The thing that I decided to do this time which I have not done before is to sell some of the things online. Much of my work clothes and shoes were purchased when I worked at Nordstrom (in the late 90s / early 2000s and yes some of them even still fit!) and I spent a lot of money building up my work wardrobe. After that, I bought some extras from thrift stores, but I always pick through and find the good brands (BCBG, Ann Taylor, Tahari, Diane Von Furstenburg etc.) So I thought that maybe I could get some of my money back by selling these items.
It took me a long time to get started. You know how you have good intentions but that box of "sell online" items sits in your closet for months because you are not sure how the shipping works and you are too lazy/scared/unmotivated to find out what to do? That is what I did. I purged, I segregated, the box sat in the closet. Finally, I looked up shipping procedures, got flat rate boxes from the PO and started taking photos of things. But then, I was not sure how much to charge and I waited again, pondering. Finally I put my first item on eBay.
And then...nothing happened. Nothing happened for a long, long time. This was my first time and I had no idea what to expect or what to do if nothing happened, so I let it refresh (it does this every 30 days) for a long time before I finally took the listing down. Then, about six months later, I decided to try again. This time I put several listings up and I decreased the price if they did not sell after a certain time period. For a long time, nothing happened.
And then...someone bought something! Hurray! Then I muddled through printing a label and putting it in the right box and getting it to the post office, but I did it. In the end, it was not that hard. I don't know why I waited so long to start. After that, I enthusiastically posted a half dozen other items, and...nothing happened.
You can see where this is going! However, after about a year and a half of listing items, I have sold probably five items. So clearly I am not going to quit my day job! However, it is very satisfying to get even $20.00 for an item that I paid a lot for, as the alternative is to get nothing! HOWEVER, I do not think that the buck is worth the bang unless you are at home full time and you have free time. Let's say I probably spent five hours collecting, photographing and posting listings (and revising) and I have made....drumroll please...about $70.00. This puts me at $14.00 per hour, which is less than the $18.07 minimum wage in San Francisco. Bottom line: I should probably go get a job at a coffeeshop and give all the items to Goodwill!
When the items do not sell on eBay, I send them to thredUp, which is an online consignment store. I have sent about 12 items to them and made $64.00, so my per hour on this is probably about $18.00-$20.00 per hour, but my per item is only $5.00 vs about $14.00 per item on eBay. I did look into taking my things to a local consignment shop but they are VERY picky, i.e. it has to be current season, certain brands etc. and most of my things are not current season (they are classics!)
Next up is a big Goodwill/Salvation Army run, or maybe I can try one more platform, but first...
I need advice! Have you ever sold things online? If so, what platform do you use and how successful have you been? If you have been successful, what tips can you give me? Has anyone tried or had luck with Facebook Marketplace? If so, do you let people come to your house or do you meet them somewhere? How exactly does that work!?
I sell my furniture sometimes on craigslist, facebook marketplace, or nextdoor. it's pretty efficient, local, and eventually everything sells
ReplyDeleteInteresting; do you have issues with people flaking or not showing up when they say they are going to? And/or do you have issues with scammers? Have you ever tried OfferUp? I guess I don't love people knowing who I am or where I live as much, although I have bought stuff from people on FB marketplace and it worked out great!
DeleteI sold my first engagement ring on Ebay, that worked well for me. Pirate Ship .com is a good platform for shipping. You might try Poshmark in addition to Ebay. I tend to just throw everything in a box and send it all to Thredup or I donate to my local consignment store that benefits the women's shelter if I don't think Thredup will pay me but I feel that items are still worth something. I have a few too many pairs of old running shoes right now but I wait until I see someone announcing they are collecting old running shoes and then I take them all to that donation box. Both my gym and run club had something like that and that is how I was able to get rid of my old shoes without throwing them away.
ReplyDeleteThat is good to know. I actually have some jewelry to sell but have been hesitant to try as I have not had a lot of luck with the littler items. Do you put a buy now price on your items or just do the auction feature? The other question I have is...can you put them on both Poshmark and eBay without accidentally double selling?
