In today’s fast fashion world, vintage clothing has become an option for anyone wanting to stand out from ubiquitous clothing trends. Thus, items produced 20-50 years ago appeal to shoppers and are in demand now more than ever. As the law of the supply chain, there will be a supply when there is a demand. Selling vintage clothing become a great business idea, especially for fans of this style.
So, if you are wondering where to sell vintage clothing, here are some best sites to open a thrift store: Etsy, eBay, Poshmark, Depop, thredUp, and Vinted. In addition, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are potential social media platforms for vintage clothing.
We will explain in detail why these 9 sites are the best places to sell vintage clothing right below:
Without further ado, let’s get started!
Why Is Vintage Clothing So Popular?
According to Statistics, the global market value of secondhand and resale apparel, including vintage clothing, was estimated to be 177 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. This number is projected to increase to 351 billion dollars in 2027. So, before diving into the question of “Where can I sell my vintage clothes?”, it’s essential to understand why vintage clothing has become increasingly popular today.
First of all, dress to impress, and vintage clothing allows its owners to express an original and unique style. A mod miniskirt of the swinging ‘60s carries a distinct vibe compared to a flannel shirt and band tees of the ‘90s grunge era. And no modern clothing can represent these styles.
Aside from looking good, each vintage piece has an age, a past, and a story that captivates vintage hunters. Each era has its own lifestyle and events. Wearing these items allows shoppers to embrace a sense of that particular time. Or simply, shoppers are just curious about what one item has experienced.
Lastly, with growing awareness of the environmental impact of fast fashion, many individuals are turning to vintage clothing as a more sustainable option. Buying vintage reduces not only old clothing thrown into the environment but also the demand for new garments. Additionally, clothing from the past was usually made to last, with high-quality fabric, which once again embraces a durable consumption lifestyle.
These insights above have significantly grown the demand for vintage pieces. As a result, this surge creates an opportunity for anyone sharing the same value to start a thrift store or vintage clothing business. Now, let’s explore where to sell vintage clothing.
Where to Sell Vintage Clothing Online? – 6 Best Online Marketplaces
It’s unsurprising that a physical store works for the vintage industry, giving customers the excitement of hunting for treasures. Vintage lovers also like the idea of traveling back in time to the golden age of that style while dipping through racks at the thrift store.
However, if you can’t start a physical store, the digital world is still a fantastic option to run your vintage clothing shop. Some online platforms might work for a niche, and others might work better. We will explore where to sell clothing on various platforms.
Top 6 online marketplaces to sell vitage clothing:
- eBay
- Etsy
- Poshmark
- ThredUp
- Vinted
- Depop
1. eBay – A real OG site for secondhand items
First of all, eBay. Launched in 1995, eBay has become one of the biggest online marketplaces in the world. However, starting with an auction for a broken laser pointer, eBay still can be seen as a real OG of selling and buying vintage items. There is even a category for all vintage items, including clothing, shoes, and accessories, on this platform.
Moreover, eBay is one of the best sites to sell vintage clothing because it lets you use an auction system. This advantage of opening an eBay store lets shoppers bid on items for a specific time, adding to the excitement of finding and possessing rare and unique items. Alternatively, you can still use the Buy It Now option if you prefer to set a fixed price for your vintage items.
When you start selling on eBay, you DON’T have to pay for your first 250 listings. After that, eBay selling fees include $0.30 per listing and 10-15% of the final sales, depending on the category.
2. Etsy – An online platform that specializes in handmade, vintage, and unique items
Etsy started as a corner for creative craft items. But now, Etsy has evolved into one of the best online marketplaces worldwide for millions of unique pieces, including vintage clothing items sourced from Bali to Boston. There are hundreds of vintage shops there. The one-piece-a-kind stores sell various collections of clothes from the Victorian to the 1980s.
Starting selling on Etsy, you’ll be charged $0.20 per listing. The Etsy selling fees also cover transactions, payment processing, and offsite advertising fees.
