Snatch has teamed up with eBay to put together a guide on how to optimise your shopping experience – whether you’re a seller or a shopper – eBay has some tricks that will give you some insight into how to shift that bag of clothes that’s been sitting in your attic and how to replace it with items you can showcase this summer.
In April this year, eBay got rid of seller fees for second-hand clothing to encourage people to sell more of their unworn or preloved items to help curb the mass of clothes that end up in landfill. eBay’s Pre-Loved Style Director, Amy Bannerman, gave Snatch her first-hand expertise on how to make the most bang for your buck as a seller, as well as tricks for how shoppers can try to optimise their search for that pair of perfectly worn in Levi’s that you’ve spent hours searching for at 1am, putting in your bid while you cross your fingers hoping you don’t wake up to regret it.
Tips for sellers
New to selling on eBay? Here are Bannerman’s five top tips to optimise your listings and get those old clothes shifted:
1. Titles are key – Get your keywords right. It’s crucial to write your listing in your shoppers’ language and use the type of terminology they search for such as brand, product name and size. Also, it’s good to use multiple words to describe something to extend your reach; for example, if you’re trying to sell sunglasses, write ‘sunnies’ & ‘sunglasses’ along with the brand name. eBay offers AI-generated item descriptions, which can save you time by suggesting an attention-grabbing description at the touch of a button.
2. Choose the right category – It might sound obvious but it’s important to choose the most specific category to sell in. For example, if you are selling children’s clothes, select the ‘kids fashion’ category, rather than just ‘fashion’.
3. Picture perfect – Take several photos in natural light, from various angles and use our background removal tool to showcase your piece. It makes it easier than ever to showcase your item on a white background and increase your listing’s chances of standing out.
4. Honesty is the best policy – Be honest about the condition of the product and be sure to note any wear and tear in the description, so the buyer knows what they’re getting – pricing should encompass any wear and tear. Try searching for similar items on eBay to see what similar items have sold for and use the eBay pricing recommendations to support your strategy.
5. Signed, sealed and tracked – We’re all about peace of mind at eBay, so adopting tracked postal service to your listings is a great offering for potential buyers.
Are you part of the reported 85 percent of respondents to Recommerce Report who said they have purchased pre-owned goods in the past 12 months? If you are, eBay says you are part of the movement that’s outpacing the global trend.
Bannerman says: “Although we still have a way to go, I think we’ve all noticed how the fashion industry and consumers have joined the pre-loved movement, shifting to celebrate pre-loved and proudly share when they’re wearing second-hand, in a way that they didn’t before.”
Tips for Snatch’s shoppers
Wanting to start building your summer wardrobe? Here’s Bannerman’s top tips on how to utilise your time searching for that vintage piece, Bannerman says she’s found success in finding vintage designer summer dresses with the help of tips like these:
1. Mix up your spelling – People spell items incorrectly, so you may have to play around with spelling to find the designer piece you’re dreaming of. For example, if a designer has multiple names, like Jean Paul Gaultier, try in putting just one. Snatch seconds this, has anyone ever spelled Yves Saint Laurent correctly first-time round? And we’ve all tripped over attempts to spell Manolo Blahnik – maybe try “blonic” next time you’re searching on eBay, you might be surprised by the success rate.
2. Go in with a plan – I often look for inspiration before heading to eBay, it makes the process so much easier. Snatch recommends using Pinterest or Instagram to build inspiration, saving posts on Instagram and creating Pinterest boards allows you to see what styles you’re consistently favouriting. By building this bank of content it means that when it comes to shopping on eBay – you’ll know exactly what it is that you’re most attracted to, which means you’re sure to get the best fit.
3. Shop out of season – Beat the crowds by searching for that coat you’ve been dreaming of by buying it in summer, and that summer dress in winter. You’re sure to save some pennies.
4. Use the suggested items tool – If you know things that you like, always check that because it will show you similar brands and related items that you might not have thought to search for.
5. Narrow your search with filters – There are so many amazing listings on eBay, so navigate by size, colour, brand, location, price to whittle things down.
6. Be the better bidder – Bid a more unexpected and uneven figure than others and bid just before the auction ends. For example, if you put £34.62 and someone else has bid £30 (most people do even numbers), you will win.
7. Get friendly with the seller – If you need something super last minute you can look within your local area and contact the seller to collect the item that same day!
8. Set alerts – To get alerted about that dream item, simply type in the product you’re looking for, select save search, and eBay will email you when your desired piece is available to purchase.
eBay told Snatch that nearly half (45 percent) of people choose to buy pre-owned goods so it can save them money so they can prioritise other areas of their life to splurge in. So, why not use eBay to find that new summer outfit, you’ll save some cash for that dinner you can show your new dress of at?
eBays insight into vintage shopping
eBay told Snatch that nearly half of consumers who took part in their most recent Recommerce Report agree that shopping for pre-loved is ‘in’ for 2024, and items such as ‘sunglasses,’ ‘dress,’ and ‘shorts’ are among the top searches on eBay this month as we head into summer.
Whether your plans require a new dress for a weekend in Paris for the Olympics (if you are to be so lucky) or to simply sit in Regent’s Park on a fine summer’s day – eBay is a treasure-trove of pre-loved pieces looking for a second life.
eBay told Snatch that the trendiest brands that garnered the most searches on eBay this month were ‘Stone Island’, ‘Ralph Lauren’ and ‘New Balance’, so whether you’re into dressing preppy, street, or sporty – eBay has a never-ending influx of pieces that you can add to your collection, and with these tricks you can curate your way through the millions of pieces eBay showcases.
Pictures: eBay
Designs: Pius Bentgens