Closet Full of Treasures? Here’s How To Sell Vintage Clothing

Sourcing and curating vintage is a skill—and a hobby you can turn into a business.

With economic pressure accelerating adoption of secondhand shopping, selling preloved clothing presents an opportunity in a growing market for sustainable businesses. Reporting from ThredUp anticipates the global secondhand apparel market to reach $367 billion by 2029, growing at 2.7 times the rate of the overall global apparel market. 

Here, learn how to build your own vintage clothing brand: how to source products, capture product photos, and develop a pricing strategy, with industry advice from vintage sellers.

Vintage clothing terminology

Before you start building a vintage clothing business, make sure you understand the terminology:

• Vintage: Vintage clothing describes items produced between 20 and 100 years ago.
• Antique: Clothing is considered antique if it’s more than 100 years old. These pieces are rare and frequently found in museums or personal collections.
• Secondhand: Clothing from any time period and in any style that has been previously worn.
• Retro (or repro): Items produced within the past 20 years are retro or repro (short for “reproduction”).
• Dead stock: Inventory that has never been purchased by a consumer. In clothing, this can apply to any unsold or unworn items.
• Resale: Resale, also known as recommerce, is the curated sale of secondhand items, primarily online.
• Consignment: In this business model, a store sells items on behalf of individuals, who receive a share of profits after their pieces have sold. (Secondhand online retailers ThredUp and TheRealReal use a consignment model.)

Many resellers offer a mix of vintage and secondhand clothing, while others specialize in specific eras or styles. 

How to sell vintage clothing online in 11 steps

1. Find your angle
2. Build your vintage clothing brand
3. Fund your business idea
4. Source vintage clothes to sell
5. Price your products
6. Manage your vintage clothing inventory
7. Photograph your vintage products
8. Set up your online store
9. Sell vintage clothing on multiple sales channels
10. Market your vintage clothing business
11. Set up a shipping and returns strategy

Here are the essential steps to start a vintage clothing business:

1. Find your angle

Consider choosing a vintage clothing niche to distinguish yourself from competitors.

Adored Vintage founder Rodellee Bas has curated her vintage store around romantic, feminine pieces since 2012. The shop now stocks new clothing, too, but Rodellee has stayed true to her initial niche.

Here are some example niches for selling vintage clothing:

• A decade, say the 1920s or the 1980s
• A specific purpose or occasion, like resortwear or wedding-guest attire
• High-end designer clothing
• A niche item, like band tees
• Reworked or reclaimed styles (adapting vintage clothing into new pieces)
• Retro clothing in a vintage style 
• Styles, like grunge or mod

Conducting market research can help you find a niche. Conduct a competitive analysis to examine what other companies are doing well and unearth untapped markets. You can use Shopify’s free market research template to get started.

Once you’ve landed on a niche, ask yourself these questions:

• Is this my style? You’ll be your own brand ambassador, so make sure you feel comfortable representing what you’re selling.
• How big is my niche? Go too specific, and you may have difficulty sourcing enough inventory or finding a large enough customer base.
• How saturated is my niche? Are there already many shops selling vintage clothing in this niche? If so, how can you differentiate yours?
• How relevant is my niche? Vintage clothing can sell better if it translates to a modern style or lifestyle. Review runway shows, influencer trends, and popular street styles for ideas.

2. Build your vintage clothing brand

Building a brand for your vintage business can help you find a relevant audience, guide future expansion, and maintain consistent focus.

Key brand components to develop include a brand story, a visual brand identity, a mission statement, and a profile of your ideal customer.

Assemble your brand elements into a set of brand guidelines, a reference document to guide everything from your logo and color palette to your brand voice.

Refer to the brand guidelines as you design your site and curate your collection. Require employees to use them, too. “It builds trust in your customers if they feel like you have a clear, consistent point of view,” says Ky Allport, creative director of branding agency Outline.

3. Fund your business idea

Unless you choose a consignment model (paying for items after they sell), you’ll need to buy inventory upfront. You can finance initial investments such as inventory and an ecommerce website through bootstrapping (self-funding) or by securing external funds through avenues such as small business loans or crowdfunding.

To test your new business, one strategy is to start with a small inventory and add more products as you develop your customer base and discover their needs. Track your inventory purchases and sales, and monitor your cash flow to ensure you don’t spend more than you make over the long run. The Shopify App Store has several accounting apps to help manage your finances.

