How To Be Successful Selling Clothes Online

By Alex Assoune Mar 09, 2023

Selling clothes online is a very profitable business. Many people are successful in listing and selling beautiful fashion on the Internet. And you can be too.

You can easily offer new or used clothing online and earn extra cash. Follow this ultimate guide on how to make money with online clothing sales.

There are a lot of great places to sell clothing, footwear, and accessories online. You can use mobile apps or online marketplaces, forums, social media, or even set up your online store.

An online marketplace is the best place to sell clothes when you are short on time. But if you want to maximize profits, you'll have to acquire some experience to know how and when to sell your items.

Here are the best tips to succeed in selling clothes online that you need to know.

In this article:

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Types of clothes you can sell online

You can sell any fashion product online that is still in good condition in general. It includes many types of textile and apparel, clothing, bags, shoes, footwear, and accessories.

You can find buyers for your items, whether they are new or pre-loved. Different online platforms and marketplaces specialize in brand new or used clothing.

You will be successful with the right tips, regardless of the type of clothes you offer. You can sell high-street brands or high-fashion or anything in-between.

But avoid selling clothes with any imperfection, misalignment, poor stitching, rough edges, mismatched patterns, irregularities, or defects. Only sell quality products for happy, returning customers.

And keep in mind that you need to describe what you are selling to succeed. Include the following in your item descriptions:

the product name or title
pictures of different angles
at least 100 words detailed product description
information regarding fit and sizing
unique details about construction
the item condition
a brand name
colors and patterns
materials used for fabrics and finishing
clothing care instructions
information about shipping rates and taxes
contact details for customer service
relevant hashtags and social sharing buttons
other related products you might sell

Being as thorough as possible in your product description will ensure customer trust and push hesitant store visitors to buy your clothes. If your product description is good enough, it will sell your items for you.

The key to selling clothes online and succeeding is to place the right product in front of the right people at the time.

So make sure your potential customers can rapidly identify that what you are selling is what they need exactly.

People look at the product description to gather as much information as possible. Serious sellers usually provide many details about care instructions, fabric contents, sizing, manufacturing, and more.

Stay on trend to sell clothes online.

To sell clothes online, you have to determine what customers want and offer specific designs. Keep an eye on trends to ensure that your products will please customers and answer their needs.

You can study similar items that have been sold in the past to understand what kind of clothes you can sell. With some time, experience, and know-how on your hand, you can make great listings that will sell quickly.

Price, style, and accessibility of clothes remain crucial factors in purchasing decisions for fashion. More and more consumers tend to buy less and invest in higher quality products.

Follow the seasons and the trends that come and go. Old fashion trends also often tend to come back around. Research what is currently popular and make sure you offer exactly that.

How to price clothes to sell online

Check out similar items that have previously sold on your chosen platform to get an idea of how to price your fashion items. The price is one of the primary factors that influence online purchases.

It's crucial to get it right and price your clothing items correctly if you want to succeed in selling them. What is important is people find the price fair and a good value for the product quality.

Offering your clothing items at a reduced rate isn't always the best strategy. If you place your prices too low, it diminishes your brand and the perceived value of your products.

Avoid listing your clothes for very cheap and heavily discounted. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is to a lot of people.

Listing your items at a fair price will help you sell your clothes faster and keep people interested. So they will be more inclined to purchase one of your product offerings.

Photo tips for selling clothes online.

Especially when selling clothes online, high-quality photos of the product are of the utmost importance. Too many fashion sellers take low-quality pictures of their clothes.

Stand out from the crowd and jump in front of your competition with unique, clear, eye-catching product pictures.

Again, ensure the photos put your clothes in a good light so potential customers can rapidly identify that what you offer is what they need.

To take good photos, consider the following:

a light and neutral background
perfect focus on the product
good lighting not too dark or too bright
use natural light as much as possible
choose a good camera, a cellphone works
an original and professional look
pay close attention to the details
choose portrait mode primarily for mobile view
take inspiration from other product listings
unity between shots and different products
use the same setup and a tripod for consistency
edit pictures afterward to increase the attractiveness

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Low-quality photos are a sure way to put off customers. Don't make the mistake of not putting enough time and attention into your product pictures.

List high-quality pictures of the actual garment to succeed. Whenever possible, you should take a picture of yourself wearing the items.

Best places to sell clothes online

There are many fantastic places to sell clothing, footwear, and accessories online. You can use mobile apps or online marketplaces, forums, social media, or even set up your online store.

