandmore
·5 months agoAmen.
OP, clothing is a tough, tough sell. Unless you have access to high end, haute couture, hard to find items, it's going to be a struggle. Clothing, unlike collectibles, just goes out of fashion and doesn't usually become resell-able again for a couple of decades. It's widely available, mass-produced, and cheap even new for most people. In short, the supply is generally much greater than the demand.
With that in mind, think of your hobbies, or things you enjoy and start there. Do you collect anything? Do you know where to find those things at discounted prices? Are you following any artists? creators? designers? Do you know how to get ahold of their stuff before others might? Collectibles (mugs, tees, cards, toys, art) are far easier to make money on than clothing any day of the week. Plus, they provide the added benefit of typically having at least two rounds of salabity, and usually several more. You make money up front when they're first released and then, again, down the road when they've disappeared from the shelves.
They also typically take up a lot less room than clothing. To give you one example, I currently have about 1200 tarot decks in my inventory, stored on two tall book shelves and in a few rubbermaid tubs that fit under a bed (they're not under a bed, but that depth of tub is good for decks). 1200 pieces of clothing would take up how much more room? and would be worth how much less??
kibble-net
·5 months agoSure, let me share all of my years of trial and error with you for free so you can compete with what I am doing.
chapeau-noir
·5 months agoWhen you find out let me know. 🙄
pls-consignments
·5 months ago@pickapaper
That's good advice with the exception one important point...
Those who do "very well with selling clothing" are larger stores with an established cash-flow and capital to spend on inventory. These are the ones that are often portrayed on Youtube as "successful" resellers, who also rely upon other revenue streams (Youtube) to fund their sourcing.
Therefore, entering the clothing category now without either, will mean a considerable investment of time before being able to see any sort of net pay-off in the future.
powell-collectibles
·5 months agoWell, I would disagree – somewhat. There’s plenty opportunity for niche sellers – ones that really know the market, aren’t specializing in mall brands, and have access to good inventory cheap. It has always been that way on eBay – people that really know products, pricing, etc. can do pretty well with niches.
pls-consignments
·5 months agoThis is true. However, the seller is entering the platform as a start-up, not an established "niche seller".
pickapaper
·5 months ago@nshideout
Clothing is one of the most saturated categories on eBay and the internet in general. That means competition is very high and unless buyers are looking for a specific brand, the sea of what's out there can be overwhelming to wade through.
With that said, a lot of sellers do very well with selling clothing. Some are general and some find a particular brand or genre to sell. Some sellers sell all kinds of clothing, some just sell one kind of item. You will just have to "experiment" and find out what works for you. And one thing about it, there is never a lack of sourcing inventory.
johnrj1226
·5 months agoWhen I sold on eBay found that some specific type of clothing sold well - Levi Denim jackets , western wear, name brand western boots, hats..
nshideout
OP5 months agoI appreciate you input, thank you!
christworks
·5 months ago@nshideout I think you need to do what every seller worth their salt does: Do your own research. Your a kid swimming in an ocean of sellers. You have to figure it out.
inhawaii
·5 months agoI don't think asking people what kind of clothes they look for will be much help.
If you ask a thousand people you will get a thousand different answers.
But I wish you good luck selling!
iamalwaysright
·5 months agoSelling clothing sucks. Are you talking about new or used clothing? Actually it doesn’t matter, selling either of them sucks.