Clothing anyone?

[clovis97]

Depends. Shop around. The store I use the most is a 50/50 split. The stuff really moves there. The last few weeks every piece has sold. There is another store where the split is 65/45 (I get the 45). The stuff barely moves. I've made about $20 between the two stores where I take stuff. The stores that buy outright are a rip off. It just depends if you want fast money. Look at the clothes there. They will pay you about a 3rd of the price. If you find vintage stuff, you may do better at a vintage store. The store here bought a bunch of my stuff. Just do your homework. Most of the stores have websites, and they say how they work. Make sure you try and find an upscale one. They mark the prices higher, and for some dumb reason, people pay those prices.

Okay, just for kicks, what would an adult sized Hollister zip up hoodie sell for at the shop you go to? What would they pay outright for it?

We sell most Hollister hoodies for about $8-$10 at the flea market, which is probably too cheap because they fly off the shelves at that price.

 

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[dumpsterdiver]

I hate it when it has the original tag if its at a thrift store around me. Because they automatically tag it half the original price. Disregard all other aspects. If its an original price tag from 1980 its half that. If its very new half that. Doesnt make sense to buy something you like for yourself much less try to sell.

 

[gino22]

There is great money in clothing if you can identify the good stuff and have a relationship with a consignment shop. Go the consignment route over eBay whenever possible. There is a HUGE proportion of returns to deal with when going through eBay. Most of them are honest - goes with the territory of not being able to try on the merchandise beforehand - but a few people have insane standards regarding condition, irrespective of how well it is photographed and described. And another handful will use you as a rental service. Sniff the pits on returns to remove any doubt on that one...

At least eBay will now let you charge a restocking fee. Helps with the dry cleaning bills if you choose to go that route

 

[vwayne1]

I do clothes a little. Not as much fun but a good easy to find maintenance item. Found a Ben Thompson t shirt the other day for $2. Retail about 60-80. They make some high end stuff. They are in the uk.

 

[xrunndonex]

Okay, just for kicks, what would an adult sized Hollister zip up hoodie sell for at the shop you go to? What would they pay outright for it?

We sell most Hollister hoodies for about $8-$10 at the flea market, which is probably too cheap because they fly off the shelves at that price.

Yea that's cheap I bought some coogi ecko well 100-200 dollar sweaters for 30- 15$

 

[clovis97]

There is great money in clothing if you can identify the good stuff and have a relationship with a consignment shop. Go the consignment route over eBay whenever possible. There is a HUGE proportion of returns to deal with when going through eBay. Most of them are honest - goes with the territory of not being able to try on the merchandise beforehand - but a few people have insane standards regarding condition, irrespective of how well it is photographed and described. And another handful will use you as a rental service. Sniff the pits on returns to remove any doubt on that one... At least eBay will now let you charge a restocking fee. Helps with the dry cleaning bills if you choose to go that route

We do sell some clothes at the indoor flea market, but very little on ebay.

Any clothes that we list on ebay is carefully looked over with a magnifying glass before it gets listed. While it might sound crazy to some, we haven't gotten any returns so far for anything we missed. It only takes a minute to do several garments.

 

[Neildo85]

I just bought a mint pair of grey dickie's pants my size for $1 at the local resale store. The proceeds from the store go to the local historical society so I gave them $2

 

[Baltimore]

I do a ton of business in clothes, and let me tell you it can pay off quite handsomely. I would say that I know clothing like some of the guys on here know glass. Clothing is a good direction to go if you're looking for easy things to ship, but it takes a lot of time spent hunting and a lot of knowledge to find anything good. Also, when you find something you think could be good, assume the worst. I can't count the number of times where I look something up, see examples that have sold online for $30, buy the item for $4 or $5, and then have it sit on ebay for $30, $20, $10, and then finally get a bid at $4.99 after 5 months. Basically the market is super fickle, and there are very few "guaranteed" good buys in the clothes racks, or rather they are few and far between.

If anyone wants clothing finding or value tips I'd be happy to help, I just have way more to say than I could ever put in a thread.