DeleteI either donate or consign everything in terms of clothes. Most of the time I wear things into the "ground" and I buy basically everything second-hand to begin with, so often I end up redonating it because I don't think the consignment store would accept stuff. I used to consign the kids clothes, too (different consignment store dedicated just to kids gear), but in the end I hated keeping track of things until I had a big enough bag and then they would only accept things for the first 2 weeks of the month and would put out criteria based on what they had in stock (like if they had a lot of snowsuits they might list they WEREN'T accepting snow suits). So I cut my time losses on that and just either hand things down to others or donate it all.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the first part. I also buy my stuff second hand and then wear it a lot (I have a pair of Ann Taylor black work slacks that I bought at a thrift store in 2011 and am still wearing to this day but the lining has a rip in it and the hems are on their last days) so I would probably either donate some of it or in some cases, even throw it away! However, the items I am trying to sell are good quality; I just don't wear the sheer quantity of work items that I used to, plus some don't fit so they were barely worn. So that is why I am giving this a shot, whereas I normally would just take the stuff all to Goodwill. It is a bit timestaking and I have heard of some people who have Excel sheets and stuff, but (surprisingly in this case) I am not one of those people!
DeleteI take things to the consignment shop by our house but as you've said - they are VERY picky. They took a lot of my first haul; in this last haul they did not take much. I took pictures of things and sent them to Kaelyn as she might be coming to Minneapolis in the next year and I think some items would work for her. Otherwise everything else will go to goodwill. I know there is a value to what I have and I could take it to another place like turnstyle which is less selective (I think?) but I have decided it's not worth the energy time to keep trying different places! I have done well with what I've sold at that consignment shop and I've also bought some great things there.
ReplyDeleteNice work on whittling your belongings down, though. I've done that but not to the extent you have!
I will probably end up giving most of it to Goodwill but I thought I would try to sell some just for fun first. I have mostly been trying to sell shoes and clothes since they are easier to ship but will probably dabble a bit in FB marketplace or something locally based before I get rid of some things completely! I bought a stationary bike on FBMP and it was very easy, but I don't really love the idea of having to coordinate (over and over) with people who would be coming to my actual house.
DeleteI do not sell anything online because I wear my pieces to threads and they usually just end up falling apart. I am mildly envious of people with closets full of so many clothes that they can donate a boxful and still have a complete wardrobe. I'm pretty sure, though, if I'm honest with myself, that I would not have the patience to sell anything online! I'm too lazy for that!
ReplyDeleteIt does take a little time and also some organization, at least I think it does! I am not one of those people who is willynilly about things, so maybe if you don't care or are more spontaneous you just throw it out there and see what sticks. I am experimenting so I did start high on the pricing for some things just to see if it would work, and am coming down on some prices to see where the curve meets! I do not usually sell things online because I also wear my stuff to threads and/or a $10 tank top from Target is not worth trying to sell again for me; in that case I would just donate it. I have also taken many boxes to Salvation Army in this purging cycle. I wish I was more minimalist, but this is my attempt to eventually get there!
DeleteI have never sold any of my old clothing or shoes; I usually just donate because it seems like so much hassle. Even donating things, I was for a while putting them on my neighbourhood Buy Nothing page, but I ended up being so frustrated with no-shows and the like that I just bundled everything and donated to Kidney Clothes and Diabetes. I even donated so many still-great-condition lululemon items and lovely sweaters, because by the time I was getting ready to move I just could not photograph, post, and then package up each one FOR FREE. Know what I mean? Anyway, I think it's great you actually sold some things!
ReplyDeleteI do know what you mean. This is why I am trying to do some of this stuff now so that when I am in crunch time, I am not just fed up and giving away the farm. However, I do normally just give most of my stuff to Salvation Army and have taken at least two trips there so far this year (and they won't be my last). I have a constant "donate" box in my house and any time I clean out a silverware drawer or notice a glut of tank tops (those days are getting less and less), I throw it in the box. In this case, I am only trying to sell some things that were higher cost although if you depreciated them like a house, I am embarrassed to say that some of them would be valued at zero by now!
