Selling Kid Clothes on eBay

Your kid looks cute in their new spring outfit. But the odds are good that they will outgrow that outfit after only a few wears. So what do you do? If you have a large family, you pass it down the line so another kid gets a chance to wear it. But if you don”t have the extended family option, you need to get rid of it.

A good option, is to sell them and the best place to do that is eBay. After 1 month of selling clothes, I made over $400. If you take the time to do your research, plan out your process, and take good pictures, you can make some mad flow as well.

Here are a few hints and tips I have discovered when selling kid”s clothes on eBay:

NAMING YOUR ITEM
Parents who buy clothes on eBay know their stuff. They aren”t going to buy just anything that they think looks cute online. They have done their research and they know what they want. I have found an item naming structure that works well. It consists of 5 parts: Brand Name, Gender, Short Item Description, Size, and Exciting Word. For example:

Gymboree Girls Pink Overalls//Sized 3T Wow!

Putting the name of the brand in the title, is extremely important if it is a premium brand. There are a few premium national chain brands that are good to promote: Gymboree, Janie & Jack, Talbots Kids, Babystyle. These are premium not because of quality (although they are made well) but because they have stores across the country and most people recognize the clothes you are selling as what they saw on the racks. Stores like Gymboree sell clothes lines that come and go quickly and their distribution is quite exclusive. Use that fact to your advantage.

Sometimes, it isn”t the brand of the clothes but the store it was purchased from that gets big responses. For instance, I sold a cute red raincoat that was purchased at Nordstroms. The name of the brand was not widely known so I listed the item like this: “Nordstrom Girls Red Raincoat//Size 24 mos Adorable!” It sold for $22.

The final thing to use to your advantage is time of year. In the late winter months, nothing gets people”s attention like an item description like this: “Perfect for Easter Gorgeous Lavender Dress//Size 24 mos” Notice I changed the order for emphasis. This dress sold for $18.

DESCRIBING YOUR ITEM
Take the time to look over the clothes and describe every last detail of it. If it has different color stitching in it, for example, you should list it. If there is a fray at the bottom of the shirt (intentional or because of wear and tear), you should mention it. Most importantly, you should list stains, rips, or tears in the clothing. Do not rule out selling clothes that have stains on them. As long as you accurately list the stains, you have disclosed the condition of the piece adequately. Promote the stained clothes” uses: “Would make a great undershirt”. It is quite amazing what people will buy.

DISPLAYING YOUR ITEM
Putting up pictures of the item is essential. Do not rely on just your words to sell the article. Make sure the picture is focused and that you can see enough of the item to make the sale. Close up pictures are always a plus but because you have to pay a fee for additional images, make sure it is worth the money. Take pictures of the back of the clothing if it differs from the front.

One additional note: Some people post pictures of their kids wearing the outfit. I recommend against this for 2 reasons: You don”t want a picture of your kid for the whole world to see and buyers want to imagine their own kid in the clothes, not your kid.

PRICING YOUR ITEM
It is best to figure out the best pricing strategy for you. I typically set starting prices for single items between $0.99 and $9.99. I usually assign starting bids of $0.99 for one-piece items from Baby Gap. I never start bids for Gymboreee or Janie & Jack under $4.99. If there is a bigger piece like a dress, jacket, or multi-piece set, I start the bidding at $9.99.

From my experience, your item will go for close to what it is worth every time. Because of this knowledge, I start 75% of my items at $0.99. Even though it starts small, by the end of the auction I am taking in market value. It is human nature to get caught up in a competitive bidding war. When setting the bid low, it will give bidders enough time to convince themselves they really need your item.

Buy It Now prices are also important. DO NOT undersell your items! Setting the Buy It Now price higher than expectations will sometimes work out to your benefit. Sometimes, subconsciously, people feel they are getting a better deal when they win an auction below the Buy It Now price.

Finally, make sure you have a PayPal account with a confirmed address. The majority of transactions on eBay are made through PayPal now (eBay owns PayPal) and you avoid the hassle of waiting for a check, making sure it clears, etc. For my auctions, I only accept PayPal payment.

GROUPING YOUR ITEMS
Sometimes you have a bunch of items that do not warrant individual auctions. Grouping them in “lots” can be very profitable in these instances. When I have a bunch of Baby Gap or Old Navy items, I will group them by sizes and offer them all together. The naming structure changes a bit in these instances:

Huge Lot of 25 items//Gap and more//Girls Size 2T Wow!

I still recommend starting the bidding low—even $0.99—and a Buy It Now price high.

SHIPPING YOUR ITEM
Clearly designate your shipping terms in your item description. There are tons of options and it is entirely up to you how to play this one out. For my auctions, I only ship Standard Postal and at a fixed shipping price. By doing this, I eliminate the need to go to the Post Office, to weigh and estimate shipping, allowing me to ship out next day.

Receiving the package is the last contact the buyer will have with you—make sure you impress with secure packaging and good communication. Also remember to include the invoice.

Good luck Noodad! See you in the online marketplace.