As you scale, consider your storage and fulfillment needs. Before making the jump to a dedicated office or warehouse space, calculate how much it will cost and how much you’ll need to make per month to earn a profit. 

Shopify’s third-party logistics (3PL) partners help you expand your business without having to prepare packages yourself.

4. Source vintage clothes to sell

Here are some ways to buy vintage clothing inventory:

In-store thrifting

If you’re patient and have an eye for scouring racks, consider sourcing vintage finds at your local thrift store. Here are some tips for in-store thrifting:

• Go often and on the right days. Many stores receive shipments on specific days. Ask store staff for that information to plan your visits.
• Have a plan. Save time and money by defining the items you’re seeking before you shop. If you work with someone else, create a style guide with helpful identifiers.
• Inspect items before purchasing. Thrift stores don’t necessarily maintain the same quality standards as curated vintage shops, and items may be stained or damaged.
• Know your stuff. Learn to identify clothing time periods by studying old fashion magazines and reading blogs. You can learn to date pieces by features such as tags, buttons, zipper placement, cuts, and place of manufacture.
• Thrift in other places. Explore thrift shops in other cities to find items that might not be available at home.

Naomi Bergknoff, founder of online thrift store Omnia, visits thrift stores whenever she travels. “Always carry extra Ikea bags in your car and have cash,” she says.

Other sources for finding vintage clothing

Here are some more inventory sourcing options:

• Auctions. Lots or bundles of vintage clothing or accessories are a mainstay at auctions. With Maxsold, you bid online for items you pick up in person, while eBay sellers choose to make their items available for shipping or local pickup.
• Estate sales. Stay on top of upcoming sales by getting on the email list of local estate sale management companies. EstateSales.net is one resource for finding events.
• Online marketplaces and classifieds. Sites like Craigslist can turn up treasures for sale, as well as listings for garage sales, moving sales, and estate sales.
• Pickers. Once you’ve built up your business, consider outsourcing by hiring a picker, someone who makes the rounds at thrift shops or other inventory sources.
• Consignment programs. Set up a program to buy or consign vintage items from your customers or site visitors. Consignment is where you pay the owner only if you sell the item, and Shopify offers several consignment apps to simplify payouts. 
• Flea markets. Showing up early means first dibs, but dealers also unload stock at the end of the day or at the end ofthe flea market season.
• Collectors. Private collectors may be interested in working with you to sell parts of their collections.
• Wholesalers. Sign up as a trade customer with wholesalers to access vintage in bulk at wholesale prices. Wholesalers generally get their stock by picking from the extra inventory from thrift stores or collection boxes.

Naomi is selective when sourcing inventory for her store. “I’m always thinking about what I’m attracted to and what I know my customers will like to see,” she says.

Check Google Trends to assess demand for a particular product; it shows how many people searched for a designer or item over a selected time period, for insight into trending products.

Some sellers diversify their inventory by selling new products, too. With this approach, you can test different categories or fill gaps in your collection while you build vintage sourcing expertise. 

With the Shopify Collective sourcing network, you can supplement vintage stock with new products from popular Shopify brands. You list products on your ecommerce site, and your partner brands ship them to customers.

5. Price your products

Follow the same principles for pricing vintage products as you would for other retail goods: factor in item costs, overhead costs, and perceived value.

These factors can all impact the perceived value of vintage clothing:

• Rarity
• Age
• Wearability
• Demand or customers’ willingness to pay
• Condition
• Trend (i.e., Is the garment in fashion?)
• Label (i.e., Is it from a luxury brand?)

You can use marketplaces like eBay, Etsy, or Vestiaire Collective as data sources for determining the value of specific goods. You can also consider pricing for seasonality, for example, charging more for lightweight linen pants in summer than in winter.

For very old, rare, or couture items, hiring an appraisal service or consulting experts in the vintage community can help you determine their full value.

Shopify’s free product pricing calculator can help you set prices according to your profit margin goals.

6. Manage your vintage clothing inventory

Consider these tips for managing your inventory of vintage clothing:

Stay organized

Developing an organizational system will help you sort, store, and identify items for shipping and fulfillment. If you’re on Shopify, you can track inventory with Shopify’s native inventory management tool.

