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How to Profit From Selling Your Vintage Fashion Online

In collaboration with Stefania Filizola - Fashion Expert

Vintage fashion is a hot market and has been for a long time now. The allure of vintage or pre-owned clothing lies in the great history behind it. Take for instance the iconic Hermès bag. Collecting vintage fashion has also become a clever investment, particularly when it comes to luxury brands such as Chanel and Dior. If you have high-quality fashion, you may be in luck. But how do you stand out with your 'Chanel flap bag 2.55' at auction and bring in higher bids? Catawiki’s own fashion expert, Stefania Filizola, explains how to make the most out your (forgotten) wardrobe treasures at Catawiki's weekly Fashion auctions.


Classicn timeless Chanel 2.55 double flap bag - sold for €1,850 on Catawiki

Presentation
A good presentation may take some time to put together, but soon you will realise the power of good images and detailed descriptions. Beautiful, high-resolution pictures can entice far more potential bidders to click on the item and place a bid. It shows that you care about your fashion items and that you are serious about selling your treasures. Bidders cannot examine the real thing in person, but if they can find all the relevant visual information, you will hit the target for sure! If you are thinking of selling your items regularly, Stefania recommends that you buy a mannequin. It is not terribly expensive and it will help to save time and give your items that finished look. 


Left: Chanel Jacket -  sold for €387 on Catawiki. Right: Burberry trench coat - sold for €319 on Catawiki.

Reasonable Reserve Prices
The reserve price, or minimum price, is the lowest price you're willing to accept for your item. For higher value items, you can set a reserve price and if it isn't met by the end of the auction, your item will not be sold. Of course, you would like to make the highest profit possible, but did you know that items without a reserve price can sell up to three times more than items with reserve price? We understand, none of us likes to lose money, but taking some risk can reward you greatly. When our experts see a special item without reserve price offered up for our fashion auctions, they do their best to give it maximum visibility to potential bidders.

Both sold without reserve price: Chanel brooch for €300 and 80s Ray-Ban glasses for €491.
Hot Brands & Special Items
Luxury brands never go out of style. Everyone likes to feel special owning a timeless, iconic designer item. Don't be surprised if you see Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Chanel items selling for high prices, even vintage pieces. Other boutique brands such as Gucci, Prada, Christian Dior, Christian Louboutin, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga or Cartier can also sell very well. At Catawiki, we are always looking for these high-quality items. But fashion is such a vast category that there is space for all tastes and budgets. Even unbranded items made of quality material, featuring special embroidery or unique designs can also attract our fashionista bidders.  
Left: Hermès Kelly 32 bag - sold for €8,500 on Catawiki. Right: Christian Dior 70s big bag - sold for €701 on Catawiki.

Catawiki's Experts are Your Biggest Supporters
Becoming a seller on Catawiki is an exciting experience. You can get in touch with the experts and you always have a contact point to support your efforts. Don't be discouraged if our experts reject one of your submitted items! They know what is selling on Catawiki and what is not. Rejecting items can be a frustrating experience for the experts too, as they know the time it takes to submit good presentations and how it feels to be in love with that special dress or bag you thought everyone would love too. You can always ask the experts for advice on what kinds of items to submit, as they really know what can be very successful at auction.


Left: Chanel Court shoes - sold for €270 at Catawiki. Right: Classic Louboutin shoes - sold for 410 on Catawiki.

Selling your fashion items online can be an exciting experience. Interested in becoming a fashion seller yourself? Register here to become a seller for free and start offering up your fashion items to our experts straight away. Also take a look at our Fashion and Accessories auctions to see what items are available this week.
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