When to sell second-hand fashion items on eBay

London - This Christmas is likely to see a number of fashion lovers received both wanted - and unwanted - gifts, including clothing, accessories and shoes. Although these presents will be given with the best of intentions, the fact remains a large portion of them will have be passed along, as new research shows more than half of Brits resell their unwanted clothing online.

In fact 28 percent of British women are set to resell a fashion gift or purchase within 6 months of receiving or buying it, according to data from CollectPlus, an independent store-based parcel delivery service. Almost one in four consumers out of a survey of over 2,000 female British plan to fund new fashion purchases by selling off old or unwanted clothing on auction styled website like eBay.

What is the best time of the year to sell your unwanted mom jeans?

But when is the best moment to sell? CollectPlus latest research uses Google trends data to identify the best months when to list an item of clothing for sale and we gathered the results in the chart below- and the results may just surprise you. During the darker months of winter, it seems as if clothing in rose gold, deep burgundy and mustard yellow are highly coveted, but soft pastels, florals and tie dye shared are best kept awaiting until March or April to get more bang from your buck.

The chart above indicated that second-hand auction sites like eBay should expect a surge in embroidered, cut-out and velvet party dresses between September and November as they are poised to be the key months when shoppers look to shed their old Christmas and New Years frocks to make space for new ones. Mom and Flared jeans are likely to sell better between December and February, but Ripped jeans will do better in the warmer months, between March and May.

There are a few key fashion items which have shown a consistent increase in popularity over the last 12 years, such as trench coats, leather jackets, leather skirts, turtlenecks and Chelsea boots. This can be linked to these items continued popularity and ability to buck the seasonal fashion trends, remaining timeless in style.

The survey also highlighted the fashion items shoppers were willing to spend the most one in ‘near new condition’, from a high street fashion label. Unsurprisingly shoppers were willing to spend the most on second hand winter coats (24 pounds), sportswear (16 pounds) and handbags (16 pounds).

“Selling clothing online is a great way of decluttering and making money quickly," commented Catherine Woolfe, Marketing Director at CollectPlus. "Our research shows how following online search queries is key to improving the resale value of your clothing – Meaning you’ll have more money in your pocket to refresh your wardrobe when the new season collections arrive.

“Thankfully, staying on-trend throughout the year is becoming easier than ever. As long as you get your timings and tactics right, you can make the most out of your unwanted items in order to treat yourself to this season’s latest trends.”

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