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First off, if you are new to the Ebay rodeo, read the seller's rules first. You can have your auction removed at your cost for any number of listing violations, you will get whatever the bidding ends at unless you have set a reserve price, and you are expected to include reasonable shipping prices with insurance.
PICTURES:
Pictures are one of the most important pieces to selling on Ebay. Would you buy a wedding gown sight unseen or from a cluttered house with a gown laying on a dirty floor?
Hang your dress on the back of a door in the most well lit area of your home. Do not hang it in the garage, basement, attic, or in the yard. Garages, attics, and basements tend to be dusty, cluttered places and it doesn't reflect well on how the gown has been taken care of up until now. I understand that, often times, the best lighting is outside but it leaves the buyer questioning if you have just added extra dirt and grass marks under the train by hauling it out.
Do not put it on someone too big or too small for the gown, it is hard for a buyer to get past how bad it looks on the model and want to put in a bid.
Take pictures of the front and back as wholes, the train, the bust, and any great detailing. If you want to save some money and only post the initial free picture, make it the picture of the front as a whole. Keep the others handy and make sure to put into your auction that other pictures are available and they can simply request them via email.
If there are any imperfections like dirt, stains, rips, tears, or loose beading/threading make sure to take pictures of these as well.
TITLE:
You want to squeeze in as much pertinent information as you can into the title because these key words are the only way your item is going to show up when a buy does a search. You want to include the words Wedding, Gown, Dress, and/or Bridal; the size; the designer; the condition (NWT: new with tags, NWOT new without tags, Used), and color.
MEASUREMENTS
Measurements are so important. As you know, bridal sizes are nothing like regular clothing sizes. Also, if your gown is used, chances are, there have been alterations. You will need to provide the bust, the waist, the hips, and the hollow to hem.
Place your garment on a flat surfacing facing up. Measure the bust across across the nipple line and double it. Measure the waist at the narrowest part and double it. Measure the hips at the widest part and double it. If your dress is a high neck (one that comes to the throat), you can measure from the top of the neck to the hem and get the hollow to hem measurement. If your dress is not a high neck, measure from the top of the dress to the hem and add 4 inches. That is your hollow to hem. It also helps if you tell the buyer what size you wear in jeans (women's not juniors) and how tall you are and high how your shoes were on your wedding day.
DESCRIPTION:
On top of the measurements and whether the gown as been altered, it is very important to be honest about your dress. Make sure to note any issues the gown has, including inside the lining or dirt under the train. If your beading or sequins have yellowed or have started to cloud be sure to mention it.
You may want to also mention what you paid for the gown or the original price if you got a great deal on it. If your dress is unused, you do not need to go into a lengthy explanation as to why. Your event did not take place or your venue/theme changed. Any more information than that and you risk turning off buyers.
You will also want to reiterate all the descriptions from the title, just in case a potential buyer did not read your whole title.
Also, you will need to decide and mention, if you will be willing to ship internationally, what your return policy is, and how long you are willing to give the winner to pay for the item.
PLEASE NOTE: "No returns" is not all encompassing. If you have misrepresented your item, failed to mention major flaws, or not provided enough information Ebay WILL side with the buyer and allow them to return the garment at YOUR expense for a FULL refund including initial shipping. Thankfully, I have only been on the buyers end of this issue with a closing bridal salon, but I know many sellers are unhappy with Ebay's new policy because they side with the buyer 90% of the time.
PRICING:
There are two options for selling on Ebay: auction and set price. In auction mode, you start your item at whatever you feel is the absolute lowest you are willing to take for your gown and potential buyers bid on your item. If you want to draw in some interest, start your dress at 99 cents and set a reserve at the lowest amount you are willing to take.
In set price mode, you specify what you want for the dress and buyers can use the Buy It Now method. You can also let potential buyers send you their best offer and you can counter it, accept it, or decline it. Set price mode is really best if you have an Ebay store as it takes longer for people to notice your item.
Be reasonable about what you can get for your dress on Ebay. If you overprice your gown, you will just continue to pay relisting fees and never actually get rid of your gown.
Also, be fair on your shipping price. If you are in the US and shipping within the US, there is no reason for your shipping price to ever be over $22 through UPS (which is automatically insured and has detailed tracking.) Overcharging can get your auction removed and you will still owe Ebay the insertion fee.
The best way to figure out if Ebay is a good choice for your is to do a search for the designer of your dress is live auctions. Make sure to look at auctions with bids; those are the ones that are actually going to sell. How old are the gowns? What was the starting price? Also, keep in mind, plus sizes gowns tend to go for a bit more. Look at the auctions without bids, is the starting price too high for the style, age, and size of the gown? Is the shipping price acceptable?
If your dress doesn't sell, knock the starting price down a few bucks. Don't be one of those people that relists over and over and over at the same price. If it didn't sell at that price for the initial listing and one relist, it isn't going to and you will just continue to eat into your profit by relisting.
I hope you find this information useful! Good Luck!
www.dreamdressbridal.com
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