How to Sell Your Kids Used Clothes- The Clothing Cycle!
I'm a homemaker. I love to help my kids and do all the mommy things with them. I also like to make sure they have the appropriate clothes for school as well! This can get costly with three growing children that are not back to back in age and sex, so "hand me downs" don't work with me!
I started selling on eBay to help with this issue. I'm not rich nor am I poor. I'm just an average mom. I love finding great deals. This always helps financially. But I also realized that great quality clothes is very important as well. To get these great quality clothes I need to shop at Gymboree, Crazy 8, Lands End, OshKosh, Lord and Taylor, Neiman Marcus, Zulily, Endless, Zappos....etc. It's important for me to have good quality clothes because they last longer through washes and wear and most importantly, there is a resell value.
The key is to shop clothes for your children at the stores listed above or stores similar to them, and be sure to shop using coupon codes and other discounts they are offering such as Gymbucks or free shipping or % off.
So anyway, I buy my children these appropriate clothes and they wear them and get many compliments. I also make sure I wash them according to the tag so that I don't ruin them by shrinking, or washing the color out. But, when they have outgrown them or the season doesn't permit, I turn to eBay.
I have been selling on eBay since 2005. My oldest daughter was then age 2. I love Walmart so much, but I didn't wanna be shopping there forever. I love clothing that are unique and comes with an assortment of matching accessories and what not. Anyhow, eBay worked the very first time. But I noticed that I was spending MORE money than making any. That's how it seemed at the time. I quickly realized that hey, I'm doing this to bring in extra cash, so that I can buy my little one some more clothes to replace the ones I just sold and to buy better clothes. I looked at all the charges to sell an item, and all the charges to mail an item. I then realized my mistakes.
First, I realized I was using boxes to mail everything! Big no no. So I began to use Polymailers! They are weightless and durable. Only use boxes if your are shipping bulk items. Polymailers are great because you can stuff quite a few items in a 10 x 15 bag and not tear the bag, the items inside are sealed and protected. Polymailers come in a variety of sizes. The great thing about this that you are paying only to ship the item itself and not adding in the extra weight of a shipping box. I also buy my Polymailers from eBay. There are sellers who sell them in bulk. I usually buy 100, which cost around $11 total!
Secondly, eBay has a shipping service linked into their site. You can choose your own carrier. I always use USPS. Back then I would take my boxes to the USPS store and have them weigh it and stamp it and send it off. Now, I ALWAYS use USPS shipping online via eBay or Paypal. You get a small discount for printing out shipping labels yourself. If you take your package in to your local USPS, they will charge you slightly more- which is not good if you are shipping 10+ items! I buy my shipping labels on eBay as well. There are sellers that sell them in bulk. I buy 50 or 100 full sheets. Each sheet has two labels! This costs me about $10 total! When I say "total" I mean w/ shipping costs and everything!
Thirdly, I used to start the bidding amount too high, I believe. A lot of people would pass it by. I would end up re-listing it and pay the fees to do so, including the fees to list it originally. eBay now has it so that if an item doesn't sell, you will not be charged any fees. It wasn't always like that. Back then, you had to pay sold or unsold! Now, I start the bidding at .99 cents. Every item! Unless it's a really good quality item like leather, cashmere, designer...etc. This way when my invoice arrives, the fees for each item sold will be .50 or less. There are fees eBay now drops even if the item sells, this saves me money and make selling easier. But you still have Paypal fees...omg! It all adds up in the end. But the key is to not pay $50 out your pocket after selling and earning only $40.
Also, I purchased a USPS scale. I use it all the time. I love it. I think it cost me around $30. The scale I bought only goes up to 10lbs. I use it to weigh my items I just sold, and then I enter the amount it reads on the scale when I'm printing out my shipping labels. You can't go wrong with this scale. I bought it directly from the USPS website. Thee perfect scale! Remember to weight your item after you've packaged it and place the label on the package last.
The great thing is that I now shop wisely. I buy good long-lasting quality clothes and then re-sell them and then use that same money to purchase more clothes for my ever growing kids. It's a continuous cycle. It works for me and so far, here in 2011, I have no complaints because it's working so well.
Break Down:
-Sell at low prices online
-Ship using Polymailers only
-Print out your own shipping labels via eBay or Paypal only!
-Try to mail the item off 1-2 days after the payment clears through Paypal
Other tips~
It's always best to describe the item you're selling with complete accuracy. The last thing you want is someone getting it and finding a stain or tear. They may ask for a refund!
Speaking of refunds, you should offer refunds. Ive noticed that people are more likely to buy your item if you are willing to accept a return. Just put in the listing that you will gladly accept returns ONLY if the item was not as described! You will not accept returns simply because you changed your mind or you can't fit it, or whatever. This is why it's very important that you look over each item you're selling and if there are any problems, give it to The Goodwill or list it in your item description!
Also, always remember to get delivery confirmation with each item you ship. This comes automatically when you ship using eBay. Packages get lost all the time in the mail or it can easily be sent to a different part of the country. This tracking helps you to keep track on where the package is going. The buyer also get to see the tracking too, on their end.
Selling on eBay is my passion. I've loved it since I started. But some people just sell on eBay for the extra income alone or simply because they wanna make a little bit of cash. Any reason you sell on eBay, you still want to make a profit. This is the only way you'll be happy with the transaction.
Selling on eBay can be fun, if you have the right tools and information. I'm here to help. Thanks a lot for reading!