DeleteI recently started selling things on Vinted however it's more to get rid of stuff and force me to walk to the post office than to actually make money. I've been listing things very cheap and have definitely bought more than I sold so I can't even say it's decluttering... although I'm buying kid clothes we need and selling maternity clothes I don't need. If I didn't like my walk to the post office then it definitely wouldn't be worth it financially - I love how you've calculated your hourly rate! I don't know how people make money selling online... if I wanted to declutter or make money then selling clothes would not be a good option for me.
ReplyDeleteI think people who make money selling online usually buy things from Goodwill or wherever and then REsell them online! I also have a few friends who have had success getting rid of things, but they must list their things very low priced as I know that some of their things are well worn! Maybe their descriptions are more exciting than mine; who knows!
DeleteI think a walk to the PO is a great excuse, and I actually do the same thing! My PO is 0.6 miles from my house and it is a great way to get out and about while still making a few bucks! Yes, I have figured out my hourly rate because I am a spreadsheet person! I did not make an actual spreadsheet for these sales; I do think that would be going a little too far, especially at my pay grade.
You could try Poshmark! I’ve had good luck selling things - and buying things - on there! But I agree it’s often not worth the effort you have to put in. Luckily the consignment store in my town is not too picky, but they also only give you store credit and not cash. I sell a lot of kids stuff online, usually for cheap, and I always find it worth it because then I get a bit of money for it AND someone picks it up at my house - win win!
ReplyDelete-Amber
I will try Poshmark! I guess I was (a) hesitant to set up yet another platform where I have to share my personal information and (b) not sure how to handle it - do you list half on PM and half on eBay? Can you list them in two places at once? Also re things like FB marketplace, I guess having people come to my house and the fact that I have heard stories about them flaking have held me back. Can you tell I am an analysis/paralysis person!? Ha.
DeleteOh, I feel this!! I have an extra closet in my basement stuffed FULL of beautiful boys clothing- many items are literally brand new/ barely worn, and a majority are of good quality, brand name stuff. I used to sell things on a Facebook Resale group, but that seemed to work better with the toddler age stuff. Also, it became awkward, because tons of people I know IRL are in those local groups too, so then they'd get bombarded with posts every time I tried to sell something... I don't know, I just found that kind of awkward for some reason. I then moved to Facebook Marketplace, which was working fairly well (albeit kind of tedious to take pics and post and then either meet up with people (and I would sometimes let people come to my home if I could get a good vibe from their FB posts/pictures etc that they truly appeared to be just a regular mom...). But then, a couple years ago now, Facebook randomly BLOCKED me from Marketplace! I had posted a couple of items - boys jeans and some shoes, nothing remotely offensive- and I got a message back that I had violated FB Marketplace's selling policies. I was like, uhhh, how?? From the list of offenses (e.g. selling illegal items, weapons, etc., shoes and jeans certainly did not apply!), so I was so confused. I thought it must be a mistake, so I "appealed" it, which is really just dealing with a computer bot. I repeatedly was told, by the bot, that "after review, your postings violate our marketplace policies" and was eventually completely blocked permanently! To this day, almost 3 years later, I am still blocked and can't use Marketplace. Per some Google searches, I am not the only one this has happened to. And, being the customer friendly company that it is (eye roll), Facebook has no actual customer service or support/ no way to talk to a live person to get this straightened out. So, that was the end of my FB marketplace selling days, though it's very unfortunate, because I actually was having great luck with that! I'm not sure if it somehow got triggered because I had the brand names in the title?? (e.g Tommy Hilfiger jeans) that it thought I was somehow selling new items versus used or something? Which makes no sense. Or if because I posted several items in very quick succession, it thought I was a robot?? No clue. But I also have had no real luck with resale shops and that just seems like a big hassle, yet many of these items feel so nice/ great condition/ were expensive to just dump at Goodwill! But I'd really like to use that closet as a nice off-season closet for myself- instead of just having it full of kids clothes just sitting and collecting dust. I might as well just get rid of them- or load up bins and take them up to Lisa!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, that is frustrating! I have never heard of that happening actually, but I live under a rock. I think I will have to try FBM but just to meet somewhere neutral at first, as that is what kind of keeps me from doing it. Also I have heard stories of flaky people and I hate dealing with flaky people.
