Selling Clothes

JJC1956

TOP_CAT said:

I believe Soolin made a point in another thread regarding selling used clothes on ebay in that it can be hardwork . ie people cant size themselves 

Would be interesting to hear more from used clothes sellers 

I’ve sold dozens of items of used clothing over the years, if you have a saleable product people will eventually buy.
Some items sell straight away some can take a couple of months.  You have to have patience but once you get used to the way eBay works it can be very rewarding, I bought 2 new Lacoste polo shirts on ebay for £28 each, I wore them a lot as they were polyester and didn't need ironing, I sold them about 5 years later for £25 each (in auction). As an example, used Lacoste or Hugo Boss Polo shirts will sell for between £10 and £30 each.
You need to take some good photos, iron the clothes if you think that will help sell the item, give correct chest, waist, length measurements as Large in one brand might be totally different in another brand. 

Pollycat

TOP_CAT said:

I believe Soolin made a point in another thread regarding selling used clothes on ebay in that it can be hardwork . ie people cant size themselves 

Would be interesting to hear more from used clothes sellers 

I sell clothes and shoes on eBay. Not a lot, just my own unwanted items.
I wouldn't sell anything that has had the label cut off, so I can say it is a Next size 12 and prove it in the photos.
I also provide photos of pit-to-pit, inside sleeve length, nape-to-hem, inside leg etc.
I also mention if - in my own opinion - I think an item is a small size or large size e.g. shoes and am happy to promptly answer any questions or provide more photos.

I'm a bit confused by the comment "people cant size themselves".

Spoonie_Turtle

Pollycat said:

I'm a bit confused by the comment "people cant size themselves".

I took that to be a reference to the problem of buyers completely ignoring measurements and wanting to return clothes on the basis that they don't fit, costing the seller the outward postage, selling fees, and sometimes the return postage if the buyer opens a SNAD case instead of Change of Mind return.

JJC1956

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Pollycat said:

I'm a bit confused by the comment "people cant size themselves".

I took that to be a reference to the problem of buyers completely ignoring measurements and wanting to return clothes on the basis that they don't fit, costing the seller the outward postage, selling fees, and sometimes the return postage if the buyer opens a SNAD case instead of Change of Mind return.

If all of the information you give is correct and you highlight any flaws, you do not have to accept returns.
I sold a very expensive clothing item recently, the seller told eBay it was a fake and wanted their money back, I proved to eBay that it wasn’t a fake and I didn't have to refund seller.
Another time I sold a Paul Smith Sports Bag, I listed it as being 35cm long, the seller posted pictures that it was only 34cm long and demanded their money back, so I refunded them.
Sellers must ensure that all sizing is correct (as Pollycat states above) and any flaws are highlighted, in the ‘description’ section, I might even give a reason why I am selling a really nice item so cheap, I put on weight, I lost weight, split up from the other half and she bought me this for Xmas, etc etc. I quite often have long chats with sellers asking me about an Item, a lot of people don’t have access to City’s or Town Centres, I have noticed I have sold some shirts to farms recently, obviously they are too busy to waste a day travelling into town for a nice (albeit second hand) shirt.
eBay gets a few bad reviews on MSE but if you use the site correctly you can make a lot of money selling your old clothes.
I also sell new stuff, If I see a bargain somewhere.

Pollycat

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Pollycat said:

I'm a bit confused by the comment "people cant size themselves".

I took that to be a reference to the problem of buyers completely ignoring measurements and wanting to return clothes on the basis that they don't fit, costing the seller the outward postage, selling fees, and sometimes the return postage if the buyer opens a SNAD case instead of Change of Mind return.

It's some years ago but I once sold a pair of M&S jeans BNWT - clearly showing size, length and style on the tag - and the photos showed waist measurement, hips, inside leg, width of hem.
Buyer initiated a return request as she said the jeans were not a size 12.
I refused the claim on the basis that my listing was clear. And I said I'd sold another pair in size 10 and the buyer left feedback saying they were fabulous jeans.
Maybe eBay policy has changed and they now always side with the buyer but in same circumstances I would argue the toss.
It's harder to describe something when it's not new - condition particularly is subjective - but new and labelled is new and labelled.

soolin

JJC1956 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Pollycat said:

I'm a bit confused by the comment "people cant size themselves".

