Selling your children’s outgrown clothing on eBay is a great way to make a little money and free up storage space. Frequently children outgrow clothing before they wear items out; selling clothes on eBay is a great way to get more use out of valuable items.
Register on eBay
The first thing to do if you want to sell items on eBay is to register with them for an account. The registration is completely free. You are only charged fees when you list items for sale.
What should you sell?
The clothing items that sell the best on eBay are in very good condition. More worn items may sell, but they will go for substantially less money and may not be worth your time and the cost to list.
Name brand clothing such as Gap or Gymboree, and clothing from boutique lines tends to be extremely popular and sell quickly. Specialty items like formalwear and costumes are often desirable since buyers know it is likely the clothing was only worn a couple of times.
Used items like underwear, socks, tights, swimwear and pajamas are usually not in demand, however new and packaged versions of these items usually sell fairly well.
What makes a listing appealing?
The most important thing in listing a clothing item is to provide a good picture or pictures. Use a digital camera to get good shots of the item. Consider hanging it from a hook on a door or place it flat on a neutral surface for the photograph. If the item has detailing like embroidery, specialty trim or appliqués you may want to provide a close-up. Make sure the colors are well-represented in the photos.
The next most important thing in listing a clothing item is to provide a good description. Include the following items to ensure your description is complete:
- A brief description of the clothing, including the brand name
- A description of the item’s condition, including information on fading, rips, tears, broken closures, pilling and stains.
- The fabric content of the item and washing/cleaning instructions
- If the item is new, make sure to state that fact, including whether it still has tags or packaging.
- The size of the item
- Any other relevant information. For example, if the item is used but was only worn once, that is worthwhile to mention. It is also nice to note if the clothing ran small or large for its size.
Your heading for the listing should include as much relevant information as you can fit into it. It is usually a waste of space to include lots of adjectives in the heading. Instead, use the types of words someone might search for if they are looking for an item. For example, it might be tempting to say “Super Cute Pink Dress for Your Little Angel!” but it is probably more effective to say “Size 2T formal dress by Hartstrings boutique brand.”
Finally, make sure to include information about the shipping you offer, types of payment you will accept and any guarantees you are willing to provide. You may also want to include mention of other auctions you are running if you are willing to combine shipping to help buyers save money.
If you are listing multiple items as a lot, make sure to detail the whole lot and ensure you have good pictures that include each item since people will want to know exactly what they are bidding on.
