This is an article from the website of Lollipuff dated 02/24/2013.
It's hard to sell designer items. You need the transaction to be safe, and you want a fair price for your item. There's a number of choices of where to sell your Chanel, Christian Louboutin, and Herve Leger......
eBay
Selling fees are reasonable (approximately 9%-12%). Most online auction sites charge for much more.
However a common problem is when a buyer claims an authentic item as fake. This is a horrible experience! The eBay claims process can take up to a few months and is tremendously stressful. Ultimately, this can result in a lost item and lost payment.
It's also somewhat frustrating to see fakes sold alongside your authentic item. Sometimes, the fakes sell for just as much! Though there are a lot of people who will see your listing, many of them can't tell if your item is real.
The sales process of eBay was originally built for less costly transactions. The way they deal with disputes is not ideal for higher priced designer items. For instance, it's crazy that sellers cannot give anything BUT positive feedback to buyers! The transaction of designer goods needs to be operated differently.
eBay Consignment
These are consignment stores that do the selling for you on eBay. You get hit with their fees (25-50%) AND eBay fees (9-12%) and PayPal fees (3-4%). And, most of the time, they don't sell the items any higher than you would yourself.
To sell an item online, you just need to take pictures, fill out a form and ship when it has been paid for. Even though the eBay selling form is a bit clunky, it's not hard and is quite quick. If you're dealing with a consignment store that sells on eBay, you'll still have to ship or deliver that item to them and fill out a form.
Other Consignment outside of eBay (online and brick and mortar)
Once again, you get much much less money than you would if you sell it yourself. Some people literally feel scammed after going through the consignment process. Because consignment services have to pay for their resources and time, and because they want a guaranteed sale, the fees are very high (usually 30-60%). This is the reason why most computer savvy people still use eBay to sell their items. And, many online consignment stores won't even accept your items, unless you are an established business!
With consignment, the most common complaints are how little money you get for your item (or how much they keep). Another problem is that it can take a VERY VERY long time to sell your item. Sometimes, over a year! I don't know about you, but I don't want to be away from my very expensive item for that long and wait that long to be paid! It's NOT easier than selling it yourself. You still have to fill out a form, ship or deliver the item to the consignment store, and communicate with the consignment store. It's also somewhat worrisome to have your item not be in your own possession before payment is completed.
Finally, don't assume that all items at consignment stores (online and offline) are authentic. It's impossible to authenticate hundreds if not thousands of different designers without many authentication experts. I've seen fakes being sold by consignment stores offline and online. The more a consignment store focuses on particular designers, the more reputable they tend to be. If any site claims 100% authenticity but have tons of different brands, I'd be somewhat suspicious......
It's hard to sell designer items. You need the transaction to be safe, and you want a fair price for your item. There's a number of choices of where to sell your Chanel, Christian Louboutin, and Herve Leger......
eBay
Selling fees are reasonable (approximately 9%-12%). Most online auction sites charge for much more.
However a common problem is when a buyer claims an authentic item as fake. This is a horrible experience! The eBay claims process can take up to a few months and is tremendously stressful. Ultimately, this can result in a lost item and lost payment.
It's also somewhat frustrating to see fakes sold alongside your authentic item. Sometimes, the fakes sell for just as much! Though there are a lot of people who will see your listing, many of them can't tell if your item is real.
The sales process of eBay was originally built for less costly transactions. The way they deal with disputes is not ideal for higher priced designer items. For instance, it's crazy that sellers cannot give anything BUT positive feedback to buyers! The transaction of designer goods needs to be operated differently.
eBay Consignment
These are consignment stores that do the selling for you on eBay. You get hit with their fees (25-50%) AND eBay fees (9-12%) and PayPal fees (3-4%). And, most of the time, they don't sell the items any higher than you would yourself.
To sell an item online, you just need to take pictures, fill out a form and ship when it has been paid for. Even though the eBay selling form is a bit clunky, it's not hard and is quite quick. If you're dealing with a consignment store that sells on eBay, you'll still have to ship or deliver that item to them and fill out a form.
Other Consignment outside of eBay (online and brick and mortar)
Once again, you get much much less money than you would if you sell it yourself. Some people literally feel scammed after going through the consignment process. Because consignment services have to pay for their resources and time, and because they want a guaranteed sale, the fees are very high (usually 30-60%). This is the reason why most computer savvy people still use eBay to sell their items. And, many online consignment stores won't even accept your items, unless you are an established business!
With consignment, the most common complaints are how little money you get for your item (or how much they keep). Another problem is that it can take a VERY VERY long time to sell your item. Sometimes, over a year! I don't know about you, but I don't want to be away from my very expensive item for that long and wait that long to be paid! It's NOT easier than selling it yourself. You still have to fill out a form, ship or deliver the item to the consignment store, and communicate with the consignment store. It's also somewhat worrisome to have your item not be in your own possession before payment is completed.
Finally, don't assume that all items at consignment stores (online and offline) are authentic. It's impossible to authenticate hundreds if not thousands of different designers without many authentication experts. I've seen fakes being sold by consignment stores offline and online. The more a consignment store focuses on particular designers, the more reputable they tend to be. If any site claims 100% authenticity but have tons of different brands, I'd be somewhat suspicious......