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Hi! I'm Lacey and I love thrift stores. I'm also a firm believer that you can sell anything with good product photos. (Spoiler alert to one of the tips in this post!) Here's how I make extra cash selling vintage items in Etsy!
What to sell?? My advice is to sell things you like! If you're into music sell vintage instruments, don't sell vintage clothes unless you are super into vintage clothes! Consider the space you have in your home to store things. You need good dry storage. It would be a shame if you made a big sale only to find out that the item was ruined! If you don't have a ton of space, sell small things! Jewelry, knick knacks, etc.. My favorite things to sell? Retro, 70s, Boho home decor. I chose this because I'm good at spotting it and I love the look of it. This way, I'm not forcing myself to look for stuff I'm not looking at anyway and I know it will sell because I would buy it myself!
Photography is the most important part! I'm a professional product photographer, which I think contributes to my success selling stuff online, but you DO NOT have to be a professional to take beautiful photos! All you really need is your phone and some good light. A window is great, but I live in Pennsylvania were we get like 10 sunny days a year, so one of the most useful things in my arsenal is a light with a soft box like THIS one. All you want to make sure is that you're taking clear, well lit photos at as many angles as you can possibly think of! Think of your customers. What would you want to see if you were purchasing the item? If your items are an ambiguous size, snap a photo of them next to something recognizable. (A ruler, a quarter, ect..) It's also helpful to show your products in a cute setting so buyers can see what it may look like in their home. Think plants, photo frames, etc. If you're skilled with a camera, set your "lifestyle" objects back further than your product so they'll be slightly out of focus and keep all the focus on what you're selling!
Be honest! Does your item have flaws, rips, or stains? Be up front about them and make sure you show them in the photos. It will hurt you more in the long run to get bad reviews because you thought you could get away with selling flawed products!
Measure everything. Customers want to know how your items will fit in their space. (Or on their bodies if you're selling clothing!) Make sure you include every measurement you can think of in the descriptions. This will also alleviate some negative "This item was smaller/bigger than I expected" feedback.
Pay attention to trends. For example, I list a lot of vintage wall baskets. When I started selling them, the big trend was "jungalow" and that keyword got me quick sales. Now, the same exact products are selling well with the keyword "cottagecore." You don't even always have to change what you're selling to keep up with trends, just HOW you're selling.
Keyword keyword keyword. Take advantage of your product titles, descriptions, and product tags. Think of what your customers will need to search to find your stuff and use all of those keywords!
Etsy likes free shipping, but if you're going to offer it make absolutely sure you're not losing money. You have to factor in packing materials and shipping costs into your pricing. Personally, I use www.stamps.com for all of my shipping. I love that I can compare the most cost effective ways to ship my products and print postage right from my house! If you're into stamps.com please copy and paste my promo code when you sign up. (C-GTSP-Y32) If you do, you and I will both get some free shipping.
You might have to advertise! Set a budget and stick to it. And make sure your listing is rock solid before throwing any money into ads. Also, consider how much you're willing to pay for advertising when pricing the item. (If you're seeing a theme here, it's that you have to price your items higher than you think.)
There you have it! If you got anything at all out of this blog post I would appreciate it so much if you'd stick around and shop on this website! Currently, all my stickers are buy 3 get 1 free with the code STICKERS. Also, check out my photography website at www.laceybarberbphotography.net and my happy mail sticker of the month club at www.patreon.com/laceybarber