I just hosted by 3rd Instagram sale and I just have to share all bout what it has done for me (in my closet, in my wallet, in my life). The feeling of getting rid of the clothes that stare back at you every morning is by far one of the greatest feelings. I like to give them a new home and have someone else wear them and not be a waste. 

Instagram shops are the easiest way to get this done, in my opinion. Poshmark or those type of platforms are great for higher end products but overall, I have found such ease creating a shop on Instagram. 

1. THE INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT

I used @ShopAwtrey and it’s pretty straight to the point, that’s what you want. I pointed people to it using my Instagram Story on my personal account and that’s how I got the following!

Put in your bio the way that you’re going to do things. How are people going to pay? What is the shipping costs? Do people need to comment anything for them to claim it? Do you have any other limitations (example: local pick up only)? Are you going to have people bid or is it first come first serve?

I highly suggest, if this is one of your firsts, sell them by first come first serve to gain basic interest. Starting adding the bidding feature when you have more people interested and commenting on one item many different times. 

2. POSTING PICTURES

The pictures you post will either sell the item or destroy it. Make sure that your pictures are well lit with a basic background. Lay/hang the clothes so that the collar is straightened, the shirt is buttoned, the pants lay the way they would in a store. The image says it all – it is their first impression of your closet, ya know. Make sure that the items look appealing. 

In the comments section put the size, the price and if anything is wrong with the item. (If you’re hosting a bid, add the starting bidding price). You want the price to be fair, appealing and make people snatch it up quickly. So make it a little lower than you would have wanted. Selling an item at a lower price is better than selling no items at all because the $ is too high…

Try to keep the caption small so that all it takes is a quick glance.

I use Snapseed (an app) to make my pictures a little more bright if my walls make the image look yellow. 

However, make sure not to over-edit the picture so that the color of the clothing is not longer true to real-life. 

3. THE SELLING/DELIVERY PROCESS

Once my items sell (or most of them) I DM the buyers and ask for the payment info and their address. I also confirm what they bought to make sure that we are both in agreeance on what they commented on saying they “want it.” For payment, I use Venmo and Paypal. Those are the best ways I’ve found to send invoices. 

When I ship these items, I go to the Dollar Store and grab plenty of padded manilla envelopes. I get a sharpie and write their addresses, stuff the item and a little gift (like a lollipop, something that won’t melt), seal it and send it off. This is when you want to make sure that the shipping price that you stated in your bio is spot on because you could be actually losing money. 

4. STAYING ORGANIZED

When your sell is over or someone claims your item, make sure that you’re recording it all down so you don’t sell it twice on accident (oops). I use a google spreadsheet with the name, Instagram username, the item, the price and then their venmo, Paypal information as well as their address for delivery. This helps me keep things organized. When they have paid, I highlight them green and when columns are green, I know it’s ready to ship.

5. AFTERWARDS

Make sure that you still post on your shop’s Instagram to inform people when the next sale it, when you’re shipping, all that info! I use Bitmojis and it keeps things super fun. 

After all of this, you don’t feel so bad going shopping for your replacement wardrobe because you put some skin in the game!

Go, you!