Fab Gabs is an example of a vintage clothing brand on Etsy. As a woman who wears vintage daily, Fab Gabs’s shop owner listed new items from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s items every week to the vintage community. Until August 2023, this vintage store has been getting over 12,000 sales.
Ready to Start Selling Vintage Clothing?
LitCommerce helps you list and sync your vintage pieces across platforms like eBay, Etsy, TikTok, and more!
3. Poshmark – A social marketplace for new and secondhand style
Besides eBay and Etsy, Poshmark(with over 80 million monthly users) is another online vintage marketplace for resellers to start their reselling business from scratch.
By nature, Poshmark is a reselling platform, but now it has become a social commerce platform and mobile app for new and secondhand fashion, home goods, and electronics. This social platform allows perspectives to like, comment, or share the product before buying it. This feature, for sure, is an excellent plus score for vintage buyers if they want to ask for any more information about the items.
As a Poshmark seller, you will be charged a flat commission of $2.95 on sales under $15. For $15 or more, you keep 80% of your deal, and Poshmark’s commission is 20%.
The posher @afterliffeatl has listed thousands of vintage items on this social commerce platform from $5 to over $100. Until August 2023, this seller based in Atlanta, GA, has over 1,300 sold listings.
4. thredUp – An online consignment & thrift store
thredUp is born to answer the question, “Where to sell vintage women’s clothing?”. This place is only accepting and selling women’s and children’s clothing.
Branding itself as a one-stop thrift destination, thredUp is also an ideal spot for buyers seeking thrift or vintage items. This presents an opportunity for sellers to find a place to sell vintage clothing.
5. Vinted – A secondhand marketplace to give preowned clothes a second life
While searching for “Where can I sell vintage clothing online?”, Vinted may appear as the best deal for sellers as there is no commission or listing fee on this platform. This platform determines its brand positioning as a “Second-hand marketplace,” making it a go-to site to open your vintage store and give clothes a second life.
Vinted is especially well-known in Europe but is also available to users in the U.S. One notable feature of this platform is that buyers can make an offer to negotiate prices with you.
6. Depop – The home of circular fashion
Like Poshmark, the Depop marketplace also has a social element where sellers and customers can engage in peer-to-peer exchanges and interactions.
Focusing on driving to become the home of circular fashion that’s kinder to people and kinder to the planet, Depop attracts environmentally-conscious shoppers who appreciate the value of pre-loved. Therefore, it is particularly effective for selling vintage clothing.
Depop charges a 10% fee on the total transaction amount, and you will get 90% of the total sales.
Which Are the Best Social Media Platforms to Sell Vintage Clothing?
Besides selling on online marketplaces, social media marketing and social commerce are crucial eCommerce strategies for all sellers in our digital world today. And vintage clothing sellers are no exception. Running a vintage clothing store, you shouldn’t miss the power of photos and videos on social platforms to show off your products to the vintage aficionado world.
So, where to sell vintage clothing on various social media platforms? Let’s find out!
- TikTok
1. Instagram – A photo and video social platform to share your vintage collection
As a visual platform, Instagram is a powerful tool for showcasing high-quality product images, making it one of the best places to sell vintage clothing online. You can use all Instagram tools like posts, stories, reels, and live videos to show off your vintage items and create engaging content, such as ideas for mixing and matching them.
Moreover, Instagram Shopping allows customers to browse or buy items from your eCommerce store easily. If you don’t have any store on the eCommerce platforms, you can choose DMs as a checkout option on Instagram. You accept payments in DMs and let your customers take orders via chat. This makes the buying process easier for the customers. They don’t have to navigate different places to complete a purchase.
Take @awokevintagebrooklyn (61.4k followers) as an example of this only-selling-on Instagram model. They use Instagram Stories to showcase their vintage gems and price, letting their Instagram customers purchase right in the Reply section.
