27 JUN WRITTEN BY PEARLLY
5 Reasons Your Used Goods Aren't Selling
So you've been trying to sell your used luxury goods? A high end sofa maybe, a luxury bag, or even a designer watch.. to replace it with a new one. A luxury watch perhaps, because you've been eyeing that new model. You may even want to sell your super car because you've got eight which is excess because you already have one for each day of the week. Whatever it is - you want to ensure that you're not waiting around for an age for your goods to sell.
Whether you're still in the thinking phase about the process - or you've taken the first steps in the journey - you'll need to follow some basic guidelines :
The same principles apply - whatever you're selling - & take it from us - all things are saleable. There are a number of variables involved but we've narrowed them down to the most impactful to securing a sale :
1). Nobody can see what you're selling!
Imagine you have a valuable painting - you'd like to sell it - so you place it inside your duvet cover & hope someone discovers & purchases it. Will it sell? Sorry that was a rhetorical question.
The platform for your luxury goods is as important as the goods itself. Imagine you couldn't see this blog post.. it might as well not exist, at least to you. If nobody can see what you're selling there doesn't leave much chance for it to bought.
In short, get your goods on a platform where they can be seen by a live market with ready-to-buy shoppers.
2). It's not quite clear what you're selling.
Imagine you were face-to-face with the person who was looking for what you're selling but they haven't quite made their mind up yet. How would you best communicate that you have what they're looking for? How would you describe it & what would you say? You don't need to turn salesman of the month on them, but you do need to make clear what you're selling & that's it's pretty much exactly what their looking for. Remember, when we're discussing luxury purchases, people aren't buying based on a genuine need - but they have sufficient evidence to tell you that it's a need. Most luxury goods sell themselves so you don't have to be a salesman to offload them.
If you are creating a sales description yourself - take heed to sufficiently answer the following :
Is it comfortable to use?
Is there any cosmetic damage (cracks, scratches, tears, dents, rips, scuffs, holes, fading, dog hair, cigarette smoke odour)
What's the reason for the sale?
Is the item 6 months, 2 years, 5 years old etc, is it a vintage piece - what year?
Be careful also not to call your goods been need new if they aren't actually brand new. What do we mean by this? Well, some people buy a sofa, sit on it for three months watching Friends box set with their feet all up on it, then shortly after decide to sell it claiming it's brand new. There is a big difference to brand new & brand new condition - they are not the same.
We've lost actual count of the number of cases like this that we've encountered.
3). Your asking price is too high
You can underprice a thing & watch it fly within hours - but try overpricing it & you may have to sit around for months watching it sell.
This is another factor that gets people stuck with their stuff for overly long periods of time. Another way of looking at that approach: attempting to get back the same amount paid for it brand new. Now is this impossible - no not at all - far from it! We do know of luxury watches made in the 60's that sell for ten times their original value - though this is largely due to the watch no longer being in production. But we also have modern day examples like for instance, Lamborghini used cars that sell for more than the same car brand new in the showroom. But of course, this is all to do with supply & demand & it is a known strategy that luxury brands limit production numbers to retain the expensiveness of their products.
Now we get it, you paid a lot of money for it just over a year ago, six months ago, last week even - but the same principles apply universally to used goods: if purchased, it has become the title of the consumer - & once the product has consumed status - it has ceased to be brand new - the price has dropped. Remember the analogy about the brand new car.. the value take a dive as soon as it's driven off the forecourt. The same idea applies to pretty much all used goods - by what degrees by which the price drops depends on the type of goods it is.
4). You've taken poor images (🙁)
A common factor really. First thing's first - your device. You won't get the images needed using a phone made 7 models ago - ensure you're using something up-to-date. The quality of the camera on your device has a direct impact on how quickly your items sell. Take 5 - 6 images of the goods in question, ensure you get different angles & ranges. By this we mean, taking a couple images close up, but most of them from a short distance away. Close up images help potential buyers see the quality of the materials; the distanced images help display the goods as a whole. Ensure there are no other objects in the shot unrelated to what you're trying to show - this will only become a distraction & pull attention away from what you're selling.
5). You haven't even included images (shakes head)
This point should have probably come before the last one but it's just as relevant nonetheless. Images are probably the single most important factor in selling anything - especially used goods - so never forget it. To not include images, is like creating a painting without a paintbrush, or better still, creating a painting with a paintbrush but no paint! You'll be at the easel a while - shifting those goods could take a while too. Full view and close-up shots always add that extra pizzazz to your images & inform the prospective buyer of exactly what they're buying. Often times you'll find that images alone are enough evidence for some to make that buying decision.