Where should I sell my high-quality vintage clothing now?

May 10, 2021 10:44 AM

I asked about this years ago and then didn't sell anything and now the market has changed. I have probably thirty pieces of nice, unusual vintage clothing, some of which is couture. It's not doing me any good sitting in a box and I want to sell. Where?

I have an ebay profile and have sold various ordinary but relatively nice things over the years (shoes that didn't fit, some vintage bags). The thing is, it seems like you make less on eBay than on some other specialist sites....but then this isn't a business for me. I'm going to take the best pictures that I can and call it a day.

I am also a relatively careful seller but I'm not a professional - I can tell if something is in good condition versus worn/fragile but the finer points might escape me, etc.

What I've got:
Four actual couture pieces, one of which is a late fifties licensed Dior cocktail dress in a wearable size.
Some unusual, fun late sixties early seventies casual dresses and jackets
Several nice fifties cocktail dresses and evening skirts
A classic Lilli Ann coat in terrific condition and several beautiful but slightly ding-and-dent sixties coats
An antique Worth coat in imitation sealskin

Where best to sell these?

posted by Frowner to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (9 answers total)

Gen Z and younger millennials are all using Poshmark. There's a very high demand right now, thanks to tiktok. Reselling clothes is a very "in" thing to be doing.
posted by FirstMateKate at 11:02 AM on May 10, 2021 [7 favorites]

For the actual couture please call an auction house for advice and possible consignment to them. There are amazing niche fashion collectors who they can notify, and potentially set up bidding wars. You will most likely be asked to submit photos, so not too onerous for you. If they turn out to be more ordinary than you hope, at least you will know what you are dealing with. And if they turn out to be really worth collecting, you will receive much better value and the new owners will cherish them.
posted by citygirl at 11:05 AM on May 10, 2021 [14 favorites]

You could also try talking to a local high-end vintage shop about selling it on consignment.
posted by mskyle at 11:16 AM on May 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

I'm a vintage wearer, collector, and part-time dealer (I have a relatively high-priced Etsy shop in addition to a full-time job in the tech industry). I wear and collect mostly 40s and 50s clothing.

I wouldn't recommend Poshmark for anything truly high end, desirable or collectible (like the Lilli coat for example). Posh takes a large cut (20%) and the platform is set up to encourage lowball offers as well as incentivising sellers to drop prices in order to make quick sales. You also have a very limited number of characters for the text description so it's hard to add extensive measurements or condition descriptions. Most serious vintage buyers with decent budgets won't be looking there – they'll be on Etsy for the most part, or Instagram, or eBay.

Etsy is tough as a casual seller because most buyers are, at least in my experience, looking to shop with established sellers. If I was you I'd probably put the really desirable stuff on eBay with a high minimum bid and let the market decide from there. Most vintage buyers (and dealers) have saved searches set up for desirable items and you'll get lots of interest relatively quickly if you have items from popular labels.

(I might be interested in buying your Lilli if you'd like to Memail me about it! Hope it's okay to say that!)
posted by RubyScarlet at 11:23 AM on May 10, 2021 [11 favorites]

Depop. I see and buy a lot of high end vintage on there, as opposed to posh.
posted by coldbabyshrimp at 11:32 AM on May 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

For vintage you want to go with Etsy and eBay.
Also, when you figure out where to sell, please put your info on your profile page, I’m sure there are lots of vintage clothing fiends on here that would love to check out your wares!
Edit: if you need any help with getting listings stated memail me and I’d be happy to assist you!
posted by Champagne Supernova at 11:34 AM on May 10, 2021 [6 favorites]

I came in to suggest The Real Real, but here's an article with a lot of other places online too. At the very least, it might be a good way to research how much your vintage pieces might go for.
posted by biscuits at 9:20 PM on May 10, 2021

Ebay or Etsy. And join as many vintage clothing FB groups as you can find, and post pics and links to the listings (if they allow that.)
posted by ananci at 9:30 AM on May 11, 2021

I would not recommend selling vintage stuff on TheRealReal. Although I shop there for some stuff, the listing photos are such poor quality (usually just a few full-item shots, no detail photos of wear/damage, etc.) and the measurements and materials are frequently incorrect for items without tags. I would not trust them to accurately describe or measure your items. When I buy vintage, especially items that are more expensive, I prefer eBay or Etsy as sellers can add lots of photos and describe in detail. Do you have a social media presence? Some of my fave vintage sellers (both brick and mortar and established Etsy sellers) build hype by teasing their upcoming listings on Instagram, encouraging people to tag or message them to call dibs on something, and the good stuff sells pretty much as soon as they post it to their sales platform of choice - and it’s totally frustrating for people like me who check their Insta feed infrequently. But, great for the sellers who have buyers ready to pounce the moment the item is posted.
posted by ortoLANparty at 7:32 PM on May 13, 2021