DeleteYou should load up the bins and take them to Lisa!! Two birds, one stone! You would have a great visit with her and also get rid of some things AND they would be going to a good cause, so you would not feel that guilt of getting rid of basically new things.
I have not been very successful selling clothing online or at consignment stores. I feel like there is just "too much stuff" out there, or something. You gotta put a lot of effort in to get your things to be seen... it's almost not worth it. And at consignment stores, I have literally had things rejected for being "out of style" that were hanging in the store, which I found odd...
ReplyDeleteThat is so weird! I did not try very hard at the consignment store because their website said it had to be this season's clothes and NONE of my stuff is from this season! But I do have some classics...however, they don't seem to want them. I have had pretty good luck with ThredUp, as in, usually 80%-90% of my items sell, and I don't have to do too much work for that to happen, so they are probably my favorite when it comes to classic work pieces (Ann Taylor etc.)
DeleteI have never tried to sell clothes online. Mostly because I don't buy a lot of name-brand clothes so I know the effort I put into selling the clothes (and shipping them out!) wouldn't be worth it. I used to send a bag to ThredUp but I never got much money from them. Now, I just donate my clothes.
ReplyDeleteI have sold furniture and bigger items on FB Marketplace. I've had really good luck with that, aside from this most recent time when I tried to sell my bedframe.
That is good to know; I think I will make a pile for FB Marketplace and see how that goes. I do think it is a good venue for things that are too big to ship. For example I have a stationary bike which I am definitely not going to go through the hassle of sending out, so that one will be a great candidate for FBM. Did you ever feel weird having people come to your house?
DeleteI've always though of doing this but always found it too daunting. My son has an ebay account and he sold a lot of things successfully- it was stuff like video games, Harry Potter wands... I can't remember what else, but probably all stuff that's easier to sell than clothes. I just end up donating everything. I doubt my old clothes would be worth much anyway.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I feel okay if it is small enough to fit in a box or small padded envelope; if the shipping becomes more of a hassle, then I get a little meh about it! So a HP wand would be easy! I actually found an old game boy and I looked it up and those things can bring in hundreds of dollars (and the games even more!) However, I gave it to my friend and her kids so they can get some use out of it. But some of those niche items are definitely worth it!
DeleteMy daughter buys a lot of clothes through Thred Up and then if she doesn't like them or whatever, she ends up giving them to goodwill, which seems like a huge waste of money to me, but now I guess I know why. She's tried taking them to a couple of consignment shops but the amount they pay is so little, and they don't take much. The answer, really, is for her to stop buying things. (Not for you, you've done that already, and the classics you have, you needed for your job at the time.)
ReplyDeleteShe could also send them back to ThredUp; they pay for the shipping and maybe she could get a few dollars back! I mean, if ThredUp took them before that means at least they are sellable, so they would take them again (they do donate or recycle things they can't sell, which I also like. I have heard rumors that GW puts a lot of things in the landfill - I don't known if that is really true or not).
DeleteI have found good luck on fb marketplace. I have even found that if you are on fb and have friends that would like similar items that if you first post them out to your friends you can have good luck there and don't have to worry about no shows/dealing with rando people. The other thing I've done is made my own private group and will post stuff there. I let friends add people if its stuff they might be interested in but I keep it local. I also do a garage sale once a year with a friend. Not getting rich, but it's cash I use for 'fun splurges." With kid stuff I get farther than adults but I also dont really own name brand for myself, just my kids hahahaha. I also always have a garbage bag at the end of my bed where I put stuff I dont want to deal with and donate when it's full. I really try to talk myself through okay so it was worn xyz times i paid tuv so that equals abc for cost. It helps me just let go ha.
ReplyDeleteThank you, that is good to know re FB marketplace! I did not know you could customize it like that, but that makes sense! I was also considering a garage sale. I have a short block; it is not a cul-de-sac, but there are only eight houses so if we organized it, we could all do it on the same day and it could be very fun! However, I get tired of seeing things in my house/garage and often just end up taking them to Salvation Army to donate. I like the bag at the end of the bed thing, and I have a similar bag in my guest room where as soon as I realize the item is no longer working, it goes into the bag (or the trash, like for holey socks!)
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