There’s no denying that what it comes to selling on the secondary market eBay is probably your go-to place to sell your used or unused clothes, shoes and accessories. This process can, however, be rather hit and miss at times. It is rather amazing to find that what you think is past its best or perhaps un-wearable, someone else might think is in perfectly good condition to have in their wardrobe.

When people list items on eBay and they fail to sell there could be numerous reasons why. Very often it’s because they have been incompletely or incorrectly listed or have been presented with bad photos or descriptions. Customers will not buy from people who fail to meet the criteria for listing purchases properly. The main complaints that come from shoppers who have been unhappy with the used clothes they have purchased are that items arrived stained, marked or flawed or that they were incorrectly sized. Concerns may also be raised over the fact that the colour of the clothes received differed from the ones viewed on the photograph put up by the seller.

If you follow a few clear guidelines then you should have no issues whatsoever with selling your used clothing.

As always, with anything that isn’t brand new, honesty is always the best policy. Make sure that the garments you are selling are clean and have been cared for according to the instructions on the label. Before you sell anything, make sure the garment is cleaned and if appropriate, ironed or dry cleaned.

Hold your garments up to the light and examine them for imperfections, flaws and marks. When you make your listing, be sure to add these in to the description. If need be, take pictures and add those as well. Take very good, clear, digital photos in a well lit room. If you are selling a suit for instance, put all the pieces together so that potential customers can see what the outfit looks like as a whole rather than in two or three separate pieces.

Make sure you give correct measurements for the garments, bust, waist and hip measurements are always helpful, and can be more so than just stating “size 10” or “Extra Small”.

List your items carefully and make sure that you set your starting price for selling as low as you are possibly prepared to go. The lower the starting price is on an item, the more people are likely to bid on it and the greater the chance you have of making a profit!