Clearing clutter is essential to running an efficient closet space. However, getting rid of clothes can feel wasteful and cause anxiety for some, including me. But this year I’m going to turn my unwanted items into something more purposeful. I want to freshen my wardrobe with new pieces and my unwanted clothes are going to pay for it.
I’ve not tried this before, but I’m a quick learner and have already made £380 toward clothes I intend to buy this spring. My wish list includes pieces that are timeless, but still, it’s quite lengthy. So, how am I doing this? Well, I’ve been selling my clothes through Vinted.
An app you can download to your phone, it is known to be one of the easiest selling platforms to use. It has simple instructions to follow and you don’t pay a fee to sell your goods or pay delivery costs. The onus is on the buyer to pay postage, but there’s also a buyer protection of 3-8% they pay, which ensures there is re-course if the goods don’t arrive, are damaged, or not as described.
Back to selling, and here’s what I’ve learnt in the less than a month about selling on Vinted.
My Top Tips for Selling on Vinted
- Put the brand name first. People can search for garments, colours, etc., but if you have decent brands I would start with the title in the description.
- Don’t make your heading too niche. I added a coat of Steve’s and put Parka and got no traction. I have since changed it to coat. Perhaps someone doesn’t need a parka until they’ve seen the one I’m selling and are running searches for coats.
- Try and post as many as you can in one journey to save on your time and petrol costs.
- You can define the delivery services that you’re happy to work with. Evri, Inpost and Yodel all have shipping shops or lockers near me and near each other, so it’s an easy and quick task.
- Source cheap packaging. The large mailing bags from B&M are a decent size and you get 10 bags for £2.99. I’ve also found local traders are great for low-cost packaging.
- You can also use old packaging bags that you’ve received goods in, like Amazon, ASOS, etc. Just make sure you cover old addresses and barcodes with the new address labels and packing tape.
- Wrap clothes in tissue paper or you use gift bags when you can for even greater presentation of the goods to the customer.
- Each customer is asked to review you as a seller. If you want to build a good reputation you want to communicate with buyers and deliver goods to them in an exemplary and timely fashion. I aways drop a note to buyers to let them know when I’ve posted.
- Upload when you think people will be looking online, e.g., in the evening. I’ll upload just before drive time on an evening and on a Thursday or Friday night to get pick up over the weekend.
- Always upload at least three items at a time to get some traction, but no more than four. If you have lots I would upload a group of items over the course of a few nights.
- Take and upload as many photos as you can to help customers see everything clearly, especially any imperfections. Be honest about any marks or damage.
- Adding measurements can help sell an item. Or at least have a tape measure in the house as potential customers have asked me for measurements before so they know they’re buying something that will fit. There is a no return policy on Vinted, so if it doesn’t fit they’ve wasted their time and money.
- If an item isn’t selling, it could be the way you’ve described it or the first photo they’re seeing isn’t appealing, so first I try and consider if the photo is doing the garment justice. Try taking a picture of you wearing the goods to show how it can be worn and with what. You can upload 20 pictures.
- Vinted encourages low price selling, but if you have a brand that’s on-trend, sell it as high as you can. Customers will negotiate. You can always reduce the price if you feel its too high and not getting much interest. Or you can bump a garment for a small price, which is basically advertising it at the top of people’s feed for a few quid.
- Don’t be afraid to barter. A lady contacted me to buy a faux leather black mini skirt. I had it on for a low price and she tried to lower me again by two pounds, so I wrote to her and explained that I knew this type of garment is going to be a really popular fashion piece in the spring. It is, I’ve seen them in retailers. I explained she was getting a bargain and she paid me what I was asking. It was still about 30% of what she would have paid brand new. It was a steal.
- You can also offer your garments in bundles at reduced rate. You are given examples of how a bundle could be reduced, e.g., 10% or 20%. I’ve not had any interest in this but I think this could be good if you’re selling lots of the same thing, e.g., baby clothes.
Admittedly, I’ve been on Vinted less than a month, but I’m super happy with my sales so far. I will add more thoughts to this post or edit with updates as I go on, but for now, I’m happy with how things are going. I’m really pleased to have some money to spend on clothes that I actually want to wear, rather than hoarding a bunch of clothes that’s taking up room in my wardrobe.
If you’ve given this app a go please let me know how you’re getting on.
Gail x