Here are some of the best places to sell clothes online that you need to know to earn extra cash:

Vestiaire Collective is a resale online shop specializing in pre-owned designer clothing and accessories.
The Luxury Closet is a luxury marketplace to sell authentic designer items like handbags, clothes, watches, and jewelry.
Etsy is an American e-commerce website focused on hand-made or vintage fashion items, homeware, and craft supplies.
Amazon is an American multinational eCommerce company selling thousands of clothes, shoes, and accessories.
Instagram is a social media platform that allows you to link your store and sell your clothes to millions of users.
Poshmark's online marketplace is a simple way to sell your clothes, bags, shoes, accessories, and jewelry online.

You can also sell your clothes at resale shops or brick-and-mortar locations that even give you money upfront for your items in some instances.

Or go to an auction, fashion fair, farmers' market, town market, or garage sale. Online marketplaces remain the best places to sell clothing items when you are short on time.

Check out our selection of the best places to sell used clothes online and be successful for more information about where you can offer beautiful fashion.

Tips for selling clothes on Instagram

You can be very successful in selling clothes online using Instagram as a platform to engage potential customers. Make sure you reply to buyers concisely and rapidly, within a day, at the very latest.

Be present on the platform every day and talk to people in the community. It will help you sell your clothing items faster and keep people interested in your brand and products.

Instagram is a social media platform that is fantastic for fashion. You can take a few pictures of yourself wearing each item and share them on a new account and page there. Then let people contact you to purchase them.

Instagram is very visually stimulating and offers perfect opportunities for fashion sellers. The high number of users makes it easy for you to find potential buyers. But the competition is also high.

You have to increase your followers in the fashion community and the niche you chose and keep them engaged. Be consistent with your content and make sure each upload is attractive and high quality.

Keep in mind that you should never dispatch an item without receiving payment first. And let the customer know that you have received their money and thank them.

And stay safe by not disclosing any personal information and preferably communicating with potential buyers using the platform chat services.

Tips for selling clothes on Poshmark

Poshmark's online marketplace is also a simple way to sell fashion items. Sellers take a photo of each item and upload it from their phones. Then list it for sale with just a few clicks.

Once you make a sale, package it with the prepaid label you receive from Poshmark. Then drop it off at a USPS mailbox or have it picked up for free from your home.

You can easily compare prices between similar items, filter search results by availability, and see what sold recently for how much money. Middle-range brands sell faster and for more money than higher-end brands.

Buyers will often look online for Anthropologie, Zara, Forever 21, or H&M items they missed in stores. You can also sell items from luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Coach, Chanel, and more.

On Poshmark, you can sell clothing, shoes, handbags, jewelry, and accessories. Poshmark takes a flat commission for very low-priced clothing and up to 20% for higher-priced items.

How to start an online clothing business

You can take your clothing selling activity to the next level by starting an online business from home. Your goal should be to make profits to keep the business running.

An online clothing business needs to be self-sustainable and address a unique problem, like every other business. You will probably need to reinvest the profits into the company itself to further its reach, especially at the beginning.

Make better products and offer better services to make the business work. You want to successfully establish yourself on the market as a reputable company.

An online clothing business is indeed a real business, generating its income from its activities. It operates in a fair way for all employees, partners, competition and customers.

To succeed selling clothes online, you have to work toward making your business far-reaching and known as much as possible. You need to pursue of your goals innovatively and sustainably.

Of course, you want to make sure your clothes are all in good condition. If you list your items yourself, take high-quality pictures to have success selling your items.

Also, provide as much accurate information on the product as you can. You will have to sign up on an online platform and list your initial items to test the demand.

You can always offer a quality guarantee or warranty when selling clothing items online. A store offering a decent warranty is a good sign for customers and inspire trust.

Be customer oriented. Your number one priority is to make customers happy and satisfied. Returning customers are the best source of revenue and marketing for your brand.

Make sure they remember you and keep them interested in what you have listed next. Thank them after each purchase and do your best to stand out from the competition.

Put processes in place to ensure quality and authenticity. Be sure to answer as many questions from potential buyers as you can. Update your listings accordingly and don't forget the platform terms and policies.

Was this article helpful to you? Please tell us what you liked or didn't like in the comments below.

About the Author: Alex Assoune

Alex Assoune (MS) is a global health and environmental advocate. He founded Panaprium to inspire others with conscious living, ethical, and sustainable fashion. Alex has worked in many countries to address social and environmental issues. He speaks three languages and holds two Master of Science degrees in Engineering from SIGMA and IFPEN schools.

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