Black Friday Sales Strategies for Clothing Resellers
Black Friday isn’t just for big-box retailers; it’s a goldmine waiting to be tapped by clever clothing resellers. Did you know that clothing and accessories is the most popular product category for female shoppers in the United States? In fact, over 80% of American women plan to buy clothing or accessories online during Black Friday this year (source). Whether you’re selling vintage jeans on Depop or running a full-blown Poshmark empire, this guide will help you turn the biggest shopping day of 2024 into your biggest profit day too. And no, you won’t have to fight anyone for a TV at 4 a.m., though I can’t promise that you won’t be up late scheduling pricing markdowns!
Tip: If you’re a shopper eager for some Black Friday thrifting tips, make sure to check out our 2024 Black Friday Thrifting Guide.
Platform-Specific Black Friday Sales
Some resale platforms run Black Friday sales and some don’t, so it’s important to understand what’s happening on the platforms you use so that you can generate more interest and sales. If your platform of choice is offering sitewide sales, you will typically need to opt in. If it’s not offering sitewide sales, you can still offer special discounts and bundles to entice Black Friday shoppers.
Poshmark and Depop are examples of platforms that doesn’t hold an official Black Friday event, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create some Black Friday hype for your own listings. Create new bundle deals, throw in some “Black Friday” sale-related copy to your titles and descriptions, offer extra discounts, and share and promote your items heavily. Even without sitewide sales, traffic to the resale platforms will be heavier from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, so start planning some promos that will help move your listings.
Etsy and eBay, meanwhile, often offer site-wide category-specific promotions. For these events, sellers might need to opt in (so watch for email announcements!) to set up sale items and create discounts and promotions. Again, even if your items don’t fit some of the site-wide sale categories or meet sale criteria, you can still create your own promotions.
Create Your Own Black Friday Promos
If you aren’t able to participate in official Black Friday sales as a clothing reseller for your platforms of choice, here are a few ways you can still bring in lots of traffic (and sales!) for Black Friday:
- Manually adjust your prices to show bigger discounts, or consider creating bundle discounts to attract more buyers.
- Update descriptions, listing titles, and tags for your listings like, “Black Friday Sale” or “#BlackFriday” to get more search visibility. You can also create a sense of urgency and scarcity with language like, “One Day Only!”, “Flash Sale!”, “30% Off Today!”, etc.
- Pay for promoted or sponsored listings to get more visibility on high-traffic sale days.
- Allow buyers to make offers so they can negotiate their own discount and feel like they’re getting a better deal.
- Use platform-specific promotional tools, like flash sales, coupon codes, bulk markdown managers and more to manage your promotions and get more sales.
- Share your biggest promotions on social media.
While all of the above can help you move inventory and get more sales, don’t forget to keep your bottom line in mind. Don’t discount items beyond where you can comfortably make a profit and don’t feel compelled to accept lowball offers. Then again, Black Friday could be a great time to slash prices on inventory that isn’t selling so you can make more room in your store!
Be Ready to Sell
Beyond getting your listings ready and offering promotions, you need to be ready on Black Friday and the days that follow to process orders, ship, and answer questions quickly. Clear your calendar now!
Buyers will be making decisions quickly and browsing through lots of items at once, so when they have questions, the stakes are high to get them answers in minutes. If you can’t, you might lose the sale. Even if you can’t sit in front of a computer, be ready to check messages at least every hour.
For sales you make, try to ship them out the next day. You’ll get better reviews and Black Friday won’t feel as overwhelming if you can stay on top of your processes and get things closed ASAP.
Conclusion
As Black Friday approaches, use the time to prepare your listings, plan your sales, and understand what promotions each platform offers. With the right strategy and the tips in this article, you’ll be able to bring in lots of new sales and set a new profit record for your resale business. Just remember that preparation is key! Your bank account will thank you later.
Happy selling and happy holidays!
