How to make money selling clothes on ASOS Marketplace

Kara Gammell 31st Aug 2017 9 Comments

Reading Time: 7 minutes

The internet has more and more places for selling clothes, and we’re pretty impressed by the ASOS Marketplace. It’s a great site for anyone who would like to set up shop online the easy way.

We are all aware of the joys of eBay – and how you can make very good money from it – but when it comes to vintage clothes collectors and independent clothing designers, ASOS offers a better platform.

Here’s how you can make the most of it.

• What is ASOS Marketplace?
• What clothes can I sell on ASOS?
• Getting started selling clothes on ASOS Marketplace
• Do I have to pay any fees on ASOS Marketplace?
• Listing and pricing your item
• How does selling clothes work in practice?
• Selling clothes success stories

 

What is it?

Internet retailer ASOS has become one of the big hitters in the online fashion world, and launched an online marketplace for its customers in 2010.

Designed to be a place for independent brands and vintage fashion items, ASOS Marketplace is for people who love fashion and want to buy or sell unique clothes.

Clothing has become a huge market on eBay, but many people think twice about shopping there because old bedraggled-looking clothes hung on a battered coat hanger aren’t particularly enticing.

Now, tonnes of twenty-something fashion lovers are flocking to ASOS marketplace to search the 900-plus vintage and independent boutiques with a few flicks of their finger.

If you have a collection of vintage clothes that you simply can’t contain in your wardrobe, or have been trying to get your own designs on the market, why not start your own boutique and sell to the ASOS’ audience?

Bear in mind that the process of applying for, and opening, a boutique can be tricky – you must apply and only a very small percentage will be successful – but if you get it right, it can pay dividends.

Here is how to get started.

 

what clothes can i sell on ASOS?

There is a market here for all kinds of clothing, old or new.

Customers can filter their search between new and vintage items so all styles are catered for.

To be a seller on the site, you must open a ‘Boutique’ – with a minimum of 10 – 15 products on offer at any time.

What you sell is up to you: the only things off limits are

• counterfeit goods,
• furs
• exotic animal skins.

 

Getting started selling clothes on asos marketplace

1. To start selling, you must make an application.
2. Once it has been reviewed, you’ll get your answer in about three working days.
3. Sometimes ASOS will request further information or imagery to ensure that your boutique is right for the marketplace.
4. Once you’ve created an account you need to sign up for a PayPal business account before you can begin selling clothes. PayPal is a quick, easy and safe way of making and receiving payments online and it takes just a few minutes to register.

 

Do I have to pay any fees?

ASOS Marketplace uses PayPal so making and receiving payments are very easy.

Boutiques need to pay £20 per month plus 20% commission on every sale. You are not tied into a formal contract with ASOS Marketplace as it operates on a monthly basis and you have the freedom to remove your boutique at any time.

If you are a student, you get an even better deal as all NUS extra cardholders can now get 10% off boutique rent and 10% off monthly commission fees!

ASOS also run features like ‘Boutique Spotlight’ to try and help their boutique sellers out. A feature that is especially useful is the promotion tool which places your boutique on the high traffic pages of ASOS Marketplace, the Hub and the Men’s and Women’s homepages for 24 hours from only £4.

There are a whole load of other add-ons that can attract customers to boutiques, such as special promo codes and sales – so ASOS do their best to help boutiques get their money’s worth.

 

Listing and pricing your item

Now you’ve decided on your item(s) that you want to sell, it’s time to create a listing on the website and make it as presentable as possible.

step 1: SETTING UP YOUR BOUTIQUE

The most exciting part of the whole process is customising your niche.

An attention-grabbing name is one of the most important features of a boutique and should make you stand out from the crowd. You can expand on this with ASOS’ blog feature and so give customers extra insight into your character and creative process.

It’s also very easy to link your boutique up to your social media networks and this gives you the opportunity to market your clothes to an already established following and encourage your customers to share pictures of themselves in their purchases.

step 2: Listing your item

There is no limit to the number of products you can list, but it’s crucial to put the time in creating your listing.

• Descriptions are key when selling clothes, but don’t worry too much about getting in certain buzz words to catch the eye – the photo of the product will sell itself.
• ASOS insists that you must photograph your items on a model in daylight. Any clothes photographed on a coat hanger/floor/etc or one that uses flash photography will be removed.
• If you’re a bit camera-shy then perhaps you could call in a friend, but you shouldn’t worry – they only need models so the clothes are nicely presented (it’s no modelling competition!)
• Good presentation of your item will make it much easier to sell.
• If you take the picture from a variety of angles this will also help.
• Make your description of the item as helpful as possible. Include information about the condition, the material, the size and any other useful bits.
• Check out descriptions of other items for guidance. What sort of information would you want to know about an item? Perhaps if the actual fit is slightly bigger/smaller than the designated size, or maybe how many times the item has been worn?

ASOS have helpfully created their own guide for both photographing and listing your clothing if you’re stuck for ideas.

Once you’ve got your description you can set a price and then the item will be listed for up to three months – a period which you can choose to renew at any stage from two weeks before it’s due to finish.

step 3: Pricing your item

Think carefully about the price.

• Scout around for similar items and see what kind of prices people are selling clothes at.
• It’s fine if you don’t want to sell below a certain price, but make sure you’re not being too unrealistic.
• Equally you want to make sure you get the best price so if you’re unsure, align the price with another item you feel is quite similar.

step 4: Delivery costs

You will also need to think about your delivery costs.

• Avoid inflating the postage cost in a bid to earn extra cash – view shipping as an extension of your business.
• Always research different delivery providers to find the service which will best suit the products you sell.
• You can use the Royal Mail Shipping Calculator to calculate shipping costs and may also want to activate the ‘Multi Item Shipping Discount’ if one buyer purchases more than one item from you.

Remember: If you’re going to be a seller on ASOS Marketplace you must adhere to their rules and provide customer service which meets or exceeds their company policy.

• For instance, you must own 100% of the stock that is available and it must all be ready to ship within two working days of receiving payment.
• You are expected to reply to customer queries within one working day and any refunds must be issued within a maximum of two working days. Failure to do so, could result in your boutique being removed from ASOS Marketplace.
• It’s also a nice touch to include thematic freebies in with your deliveries. Adorned, for example, which sells ethical festival clothing go the extra mile by including novelty tea bags, handwritten postcards and incense sticks in their packages.

 

How does selling clothes work in practice?

It’s simple. If you sell an item, the buyer will go straight through to the purchasing page to complete the transaction.

You will be notified and will then go through the process of receiving the money through PayPal and then delivering the item to the buyer’s address.

 

Selling clothes success Stories

ASOS Marketplace has benefitted a wide range of people, from shop owners to individual sellers.

It has been great for independent clothing stores, who have been able to increase their exposure immeasurably, while savvy individual sellers have been able to make thousands of pounds each week.

Meanwhile it has also been a starting point for setting up brands. Family-run label Volklore started out on ASOS Marketplace before they were chosen to have a full clothing line on ASOS.

So whether you’re just looking to make some extra money or are serious about making a regular income  – you might find a home on ASOS Marketplace – Give it a try!

Also, check out our article about how to make money from vintage fashion here.

 

Do you sell on ASOS Marketplace?

Tell us about your products in the comments below.

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