Re-use, re-new, re-coup your spend

My speciality is utilising what you own, mixing and matching to get more wear out of your items and showing you how to shop and dress for your body shape.

After a Wardrobe Wakeup and a Well Groomed Wardrobe experience, sometimes we are left with items that are just not right for the client. No accessory, alteration, embellishment or layering will make the item work. So what to do with things such as this? Why not re-coup some of the value and sell the item on?

I don't know about you, but whenever I try and sell bits on eBay, it takes me ages to photograph, list, package and go to the post office.  So much effort for little reward (mostly because I don't have the time to dedicate to it, thus not getting the best price).  Things hang around in the spare room for ages as it takes me so long to get round to listing it all.

So I am really pleased to offer a fantastic service to my clients through the brilliant Pink Spaghetti.

Pink Spaghetti, will list the item detailing all the specifics to get the best selling price (including measurements), they will photograph it from its best angles (they have even got a mannequin which helps display the item). They will then package it up and post it on to the lucky new owner.  Added to this if you have any items to sell, I will take them to Pink Spaghetti free of charge (usually £5 collection fee).

All they take for this brilliant service is a percentage of the selling price and out of this comes all the selling fees, PayPal and packaging and postage fees. Not only that they will keep you up to date with the progress of your sales and deal with any questions and queries .

• Selling price up to £19.99   50%
• Selling price from £20 - £100   35%
• Selling Price from £100 - £199   25%
• Selling price from £200   please ask for quote

To maximise the prices you get for your sales Pink Spaghetti have provided the following tips:

·         If able, list for 10 days and finish the listing early evening on a Sunday.  This maximises the time people will be able to bid on the item and Sunday evening is the most popular time for people to be buying on Ebay.

·         Compose the perfect title to ensure people see your item and making the item title searchable. When buyers search, eBay only automatically searches for words in the item's title, not the rest of the description, so every word counts. The maximum number of words/characters allowed in a title is 55. So include details like the brand, size and if new. 

·         Use the Ebay short names to describe the condition of the your items to maximise the amount you can include in the description e.g. BN is Brand New and BNIB Brand in Box.

·         Take a good picture to maximise the item.  When selling an item for a customer we always use more than one picture to show off any item at its best e.g. details on cuffs, a toy from a different angle. 

·         Think about seasonality.  Summer items will not sell in December and vice versa.  It is worth keeping hold of something and selling at the right time.

·         To protect yourself in case something goes wrong,  always get proof of postage.   

·         Finally don’t automatically use Ebay to sell everything.  We have found a number of specialist sites which are better for selling particular items.  Do your research first and look around at the place to get your best price.

Have you ever found a bargain on ebay? What's been your most successful ebay sale?

www.pink-spaghetti.co.uk

enquiries@pink-spaghetti.co.uk

0844 504 7465

Going green this season?

What does recycled, sustainable or Eco fashion mean to you? Does it conjure up ill fitting items made out of old potato bags or baggy tie dyed clothes more suited to dreadlocked Eco warriors?

The reality is garments that have been produced with the environment or social consequence in mind. Items designed with their carbon footprint considered or fabrics chosen for their impact (or not) on the environment. Clothes that have been loved and passed on. Or recycled to create something new.

I recently came across the term 'Trashion' and this is what prompted me to write this piece. I have always admired those who can turn something seemingly used and redundant into something beautiful or useful. Now don't get me wrong, you won't see me dropping the kids at school wearing an old cereal box and an Ariel bottle however you might see me wearing a bicycle tyre innard as a necklace (yes you did read that right).

Upcycled necklace created using bicycle tyre inner tubes
www.puncturedromance.moonfruit.com

Upcycling as it's also known is a wonderful way of re-using products and fabrics to create something new. Even Tescos, with it's collaboration with From Somewhere produced a range from it's own end of line stock in a Sri Lankan factory awarded gold rating for environmental responsibility.

We are all aware that to produce 'cheap' throw away fashion that there is someone at the foot of the production chain that was probably paid very little to produce that bargain. I myself am no stranger to a certain large chain store but I've really started to consider what I'm actually buying and whether it's worth the cost. By this I mean that bargain dress that I'm going to buy for around £12 but I'm only going to wear a couple of times. As well as posing a few ethical issues, that 'bargain' actually equates to £6 per wear, really I would have been better investing in something that I really liked, wore more often, didn't end up in landfill and was produced more ethically.