 

[Baltimore]

There is great money in clothing if you can identify the good stuff and have a relationship with a consignment shop. Go the consignment route over eBay whenever possible. There is a HUGE proportion of returns to deal with when going through eBay. Most of them are honest - goes with the territory of not being able to try on the merchandise beforehand - but a few people have insane standards regarding condition, irrespective of how well it is photographed and described. And another handful will use you as a rental service. Sniff the pits on returns to remove any doubt on that one...

I would have to disagree. I have been selling on ebay for almost 2 years now, almost exclusively clothes, and I have only had 3 instances of the garment not fitting the buyer, and neither resulted in returns. One item was only a dollar so I just refunded their money, and the other two opted to re-sell themselves rather than pay for return shipping. Providing accurate measurements is very important, and if you do it right it avoids pretty much 100% of return issues. Another thing is that people usually don't just "shop" on ebay, which leads to less impulse buying. Usually people are searching for a cheaper way to find their favorite brand, or a way to replace an item they cannot find in a store. 9 times out of 10 the buyer knows how the item will fit because they have experience with the brand or garment they are buying. It is also easy to avoid problems by staying away from specifically tailored items, like suits.

Also, while consignment stores are convenient, they have several disadvantages. One is that you are making significantly less money. Rarely will the people who price your clothes know exactly what the items are worth, and in the end you only get a fraction of the money out of your already underpriced garment. On ebay you can research, and find that right buyer to pay a decent price for your item. Also, ebay has millions of people searching for things per day, while a physical store can only have so many. Many brands are coveted by people, and having your items online lets them find your items and pay a premium for them.

I love consignment for some things, but I'd really recommend trying ebay if you have a seemingly valuable item.

 

[lookin-for-treasure]

I've been reselling used clothing for about 6 months. It's been a great way to make extra money. I like finding the gold and collectibles like the rest of you guys, but clothing is plentiful and is a great filler for in between making those other great finds.

 

[TreasureHunters]

what brands should one be on the look for?

 

[JustinNH]

what brands should one be on the look for?

That is a tricky question.

I have a cheat sheet of mens shirt brands, golf shirt brands and working on others (pants, sweaters, etc).
Even if the name matches, there are still style/colors to go for and stay away from. Just being on the list helps me know if it is worth looking up on my phone, which some exceptions that I know will always be worth it.

There are some brands where the shirts retail $150 but have a hard time reselling for $20, but in the same brand there may be a light jacket/pullover that resells for a much higher proportion.

Ebay sold items with generic keywords and a lot (A LOT!!) or reading helps get some good ideas. That is how I create my lists. As I see more and experience more, I will add a + or - next to the name. I may see a bunch of X brand selling for $25 so I add it to my list, but it may turn out that 80% sell for only $10, I may add the - or remove the name all together as it is not worth the risk.

Conversely, I may add a name and then notice pretty much everything sells for $50 or more, so I will add a + to the name on my list to remember that this is a hot seller.

I hope that made sense, I don't often explain things well and it is a process I just created randomly trying to teach myself. Besides this forum, I don't have anyone showing me the ropes.

 

[TreasureHunters]

That is a tricky question. I have a cheat sheet of mens shirt brands, golf shirt brands and working on others (pants, sweaters, etc). Even if the name matches, there are still style/colors to go for and stay away from. Just being on the list helps me know if it is worth looking up on my phone, which some exceptions that I know will always be worth it. There are some brands where the shirts retail $150 but have a hard time reselling for $20, but in the same brand there may be a light jacket/pullover that resells for a much higher proportion. Ebay sold items with generic keywords and a lot (A LOT!!) or reading helps get some good ideas. That is how I create my lists. As I see more and experience more, I will add a + or - next to the name. I may see a bunch of X brand selling for $25 so I add it to my list, but it may turn out that 80% sell for only $10, I may add the - or remove the name all together as it is not worth the risk. Conversely, I may add a name and then notice pretty much everything sells for $50 or more, so I will add a + to the name on my list to remember that this is a hot seller. I hope that made sense, I don't often explain things well and it is a process I just created randomly trying to teach myself. Besides this forum, I don't have anyone showing me the ropes.

