There are plenty of online marketplaces where you can buy and sell clothes, but my marketplace of choice is eBay. I became an eBay seller because of the well-established audience and the easy-to-navigate interface. The issue with other online marketplaces is that I find it hard to shop for vintage clothing.
On marketplaces like Depop, sellers will focus more on clothing aesthetics when coming up with listing titles opposed to keyword specific listing titles. This makes it very hard to actually find vintage clothing from specific brands, in specific sizes, and from specific decades. Sellers on eBay tend to list items more accurately, thus making it easier to filter the lot and find what you're looking for.
Now based off of my experience as an eBay seller, I have come up with a few tips on how to become a more successful eBay seller with vintage clothing.
On marketplaces like Depop, sellers will focus more on clothing aesthetics when coming up with listing titles opposed to keyword specific listing titles. This makes it very hard to actually find vintage clothing from specific brands, in specific sizes, and from specific decades. Sellers on eBay tend to list items more accurately, thus making it easier to filter the lot and find what you're looking for.
Now based off of my experience as an eBay seller, I have come up with a few tips on how to become a more successful eBay seller with vintage clothing.
Include Important Keywords in your Listing Title
If you're familiar with search engine optimization techniques then this advice might be a refresher for you. The first thing you do when listing an item is come up with the listing title. This combination of keywords is what will determine if 10 people view your item or 1,000 people.
 |
| Here is an example of one of my own personal listings that sold |
It is very important to include all of the keywords that you think someone would type in the search bar if they were trying to find your item. Some of the most important keywords that you should include are:
- Vintage: This lets buyers know that you're selling a vintage item and not a
- Brand Name: Ex. Champion
- Decade: Ex. 1980s, 80s
- Style Name: Ex. Notre Dame
- Garment Type: Ex. T-shirt
- Size: Ex. Size XL
Choose the Right Category
This is another factor that will determine whether your listing is seen by a few people or hundreds of people. It is important to place your item in the right category, that way when people are searching via categories they can view your listing. Otherwise, your item may be missing out on a lot of exposure.
Below I have included an example of the category route you can take for vintage clothing. Start with "Clothing, Shoes & Accessories", then click "Specialty", and follow that choice by clicking "Vintage". Then you can click on the category that best suits your item. In this case I chose "Men's Vintage Clothing" and "T-shirts" because i was selling a vintage t-shirt for men.
Include Measurements in your Description
One major issue that sellers have on any online marketplace is conversions. This means that a potential buyer may view your item, but choose not to actually purchase the item. The difficult part is increasing these conversion rates, but fixing your item description is a step in the right direction.
After you get the potential customer to view your product, it is important to keep them hooked by erasing any of the worries they may have. One main worry is sizing, "Will this shirt actually fit me?". With vintage clothing, sizing is ripe with huge variations.
A lot of vintage clothing made prior to the 90s fit relatively small. So it is important to actually include the measurements of your garments. For example, you would want to include the chest and length measurements for a t-shirt. For a pair of pants you would want to include the actual waist measurement, rise and inseam.
Take a Photo of the Tag
This is primarily for authentication purposes. This tells the buyer the brand, size, country of manufacturing, and more vital information. If you're interested in learning more about this process check out my other blog post: How Can You Tell if a T-Shirt is Vintage
 |
| Photo depicting the tag from one of my listings |
 |
| Photo depicting the back of the garment's tag |
Note all Imperfections in your Description
The last tip I have for you is to include all and any imperfections that you notice on a garment. If you notice it, then your buyer will definitely notice it when they get it in hand. By noting these imperfections, you are giving the buyer and even more vivid image of the garment.
This will help the buyer understand that you are a transparent seller who is describing the garment to the best of your ability. This will help the buyer gain your trust and increase the chance of conversion.
I hope these tips will help you become even more successful as an eBay seller! Good luck!
This will help the buyer understand that you are a transparent seller who is describing the garment to the best of your ability. This will help the buyer gain your trust and increase the chance of conversion.
I hope these tips will help you become even more successful as an eBay seller! Good luck!
Comments
Post a Comment