There has been a recent trend of brands offering a percentage or a nominal price per sale donation to charities. This has come under a bit of negative press however my thoughts are, regardless of the companies motives there are still charities that are benefiting both financially and with raised awareness - this can't be too much of a bad thing.

From Somewhere collaboration with Tescos

With dress agencies full of treasures where you can pick up a designer or quality high street item for a fraction of the price we can cash in on some of our own unworn items. A couple of high street stores are also offering incentives to return your unwanted items. Marks and Spencer have teamed up with Oxfam to help shoppers support the charities work, if you take your old Marks and Spencer clothes or soft furnishing to an Oxfam store then you will receive a £5 voucher to spend in Marks and Spencer. Monsoon run the Clothes for Life scheme. Take your old Monsoon items into store and they will give you a £10 voucher to redeem against the price of any new item worth over £50.

Things we can do:
• One man's trash is another man's treasure. Check out and utilise dress agencies.
• Swapping is a great way to give items a longer lifespan as well as bagging yourself some new clobber, consider throwing a swishing party.
• Sometimes there's that perfect vintage item just waiting to be found in your local second hand shop. If that's a step too far for you, check out places like Oxfam online and Oxfam Originals
• Do you really need to get rid of that item or would altering it make it more wearable?

Wardrobe Wonder

Image courtesy of http://gettingitswoonworthy.blogspot.com

Have you ever considered how much wasted money there is hanging in your wardrobe? Or how many potential new outfits are tucked away in there waiting to be discovered?

One of my most popular services is a wardrobe consultation and the reason for this is simple. Most people have got loads of clothes and they are reluctant to shop for new ones without fully understanding what they already own, and by this I mean what fits properly, what suits them, does it represent their style and is it in fashion. After a wardrobe consultation my average customer gains about 39 new outfits i.e. something they would never have thought of or worn before (which they love), and this equates to around £3.85 per new full outfit! They learn exactly what suits them and their body shape and they understand what they should shop for in the future.

It's no secret that the majority of people wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time. Why do we suppose this is? Are there lots of mistakes that they have bought on a whim, or because it looked good on a celebrity or a friend? Or is it because they don't know how to wear the item or are they missing key capsule pieces that tie everything together? Or do they have a look that not all their clothes fit in with? How do you identify the reason without spending the time to understand the contents of your wardrobe?

So if you fancy breathing some new life into your image and getting to grips with the contents of your wardrobe, follow my 'do it yourself' tips, and spend some time having a good sort through your clothes and accessories.

First take out anything that doesn't fit. You don't have to get rid of it, just take it out of your everyday wardrobe. It's psychologically damaging having clothes that you can't wear in your wardrobe. If it's too small you will beat yourself up because you are not slim enough and if it's too big you're subconsciously telling yourself that you're going to be that size again, not to mention the fact that it's taking up valuable space.

Take out anything that needs mending or adjusting and commit to getting it done.

Take out anything that is past it's best. Are you really going to feel stylish in that old bobbly jumper or that pair of jeans that have lost all their elastic?

Some people advise to take out anything that you haven't worn for over 6 months. However I think you could be missing out on some 'hidden gems'. Instead look at these items and consider why haven't you worn it? Is it that you didn't know what to wear it with or that it doesn't flatter. Try each item on and mix it with something unexpected for instance if it's something you bought for the office try it with a pair of jeans.

Take pictures, this is a really good reminder of the outfits you have created.

Anything that you have left needs sorting. Everyone will have their own system that works well for them. I prefer to hang things first by type i.e. all trousers together, then length, then colour.

You should now be left with an organised wardrobe full of wearable items, you should have an understanding of anything that is missing, and you should have noticed a few key pieces that went with lots of different things (capsule items). You will have a pile of items that may need altering or mending, a pile that's past it's best and a pile for charity or eBay.

For further information give me a call on 07980 789602 or visit the wardrobe tab at the top of the blog or visit my website for further information on the wardrobe services I offer.