I took that to be a reference to the problem of buyers completely ignoring measurements and wanting to return clothes on the basis that they don't fit, costing the seller the outward postage, selling fees, and sometimes the return postage if the buyer opens a SNAD case instead of Change of Mind return.

If all of the information you give is correct and you highlight any flaws, you do not have to accept returns.
I sold a very expensive clothing item recently, the seller told eBay it was a fake and wanted their money back, I proved to eBay that it wasn’t a fake and I didn't have to refund seller.
Another time I sold a Paul Smith Sports Bag, I listed it as being 35cm long, the seller posted pictures that it was only 34cm long and demanded their money back, so I refunded them.
Sellers must ensure that all sizing is correct (as Pollycat states above) and any flaws are highlighted, in the ‘description’ section, I might even give a reason why I am selling a really nice item so cheap, I put on weight, I lost weight, split up from the other half and she bought me this for Xmas, etc etc. I quite often have long chats with sellers asking me about an Item, a lot of people don’t have access to City’s or Town Centres, I have noticed I have sold some shirts to farms recently, obviously they are too busy to waste a day travelling into town for a nice (albeit second hand) shirt.
eBay gets a few bad reviews on MSE but if you use the site correctly you can make a lot of money selling your old clothes.
I also sell new stuff, If I see a bargain somewhere.

Firstly the moment you buy to resell (as per the last line of your post) you are a business and must take returns regardless of the reason. 

Even a private seller selling their own clothes can easily get an SNAD as ebay rarely intervene with disputes if buyer reports item is not as described, ebay acknowledge that the app for instance means many casual buyers can't even easily see the full description. Technically ebay only cover a seller for what is in the item specifics anyway and there is only so many boxes you can fill out before you get bored.

I used to sell clothes , about 20 years ago- hated it. Someone would buy a size 12 top and return it as it was far too small and 'obviously' not a size 12- yet a quick look through their buying history suggested they usually bought size 14s or 16s. I had people return things for wrong colour- I'd say something was deep blue and they would return it as they considered it was navy and too deep a colour for just 'deep blue'. I had returns because they were sure they were a size 14 although hadn't measured themselves nor tried on any clothes in a shop for months- yet couldn't fit in my size 14. I had returns because they were sure they had a small waist - and yet the 34 inch waist skirt was about 8 inches too small and to suggest they were perhaps kidding themselves about their size was hurtful and upsetting. 

I used to be on a forum for clothes selling and the stories were terrible. The US sellers in particular are hit badly by the cruise passenger syndrome and now by instagrammers who buy clothes, hide the tags carefully (if new) wear them on holiday or for photo shoots, then return them, One tip if selling new clothes is to buy a kimble gun and attach your own pre printed tag saying something like 'item cannot be returned if this label is removed' and place a tag somewhere where it cannot be hidden- many higher end shops do this anyway now to stop the vast amount of returns. make sure if you do that you get a very clear shot of label in photo- and place it where it is highly visible but doesn't damage the item. One caveat though, the serial returners will have their own kimble gun to take tag off and reattach it (seriously, the US clothes market for cruise outfits and vacation outfits is a minefield).

JJC1956

soolin said:

JJC1956 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Pollycat said:

I'm a bit confused by the comment "people cant size themselves".

I took that to be a reference to the problem of buyers completely ignoring measurements and wanting to return clothes on the basis that they don't fit, costing the seller the outward postage, selling fees, and sometimes the return postage if the buyer opens a SNAD case instead of Change of Mind return.

If all of the information you give is correct and you highlight any flaws, you do not have to accept returns.
I sold a very expensive clothing item recently, the seller told eBay it was a fake and wanted their money back, I proved to eBay that it wasn’t a fake and I didn't have to refund seller.
Another time I sold a Paul Smith Sports Bag, I listed it as being 35cm long, the seller posted pictures that it was only 34cm long and demanded their money back, so I refunded them.
Sellers must ensure that all sizing is correct (as Pollycat states above) and any flaws are highlighted, in the ‘description’ section, I might even give a reason why I am selling a really nice item so cheap, I put on weight, I lost weight, split up from the other half and she bought me this for Xmas, etc etc. I quite often have long chats with sellers asking me about an Item, a lot of people don’t have access to City’s or Town Centres, I have noticed I have sold some shirts to farms recently, obviously they are too busy to waste a day travelling into town for a nice (albeit second hand) shirt.
eBay gets a few bad reviews on MSE but if you use the site correctly you can make a lot of money selling your old clothes.
I also sell new stuff, If I see a bargain somewhere.