Consider processing incoming vintage clothing in batches using a numerical system. Tag and number each piece, then arrange them on racks so you can quickly find each product once it’s been purchased.

The team behind Coal n Terry, a vintage store founded in 2010 that also sells new products, sorts its racks by type—pants, tops, denim—and then by color so that staff can locate items.

Store your products the right way

Here’s how to maintain vintage clothing conditions:

• Consider air quality. Store vintage items in temperature- and humidity-controlled environments and protect them from moths and other fabric pests.
• Use garment bags. These can prevent dust from settling on items and protect them during handling, but avoid plastic as it can trap moisture.
• Use padded hangers only. Wire hangers can cause unwanted rips, creases, or even stains if they rust. Some wood hangers can also cause damage.
• Avoid sunlight. Keep vintage clothes out of direct sunlight, asit can cause fading.
• Use the right storage. Use plastic bins (never cardboard boxes, which disintegrate with moisture) for accessories, and use open racks for clothing so items are visible and accessible.
• Protect delicate clothing. Be mindful of sequins or embellishments that can catch on the delicate fabrics of other garments. Consider wrapping these garments in coat bags or plastic coverings.

Clean and repair your vintage clothing

Even though you sell a used product, customers expect their purchases to arrive clean and as described. Ripped, stained, or otherwise damaged products may still have value. Be sure to clearly describe and photograph the damaged areas to prevent surprises and product returns.

Here are some tips on cleaning and repairing vintage clothing:

• Check the label and follow care instructions. If labels are missing, assess the item’s fabric composition, soil level, and condition, and research the best cleaning method.
• Separate colors when washing. Don’t let colorful clothes ruin white garments. Be wary of items like jeans, which are especially prone to color transfer.
• Use a steamer. If the item is relatively clean, a clothes steamer can remove odors and wrinkles. Steaming can be less damaging than ironing, which can melt some fabrics.
• Hand wash. Use this method for delicate pieces that could be ruined—or shrunk—in the washing machine.
• Consider upcycling. If you’re skilled at sewing, you can modify pieces of vintage clothing that are too damaged to sell as is.
• Find a reliable dry cleaner. Look for a cleaner who’s experienced in vintage textiles or specializes in delicate fabrics.
• Find a reputable tailor. Have them help you repair simple damage. Or, learn basic sewing techniques so you can repair missing buttons, small tears, and loose hems.

Having a reliable dry cleaner and tailor on hand will help you maintain your items in good condition, but learning to repair and launder your own pieces may be more cost-effective. If space allows, you might also consider setting up a dedicated room to launder vintage clothes.

7. Photograph your vintage products

Product photography for a vintage business is an ongoing task. Unlike other clothing stores that may schedule shoots once per season or as new collections are released, vintage sellers have a steady intake of inventory items they need to shoot individually.

Follow these guidelines to capture great photos:

• Replicate the in-store experience. Customers to your online store won’t be able to touch your products and try them on. Capture the physicality of your items with close-up shots and, if possible, shots of them on models in motion.
• Capture every angle. Shoot a variety of images: the full garment on a model or mannequin, zoomed-in details like stitching or buttons, a close-up of the label, and any noted flaws or damage.
• Be inspirational. If possible, show items on a model (even if that’s you using a camera timer) to illustrate styling potential and help customers envision themselves wearing them.
• Shoot in batches. “Dividing the stock into weekly collections makes it easier to manage as a batch process,” Naomi says. She does weekly product drops on her site after measuring, prepping, and shooting a batch of vintage clothes.
• Work with the resources you have. When Naomi can’t shoot with models, she finds other ways to be creative, like styling vintage clothing on a dress form. “If styled with care, it can look really great,” she says.
• Don’t skimp on lighting. “I like using natural light, but that can be fickle,” says Naomi. Basic lighting kits and off-camera flashes can be added to your photography toolkit.

Your clothing photography process will vary depending on the shooting location. Here are some considerations for different setups:

Shooting in an in-house photo studio

Coal n Terry’s owners do all of their clothing photography in-house with a basic, fixed studio setup, including a digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR), a tripod, a simple lighting kit, and a white seamless background. The setup is permanent, so the photography appears consistent across collection pages, even when items were shot weeks or months apart.

Shooting at home

A permanent studio setup may be unrealistic if you plan to sell from your house or apartment. In this case, store your equipment in one place for easier setup and teardown.

