Selling Secondhand Items Online

I'm selling a bunch of stuff to free up some room before we head to Argentina. I wanted to share some tips on the best ways to sell your secondhand items online. Whether it's clothes, bags, accessories or shoes, I'm going to help you get as much as you can for your items.

Selling Secondhand Items Online | Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

First, you want to determine if the items are sellable or not. My rule of thumb is: if I feel like there's too much damage or wear and I wouldn't buy it online, then someone else wouldn't either. Once you've done this, start taking pictures. You want lots of well-lit pictures. Typically, you want to do this in daylight where you have lots of natural lighting. Get pictures of the front, the sides, the backs, the bottoms, any straps, any labels, and any other identifying things you can use for listing your items.

If you can, try to lighten the pictures up a little bit. I like to use Lightroom to do that, but you can do it in all different kinds of apps. The more detailed your pictures, the better, because people are going to ask to see the bottom of a pair of shoes or the inside of a purse. It's better to just have it pictured ahead of time then having to go back and add some later. This is also when you want to take any pictures of flaws or damage there might be to the item. For example, when I was photographing a trench coat, I noticed there were a few stains on it. I know these stains would likely come out if it was taken to a dry cleaner. However, do I feel like taking it to a dry cleaner before I sell it? Absolutely not, but someone else may be willing to. I'm going to make sure that's in the listing so buyers know what they're getting. The more pictures you have and the more descriptive you are when selling items, the more likely you are to make more money, but also you don't risk the item being returned or refunded because you didn't disclose enough information

Selling Second Hand Items Online | Posting

Now, personally, when I'm selling my stuff online, I like to use Poshmark. There are a few other apps I use as well, but Poshmark is the best in my opinion. I almost have a full closet listed. When you're listing something on Poshmark, you pick the cover photo and then you choose the title of the item. I like to add the item, brand and size. Then in the description I get a little bit more detailed adding if I have pets in my home or if anybody in my home smokes (both of which are a no for our home), how often the item has been worn and how much wear a buyer can expect when they buy this item. If there was any damage to the item, I add it in the description as well.

Then I move on to checking the rest of the Poshmark boxes.  For the black boots, I check rain boots, as well as the size, color, and the brand. Poshmark will also ask how much you originally paid for it. I don't always remember so I just give a rough estimate.

The app will then give you a range for how much money you should charge for this. You don't have to stay within their range, but you can. Lastly, you publish the item and it's now listed in your shop. Buyers can buy it from you or bundle other items and buy stuff from you at a discount if you want to do that. It really isn't hard and you have the ability to make some of the money back you spent on the item. For me, it's a no brainer!