These days it seems that everybody is buying and selling online, but how easy is it to actually make money? You only hear the success stories because certainly nobody will tell you if they lost a packet. There are many little niches out there for the discerning trader. Here we look at the possibility of making cash by buying and selling second hand clothing.
Choose Quality
Nobody will consider paying more than a few pennies for a tatty old item of clothing. With this in mind you will need to hunt down some quality garments if you expect to be able to sell them nicely. If you are clueless when it comes to designer labels, you should probably pick a different market to ply your trade. But if you have an eye for fashion and quality, this will serve you well.
Secondhand Shopping
Do not be embarrassed to visit your local secondhand and charity shops. You can find some amazing deals if you spend enough time looking through their wares. You can also try garage sales and car boot events to look for those hidden gems. Make a note of when these shops are having sales and you could pick up even more of a bargain. You can even ask your friends if they have some decent clothes that they no longer fit into!
Marketing
Once you have collected a nice little wardrobe of past masters, you can start to think about the next step. First you should ensure that all of the clothes are in decent condition and also give them a good old clean. You should then hang them tastefully and take some quality photographs. The pictures should be clear, large and should show them from all angles.
Advertising
This is where you show the outside world what you have and why they should want it! When you place the advert online you need to think about the following aspects:
Auction
You should auction these items first of all. You may get a higher price if two bidders are interested in your stock. Remember to set a reserve or otherwise you could be letting them go for pennies.
Buy It Now
If the auction fails to set the world alight, you can think about using the 'buy it now' option. This may cost a little more but you can usually relist the unsold items for free. Think about selling them as job lots if the public seem reticent to buy your stock. You should also look at other sellers to ascertain if your prices are too high or too low.
Postage
Remember to weigh your clothes before calculating the postage costs. Clothes can be surprisingly heavy and you don't want to make a loss!