What I learned from my closet sale // tips + tricks

 

I just finished my very first closet sale, and I made it out alive! It was a LOT of work guys, but it was kind of fun work, and so so worth it. I think it's something every girl should do! One girl's trash is another girl's treasure. Let's put Plato's out of business one Instagram closet sale time, shall we?

 

When I was first debating doing a closet sale, I called up my girl Bella Baker, who had just done one, to ask if it was even worth it, because that's what we all want to know, right? Is it going to be worth it? She told me right away that it was 100% worth it, and gave me some great tips. Below are some that I learned from her and some that I learned along the way to make for a smooth closet sale experience.

 

TIPS + TRICKS

 

#1. Cleaning out your closet. As you go through and clean out your closet, make sure it is things you haven't worn in at least a year, or things you bought and wore once and then realized that it actually wasn't the smartest purchase, whether it be the fit of it, the size, or whatever it may be. Something to keep in mind is that if you just don't totally love it anymore, you gotta get rid of the old to make way for the new, or we'd all be hoarders! So sure, it was sad to get rid of my red Tory Burch Purse, but I want a Madewell tote really really bad, so I won't miss it much. I don't know about you, but my personal style is constantly changing, and it's ok if something you loved for a long time is no longer your favorite! It will be someone else's new favorite! Also, and Bella told me this-- if you are debating putting something up from F21, H+M, or Target, put it up (as long as it's in good shape, obviously)! It doesn't have to just be name brand things. Bella and I both agreed that we were both surprised at the things that got the most bids. They were things we almost didn't put on because we thought no one would think they were cute! But they loved it. So put EVERYTHING on. You never know.

 

#2. Make a realistic goal. After you clean out your closet, look at your items, brainstorm what you would like to get for them, and make a realistic goal. It will really put some fire in you that will keep you excited while you work all those hours getting your closet sale ready, knowing you could soon have that number in your bank account. Oddly enough, my grand total came exactly to my goal of what I wanted to make-- down to the dollar.

 

#3. Pictures. Now it's time to take the pictures. Pictures are so so important, if not the most important. Bella told me to use a nice camera as opposed to a phone camera, but I am just not confident using our camera yet and opted for my iPhone, but looking back, I think I may have sold even more things or gotten even more bids had I taken my pictures to that next level. Try to find a neutral colored wall in your place that has a picture hanging and a nail behind it that you can use to hang the hangers. Natural light is best, but I work all week until 5, so some of my pics were taken at night. Just do your best. Use a wood or nice hanger-- I used the same for every item just for a look of formality. Also, ironing something that is wrinkly will probably get you a few more bids. People are very visual. Take accessory pictures on a neutral colored table. You will have so much more respect for businesses that take pictures of clothing and product after doing this, it's not easy! Another option is having someone take the pictures of you modeling the items. I debated if this would look better and couldn't decide, and I wasn't patient enough to rely on Bren to take all the pics. I do think people can see fits better and may bid on something they might not have had it been on a hanger! Just something to consider.

 

#4. Editing. Edit every single picture. And don't edit it to make it look way cooler than it is, edit it to look like it's best self. The lighting in our apartment is really yellow so I adjusted the temperature on every picture to make it look how it really looks in real life. You get me? Then crop everything unnecessary out, and put a white background around it if necessary. If the item has a back that needs to shown, use Pic Stitch. 

 

#5. Captions. Captions are another opportunity to get the sale for the bid you want! Show lots of personality. Tell them your favorite way to wear the item. Tell them what else it would look good with! Also, be descriptive. Tell them the size, condition, how many times it's been worn, if it works for girlfriends with G's (people really appreciated that), colors and material if it's not clearly visible, why you are selling it (people might wonder if there's anything wrong with it so let them know you just aren't giving it enough love!)--the works. The more, the better!

 

#6. The beginning bidding price. This is the tough part, because I didn't even feel like I really knew what I was doing. I based it off of how new it was, if it had been worn and how much, the brand, how much I cared to get rid of it (some things I just wanted out of my closet), and what I would pay for it if I was on the other end of the sale! Also, while you are loading your pictures, writing your captions, and naming your starting bids, keep your Instagram account private. Oh, and yes, most definitely make a separate Instagram account for your sale, because boys and not all of your girl followers are going to be interested. Anyways, keep your separate account private while you load everything, and have your mom, husband, or a friend go look at it and let you know if they think an item is priced too high or low, and any other thoughts. It's great to have a second opinion! And right before you go live, make sure to take it off private! People aren't going to take the time to wait for you to accept them to then look at your things.

 

#7. Logo & Bio. I asked my friend Liv to make me a little logo because I don't have or know how to use Photoshop, but I promise you one day I will be a pro at it! It comes in handy so often. Anyways, this isn't 100% necessary, but it's nice to have something to put on your personal instagram when your shop opens, because that's where you get your followers. I also had her make a little image that said "20 minutes left to bid" and "Shop closed, thank you!". I think the "20 minutes left" one really helped and got people to get their bids in last second. Obviously, a "shop closed" one is pretty necessary. People will fight to the death on some items, and if they bid after you put the "shop closed" post up, you have to be fair. And if you say that the shop closes at 10 am, make sure to load the "shop closed" post right at 10 am. People will hold you to it! In your bio, make sure to put the most important facts. Mine said: "Every item is a bid. Pickup preferred or shipping for $5 plus $1 for every extra item. Venmo or cash preferred. All sales FINAL. Happy shopping!" I then posted my logo image with all the rules spelled out a bit more, including when the sale would end and that I would be adding more items if the sale was going well.

