Selling clothes on eBay?

[toystoryduo]

For all you eBay experts out there...

I have a few questions about selling children's clothes on eBay. I have recently gone through my DDs clothes and found out that I have a lot that I would like to sell.

1. I know that lots tend to sell much better on eBay than individual pieces of clothing. On average, what is a good number of items to include in a lot? 10? 20? 30?

2. Do you offer mixed lots size wise? For example, do you include 24months clothes w/ 2T?

3. Do you describe each piece of clothing?

4. How do you go about packaging the items?

5. Do you include shoes in clothing lots or keep them separate?

6. Are there any particular brands that sell well? i.e. Gap, Disney Store, e.t.c.

I appreciate any help/advice that you can give me! Thank you!

 

[christinadei]

I don't sell childrens clothes on e-bay because I have too many little boys to give DS's stuff too However, I do buy stuff on there and lots are definately better.

1. I'd do around 10-15 items, but the bigger the lot, the more money you'll likely get. You may want to try a few different sized lots and see which ones do better.

2. I'd offer mixed lots of 24 mos and 2T because kids can normally wear both at the same time. Other than that, I'd keep it to the same size, becaue it's good to buy a lot of 4's 5's & 6's if you kid wears a 4, but not if your kid wears a 6. Then the other clothes are a waste, so I'd prefer to buy just one size.

3. I would offer a breif description of each item and be sure to note any flaws.

4. Clothes are easy to mail, just stick them in a box, tape adn send.

5. No, don't include shoes. do them seperatly, but lots of shoes do well too. The size shoe your kid wore with a certain size clothes is most likely not going to be the same as someone elses child.

6. Any name brand sells well, particularly Ralph Lauren Polo and Tommy Hillifiger.

 

[maggiew]

Here is what I do. I am by no means an expert. I have been selling for not quite a year, but most of my eBay money comes from used girls clothes.

I put them in lots of the same size. I think most people buy for the kids to wear NOW, so a mixed lot wouldn't work unless they happened to have kids of the two different sizes. I usually put in lots of 6 similar items - but I have done 4 or 8, etc. Right now I have one lot of 4 pairs of shorts and one lot of 8 pairs of shorts. I put shirts in lots of 4 or 6 also. It depends on what I have.

Once in awhile I put them together in sets. I had a nice set of t-shirts and shorts that sort of coordinated - they could mix and match. So I put them 3 shirts and 3 shorts. I showed them together as sets but put them in a lot of 3 sets.

I had a set of 6 pairs of shorts sell for $17.50. They were not name brand (maybe Target brand). I listed them for $1.99 and would have been happy with that! They were all good quality though!

I have seen huge lots of kids clothes of one size. I guess I just never had enough of the same size to make huge lots. So I can't really give an opinion on that.

As far as packaging them up for shipping. I usually put them in a grocery bag or garbage bag (all clean and new of course) and tie it up in an attempt to keep it somewhat waterproof. Then I either put them in a Priority mail box or in regular box if it doesn't fit in the priority box. I would pad it with more crumpled grocery bags if needed. I also include an invoice with the package. I use the paypal invoice if they pay by paypal, or I print off the "Payment Status" page from eBay if they paid by check or MO (it lists the item #, my address, their address, cost, etc.).

I describe each piece - e.g. This is a pair of denim shorts by the GAP in size 8. It has 2 pockets in the front and 2 pockets in the back. It has a button/snap closure with zipper. It is in good used condition. etc.

I think name brands sell better. But, I always list the label name in the auction no matter what. If it is a popular brand, then I also include that in the title as I think people search by those names. I know that Gymboree and Tommy Hilfiger sell well. So definitely include that in the title. I also think Gap, Old Navy, Disney, Abercrombie, etc. sell well too.

I don't include shoes in the auction with the outfits. But I write "See my other auctions for shoes that match this outfit."

I am sure others will be able to come with more opinions. I have made nearly all of my eBay Disney money with kids clothes. It sells well, especially in season. Spring/summer stuff is selling well now. The beginning of August get out your fall/winter stuff for the back to school craze! I made a lot of money then.

Maggie

 

[ErinInCT]

I agree with MaggieW.

I usually sell in lots of the same sized clothes (the bigger the better for me - get rid of them all at once!).

I also list the brand & a description if the picture is not self explanatory. I also list the material (i.e. 100% cotton) & if there are flaws (i.e. gently worn, or stain on the left knee, etc), trust me, people still buy them for play clothes!!

I also advise the viewer to check out my other items & I will combine shipping (saves them money & gets more people to view your other stuff).

I waited & waited before finally selling & now I am kicking myself for waiting so long. It was so much easier then I thought. Now I am totally addicted! I check my eBay items every few minutes to see if people are bidding. Don't get discouraged if you don't see any action - I have found that during the last hour you can go from 2 bids to 22 bids & from $5 to $30 before it closes!! I know I should just wait until the last minute to check them.

Have fun & make lots of money!!

