Start Your Own Baby
& Toddler Clothing Resale Business by Alice Seeba
You
may have started by clearing out your children's closets and selling
what you found on eBay. But have you ever considered doing this as a
full-time business? Why not open your own Virtual Baby & Toddler
Clothing Resale Business? People love high quality, fashionable
clothing, but don't want to pay a lot of money for it. Babies and
toddlers grow like weeds, this we all know, and it can be expensive
keeping up with all this rapid growth. You can start a business that
helps parents keep up without having to spend a lot of money.
Says
Donna Bliss of http://www.mymiraclebaby.com,
"There is a tremendous market for children's
clothing--particularly babies' because they are outgrown so quickly.
The brand names are so pricey and offering them for resale gives
parents a chance to dress their angels to the nines without going
broke. My customers are so grateful and we can barely keep our
'shelves' stocked. We coined the phrase 'pre-loved' because
the clothing we offer is more than just used or resale--its the best
of the best and there's plenty of wear left."
What
is a Clothing Resale Business? Clothing
resale is what you make it. You can sell gently used clothing online
or you can open up your own home based store ~ or both. What about
baby necessities like strollers, bassinets and cribs? Why not
include some unique handmade products to your offerings?
You
can take items on consignment from local families, businesses,
seamstresses and knitters; you can make bulk purchases from your
local thrift store or you can buy up the whole lot at a local garage
sale.
Your
virtual business can include selling on your website, selling at
online auction houses and partnering with other websites to sell
your merchandise. Says Sandy of her online resale clothing business
at http://twiceisnicekids.com,
"This is a work at home option that only requires a few hours a
day -- updating items that are sold and adding new inventory. You
can put as little or as much time into it as you want."
Clothing
Resale Supplies If
you are operating your resale business online, your supply list will
be relatively simple:
Clothing
& Items for Sale:Well,
of course you'll need to get clothing and baby &
toddler-related merchandise to sell. Whether you purchase or
take clothing on consignment, be sure to only take quality
merchandise that is not well worn. If you are operating your
business online and people are making purchases based on photos,
you don't want them to have any surprises.
Packaging
& Boxes to Ship Items: You
need to ship those orders. Make sure you have enough packing
supplies around for fast shipping times.
Digital
Camera: If
you want people to buy your items online, you have to show them
good quality photos. Clothes are photographed best on models
(and they're so cute, too) or on a mannequin.
Clothing
Resale Skills & Attributes
A
Love of All Things Baby-Related: The
key to starting any home-based business is doing something that
you love and something that truly interests you. If you don't
love babies and baby-related things, try a different kind of
business.
Marketing
Skills: You
need marketing skills to run a business. Many of these are
skills you can acquire along the way, but be sure to do your
preliminary research. Check
out the following Recommended Online Marketing Resources:
An
Internet Based Mom's Guide Marketing Your Website: http://www.internetbasedmoms.com/ebooks/index.html
~ This guide includes time management, goal setting,
creating a user-friendly website that people will visit over
and over again, search engine optimization, networking,
newsletters, press releases and more.
Make
Your Net Auction Sell: http://mynas.sitesell.com/websuccess2054.html
~ If you're going to sell your items at online auctions, you
don't want to miss this. It includes standing out by selling
unique items, choosing the best sites for your goods,
promoting your business, how to network with other auction
pros, selling goods in volume, selling high priced items
without having to buy them.
Basic
HTML Skills: To
sell at auctions or to build your website, you'll want to create
attractive and inviting advertisements and web pages. There are
numerous free tutorials available online to learn HTML. Here are
just a couple:
Organizational
Skills: You
need to keep good records of your sales and not just for tax
purposes. You need to be able to keep track of which buyers have
paid, which have received their items, etc. Setting up a
spreadsheet or database with all the pertinent information
should help keep this under control.
Customer
Service Skills: You
are selling to people who have never met you. You need to ensure
that you customer service is impeccable to ensure good feedback
on any online auction houses you use and to have repeat
customers.
Clothing
Resale Prices Your
prices will vary depending on the quality, brand name and what you
paid for the items. Calculate all your expenses and determine what
you can sell for in order to maintain a profit. You may want to give
volume discounts.
Online
Marketing Ideas
You
Need a Web Page:
This wouldn't be an InternetBasedMoms.com article if we didn't
tell you to get a web page. Sell your items on your website and
link to any online auctions you may be running. You can have
someone design your site or you can design your site yourself.
Sell
Your Products at Online Auctions: Take
advantage of the huge buying traffic at http://www.ebay.com
and take advantage of no fees at many of the free family-related
auction houses like:
Start
a Baby & Toddler Parents Group or Message Board: Parents
love to talk. They love to share cute stories, they often need
advice and if they are stay at home parents, they often need to
connect with other adults. Offer them a place to get together.
If you start a mailing group (you can try http://groups.yahoo.com),
subtly include your company information at the bottom of all the
messages. If you choose a message board, personalize your
message board with your company information.
Have
a Baby & Toddler Photo or Story Contest: Get
people involved with your website. Have a photo contest with a
regular prize give away. It can be a gift certificate to your
online store which will give someone an incentive to make
additional purchases.
Start
a Baby & Toddler Parenting Newsletter: Start
building your mailing list right away. Email marketing is a
powerful tool. Don't waste it. Have people subscribe to your
parenting tips newsletter off your website and offer an
incentive ~ a monthly prize or gift, for example.
Partner
with Other Baby & Toddler Related Web Pages: You
can participate in simple link exchange to boost your link
popularity. You can also choose to work more closely with a few
sites that compliment your offerings. Give each other a page on
your websites or sell one another's products.
Promote
Your Online Business Offline with Filler Exchanges: Exchange
fillers with other people in business. It's a way to reach a
wider audience and save money on doing separate mail out. Find
out more about Filler Exchanges at http://www.internetbasedmoms.com/articles2/filler_exchange.html
For
a More Comprehensive Look at the Clothing Resale Business from Home ~
If you'd like to run a little store right in your home instead of
just a virtual store, you don't want to miss out on MyMommyBiz's Start
Your Own Infant Clothing & Gift Resale Business from Home at
http://www.mymommybiz.com/ebooks/infantibm.html
This
ebook takes you through all the aspects of starting an offline
business from the legal considerations of operating a store from
home, setting up and decorating your store, where to find items to
sell, selling on consignment, advertising and more.
EDITORS
NOTE: We do not recommend ever buying used items from another person
at a resale or garage sale or on our website, with the intention to
resell them again at a profit, without first informing the original
seller that you plan to do so. This is viewed as unethical in our
online community. If you plan to pursue this as a business, please
be upfront with anyone that you purchase items from, so they have a
choice in the matter. Thank you!
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