 

#8. 48 hours only. I think this is the perfect amount of time. It's long enough that everyone can look and bid, and also so you can load more items as the sell goes on, but short enough that people remain excited about what they are bidding on. I started at 10 am on Saturday morning and ended at 10 am Monday morning. I figured people were bored on Sundays and would have time to be on Instagram more.

 

#9. Build hype. Tweet or facebook something, write a blog post, tell your friends, anything to get people excited!

 

#10. Respond quickly. Once you go live, and if people comment questions, respond quickly! They won't bid if they don't feel like you don't care about them. Be accessible to people who want to come try things on- they only have 48 hours! Also-- if friends text you and ask if they can just buy it from you now instead of bidding, even if they are your bff and you love them to death, tell them that you promised you would be fair to everyone, and yourself! You deserve to get the most that someone will pay for your items-- it's a lot of work! Promise you will be so glad you had everyone bid. Your friends will understand.

 

#11. Add new items as the sale goes on. Save some items to put up as the sale is going on. People will follow you because they don't want to miss any new items! And it keeps your sale exciting.

 

#12. "New Low Prices***" Lower prices by $5 or $10 only for items that have gotten zero bids in the first 24 hours (and if you are comfortable with it. My MK boots? No way! I'd rather keep them). It may just be too expensive for some people, but they're all for it once the price has been lowered!

 

#13. If one of your favorite items isn't going for what you wanted it to... If you thought a certain item would go for $80 and the bid is at $24, and you'd rather just keep it then sell it for that price, have a friend go comment a significant amount higher on the item, and just keep the item instead. I thankfully didn't have to do this on my sale but don't see anything wrong with it. These are YOUR items, you own them, and you decide if you want to sell them.

 

#14. SHOP CLOSED. Within 10 minutes of the shop closing, comment back to all the highest bidders and tell them congrats on the amazing item they just won and to text you ASAP. Make sure you give them your number. Most people will be super on top of this but some will not. If you have not heard from them in 24 hours, comment back to them again, making sure to tag them, and let them know if you don't hear from them by the next day, the item will go to the next highest bidder. Also, some people will back out of their items, which is really unfortunate, because I can't imagine doing that to somebody, but we aren't all wired the same! Fortunately this only happened to me once, but it was a big purchase and a bummer. Although all sales are final there is no way to force someone to pay you, so just move on to the next highest bidder.

 

#15. COLOR CODED SPREADSHEET. Now it's time to make a spreadsheet. In each column: the item, the winner, the price it sold for, if they are paying with cash, Venmo, or a check, if they've paid, and if it's being picked up or shipped. I would highly recommend this to keep everything organized. What if one of the winners never texts you, or you don't know how much someone owes you, or if they've paid you yet? This was a lifesaver.

 

#16. A little fact about PayPal... PayPal charges you something like $3 if people send you money, and who wants that? If someone asks to pay with PayPal, kindly explain that you get charged and ask if they are opposed to getting Venmo! People are more accommodating than you think.

 

#17. Charge people on Venmo so they don't have to find you. Makes for quicker transactions and helps you keep track of who still needs to pay!

 

#18. Gift bags. No one wants to show up to pick up their item in a Target bag. Go to Walmart or Michaels and spend $15 on some cute white bags and tissue paper. Adds a nice touch. You could even go as far as printing something that says "Thank you for shopping my closet!" but I'm not that crafty... Take an hour and go through your spreadsheet and bag everyone up and write their names on their bag so when they come to pick it up it's as easy as pie!

 

#19. Shipping 411. I luckily only had to ship to 3 girls, but I don't go to the post office often, so I was a total fish out a water. Fortunately I had a nice guy that helped me find the boxes that were the cheapest prices. Flat rate is not always the cheapest! I learned that. Especially if you are shipping somewhere in Utah. I came out almost exactly even on what I charged for shipping, which was $5 plus $1 for every additional item (thanks Bella!) and it worked great. So remember that and ask for help. That's the only advice I have for you there ha!

 

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WHAT I LEARNED

 

>> Don't listen to people! I had people that were trying not to laugh in my face when I told them I was putting together a closet sale. It made me question wanting to go through with it, but I had my husband telling me "who cares what anyone thinks!" If you believe in yourself, other people will believe in you too.

 

>> Would this just end up on my Instagram closet? Doing this sale taught me to stop with the impulse buying! So many items were bought on a whim, then it only took one time of wearing it to realize it really wasn't that smart of a purchase. I'm going to make sure to think about things I'm wanting for a few days to weeks to make sure I'll rrrrrreally love it. Because how amazing would it be to have a wardrobe where you were obsessed with every single piece? That's what I'm striving for.

 

>> Fewer, nicer pieces. (on sale of course!) I realized that my nicer pieces wear a lot better, last a lot longer, and I love them more. I think that is a better investment then dropping hundreds of dollars at Forever 21 or Target all the time. Quality over quantity.

 

>> The numbers add up! Don't be disappointed in a $5 or $10 sale, it adds up fast!

 

>> It's absolutely positively WORTH IT. Now go get started! I'll be your first customer. :)

 

 

 

xoxo!