Buying and Selling Antique and Vintage Clothing
A Fashionable Home-Based Business with Old Clothes
Jul 29, 2009
A love of vintage clothing can lead to a small home-based business. These old clothes are still easy to find and easy to resell them from home. Vintage, antique and used designer clothing has become very popular in recent years. Collectors are wearing these classic fashions from the past.
Rare pieces could earn their owners enough to cover a car or mortgage payment. Online auction houses show thousands of items everyday in these categories. Study those sites to get a sense of what to look for – what collectors are actually buying. With time and experience, the investor will learn the language of dress design, fabric and fashion. And there are also numerous books available on vintage clothing which will prove helpful.
Selling Vintage Clothing Online
Vintage clothing is a renewable resource and as products, they are still easily found on the cheap. Begin with a very small investment and experiment by listing it on an online auction site. Present the piece well. List all the details, measurements, label information, fabric type and flaws. Take excellent pictures without any fuzziness. Show the item at its best in a good clear manner. A dressmaker's dummy would be ideal.
Selling Vintage Clothing in a Consignment Store
Consignment clothing stores will happily accept good vintage pieces. They typically take thirty percent or more from the final retail price, so the consignee should set his or her prices accordingly. The consignor will check the item thoroughly for wear and note any flaws. These stores typically want items that people will wear, not simply own. It could take time for the item to sell. Three months sitting in a shop is long enough.
Fashion Periods of Note
Circa 1960 designer and mod dresses are highly sought after and fortunately still easy to find. Try to stay away from anything that screams 1980s. The '30s and '40s were great fashion decades, and those clothes are being worn as well as collected. Many dealers make this era their niche, but it's fine to mix it up.
Dresses from the Victorian era and earlier are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Often they show serious damage and wear and are difficult to sell. The designs are usually very convoluted with fabrics like silk and silk velvets that shatter over time. Repair may not be worth the trouble and time. Collectors purchase them as “pattern studies.” This means a seamstress will take the dress apart and redo it using the original parts as templates or patterns.
Some collectors still buy them in rough condition, but don't expect huge sums of money simply because the item is old. Rarity also plays a part in the value.
Where to Find Vintage Clothing for Resale
Visit church bazaars, thrift shops, charity shops, garage sales and auctions for the best deals. Start slowly with a small investment. A $5 dress could earn $30, $40 or $50 in return. Reinvest the first earnings to build your inventory.
Vintage Clothing Shows
Over time, a nice inventory of vintage clothing could be had and this new business could lead to other venues. There are numerous vintage clothing shows across the US, Canada and elsewhere. The internet is a good place to find them, but also search for resources that will offer information on how to sell at these shows.
Selling Vintage Clothing At Antique Malls
Antique markets are usually made up of many antique dealers. The mall or 'house" usually charges by the square foot of the space allotted and they take a percentage of the dealer's monthly sales. In most of these venues, the dealer does not have to be there. But it's customary to spend time dusting, adding new stock and re-arranging. Keep the booth fresh and the buyers will return.
Consider other items, such as vintage linens, vintage aprons, vanity items and other pretty feminine vintage things to enhance your booth.
Buying and selling vintage clothing is a good way for at-home mums to earn a little income. Like any business, you can earn a lot or a little, depending on how much time you want to spend doing it.
For further information please read How to Reproduce Vintage and Antique Clothing
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