Top Selling Brands to Look for on eBay
Shirts Depending on the brand, shirts can sell for $20 to $150. T-shirts tend to be worth less while blouses are generally worth more, and button-downs range anywhere in between. If the piece’s tag is missing or you can’t find the brand right away, search for the name on the buttons or seams. Alex Mill (button-downs): $45 to $80 Alice McCall: $20 to $50 All Saints: $20 to $40 Anine Bing (T-shirts, sweatshirts): $50 to $80 Anti Social Social Club: $35 to $50 Boden: $20 to $40 Doen: $70 to $130 Faherty: $20 to $40 Frank & Eileen: $55 to $80 Free People: $40 to $60 MadeWorn (T-shirts): $50 to $100 Nili Lotan: $50 to $100 Proenza Schouler: $50 to $100 Queen of Sparkles: $85 to $150 Reyn Spooner (patterned button-downs): $30 to $50 Taylor Stitch (button-downs): $20 to $60 Zadig & Voltaire: $50 to $100
Pants Pants, especially jeans, can generally resell for around $50 or more. However, some name-brand leggings and everyday pants can sell for around the same price. While you’re combing through the racks, try to look for branded out-of-season items—shorts in winter, for example, may be discounted and overlooked by regular buyers. Agolde (jeans): $40 to $100 L’agnece (jeans): $40 to $120 Lululemon (leggings): $25 to $50 Mother (jeans): $50 to $100 Moussy (jeans): $50 to $100 Nili Lotan: $50 to $100 Pilcro (jeans): $30 to $60 Re/done (jeans): $40 to $75 Rudy Jude (jeans): $100 to $200 R13 (jeans): $60 to $80 Veronica Beard: $50 to $80 Vuori (shorts, elastic waist pants): $30 to $40
Bags Handbags, purses, and clutches are some of the biggest items you can resell. However, that may make them more difficult to find. To make the process easier, consider looking in thrift stores located near wealthy communities. The people who live in these areas may be more likely to donate high-quality or luxury bags you can resell for a high price. Brahmin: $50 to $200 CHANEL: $200 to $400+ Cult Gaia: $70 to $200+ Dooney & Bourke: $20 to $60 Gucci: $150+ Louis Vuitton: $200+ Michael Kors: $20 to $40 Kate Spade: $30 to $60 Rebecca Minkoff (leather): $20 to $70
Dresses Dresses are a popular clothing item that can sell for a lot of money on sites like eBay or Poshmark. To distinguish high-quality dresses from lower-quality fast fashions, touch each item and feel for silk, linen, or 100% cotton, or check the tag to see if they label the material. Alémais: $20 to $350 Alice McCall: $35 to $200 Bhldn (wedding/bridal): $50 to $200 Boden: $40 to $60 Brochu Walker: $50 to $150 Bronx & Banco: $100 to $200 Cath Kidson: $25 to $35 Farm Rio: $85 to $150 For Love & Lemons: $50 to $100 Free People: $35 to $70 Hill House: $100 House of CB: $50 to $100 Jenny Yoo: $50 to $100 L’Academie: $20 to $75 Lilly Pulitzer: $35 to $70 LoveShackFancy: $60 to $100 Mac Duggal: $100 to $200 Ml Monique Lhuillier: $50 to $100 Nicholas: $50 to $100 Norma Kamali: $50 to $100 Phase Eight: $30 to $40 Rat & Boa: $50 to $150 Reformation: $70 to $100 Retrofête: $100to $200+ Sachin & Babi: $50 to $150+ Saloni: $60 to $200+ Self-Portrait: $65 to $200 Sézane: $60 to $100 Spell & The Gypsy Collective: $60 to $120 Toteme: $80 to $200 Tuckernuck: $60 to $100 Zara: $20 to $35 Zimmermann: $60 to $250+ Zhivago: $150+
Shoes To get the most out of the footwear aisle, look for shoes in new or great quality in both the men and women’s sections. Trust your gut—if you see a shoe that you think may be worth something, type its brand or name into eBay or Poshmark to see how much they sell for. Adidas (sneakers, slides): $20 to $40 ASICS (sneakers): $25 to $65 Beklina (clogs, loafers): $50 to $100 Birkenstocks: $20 to $70 Christian Louboutin (heels): $100+ Canada Goose (sneakers): $160 to $500 Crocs: $20 to $35 Dr. Martin (boots, loafers): $40 to $65 Dubarry (boots): $90 to $150 Golden Goose (sneakers): $120 to $250 Hey Dude: $25 to $40 Hoka (sneakers): $30 to $75 Loeffler Randall (heels, flats, sandals): $50 to $150 Loro Piana: $60 to $200+ New Balance: $30 to $60 Nike: $30 to $70 On (running shoes): $50 to $100 Rothy’s (flats, loafers, sneakers): $35 to $80 Tieks (ballet flats): $30 to $80 Tory Burch (sandals, flats): $40 to $80 Ugg (boots, slippers): $40 to $100
Sweaters and hoodies Sweaters with interesting prints or images tend to be worth more on reselling sites, and so do sweatshirts and hoodies with certain brands or designs (like Aviator Nation’s signature red, orange, and blue stripes). However, this may change with the trends—keep an eye on the latest fashions to see what items might sell well. Aran Crafts (sweaters): $40 to $60 Aviator Nation (hoodies): $40 to $100 Brochu Walker (sweaters): $60 to $100 Dale of Norway (sweaters): $30 to $160 Fear of God Essentials (hoodies, sweatshirts): $40 to $70 Guizio (sweaters): $40 to $80 House of Sunny (sweaters): $50 to $100 Jenni Kayne (cardigans, turtlenecks): $70 to $200+ Margaret Howell (sweaters): $60 to $120 Paloma Wool (sweaters): $100 to $150 Perfect Moment: $180+ White + Warren (sweaters): $50
Jackets and outdoor gear Outdoor jackets and other gear are super timeless and tend to sell at a high price—which means they tend to resell for quite a bit, too. Look for high-quality brands like Arc’teryx or Columbia, which tend to invest in top-of-the-line technology. Arc’teryx: $50 to $150 Aritzia (puffer jackets): $50 to $200 Barbour: $60 to $120 Boden: $40+ Columbia: $15 to $40 Karen Millen: $75 to $100 Maje: $60 to $120 Moncler: $100 to $300+ Patagonia (pullovers, vests): $30 to $40 River Island: $20 to $40 Toteme: $100 to $250+
Spotting Fake Brands
Check the label for the brand and size information. The first thing you look for when finding items to sell is the label—if the brand name is misspelled or the size information is missing, it may be fake. To make sure, search up the item online and compare the tags—if anything is out-of-place, it may be better to skip this one. For example, if an item is labeled “one size fits all” but looks like a vintage (pre-1980’s) piece, it’s probably not original to the time period. However, some clothing brands have logos that changed over time, so it may be worth it to look up the history of the label to make sure the misspelling isn’t intentional.