 

[peanutzmom]

Though I'm nowhere near an expert, I've been selling my kids outgrown clothes (and my maternity / nursing clothes when I finished the baby making) on Ebay for about 6 years now. I always sell them in lots. For 3T and up, I don't mix sizes. For baby clothes, though, I've sold lots of 0 - 9 month clothes with some clothes being 0-3 months, some being 3-6 months, etc... I've sold 18 month, 24 month, and 2T clothes together, especially if they all ran about the same size on my kids. I try to have between 8 and 15 items in a lot, and I list *each* item in the lot, listing brand name, brief description, and any flaws or defects. To ship, I put them all in a garbage bag, tie it shut, then stick it in a box. Be careful of quoting a shipping price unless you've actually weighed the clothes & got a quote from the post office -- clothes are heavy, and I lost a lot in shipping when I first started! Any name brand will sell well -- Gymboree, Hanna Andersson, Gap, Disney Store, Lands End, etc... BUT people also pay pretty well on "off brand" lots, too! I once sold a lot of 15 Garanimals (Walmart) items that all mixed and matched and had been worn all winter long by my son for over $30. Seeing as I probably only paid $3 per item originally (on sale / clearance racks), I made 2/3 of the original cost back!

 

[kilee]

I sell almost all clothes on ebay-- about 50 or so auctions a week. Here is what I found regarding kids/infants/toddlers clothes specifically:

Lots go best-- but no need in losing a lot of money group 4-8 items together. I find they go for about the same as groups of 10-15 items.

Namebrand only. If you want to make money-- you need the namebrands. No names are hit or miss!! Some people report money off them, and I have in the past too. But insertion fee's begin to add up when they start not selling. For the best money makers things like GAP and Gymboree-- or if you have your hands on any Tommy Hilfiger, Liz Claiborne, or Ralph Lauren baby/toddler items (since they aren't availble in just every mall). Other stuff is hit or miss. Even things like Osh Kosh, Carters, and Old Navy isn't as high demand.

Don't mix sizes. What the others has said is true. Lots will go better in one size. As well as season. Don't mix heavy sweaters and shorts. As well as sweaters and winter clothing sales are begining to disappear.

To make money you need to not have to continue relisting an item. You may sell it the 3rd round for $4.00- but $1.00 of that went to ebay fee's alone (provided you don't use any extra's for listing). Keep prices reasonable. It's hard to pull $5.00 for each piece, especially if it's not new or really hard to find.

Good luck and have fun with it!!

 

[Robinrs]

I sell clothes I find at yard sales and thrift stores and anything my son outgrows. I sell them in lots of the same size and almost ALWAYS sell name brands. In fact it's all I buy!

Actually my son's stuff comes from the same thrift store, then I sell them after he outgrows them. The store I go to sells high end clothing for next to nothing so I can pick and choose.

 

[marcyinPA]

I agree with everything everyone else said...but I have to add that non-name brand clothing does sell!!

I recently (about 4 weeks ago) listed 2 pair of Circo (Target) shorts, one Bob the Builder t-shirt and one cheapie K-mart brand polo shirt, all size 4T. My son had worn these items all through last summer. I didn't expect to get much out of them, hoping for $5!! They sold for $13!! (I grouped them in a lot)

You just never know! I do agree that better names sell better. I have done very well in the past selling GAP items, as well as Old Navy.

Good luck!!

 

[detroitmama]

Hi, I sold kid's clothes on ebay for a couple of years and I agree with the previous posters. I found that lots of 3-5 pieces sold the best, unless it was a very high end expensive item (like a Ralph Lauren snowsuit.) I did what others did - I would scour thrift stores and garage sales for great quality, cute, name brand clothes. I would group them together in same size, same type of clothes (like 3 pairs of 2T Gap overalls), decribe each item carefully, keep my shipping costs low (exactly what I was paying.)

Also, my best pictures I took were outside. I had gray siding on my house, and I set up a little area in the shade where I took pictures. I hammered 3 nails to use as hooks for the clothes hangers, then I would make sure the clothes were free of wrinkles and looked nice together before I took pictures. I swear that these pictures made a huge difference!

I don't know if it was just me, but I found that the sizes 12 months to about size 6x sold the best. I never found much profit in the 0-12 month range. Also, it's harder to please kids over 6, maybe?

Anyhow, I figured I made about $10/hour for my sorting/picture/ebay/shipping time. I figured that since I was at the thrift stores/garage sales anyhow looking for my kids that that time didn't count. Yes, I am an addict.

At the end of the year I added up my profit (from 'working' about 10 hours a week at times), and the total was $2500! Fun too!
This really helped out during our school years. I only stopped because I had baby number three and figured it was time for a break. Also hubby got a real job after 8 years of college. Yahoo!

Wow, just talking about this gives me the idea that I should start again to fund Disney trips. Good luck.

 

[toystoryduo]

Thanks everyone for all of your tips! We're going to try and list some lots of clothing this week and see what happens. Thanks again!