WHERE to SELL your clothes quickly online: Poshmark USA & Canada, Kijiji, eBay and Consignment Shops

I wrote a post on how to shop/buy things on Poshmark, here is my post on how to sell the stuff in your closet.

Realize that you don’t need/use it

This is the hardest one for me, but obviously if I want to sell it, I no longer need, want or use it.

It means it is sitting in my closet, taking up precious closet rail real estate space and basically making me $0 and acting like the fool clutter at the same time!

I find this super difficult but keep in mind that if you had it in your closet or not, it would make no difference to you, truly.

Everything sells for much less than you think

At least 45% less, and then even more if the brand is not designer, and then depending on the condition, and how modern it is, and classic colours obviously sell best — if it is an old Burberry trench coat in black, it is not going to go as fast as a newer, slim-fit, modern cut one in a classic beige colour.

You can get higher retail prices off Kijiji by meeting the buyer in person, but platforms like eBay or Poshmark, or in a consignment shop in that it reaches as a whole bunch of buyers across the city/country/world at once, and you pay for that privilege by them taking the fees.

Take clear and proper photos

Clear, not at night with artificial light that can cast a yellow glow on them.

I am talking bright daylight if possible, outside is best, so you can see the TRUE colour in a phone or a camera and not have an unhappy buyer getting a cream pair of pants when you said white.

Show the front, the back, details (cuff, hem, neckline) and any spots or condition problems.

Put the actual sizing of it

So if the shirt says it is Large but fits like a Small, set the listing to SMALL otherwise you’re going to get people who are large, getting mad that it fits like a small, and small people won’t even see your listing at all.

Same with shoes – if they run small, put the smaller size and make a clear note in the description about it.

Be honest about the condition

They’re going to find out eventually now aren’t they? Show the stains, show the pilling, show everything.

Try and find stock photos of it

If you know the brand and the style, google as hard as you can, like a mofo, finding stock photos of it that were taken by the retailer so it looks nice for your covershots.

PEOPLE BUY ON COVER SHOTS. They see one shot, and want to buy it or not, based right off that.

If your cover shot is crappy, just like your profiles on social media, you will not get bites.

 

 

 

Use Poshmark Referral code SHERRYISH for a free $15 credit

I wrote a bit about how to buy on Poshmark here, which might also help you as a seller.

I find this the easiest platform to sell on. The only thing is that designer goods don’t move as well on this than other more mainstream brands because there are a lot of low ballers and people who want to pay $20 for a Burberry Trench coat.

It is easy to list, they take a flat 20% for anything over $20 and under $20 I think they take $3.95 which for me is atrocious.

Pros:

• So easy to list – take up to 8 photos in square format and then tap to select them
• You set any price you want
• Flat rate shipping of $12.99 makes it easy and they email you the prepaid label to print
• Easy mediation between buyer and seller like on eBay where they can resolve issues pretty well (used it a few times and was happy as both buyer and seller)
• Less structured – write what you want, no need to put measurements if you don’t want
• Easy commenting / chatting between buyer and seller to ask questions
• Bundling options are easy if they want to buy a ton from you and pay only 12.99 ship

Cons:

• A little messy to navigate, not quite as simple as Kijiji or eBay – I find it a bit overwhelming and confusing at the start
• The $12.99 is really high for shipping if you’re buying $20 items!!! Turns off a lot of buyers and/or they lowball you because of the shipping
• Lots of lowballers which is frustrating
• Word limit in the listings
• Anything over 2KG is an EXTRA shipping fee that you pay for
• They offer deals to let you lower prices and give discounted shipping as private offers to Likers but YOU as the seller pay for the discounted shipping for the buyer

Kijiji takes no commission and therefore you don’t have to pay an in-between broker if you will, to sell.

This is good in that you get more money but bad because buyers are more wary of shopping on Kijiji because there are no protections or real repercussions once you hand over that money.

Pros:

• You get all the money
• Easy to list with your phone taking photos
• No commissions or fees to pay Kijiji
• Cash only – no issues with buyers flaking or cheques bouncing

Cons:

• Less likely to get buyers (only local for the most part)

May have your listing sit there for a long time

Way more haggling done especially in person where you show up and they offer you $20 less than agreed upon

Possibly dangerous depending on where and who you meet

eBay has its advantages in that it reaches a global market but it is time consuming to list on their site (so many categories, lists and rules), and they may seem to not take much money but they take it ERRRYWHERE from listing fees to sale price fees, and payment fees.

Honestly their whole fee structure is very confusing to me as it depends on tiers of sold or listed prices and so on.

Lastly, I loathe that they don’t really help you figure out what the cost would be to ship. I always guess and ALWAYS end up losing money because I went too under, or I went too over and buyers think I’m being greedy and making money off the shipping.

(Canada Post is not friendly for small fry sellers like us in this regard.)

Pros:

Global market – literally everywhere

Very structured listings to help you put tons of info and details to help sell

Buyer protection offers peace of mind to the buyer and they are more likely to buy

Cons:

Geared more towards buyer protection not seller – if buyers are dishonest you’re likely to lose out

Takes so many little fees everywhere from listing, to promotions, to final sale prices to the payment (via PayPal)

Doesn’t allow local meetups – sellers must adhere by eBay rules and charge you those eBay fees if you met the seller first on eBay

They DO monitor your eBay messages to see if you are proposing free pickups and cutting eBay out of the deal, etc …

(Me, shopping in one)

Consignment shops

Here are my favourite Montreal Consignment Shops and Toronto Consignment Shops.

These are the easiest to sell with, in a way. Many have online shops and they list your item there immediately.

Others, are still in the Dark Ages with no website or social media presence to speak of, but somehow still survive.

They do vary in commissions and with higher end designer goods (think: Gucci, Hermès and so on) they may be willing to lower their commission just to get your item in their store, plus the sale price is high enough that the commission they take will still be healthy.

Pros:

• Drop it off and forget about it
• Stores let people try on items and they’re more likely to buy instead of sight unseen, hoping they like it or it fits
• Prices are higher than on eBay, Kijiji or Poshmark as it is a store
• Some buyers like me mostly shop secondhand and like finding unique pieces that may not be in stores anymore or even online!!

Cons:

• The standard cut ranges from them taking 40% up to 50%
• Sometimes buyers try on items and stain it or leave makeup stains 🤬
• Sometimes depending on the retail price, you are not doing any better than selling it on Poshmark
• They offer sales and markdowns to get rid of stuff up to 60% off which lowers your final pocket money

Do you sell your items online?