Thanks that did help

 

[SilverForBrains]

Clothes are a different beast, more difficult to photograph (and make look nice) than say something like a coin, any defect can make them not worth selling, and of course so many different brands, styles and sizes to know. My best clothing sale to date was a return, and the worst thing is I shipped it medium flat rate so lost $12 (I was in a rush!). I try and stick with the 1.99 t-shirts since about half of all clothes I buy I end up getting stuck with. Gonna try a big market soon to unload all the ones that were not ebayable

 

[xrunndonex]

Clothes are a different beast, more difficult to photograph (and make look nice) than say something like a coin, any defect can make them not worth selling, and of course so many different brands, styles and sizes to know. My best clothing sale to date was a return, and the worst thing is I shipped it medium flat rate so lost $12 (I was in a rush!). I try and stick with the 1.99 t-shirts since about half of all clothes I buy I end up getting stuck with. Gonna try a big market soon to unload all the ones that were not ebayable

Go for brands like southpole, ecko, coogi, polo, hell get a ton of Levis jeans at a garage sale someone who does a lot of outside work might buy a lot of 5 or ten

 

[Baltimore]

Go for brands like southpole, ecko, coogi, polo, hell get a ton of Levis jeans at a garage sale someone who does a lot of outside work might buy a lot of 5 or ten

ecko and southpole are basically walmart brands now, they used to be valuable but nowadays with the fashion market trending away from baggy clothing, they are way harder to sell. Most of that stuff sells for less than $20, if it sells at all. Levi's also don't sell for that much, but they do sell consistently. I usually start them at $10 a pair, and I've never had a pair last more than one or two auction rounds. Polo is super hit or miss, I've had shirts sit for weeks at .99, but I've also had crazy bidding wars erupt. A good rule for Ralph Lauren is the crazier, the better, especially with stuff from the early 90's. You can sort sold listings by highest price and you'll see what I mean.

 

[xrunndonex]

ecko and southpole are basically walmart brands now, they used to be valuable but nowadays with the fashion market trending away from baggy clothing, they are way harder to sell. Most of that stuff sells for less than $20, if it sells at all. Levi's also don't sell for that much, but they do sell consistently. I usually start them at $10 a pair, and I've never had a pair last more than one or two auction rounds. Polo is super hit or miss, I've had shirts sit for weeks at .99, but I've also had crazy bidding wars erupt. A good rule for Ralph Lauren is the crazier, the better, especially with stuff from the early 90's. You can sort sold listings by highest price and you'll see what I mean.

11k for a ugly sweater! Wtf! Who in there right mind would pay that! I've seen it all now. I would of never guessed. My minds blown

 

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[SilverForBrains]

11k for a ugly sweater! Wtf! Who in there right mind would pay that! I've seen it all now. I would of never guessed. My minds blown

It gets weirder. Here is that sweater at 11K

Vintage Polo Ralph Lauren Crest Knit XL | eBay

and here it is, same seller, same sweater as far as I can tell, selling for 99 cents

Vintage Polo Ralph Lauren Crest Knit XL | eBay

wtf is going on here, any insights? can a bidding war over a few dollar item really reach into 11k? or vice versa is this a case of an 11K item with improper advertising? I am so confused.

 

[JustinNH]

It gets weirder. Here is that sweater at 11K

Vintage Polo Ralph Lauren Crest Knit XL | eBay

and here it is, same seller, same sweater as far as I can tell, selling for 99 cents

Vintage Polo Ralph Lauren Crest Knit XL | eBay

wtf is going on here, any insights? can a bidding war over a few dollar item really reach into 11k? or vice versa is this a case of an 11K item with improper advertising? I am so confused.

I've had two tokens end at 99 cents 2 times in a row with no bids and two people go in a bidding war on the third time to get it to over $20.... but $11k!!! I think something else was going on here.... wow!