Take note of tripod placement, camera settings, and lighting conditions so you can recreate the look each time you shoot. To minimize setup and breakdown time, shoot in batches (say, weekly or biweekly) rather than item by item.

Outsourcing photography

If you decide to work with a professional photographer or studio, make creative briefs to guide the shoots. These documents communicate your vision and clarify deliverables and costs.

Prepping upfront—planning outfits and organizing clothing on racks in the order you want to shoot them—will help you maximize your studio time. 

8. Set up your online store

Set up a website and start selling online. Most ecommerce platforms (including Shopify) have a free trial so you can play around before committing. 

Here are a few things to consider for your ecommerce site:

Visual design

With Shopify, you can customize your store’s design to reflect your brand. There are more than 800 no-code Shopify themes to choose from, and you can customize your site in minutes with Shopify’s drag-and-drop editor and AI site builder. 

If you decide to customize your site even more, such as by adding custom graphics, and need design help, consider hiring a pro from the Shopify Partner Directory.

About page and FAQ

Beyond the must-have homepage and Contact page, you should also create:

• An About page. Your brand story lives here and tells your customers what you’re about (your aesthetics, decade or style of focus, your inspiration, etc.). Share your mission and sustainability statements here, if you have them.
• An FAQ page. This is a space to educate your customers on sizing, garment care, how you evaluate condition, and the nature of your pieces (e.g., used, one of a kind). You may also use this page as a reference for shipping and customer service information, such as postal rates per country and your return policy. You can also use this page to indicate that vintage items are used and unique. 

Product pages

Use product page copy to set customer expectations, including keywords that can improve search engine optimization (SEO). 

Learn more: The Industry Leading Ecommerce SEO Guide

Your product page copy can also help you minimize returns. Vintage clothes require more specific information than new clothing, like measurements and condition.

Here are a few things to consider as you create your product pages:

• Search similar listings. If the label is missing, search for similar items online to help identify your garment’s brand. If you have to make an educated guess, be transparent with customers.
• Develop consistent sizing. Develop a stable sizing system, as vintage sizes differ from contemporary ones. Include waist, hip, sleeve, chest, and other relevant measurements (e.g., inseam for pants) in inches and centimeters.
• Create a glossary of terms or a condition chart. Define the terms you use to describe the condition of your vintage and secondhand items (e.g., “Excellent,” “Good,” “Fair”), and use them consistently across the site. Link your product pages to this resource.
• Include care instructions. If known, add fabric composition and care instructions to the description.
• Tell a story. If you know the item’s history—say, you sourced it from a celebrity’s estate sale, or it’s similar to a notable red-carpet ensemble—share it on the product page. 

Collection pages and navigation

Use collection pages to organize your online store and improve navigation and SEO. You can group vintage clothing by era, color, occasion, item type, season, or any other schema that makes sense for your brand.

Learn more: How To Use Ecommerce Category Page SEO To Drive Traffic

Keep customer experience at the forefront as you design your site’s navigation. That’s what the team at Mote, a Shopify partner agency focused on website design, did when creating the site for Justin Reed.

“This is a luxury resale website, so there are a lot of one-of-a-kind products,” says cofounder Sara Mote. “Being able to drill down and filter by a particular brand or a particular size is important for this client because there may be an item that is only available in one size.” Mote created a filter for both collection and search pages so that customers can refine their search at every step of the browsing journey.

Read more: Ecommerce Checklist: Launch Your Store in 20 Steps

9. Sell vintage clothing on multiple sales channels

A dedicated ecommerce site gives you control over design, helps you reach customers through organic search, and creates a hub for your brand. Selling beyond your ecommerce site, however, can help you reach a wider audience. Here are a few options:

Online marketplaces

Online marketplaces Etsy, Depop, eBay, Poshmark, and Vestiaire Collective carry a wide selection of vintage clothing. With Shopify Marketplace, you can integrate Etsy and eBay into your ecommerce site.

These platforms require you to pay listing fees and transaction fees; some also charge payment processing fees. 

