posted on October 1, 2000 03:12:29 PM new
I like to sell some of my brand new clothings on Ebay. After a few sales, I think most people would want to pay $4.00 for new clothes. I try to be clear on my description, give measurements, what kind of material and so on. Most buyer on Ebay are really cheap. They want good stuff for a $1. Any suggestion on how can I boost my clothing sales? how do you set the price? Thank you.
posted on October 1, 2000 04:27:56 PM new
Its hard to compete with apparel. All you can do it build your business so folks know they can trust you. Keep in mind that the bidders have to pay shipping too..so if you have something listed at say 19.99, they have to pay 3.20 on top of that. If what you have listed is easily purchased at a local store brand new for 16.99, why buy yours? It depends on what you sell. I find designer brands, used but in great condition, sell very well. But you have to have the bidding low enough for them to bid on it and feel good about doing it. There are hundreds of pages of ladies apparel on ebay. Hundreds. I survive with my regular customers. I also give them freebees. Sometimes, if they bid on 2 or 3 or even 4 items, when I total up their winnings, I give them one item free, just to show appreciation. Its a battle, and it takes time. And there is ALOT of competition. Good luck!
posted on October 1, 2000 05:30:56 PM new
If it's new with tags still attached, you'll get more money. If you have a really good, sharp picture with correct colors, you'll get more money. If you write an accurate description with all measurements (not just the size), you'll get more money. And if you choose your title carefully so that it shows up in as many searches as possible, you'll get more money.
Start the bid at the absolute minimum you'll take, and don't use a reserve. Be sure you put your items in the gallery...I really believe it helps in the clothing categories. And remember that by and large, eBay is NOT a retail outlet. People do expect bargains, not regular prices with shipping charges added on. So if you've bought a $25 item but for some reason can't return or exchange it, it's quite likely that you'll get less than what you paid for it if you sell it on eBay. Unless, of course, you already got it for half price or less!
Designer clothing seems to do well, even used. So does plus-size clothing. Many types of lingerie also seem to go fast for good prices (especially larger-size bras).
I've been selling clothing on eBay for nearly two years, and do pretty well. Good luck to you!
posted on October 1, 2000 06:11:50 PM new
I suggest purchasing a hanging mannequin and photographing your clothing on that.
Photograph against a plain background--screen, blank wall, or plain floor.
Some items I photograph against a blue velour blanket. Crop out anything no pertaining to your item. No one wants to see your feet or your house.
I do better selling gently used designer and higher priced items than brand new less expensive items.
Go to the going, going, gone and research items that received many bids. Observe the photo, the starting bid price, and the brand of the item. This will give you an idea of what's popular.
For girls, Gymboree and Gap do well, Laura Ashley, Rothschild coats, Tommy Hilfiger, and Barbie brand do well.
For women, Tommy Hilfiger, Roxy, Victoria Secret all do well for me.
I have found that sometimes stay at home moms get carried away and overbid on some items and then suffer from buyer's remorse. If you have a used girl's item that exceeds your expectations, do a little research on the bidder. If I get a feeling that the bidder is overextended I email additional photos to them.
If you do children's clothes, check out mom26girls, I think she has listing down to a science and seems to command good prices for her stuff.
posted on October 2, 2000 10:53:40 AM new
Thanks all for the great suggestions. Guess I need a really good camera. That's tough when you don't make any money off of Ebay. lol
posted on October 2, 2000 06:09:03 PM new
I don't know what you consider to be a "really good camera," but I've been using a 25-year-old Canon AE-1 and it works just fine. I suspect any semi-decent camera, used correctly, will take good enough pix for eBay.
Since I don't use a digital camera, I get my film developed onto floppies or CDs so that I can crop and edit the photos and put them directly online, rather than having to scan actual snapshots. (Scanning a photo reduces its quality by at least 50%...not a good option.)
I figure it costs me about $1 per item for the photo (film, developing, etc.). That's a small price to pay for the extra bids and higher final selling price.
