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Our Step-By-Step Guide to Setting Up an Online Clothing Resale Shop
Shopping usually means spending money — but what if you could use your passion for shopping to make some money?
That’s a real possibility, thanks to the booming world of online clothing reselling.
With platforms like Mercari, Poshmark and eBay, it’s easy to launch your own online clothing resale business. These six steps will help you get started.
Your first step? Pick a platform.
Several online marketplaces are available for you to resell your clothing. Here’s a breakdown of three of the most popular options.
Everyone knows about eBay. It’s been around since the ‘90s, and you can buy and sell nearly everything, from car parts to cribs to new and used clothing.
What’s good about selling on eBay:
What’s not so good about eBay:
You can charge a flat shipping rate or let eBay calculate it based on distance, packaging and item’s size. When you purchase your shipping label through PayPal, you’ll pay commercial shipping rates which are less expensive than purchasing a shipping label using another method.
Ebay’s fees can be a bit confusing. Your final fees will ultimately depend on the final sale price. Learn more about their selling fees.
Poshmark is best known as a marketplace that combines shopping with the interactivity of social media.
What’s good about selling on Poshmark:
What’s not so good about Poshmark:
There’s a flat-rate fee of $7.11 for packages weighing 5 lbs. or less.
You pay a $2.95 fee for sales under $15 and a 20% fee for transactions over $15.
Mercari is a simple resale platform that gives users the ability to sell everything, including technology, handmade items, home goods — and clothing.
What’s good about selling on Mercari:
What’s not so good about Mercari:
You have three options:
Mercari requires that you pay a flat 10% commission on each sale. No listing fees or varying percentages.
After choosing a platform, it’s time for the fun part — shopping!
You have a few different ways to build inventory for your reselling store:
When looking for inventory, you’ll want to avoid:
The price you set for your inventory can be the difference between making money and breaking even — or losing money — as a reseller.
When pricing your items, you’ll need to keep the following things in mind:
Don’t forget to include the cost of your time and your overall income goals.
Pictures are worth a thousand words — so think about what you want your items to say.
Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Here are some more general tips to help you make the best of your visuals:
Your listing information — like your pictures — can make or break a sale.
It’s essential to include both basic information and any additional info to help your potential buyer make a decision.
Here are some things to include in your descriptions
Once your listings are live, you can set it and forget it, or you can promote them to try to sell your items quicker.
Here are a few ways you can promote your listings.
Quiana Darden is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder. Freelancer Kent McDill contributed to this report.
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