2. TikTok – A short video platform where your vintage store can go viral
Where to sell vintage clothes online? With 47.4% of TikTok users under 30, TikTok is a great place to sell vintage, especially when the young generations are the most interested in them.
As a short video platform, TikTok offers a great way to showcase your vintage ware and directly generate clients through content. Your team can show your products by creating outfit-of-the-day videos using trending audio or tapping into popular trends like #ThriftTok or #vintagebundle. A viral video can reach hundreds of thousands of people, who might be converted into your actual customers.
Once you create a TikTok business account, you can set up a TikTok Shop. This selling feature offers customers a quick and convenient in-app buying experience. However, TikTok will take a 5% commission on each sale you make.
Let’s meet Erica Lubinic, the founder of Saint Ivy Vintage, a Canadian-based secondhand clothing and accessories reseller. Initially, this 25-year-old girl built a TikTok following based on her personal style, OOTD videos, and thrift hauls. But at the end of 2022, when style bundle videos started popping off, she realized it was a great business opportunity.
Since then, she has used TikTok to sell vintage clothing and turn her side hustle into a full-time business. Until August 2023, her TikTok account has gotten about 800k likes.
Showcase Your Vintage Clothing on TikTok Shop!
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3. Facebook – The most-used social platform in the world
Lastly, we can’t ignore Facebook – The world’s top 1 social site. With an average of 1.62 billion users visiting Facebook daily, this is a significant platform for reaching potential buyers interested in vintage fashion.
Like Instagram and TikTok, you can post photos of your product and relevant content on Facebook so that your fans can see them in their feeds. Moreover, targeted Facebook advertising allows your vintage store to reach more customers, and the Facebook group feature allows you to build a community around your vintage clothing offerings.
Regarding selling, Facebook has Facebook Marketplace and Facebook Shop, simplifying the buying process. Once you create a Facebook shop, you can connect Etsy to Facebook and link your product listings on your store to Facebook.
To sum up, social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are worth considering in this social commerce world when you sell vintage clothing. Leveraging these platforms, you absolutely can increase your reach and then increase your sales.
Where to Sell Vintage Clothing – FAQs
The easiest way to sell vintage clothing is to list your vintage items on eBay. eBay can be considered a real OG for selling and buying vintage items. Thus, you can easily list items on this marketplace, from clothing to toys, at any price. You can set a fixed price with Buy It Now option or let people bid on the item with an eBay auction for a certain amount of time. Here are 9 best places to sell vintage clothing: Yes, it is. As there is a demand for vintage clothing, selling this fashion can be a lucrative business. Nowadays, vintage clothing is seen as a cheaper and more environmentally friendly option, attracting more customers, especially the young. There are two options for selling vintage clothes: online and offline. Some popular online platforms to sell vintage clothing are eBay, Etsy, Poshmark, thredUP, and Depop. Yes, vintage clothing is in demand. According to Statista, the global market value of vintage and resale clothing in 2022 was estimated to be worth 177 billion U.S. dollars. Moreover, this kind of clothing is seen as a cheaper and more environmentally friendly option, which especially attracts young consumers. To sell vintage clothing near you, a brick-and-mortar store is one of the recommendations. However, we also live in a digital world, so don’t forget to leverage the power of online marketplaces and social media platforms.
The Final Words
Selling vintage clothing online opens up a world of possibilities to connect with buyers who appreciate a unique and sustainable lifestyle like yours. We have walked through the eight best sites to sell vintage clothes.
Whether you opt for Etsy’s artisanal vibe, eBay’s global reach, or the visual appeal of Instagram and Depop, we recommend opting for 2-3 channels first. Less is really more. By focusing on just two or three platforms, you can understand the rules of each channel well and thus make the most of each channel.
At the same time, multichannel selling is essential to show your vintage products to customers with different behaviors. LitCommerce will be your best friend in helping with your multichannel listing and inventory management.
Don’t forget to follow our LitCommerce Retailer blog and join our Facebook community to be up-to-minute on eCommerce trends and sharing.