Firstly the moment you buy to resell (as per the last line of your post) you are a business and must take returns regardless of the reason. 

Even a private seller selling their own clothes can easily get an SNAD as ebay rarely intervene with disputes if buyer reports item is not as described, ebay acknowledge that the app for instance means many casual buyers can't even easily see the full description. Technically ebay only cover a seller for what is in the item specifics anyway and there is only so many boxes you can fill out before you get bored.

I used to sell clothes , about 20 years ago- hated it. Someone would buy a size 12 top and return it as it was far too small and 'obviously' not a size 12- yet a quick look through their buying history suggested they usually bought size 14s or 16s. I had people return things for wrong colour- I'd say something was deep blue and they would return it as they considered it was navy and too deep a colour for just 'deep blue'. I had returns because they were sure they were a size 14 although hadn't measured themselves nor tried on any clothes in a shop for months- yet couldn't fit in my size 14. I had returns because they were sure they had a small waist - and yet the 34 inch waist skirt was about 8 inches too small and to suggest they were perhaps kidding themselves about their size was hurtful and upsetting. 

I used to be on a forum for clothes selling and the stories were terrible. The US sellers in particular are hit badly by the cruise passenger syndrome and now by instagrammers who buy clothes, hide the tags carefully (if new) wear them on holiday or for photo shoots, then return them, One tip if selling new clothes is to buy a kimble gun and attach your own pre printed tag saying something like 'item cannot be returned if this label is removed' and place a tag somewhere where it cannot be hidden- many higher end shops do this anyway now to stop the vast amount of returns. make sure if you do that you get a very clear shot of label in photo- and place it where it is highly visible but doesn't damage the item. One caveat though, the serial returners will have their own kimble gun to take tag off and reattach it (seriously, the US clothes market for cruise outfits and vacation outfits is a minefield).

I think you might have just put the OP off from selling on eBay 😆

soolin

JJC1956 said:

soolin said:

JJC1956 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Pollycat said:

I'm a bit confused by the comment "people cant size themselves".

I took that to be a reference to the problem of buyers completely ignoring measurements and wanting to return clothes on the basis that they don't fit, costing the seller the outward postage, selling fees, and sometimes the return postage if the buyer opens a SNAD case instead of Change of Mind return.

If all of the information you give is correct and you highlight any flaws, you do not have to accept returns.
I sold a very expensive clothing item recently, the seller told eBay it was a fake and wanted their money back, I proved to eBay that it wasn’t a fake and I didn't have to refund seller.
Another time I sold a Paul Smith Sports Bag, I listed it as being 35cm long, the seller posted pictures that it was only 34cm long and demanded their money back, so I refunded them.
Sellers must ensure that all sizing is correct (as Pollycat states above) and any flaws are highlighted, in the ‘description’ section, I might even give a reason why I am selling a really nice item so cheap, I put on weight, I lost weight, split up from the other half and she bought me this for Xmas, etc etc. I quite often have long chats with sellers asking me about an Item, a lot of people don’t have access to City’s or Town Centres, I have noticed I have sold some shirts to farms recently, obviously they are too busy to waste a day travelling into town for a nice (albeit second hand) shirt.
eBay gets a few bad reviews on MSE but if you use the site correctly you can make a lot of money selling your old clothes.
I also sell new stuff, If I see a bargain somewhere.

Firstly the moment you buy to resell (as per the last line of your post) you are a business and must take returns regardless of the reason. 

Even a private seller selling their own clothes can easily get an SNAD as ebay rarely intervene with disputes if buyer reports item is not as described, ebay acknowledge that the app for instance means many casual buyers can't even easily see the full description. Technically ebay only cover a seller for what is in the item specifics anyway and there is only so many boxes you can fill out before you get bored.

