How do I set a price for used clothing??

[booksnstuff_8]

Im trying to get rid of some clothes in my closet, but I want to set a price that ensures that I make a profit.

Would it be:

Price + Free shipping or Auction at $.01 + Shipping 

[luckythewinner]

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@booksnstuff_8 wrote:

Im trying to get rid of some clothes in my closet, but I want to set a price that ensures that I make a profit.

 Would it be: Price + Free shipping or Auction at $.01 + Shipping 

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When you sell an item, your fees will be: 

10% of the selling price (added to your eBay account when it sells)

10% of the shipping the buyer pays (added to your eBay account when the buyer pays)

30 cents plus 2.9% of the total payment (deducted by PayPal from the total payment received)

So to avoid losing money if the free shipping costs $5, you need to received at least: 

$0.50 (10% of shipping cost)

$0.45 (30 cents plus 2.9% of the shipping cost)

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$0.95 (Assuming you are using your 50 free insertions per month)

 But don't forget to also include your other selling costs: boxes or padded envelopes,  bubble wrap or packing material, tape, address labels or paper, printer ink or toner,  gas to the post office, etc. 

[muttlymob]

Have  you researched to see if what you have will even sell?  Used clothing is a supersaturated category.  Unless you have something that is special and also desirable, it may not even be worth listing. 

As for starting an auction at 1 cent, how much profit will you make if it only gets one bid?  Or even if it gets multiple bids, but still ends at $3 or $4?

If you research and find that what you have will actually sell then either list it at auction with the starting price the lowest you will accept (accounting for added S&H or Free S&H, whichever way you choose to go).  Or if there is a lot of competition just go for the Buy It Now.

[m60driver]

You have to look at the sales of similar items to see if it is worth your while to sell the clothing.  Used clothing is one of the most saturated categories on Ebay and most articles of clothing do not sell for a whole lot of money.  Bottom line is you don't get to set the price, the market sets the price.  If you see the market is (1) saturated or (2) you are not going to make much net profit (with used clothing in the closet everything above the cost of seling is profit) then you might want to think about donating the clothing to a non-profit thrift shop or other charity in your neighborhood.

And if you do sell, pricing it on the honest high side and then accepting "best offers" is a good strategy.

[sam9876]

How would you make a profit on used clothes?

[soh.maryl]

As others have mentioned, you are considering selling in a very saturated category.  Unless you have rare designer items for sale, you are wasting your time and effort.  And if you believe starting auctions at one cent plus shipping is a good business plan, you really need to reconsider.  

[behgre_0]

Yard sale

[tellmemama]

In all honesty, unless you have a closet full of Chanel, you'd be better off donating the clothes to a charity and taking the tax write off.  I have the greatest respect for used clothes sellers because it is a very difficult category.  If you use BIN, are you prepared to relist a few times to get rid of it?  Although I personally think auctions for used clothes are ridiculous, there are sellers who do them.  So suppose you sell at auction but only get one bid?  After fees, are you really going to make enough money for your time?  More importantly are you prepared to foot the return shipping if the buyer complains about the item? 

I bet donating looks pretty good right about now.

[postingid7659]

Much easier to have a garage sale or lawn sale.  Much less of a headache.  

[sandytexas1961]

I sell on ebay all the time, so I'm used to the drill. 

I REFUSE to sell even NEW clothing with tags, much less used clothing.  Not worth my time or effort.  Too many measurements to take, too many pictures needed and too many complaints.  Donate or try selling on a local facebook site.  (big bag of medium sized  clothing!).  But even on facebook, I really only see kids' clothing selling well and sometimes plus sized clothes.  

Donate, donate, donate and take tax write off!

[city*satins]

Don't be discouraged.  I've been selling mostly used clothing on eBay since 1998 and done all right.  If you're selling from your own wardrobe, don't think about profit. You didn't buy your wardrobe to profit but to wear, so it's a good starting place where nothing's really a 'loss' since theoretically you already got your money's worth from the garment by owning and using it yourself.

If you're going to scout for used clothing to sell, this is a more advanced skill since you need to know what brands and sizes do well on eBay, and you have to be prepared to invest the time and possibly the money, in cleaning used clothing.  (you should do that with your own wardrobe items, too)  as that's something eBay requires.

So the best place to start is your own stuff.   Personally, I consider auctions mostly a losing proposition unless you set a starting price you're willing to live with - because auctions that end with just one bid are commonplace nowadays.   Do not ever start a listing at a penny or 99 cents. It will just be a waste of your time and thoroughly depressing.

I recommend Fixed Price listings.  If you have only a few items to start with, use Fixed Price but just 5 or 10 days, not 30 days or Good until Cancelled.  In shorter period fixed price listings, if you have just a few items and won't run out of that month's freebies, you can get a few sales under your belt.  A lot of buyers search by ENDING SOONEST, and so short listings can get noticed more quickly than 30 day or GTC listings.

On used clothing - I never (or hardly ever) offer free shipping.

The best starting place for you is to look at your wardrobe pieces that you think might be sellable. Do a search by Brand and type of garment and PREOWNED and then select SOLD to see what such items have typically sold for in the last few weeks.  If it's not much, then don't waste your time.  

Get some experience before you start thinking about PROFIT.

Either way, with used clothing, forget 1 cent start price and forget free shipping.   And be sure your items are in really REALLY good condition.  Take good pics and provide measurements.

Good luck.

[mycarolinavintage]

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@booksnstuff_8 wrote:

Im trying to get rid of some clothes in my closet, but I want to set a price that ensures that I make a profit.

Would it be:

Price + Free shipping or Auction at $.01 + Shipping 

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Research the Sold items that compare to what you have to sell. You could never make a profit selling anything for $.01. I know there are many items listed that way on ebay...even $.01 WITH Free Shipping. Trust me, there is something so wrong with that picture. You got really good advice in the replys you received ... just do your homework. Finding out what the shipping is going to cost is part of that. Adding FREE Shipping does nothing for me. I know nothing is free and within the price I am paying, is guess what - the shipping cost. Well, unless I bought the item from China (which I don't) where their shipping costs are being subsidized.  Don't get discouraged and drop the idea. Just know up front what your costs are going to be. Otherwise, you end up paying money to sell your items. 

[bigdeals.etc]

Unless you are a celebrity or uber famous, you're probably not going to profit much on your used clothes.

So that begs the question... are you famous?

[auctionpet]

You couldn't pay me to sell clothing here!

[auctionpet]

Penny auctions only attract penny people. I ignore all penny listings. Why would anyone want to put in so much work and risk selling an item for a penny and a potential return later. This isn't 1919, it's almost 2019! There aren't even penny gumball machines anymore!