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Guide: Become a Super Seller

We’ve gathered all the tips and hacks we could think of in order to help you sell all the items you no longer wear – fast. Read on to see how you can improve your photos, descriptions and how to find the ideal price.

1. Provide a detailed description

First thing first: Description. When uploading items to the platform you’ll have to fill out information about the item you want to sell. Here are some of the things you can do to help yourself sell more items quicker.

Condition

When uploading your item on our platform, you’ll need to describe the condition. When doing this it’s important that you be very objective – if you’re torn between two conditions, choose the lower one. 

We have four conditions, you can choose between. You can see them and their specific requirements here:

New, with tags

A new item with tags is a never-worn item that still has the original hangtags attached. Will show no signs of use. Please include photo of the tag.

Excellent

An excellent item will have been worn a couple of times and will be in almost pristine condition as it has been extremely well maintained. May show slight wear such as scratches or wear on the edges from being used but will have no defects. 

Good, but used

A good but used item will have been worn and potentially washed but will be in good condition and well taken care of. The item will have visible wear and tear but the defects will be minor. These have to be mentioned and visible in photos.

Worn with love 

An item that has been worn with love will have been worn frequently and will therefore have larger and more visible defects such as stains. These must be mentioned and visible in photos.

 

If you prep your item, before you list it for sale, you might be able to boost your sale! Getting your old winter coat dry cleaned or getting new soles for your boots might take if from Worn with love to Good but used, and you can raise the price accordingly.

Be Thorough

When uploading your item and writing a description, there are things that are ‘need to know’ and some that are ‘nice to know’. Make sure you include all the ‘need to know’ information. This can be measurements, if anything is missing, if you’ve had alterations done, materials, colors, etc.

To put it another way, remember to include all the information that would be necessary for you to have, if you were the one shopping for a new secondhand item.

Provide Details

This section on the other hand is all about the ‘nice to know’ stuff. If you’re selling a pair of shoes and have them listed as a size 37, but you’re normally a size 39 – let the buyer know. This is the sort of details that will stand out to the buyer and perhaps be the reason they choose your item and not someone else's.

Give yourself an advantage and help potential buyers find your items by including key words they might use to find your items.

Be Honest

The most important thing when it comes to choosing a condition and writing a description is that you’re honest. Mention the flaws, the rips, the discolored stitching, everything you can think of.

We do quality control once your item is sold, and our team will look at the photos and description of each item to make sure, the buyer is receiving a product of the quality you've described.

Because of this it’s important to keep in mind that

– You can be subject to a price negotiation or potential cancellation, if our experts don’t think your chosen condition matches the item

– Negotiations slow down the sale as both buyer and seller need to agree on a new price

So save yourself, us and the buyer the trouble and be completely truthful when describing your items.

2. Take great photos

Next up is photos. You’re probably not new to online shopping and know how much photos can do in order to grab your attention. When you’re uploading your item you can use this as a checklist to make sure, you’re showing off your item in the best way.

Bonus information: All photos must be PNG, JPEG or HEIC format and must not exceed 100Mb.

Good Lighting

When taking pictures of your items, you should aim to use natural lighting. You should therefor avoid taking photos late at night and in dark rooms. Another thing to stay clear of is flash. Flash has a tendency to blur details and won’t show the colors truthfully.

Neutral Background

Show your item off on a nice, neutral background. Use your dining room table for shoes, accessories and such and perhaps take a painting off the wall and use the nail to hang your clothing pieces. This way the buyer won’t be distracted by your laundry or dirty dishes in the background.

Full Item

Make sure to have your entire item within the picture, so the buyer knows what they’re looking at. This might be difficult with a long dress perhaps, but the buyer will need to see the length and shouldn’t have to piece it together from different photos.

Prep Item

Prep your item to make sure they look as good as they can. If you’re taking photos of a pair of shoes, you can run a wet paper towel on the sole, and if you’re selling a shirt, it might be a good idea to iron it for the photo. Make the items look like something you’d want to buy if you came across it.

Mix Photos

When uploading your pictures, the front photo is the most important one. This is the one that buyers will see when browsing the platform, so it’s important that it presents your item as well as possible.

Even thought the first picture is the most important, you’re able to upload up to nine photos. Use these photos to show your item from all angles. Zoom in on details and more importantly, use the photos to show any scratches, holes, etc.

TVB does quality control, once your item is sold, and we will look at your photos to make sure, that the buyer is receiving the correct item in the correct condition. It’s therefor important to include all these photos as to avoid a possible price negotiation or cancellation later on. 

Get Creative

Experience tells us that pieces with inspiring photos showcasing the item on a person or out and about usually sell quicker. Once again, put yourself in the place of the buyer – seeing a bag, necklace, hat, etc. on a person makes it easier to visualize size and perhaps the same kind of photos can help the buyer think of how to style the item as well.

If you provide us with these photos it’s also easier for us to use them in our marketing, which increases the visibility of your item and hereby the odds of a sale.

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3. Choose the right price

Last but not least – price. This is why you’re here, you want to make money. Here are our best tips for finding the best price for your items.

Similar Items

When deciding on the price of your item, you can get inspired by similar items on our site. Look up items with the same brand, model and most importantly condition, and see what other members have listed them for.

Another thing to keep in mind is whether your item is considered a classic, as these will be in higher demand than seasonal items. And lastly, always keep an eye on the latest trends – the price on trending items will be higher!

Original Price

Be realistic, what did you pay for the item yourself? When picking a price for your item, you should think about what you paid for it originally, when this was and if the item is still in store. Some items – like vintage Chanel Flap bags or Dior Saddle bags – might gain value over time and some might loose it.

Also, remember to include all the extras – if you have the original dust bag, branded packaging or even a card of authenticity, you should include it in your listing. Our community members might find these things irresistible when shopping. 

Condition

We do however emphasize that condition is the most important factor when choosing the right price for your item. You might have a great item on your hands, but in the end it boils down to the condition. When you shop secondhand yourself, you know that there’s a difference in what you’d want to pay for an almost new item as opposed to a well worn item.

What to do if you choose the wrong price

Most items are sold within 2-3 weeks, but if this isn’t the case we suggest that you reduce the price. Everyone who has put your item on their wishlist or have waitlisted similar pieces will be notified of the price drop, which increases the potential of a sale. Your item will also automatically go on our Sale page, which a lot of our community members browse daily.

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How do you become a private seller on The Vintage Bar?

A private seller is a cool girl, who’s listed the pieces she no longer wears, so someone else from the TVB community, like yourself, can give it the love and wear it deserves. If this sounds like you, you just need to create a profile to join our community!

Sign up with your email and fill out all the necessary information under My Account. As a seller it’s extremely important that you fill out the information under My Account/Get Paid. We need your personal information, billing address and contact information to be able to contact you when you make a sale. When you’ve submitted this information, you’ll be transferred to a site where you have to fill out your transfer information.

Once you’ve created your account, you can start uploading, and the process is super easy! Simply follow these steps:

– You upload your item by clicking Sell An Item or through the following link: https://thevintagebar.com/sellers/login

– Once your upload has been approved, your item(s) will be available online. This usually takes up to 24 hours, but it can sometimes take up to 48 – don’t be alarmed. Once your item is online, you’ll be notified via email.

As a seller on The Vintage Bar you get your own profile. Under My Account/My Details, you can upload a photo of yourself to make your profile more personal. You also have a link to you personal page that you can share with friends, family and anyone else who might be interested in shopping your secondhand goodies!

Written by Alberte Gram
Alberte Gram is a fashion writer based in London.
The people pictured are not associated with The Archive
or The Vintage Bar, and do not endorse the products shown.