I used to sell clothes , about 20 years ago- hated it. Someone would buy a size 12 top and return it as it was far too small and 'obviously' not a size 12- yet a quick look through their buying history suggested they usually bought size 14s or 16s. I had people return things for wrong colour- I'd say something was deep blue and they would return it as they considered it was navy and too deep a colour for just 'deep blue'. I had returns because they were sure they were a size 14 although hadn't measured themselves nor tried on any clothes in a shop for months- yet couldn't fit in my size 14. I had returns because they were sure they had a small waist - and yet the 34 inch waist skirt was about 8 inches too small and to suggest they were perhaps kidding themselves about their size was hurtful and upsetting. 

I used to be on a forum for clothes selling and the stories were terrible. The US sellers in particular are hit badly by the cruise passenger syndrome and now by instagrammers who buy clothes, hide the tags carefully (if new) wear them on holiday or for photo shoots, then return them, One tip if selling new clothes is to buy a kimble gun and attach your own pre printed tag saying something like 'item cannot be returned if this label is removed' and place a tag somewhere where it cannot be hidden- many higher end shops do this anyway now to stop the vast amount of returns. make sure if you do that you get a very clear shot of label in photo- and place it where it is highly visible but doesn't damage the item. One caveat though, the serial returners will have their own kimble gun to take tag off and reattach it (seriously, the US clothes market for cruise outfits and vacation outfits is a minefield).

I think you might have just put the OP off from selling on eBay 😆

I love selling on eBay, it’s just that me and clothes selling doesn’t mix 😀 I’m sure others are successful and if just selling 2 or 3 unwanted bits a month then it’s completely do able. Once you get into larger amounts or as a re seller then I think you just need to accept there will be a high level of returns and build it into your business model. 

It’s logical that clothes are going to be difficult , every time I go to the PO there’s always loads of people with ASOS or other clothing company bags returning clothes they don’t like or don’t fit. The last clothes I bought online for instance which was some time ago I bought 2 sizes as the smaller should have fitted but reviews mentioned that they often came up a little small and had no stretch to help . 

Pollycat

JJC1956 said:

soolin said:

JJC1956 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Pollycat said:

I'm a bit confused by the comment "people cant size themselves".

I took that to be a reference to the problem of buyers completely ignoring measurements and wanting to return clothes on the basis that they don't fit, costing the seller the outward postage, selling fees, and sometimes the return postage if the buyer opens a SNAD case instead of Change of Mind return.

If all of the information you give is correct and you highlight any flaws, you do not have to accept returns.
I sold a very expensive clothing item recently, the seller told eBay it was a fake and wanted their money back, I proved to eBay that it wasn’t a fake and I didn't have to refund seller.
Another time I sold a Paul Smith Sports Bag, I listed it as being 35cm long, the seller posted pictures that it was only 34cm long and demanded their money back, so I refunded them.
Sellers must ensure that all sizing is correct (as Pollycat states above) and any flaws are highlighted, in the ‘description’ section, I might even give a reason why I am selling a really nice item so cheap, I put on weight, I lost weight, split up from the other half and she bought me this for Xmas, etc etc. I quite often have long chats with sellers asking me about an Item, a lot of people don’t have access to City’s or Town Centres, I have noticed I have sold some shirts to farms recently, obviously they are too busy to waste a day travelling into town for a nice (albeit second hand) shirt.
eBay gets a few bad reviews on MSE but if you use the site correctly you can make a lot of money selling your old clothes.
I also sell new stuff, If I see a bargain somewhere.

Firstly the moment you buy to resell (as per the last line of your post) you are a business and must take returns regardless of the reason. 

Even a private seller selling their own clothes can easily get an SNAD as ebay rarely intervene with disputes if buyer reports item is not as described, ebay acknowledge that the app for instance means many casual buyers can't even easily see the full description. Technically ebay only cover a seller for what is in the item specifics anyway and there is only so many boxes you can fill out before you get bored.

I used to sell clothes , about 20 years ago- hated it. Someone would buy a size 12 top and return it as it was far too small and 'obviously' not a size 12- yet a quick look through their buying history suggested they usually bought size 14s or 16s. I had people return things for wrong colour- I'd say something was deep blue and they would return it as they considered it was navy and too deep a colour for just 'deep blue'. I had returns because they were sure they were a size 14 although hadn't measured themselves nor tried on any clothes in a shop for months- yet couldn't fit in my size 14. I had returns because they were sure they had a small waist - and yet the 34 inch waist skirt was about 8 inches too small and to suggest they were perhaps kidding themselves about their size was hurtful and upsetting. 

