This one's for the Novice | How to Get Started Selling Vintage

Do you have a love for vintage and the "ones that got left behind", the pre-loved, no longer loved? Are you already a collector and want to turn your love of vintage into a small business or side hustle? Or are you completely new to this space and want to break in? 

If you're already a collector then you're one step ahead of the game. If you're new to the vintage space well, prepare to become addicted to the hunt. Either way, it can feel intimidating or even overwhelming to go from hobbyist hunter and gatherer of vintage to seller BUT rest assured, the magic and part of the fun is in the learning curves and the milestones. 

One thing I quickly noticed when I started out is how much of a community vibe there is in this space. Some sellers will even reach out to help you i.e. correct a listing if needed and once you've started engaging more, sellers seem happy to share or exchange helpful info. 

Keep in mind there is a very wide spectrum of vintage sellers, from knowledge and experience to what is being sold. Just as with the modern retail industry there is high end, luxury/designer, low end and everything in between. Where you fall on that spectrum will all depend on what you feel guided to sell and how much money and time you have to invest. I started with clothes from my personal closet, I was NOT an avid vintage collector and I did not have a ton of money or time to invest but I knew I had to start somewhere if I wanted to break into this space. 

So, a few suggestions to kick off your vintage seller era::...

• Decide what you want to sell. Clothing, Jewelry, Tchotchke, Home Goods, etc. 
• Decide if you want to stick to a specific niche or era.
• Find out the best places to source your inventory.
• Choose where you want to sell: online, in-person. 

You can change your mind on any of those bullet points at any time along the way so don't overthink them, just decide. The sun, the moon and the stars do not need to be perfectly aligned to get the ball rolling on your new venture. 

On top of all those things, doing some R&D (research and development), market research will be really helpful in building and molding your shop. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. Study the ones who have already been there and done that. Check out some vintage sellers on social media or brick and mortar sellers that inspire you and take notes on what they're doing. Your unique essence will still come through even if you choose to do similar things to what other sellers are doing. 

My recommendation and what I believe to be the fastest way to get selling stat, is to sell online. 

Online platforms do NOT require you to have: 

• An official business name or license registered with your local government. 
• A business bank account.
  
• A business plan.
• A ton of capital or good credit scores.

You will need: 

• A name for your shop.
• Some inventory.
• At least a personal bank account for payouts when you sell an item. 
• A way to take photos of your inventory - your phone camera works just fine.
• An ability to navigate a technical platform. Customer service chat is usually available on these sites to assist you. 
  

Keep an eye out for my upcoming blog post on "How to choose the right online shop platform for you.", explaining some of the differences in the platforms, bullet-pointing how user friendly they are, to the fees, etc.

Thanks for reading! I hope this helped some.

Feel free to leave feedback, add onto my suggestions in the comments or message me with any questions. Contact Us

For the love of the hunt, Alicia