The Best Online Selling Sites For Your Apparel Company
Any fashion designer knows that the most important (and sometimes tricky) thing about getting your designs from the studio to the store rack is the apparel manufacturing process.
Will it look, feel, and stretch the same? Will the manufacturers really understand where I'm trying to go with this design?
Those are common questions in the beginning. Even after you partner with POND Threads to bring your designs to life, you might be left wondering where to sell your creations. We've compiled this list to be your starting point. Take a look at the best online selling sites for your apparel company:
Etsy
Etsy is a platform for DY artists, homemade crafts, and almost anything that is not sold at a general retail store. Unique, homemade, boutique-style clothing is certainly one of Etsy's main driver of sales.
Besides having impeccably designed and manufactured clothing items, taking the time to personalize your Etsy store is the next best way to higher sales. Think of it as a website that you don't have to host. Sell single items or take custom orders--it's up to you. Etsy is a fantastic place to be for an apparel company even long after you've made it big.
The RealReal
The RealReal is an online consignment store for high-end designer clothing. They sell designer items like watches, handbags, fine art, home decor, and apparel.
They usually only accept specific designer brands, but sometimes they go for new, up and coming designers, should the staff fall in love with your garments. To consign with the RealReal, you virtually meet with them, so that would be your time to really sell what you've got. Use mannequins or go all out and have live models.
ASOS Marketplace
ASOS has far lower entry standards than other high-end online marketplaces. They're a significant favorite among independent brands and vintage resellers. Besides being a reputable and reliable company, they're highly profitable.
ASOS has exploded in popularity within the last five years or so. Getting on with this major online retailer can do wonders for your store's future. If you're not sure where to start, take a look at ASOS's directions and guidelines on how to start selling.
Related: Print On Demand: Everything You Need To Know
ThredUp
ThredUp is another considerably popular online clothing store. It is a platform that has a place for the closet declutterer and the fashion designer alike, which makes the variety of available options nearly irresistible to buyers. So, you'll see some traffic!
A critical difference between ThredUp and its competitors is that they send you packaging, you ship the garments to them, they sell the items, and then you get paid. It's a little bit less transparent of a process than others, but you do not have to do much of the work again. It depends on your comfort level.
Are you thinking about turning your designs into a reality? Contact POND Threads today to start planning.
Poshmark
Poshmark has been around for a very long time. You can buy almost anything on Poshmark in the clothing, accessory, and beauty realm. For example, sellers can even unload their unopened perfumes on the platform.
That being the case, clothing is the main attraction to Poshmark. All you have to do is set up your store and promote your items across social media platforms. After that, watch out for notifications.
eBay
eBay is a classic for most people. Users can sell just about anything on the site. For those who are selling apparel, optimizing your product descriptions and seller store is vital. There are thousands of sellers wanting to do the same thing as you, so take the extra time to make your items and store stand out.
Once you've made a few transactions, positive reviews will come. Reviews will help sell more clothes than any product description ever could!
Related: How to Start a T-Shirt Business: A Complete Guide
CafePress
CafePress is a popular sales platform for designers. While they offer design services, they don't quite meet the standards of a quality apparel manufacturer. They're better for personalized t-shirts and coffee mugs as far as the design option goes. However, the Shop service that CafePress offers allows you to bring your clothing store to the online marketplace.
Tradesy
Tradesy is a platform for the casual buying and selling of apparel. The majority of sellers on this platform are regular people who are just looking to sell or trade what's in their closets. So, professional apparel stores stand out without even trying.
What sets Tradsey apart from other casual buying/selling apparel platforms is that they only sell authentic designer garments, so the potential buyers shopping your clothing line are already prepared to spend a considerable amount of money. Major bonus!
LePrix
LePrix is an online consignment shop with a fabulous reputation amongst sellers and buyers alike. To begin the consignment process with LePrix, finding a LePrix Boutique near you is the first step.
If there are no applicable boutiques near you, LePrix directs sellers to use their specialized White Glove Consignment service. They do all of the work from there for you!
Mercari
Mercari is to eBay what Target is to Walmart. Makes sense?
The experience of selling on Mercari is very similar to eBay except that the user flow is smoother somehow. If you've never heard of Mercari before, don't write it off just yet. As one of the largest buy/sell platforms available today, they boast 50 million app downloads, over 350,000 new items listed per day, and considerably high ratings in the Apple and Google app stores. Don't pass up the audience this platform can provide!
Material World
Material World is a commonly used site to sell your designs (and old clothes). Here’s how it works:
- Send them the garments. Material World only accepts high-quality clothing, which is what you have!
- Receive an offer from the site for what you’ve sent in.
- If accepted, you can choose to be paid in PayPal cash or opt to receive clothing.
It’s a considerably simple process. View Material World’s guidelines here.
Facebook Marketplace
If you use Facebook, you’ve most likely heard of Facebook Marketplace, well, because Facebook would have made sure you know about it!
Sellers can post any reasonable item to be sold. In recent years, the marketplace has been a hotspot for apparel and accessories.
As with other similar platforms, you’ll have the most success by finding a way to stand out. One thing to be aware of is that you’re more visible on Facebook. Users can check out your profile and have access to all of the information you’ve made publicly available. It’s worth considering setting up a business account on Facebook so that potential buyers will be directed there instead of your personal account.
Related: A List of the Best Online Payment Methods for Your eCommerce Store
Closing Remarks
Each online sales platform offers something different from the next, so you may find it hard to pick the right one for you. Don't sweat it. These days, sellers make it a point to be on as many seller platforms as possible to gain the maximum amount of visibility and, therefore, sales.
You can't sell very much without a quality product, though! If you're still in your business plan's production phase, don't pass up POND Threads. POND Threads takes your high-quality athleisure apparel designs and turns them into a reality. If you're ready to take the next step in your apparel business, POND Threads is prepared to help.
Are you thinking about turning your designs into a reality? Contact POND Threads today to start planning.