Make sure the stitching is even and well-done. Handbags or jackets with lots of details and handmade stitching are often a sign that they’re authentic. If you see a piece that’s labeled as a designer or high-quality brand but has wonky or loose stitching, it’s probably a fake.
If you’re not sure whether the stitching or fabric is authentic, compare the item to a close-up picture from the manufacturer’s website.
Real holes in leather will have slightly uneven or rough edges, while fake leather stitching holes are usually uniform and perfectly punched.
Use a brand authentication app to make sure your pieces are real. An app like Legit can help you make sure that high-value items are real before you purchase them. To use it, upload a picture of an item and get verification from professional authenticators in 1 to 24 hours. You may ask the checkout person to hold an item for you while you wait, or check in with the store to see if they have a return policy so you can get your money back if it’s fake.
Avoiding eBay Scams
Take lots of pictures of your piece before sending it. One of the most common scams on eBay and similar sites is where a buyer claims that you sent them a damaged item so they can get their money back. They may even provide fake photo evidence using a replica of the piece. To avoid this, take tons of photos of the item and the packaging before you send it. You can also file an insurance claim with the shipping provider and tell the buyer to hold onto the item until the agent can come inspect it. Even if you don’t actually file the claim, the scammer might stop asking for a refund because they’re afraid of being exposed.
Wait for the payment to go through before shipping the item. In an overpayment scam, a buyer may offer a bid way higher than the asking price and pay with a fraudulent check. If you send the item before the check goes through, you’re out of luck. To avoid this, make sure the money is in your account before shipping off the item. In addition, try not to give any personal information to your buyers, like your bank numbers.
Only accept payment through the reselling site. Scams can happen to both buyers and sellers if one party asks the other to pay through an alternate site like Venmo. If you only accept the other person’s money through the original site, this ensures that the company will compensate you if you do fall victim to a scam. Try not to agree to exchange texts or emails with your buyer so the reselling site has a paper trail of all the communication between you two.
Tips for Making a Profit
Check your local thrift stores for sales and discounts. Thrift stores tend to have sales on certain days of the week—they might have whole-store discounts, or they might attach colored tags to items that tell you how much they’ll take off. Ask the workers when their sales days are and try to hunt for clothes on those days to cut down on how much you spend. Some stores may have coupons through email or social media groups—a worker may tell you to look there for deals, too.
Find pieces that are cheap but may fit current clothing trends. Reselling is all about calculating the cost of the item versus its demand. The more likely your item is going to be super popular online, the more likely it’s going to sell—and on sites like eBay, where sales are auction-based, this may increase its price, too. However, timeless brands like Chanel or Patagonia might be worth a little extra money out-of-pocket because you know that they’ll probably sell.
Check for any tears, stains, or defects in your pieces. Minor issues, like a little wear and tear, might not make a difference, but large holes or irreversible stains may make your pieces less valuable to buyers. Before you head to the checkout line, look over all of your items to make sure there are no super obvious flaws that may make them difficult to sell. In some cases, a defect may be worth it. For example, if you found a handbag that’s typically worth $100 online but has a tear in the handle, you may take the risk for a bigger payoff.
Take clear, well-lit photos of the pieces you’re selling. Try to get a selection of photos with different angles and take close-up pictures of the fabric and the tag so users can verify that the piece is authentic. You can take pictures with the item hanging up in front of a neutral background, or snap a photo of you wearing it, if you’re comfortable doing so. Make sure there is enough light in the room to see the details in your pieces. On eBay, you can use the background removal tool to edit out the backdrop and create a more pleasing image.
Begin your title with relevant keywords. When you’re ready to put your item online, start by listing the brand or category (men’s, women’s, children’s, etc.) in the title. That way, customers can find the luxury pieces they want right away. Then, list the type of item, its size, and a short description of the piece. For example, you might write “Karen Millen Puffer Jacket XXL Detachable Fur Hood.” If they apply, add keywords like “vintage” or “retro” to the end of your title. Try not to use words in all caps, characters like asterisks, or acronyms that users might not understand.
Relist your pieces or bring down the price after a few months. If 3 months have passed with no leads on an item, look at the post and see what other details you could add. You might update the photo, change the keywords in the title or description, or lower the price to compete with other resellers. You can also share your piece on a social media site like Pinterest to generate some interest in your item.
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