I used to be on a forum for clothes selling and the stories were terrible. The US sellers in particular are hit badly by the cruise passenger syndrome and now by instagrammers who buy clothes, hide the tags carefully (if new) wear them on holiday or for photo shoots, then return them, One tip if selling new clothes is to buy a kimble gun and attach your own pre printed tag saying something like 'item cannot be returned if this label is removed' and place a tag somewhere where it cannot be hidden- many higher end shops do this anyway now to stop the vast amount of returns. make sure if you do that you get a very clear shot of label in photo- and place it where it is highly visible but doesn't damage the item. One caveat though, the serial returners will have their own kimble gun to take tag off and reattach it (seriously, the US clothes market for cruise outfits and vacation outfits is a minefield).

I think you might have just put the OP off from selling on eBay 😆

Probably not.
The OP asked the question in November 2021 and has not posted since. 

JJC1956

Pollycat said:

JJC1956 said:

soolin said:

JJC1956 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Pollycat said:

I'm a bit confused by the comment "people cant size themselves".

I took that to be a reference to the problem of buyers completely ignoring measurements and wanting to return clothes on the basis that they don't fit, costing the seller the outward postage, selling fees, and sometimes the return postage if the buyer opens a SNAD case instead of Change of Mind return.

If all of the information you give is correct and you highlight any flaws, you do not have to accept returns.
I sold a very expensive clothing item recently, the seller told eBay it was a fake and wanted their money back, I proved to eBay that it wasn’t a fake and I didn't have to refund seller.
Another time I sold a Paul Smith Sports Bag, I listed it as being 35cm long, the seller posted pictures that it was only 34cm long and demanded their money back, so I refunded them.
Sellers must ensure that all sizing is correct (as Pollycat states above) and any flaws are highlighted, in the ‘description’ section, I might even give a reason why I am selling a really nice item so cheap, I put on weight, I lost weight, split up from the other half and she bought me this for Xmas, etc etc. I quite often have long chats with sellers asking me about an Item, a lot of people don’t have access to City’s or Town Centres, I have noticed I have sold some shirts to farms recently, obviously they are too busy to waste a day travelling into town for a nice (albeit second hand) shirt.
eBay gets a few bad reviews on MSE but if you use the site correctly you can make a lot of money selling your old clothes.
I also sell new stuff, If I see a bargain somewhere.

Firstly the moment you buy to resell (as per the last line of your post) you are a business and must take returns regardless of the reason. 

Even a private seller selling their own clothes can easily get an SNAD as ebay rarely intervene with disputes if buyer reports item is not as described, ebay acknowledge that the app for instance means many casual buyers can't even easily see the full description. Technically ebay only cover a seller for what is in the item specifics anyway and there is only so many boxes you can fill out before you get bored.

I used to sell clothes , about 20 years ago- hated it. Someone would buy a size 12 top and return it as it was far too small and 'obviously' not a size 12- yet a quick look through their buying history suggested they usually bought size 14s or 16s. I had people return things for wrong colour- I'd say something was deep blue and they would return it as they considered it was navy and too deep a colour for just 'deep blue'. I had returns because they were sure they were a size 14 although hadn't measured themselves nor tried on any clothes in a shop for months- yet couldn't fit in my size 14. I had returns because they were sure they had a small waist - and yet the 34 inch waist skirt was about 8 inches too small and to suggest they were perhaps kidding themselves about their size was hurtful and upsetting. 

I used to be on a forum for clothes selling and the stories were terrible. The US sellers in particular are hit badly by the cruise passenger syndrome and now by instagrammers who buy clothes, hide the tags carefully (if new) wear them on holiday or for photo shoots, then return them, One tip if selling new clothes is to buy a kimble gun and attach your own pre printed tag saying something like 'item cannot be returned if this label is removed' and place a tag somewhere where it cannot be hidden- many higher end shops do this anyway now to stop the vast amount of returns. make sure if you do that you get a very clear shot of label in photo- and place it where it is highly visible but doesn't damage the item. One caveat though, the serial returners will have their own kimble gun to take tag off and reattach it (seriously, the US clothes market for cruise outfits and vacation outfits is a minefield).

I think you might have just put the OP off from selling on eBay 😆

Probably not.
The OP asked the question in November 2021 and has not posted since. 

Oh Well, at least we all got it off our chests 😁