Compare listing and transaction fees here:

Listing fees	Transaction fees
eBay	No fees if you list < 250 products per month, then 35¢ per listing	13.6% on sales in most categories < $7,500 (or 2.35% on sales over $7,500) + 30¢ (for orders < $10) or 40¢ (for orders > $10)
Etsy	20¢ per product every four months	6.5% of sale price; 3% + 25¢ payment processing fee
Depop	No listing fees	3.3% + 45¢ payment processing fee for US sellers or 2.9% + £0.30 payment processing fee for UK sellers (10% selling fee + location-based payment processing fees for sellers located elsewhere)
Poshmark	No listing fees	$2.95 for products < $15; 20% for products > $15
Vestiaire Collective	No listing fees	$10 for items < $83, 12% for items $83 and $16,667, or $2,000 for items > $16,667 + 3% payment processing fee

In person

If you don’t have a dedicated retail space and want to connect with customers face to face, look for opportunities to sell at local clothing and vintage markets or pop-up booths at festivals.

“Mixing online with in-person events and vintage markets was a great way to bridge the gap with local customers, move product, and make new connections,” says Naomi.

Putting a face to your online shop can help customers remember your brand. The next time they’re looking for a vintage gem, they might look you up.

10. Market your vintage clothing business

There are several ways—some paid, some organic—to spread the word and attract customers to your store. Here are some marketing strategies to consider:

Social media marketing

Social media marketing is inexpensive compared with traditional marketing. Start by posting your own content, then try influencer gifting—giving creators free products in exchange for posts about your company. You can also solicit and repost user-generated content (UGC) showing happy customers wearing your clothes.

This interactive marketing is social proof. When potential customers see that others love your products and follow your brand on social media, they might be more inclined to make their first purchase.

You can also use social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok to style your products and highlight new items. For example, Justin Reed posts about new product drops on Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Justin Reed (@justinreed)

Social media is also useful for showcasing brand personality and engaging in brand storytelling. Here’s an example from Adored Vintage, with founder Rodellee Bas styling dress forms:

Email marketing

Email marketing includes automated abandoned cart reminders, sale announcements, and newsletters. You can also use email marketing to communicate events and to reward loyal customers. For example, segment your email list and give repeat buyers early access to new collections.

You can templatize many types of email marketing messages with templates from Shopify Messaging. One helpful way to connect with customers is to send a regular newsletter.

“The weekly newsletter is successful in driving traffic to our new arrivals,” says Naomi, who uses email marketing as a way to communicate when new products have dropped. 

Organic search and content marketing

Understanding SEO and using it to drive organic traffic to your site is a strategy to increase your ecommerce sales. Analyze and use the keywords and search terms your customers might use to find you. 

If you run an in-person shop, familiarize yourself with local SEO to ensure your store appears in local search results. Also consider adding Google as a sales channel, so your products will appear in Google’s shopping section.

Drive traffic through your site with content marketing. Create blog posts or short videos that answer questions, offer practical advice (such as how to care for specific fabrics), or weigh in on trending topics (e.g., recent red-carpet looks). Relevant, consistent, and timely content can help you build an audience and gather email leads.

Loyalty and referral programs

Because vintage inventory changes constantly, repeat customers have a reason to check back. A VIP or loyalty program can reward them for doing so.

Incentivize purchases—and reward your biggest brand advocates—by creating a referral program. You’ll offer customers a discount or other incentive for recommending new customers to your store. 

You can find both loyalty and referral program apps in the Shopify App Store.

11. Set up a shipping and returns strategy

To develop your shipping strategy, you’ll decide on your shipping locations, carrier partners, rates, shipping options (e.g., free, flat rate), and return policies.

You can use Shopify’s built-in shipping features to receive discounted rates, print pre-made shipping labels, and choose shipping insurance (up to $200 per package). Online marketplaces like Etsy and Depop also provide pre-made labels.

Branded product packaging, like bags featuring your logo, can help solidify your brand identity. If you can, invest in sturdy boxes, bags, and tape to prevent damage during transit.

Consider personalizing your packages with elements like handwritten notes. Little extras tucked into boxes can inspire delight and encourage customers to share their experiences with friends and online followers. It can also demonstrate care and help you build brand loyalty.

If your customers buy vintage because it’s sustainable, show that you share their values by shipping in sustainable packaging. 

Build a future with looks from the past

“Be one with the hustle!” says Naomi. “It’s truly a labor of love and requires a lot of attention and energy, as well as a genuine affinity for customer service.”

Feature image by Pete Ryan