Favorite place/ way to sell vintage?

littlebobina

littlebobina

Registered Guest
I'm still somewhat new to selling vintage fashion. I know more than the average Jane, but I still have a ways to go. Working hard to getting enough feedback to apply for membership in the VFG, only 1/3 of the way there so far!

My question is this: What marketplace do you guys prefer for your selling? I've been mostly on ebay so far. I have sold a few things via etsy, but I haven't had the turn-over on that site that I've had on ebay. But I don't love the listing fees that ebay charges. I've also looked at Ruby Lane, toyed with the idea of my own site, etc.

I'm just curious which you all prefer and why. Also, any tips or tricks are much appreciated
 
This is a quite a big question, there are lots of factors that can affect where you want to sell.

I've only sold on eBay, and am now working on my own site. I also sell face to face at markets and fairs. I know that for my own site I have to work much harder, do all the promotion, and learn about SEO, and get busy on social media, to get customers to me. But then the customers will then be my customers, not eBay's or Etsys.

eBay gets lots of traffic, but I don't think you get the highest prices there, unless you are selling something very unique or you have built up a following. I will still sell on eBay, because it's a great way to sell things fast. Even though the prices are a killer, it is good if you want fast turnover.
 
Hi,

I wanted to say something from the buyer's point of view, as perhaps it may be helpful in knowing where to sell what you have. And where you sell can often depend on what stock it is you have to sell. Is your stock high end vintage, low end, middle of the road, is it antique or fairly recent (1980s-1990s)? Is it more accessories or is it mostly gowns, suits and dresses? Men stuff too? Do you want to mix it up, with textiles and other vintage items? Are your prices low, middle of the road, or high end?

I am not crazy about promoting Ebay as it has its drawbacks, and has those high selling fees and associated fees. But speaking strictly as a buyer, I browse Ebay a lot, purchasing multiple vintage fashion items there every month. I love to shop there. I don't often shop Etsy, Ruby Lane or any other group selling sites. I may look there on occasion or browse to get an idea of what others sell and prices realized, but I rarely find what I am looking for, and when I do the prices are always higher than I want to pay. Of course, I have specialized tastes and am not the average buyer. That raises the question...to whom do you want to sell your items? Who is your customer?

You also get more international exposure on Ebay.

Ebay can treat their sellers like they are invisible, and has folks who hate it (and for good reason), but fact is that Ebay, to me, is still a great place to buy and that might be a factor in where you sell also.
 
Thanks for the input. I generally try to stick with 1950's - 1960's dresses/skirts although if I find something that is really great 1970's or something that isn't clothing, but retro and unique; I might sell that too. As for quality, I guess most of it is pretty middle of the road. I haven't found any Ceil Chapman's or anything like that...(yet). I live in rural Wyoming, so there's not really a local demand for vintage fashion; but it also works to my advantage when it comes to finding at thrift shops and yard sales. (which is where I get most of my stuff). I assume links aren't allowed; but my ebay store is called Frocking_Around_the_Clock; if that gives you a better idea. I guess for now I'll have to stick with ebay and etsy until I get a following.
 
I started out with my own website and I think that really takes a lot of time to develop in order to get the exposure that you need to attract customers. I've never sold on Ebay and am a very infrequent shopper on Ebay......I much prefer to actually see feel and smell the items I am buying to resell. I really like them to be in very good shape. I elected to try Ruby Lane in August of 2010 and have been pretty satisfied them, overall. I do find that the items on Ruby Lane tend to be a little more pricey and do appeal to a different clientele and RL requires the sellers to have a return policy. I, also, sell in a large antique mall located in Williamsburg, VA which does have a large tourist trade. The best thing to do is probably try a venue and if doesn't work for you, try something different! Good Luck to you!
 
Hi, I think I might have missed this when you first posted... I started selling vintage clothing with trying out a bit here and there, Ebay, which I find in the end just too much work for listing IMHO, a local auction site here in Switzerland - easy and cheap to list, but just not the right audience, and then decided to use my Etsy shop which I had originally started for my collage art. No, my sales didn't hit the roof straight away, but after a few first sales, I felt encouraged and have gone on since then. I also sell vintage accessories, some bits and bobs from my personal collection, a bit of vintage kitsch - but have decided now to focus more on vintage sewing patterns and what goes with it. I find some good stuff here, and it's easy to send. Swiss Post just raised their rates for bigger parcels a year after I started with vintage in my Etsy shop, so that makes it a bit harder to sell bigger things. But the letter rates still seem to be quite competitive, as I sell my patterns all over the world. What I have found is that it takes patience, yes, you've got to work it, build a bit of a following I guess and give it some time to grow. My best friend has two Etsy shops where she sells vintage jewelry (one for the "kitsch" and novelty stuff, one for the more "serious" things that might interest collectors) and she's been learning a lot too. She says that being on Pinterest helped her a lot - following people with interesting boards that had a good following that might tie in with her stuff, and also doing her own boards. I've just started to dip my toes into Pinterest, but it's fun and I can see on my Etsy stats that it generates traffic. I've certainly started getting more likes on Etsy since I've been doing more, more of my things being used in treasuries etc., and sales are going steady. There are so many ways now that you can connect your shop with other social media etc. - like Facebook pages and shop apps to link an Etsy shop through there, or apps that let your shop appear on the side bar of a blog (I'm sure these things exist for Ebay too!).
What we have learned too is that you can never tell what sells and what not. We've both sold things that we listed without a lot of hopes of selling, and other we think are great but they're just not moving. Who knows... For me, Etsy at this point is great, because it's easy to use, I'm ok with the fees, it's a nice community and I can reach the whole world. An added bonus for me is that I can list in more than one language. I list in German and English, and when I sell something I can see in which language the buyer viewed the page when making the purchase. I don't think I'd be selling so much to Germany if I didn't do that.

Karin
 
I'd love to sell vintage FT but i don't have the resources, and its incredibly difficult to source in Ireland. I sell items from my own wardrobe on Etsy and its very slow.

I agree with the above comments about social media - I find that a lot of popular sellers on Etsy utilise instagram and their facebook pages - and offer special offers to their followers on those mediums, its worth putting the effort in there too.

Good luck!
 
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