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How to Sell Your Wedding Dress for Cash (and 9 Places to Do So)
When I was planning my wedding, I wanted to find the perfect dress.
Going from bridal boutique to bridal boutique, I tried on countless options until I finally found it.
But since the wedding, my dress has been sitting in my closet gathering dust. One day, I realized that I could probably try to sell it and recoup some of the cost.
Where exactly can you sell a wedding dress? At first, I thought I was limited to Craigslist or Facebook. But as I looked into it, I learned that there are several different options — both online and locally — for selling wedding dresses.
Your best bet is to go with a niche-specific site that focuses on selling and reselling wedding-related items, including wedding dresses. These sites are targeted at brides who are specifically looking for a secondhand wedding dress.
Listing your items on those websites will get it in front of an audience that is primed and ready to buy your dress.
The Top Sites to Sell Your Wedding Dress Online
If you’re looking to make some money by selling your wedding dress, check out the websites below. Many of them are specifically targeted toward brides looking to buy secondhand wedding-related items and save cash.
Some of these websites also offer wedding dress consignment options if that’s something you’re considering.
1. Stillwhite
Listing Fee: $20 fee per dress that includes four photos and is listed until sold, or $30 for a premium listing that includes eight photos and a homepage gallery.
Commission: No commission
Shipping Cost: Variable (buyers pay for postage)
Stillwhite bills itself as the world’s largest pre-owned wedding dress marketplace with an easy-to-use website for both sellers and buyers.
According to its site, it has 52,000 dresses for sale. Use the Stillwhite valuator to see how much you can sell your dress for.
Under the standard option, you’ll pay a one-time fee of $20 to list your dress. You’ll pay no commission on the sale, your dress will be listed until it’s sold, and you can upload up to four photos.
The premium listing option comes with a $30 one-time fee, a homepage gallery feature, larger photo in search, and up to eight photos.
You can sell your dress online or meet with the buyer in person so they can try it on.
2. Tradesy
Listing Fee: No listing fee
Commission: 19.8% on sales over $50
Shipping Cost: Variable
Tradesy is an online marketplace for designer clothing and accessories, including wedding dresses. Creating a listing is simple, and you can set your own price. If you want to sell your wedding dress on the site, it needs to be in excellent condition.
You can also sell veils, bridal jewelry, shoes, bridesmaid dresses, and wedding decorations through Tradesy.
Tradesy guides you through every step of the listing process. You’ll also get suggestions to improve your listings so you can sell your dress quickly. As an added bonus, all uploaded photos will be automatically enhanced by Tradesy to make your listing stand out.
For wedding dresses, once your item sells, you can print a prepaid label and ship using your own materials. If the buyer returns your item due to something that’s not your fault, Tradesy will handle it, and you get to keep your earnings.
There are no upfront selling fees, but you will owe a 19.8% commission fee on items sold for more than $50.
3. Poshmark
Listing Fee: No listing fee
Commission: 20% flat commission fee
Shipping Cost: Variable
Poshmark is another app and website where you can sell your used clothes. It mostly focuses on mall and designer brands but isn’t as picky as Tradesy.
It’s easy to create a listing with the app. Just take a few photos with your phone, and upload them in less than a minute.
The app makes it easy to share your listings for shoppers to discover. It offers custom filters and has a large selection of bridesmaid and wedding dresses. You can communicate with potential buyers within the app, making it easier to keep everything in one place.
Once your dress sells, print the prepaid and pre-addressed label and either drop it in a mailbox or schedule a free pick-up. You’ll have to pay a 20% commission fee when you sell your wedding dress on Poshmark.
4. Nearly Newlywed
Listing Fee: $25
Commission: 40%
Shipping Cost: Variable (pre-paid label provided for dresses sold above $500, but shipping is seller’s responsibility when dresses are sold for less than $500)
If you’re looking for an option that will make the selling process hassle-free and don’t mind paying a higher commission rate, check out Nearly Newlywed. The listing process is quick and easy. Simply submit some information and photos of your wedding dress.
It may take between 24 and 48 hours for Nearly Newlywed to approve the listing. Once it’s listed, the site will answer buyer questions and handle payments, shipping, and insurance.
When your dress sells, you’ll receive a prepaid shipping label to send the gown to Nearly Newlywed for inspection and to verify its condition.
Unlike other sites, Nearly Newlywed charges both a $25 listing fee and a 40% commission. It says most wedding gown sales finalize within 60 to 120 days.
5. Once Wed
Listing Fee: $19.95 per dress
Commission: No commission
Shipping Cost: Variable
Once Wed is an online wedding resource that helps future brides find inspiration and tools to plan their dream wedding. It’s also an online marketplace for secondhand wedding dresses.
With more than ten years in the business, this site is a great option for selling your wedding dress. There’s a listing fee of $19.95 per dress but no commission fees. Your listing is valid for one year.
The site offers seller privacy and protection along with customer service with email support to help you resolve any problems.
6. PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com
Listing Fee: $25
Commission: No commission
Shipping Cost: Variable
PreOwned Wedding Dresses has been in business since 2004. This site connects buyers and sellers of new, sample, and used wedding dresses and bridal party gowns.
There’s a one-time listing fee of $25, but no commission fees. The site also claims that the average dress sells within 70 days, higher than what other sites claim. It also has a handy wedding dress value calculator that will help you determine the best listing price.
7. Wore It Once
Listing Fee: $20
Commission: No commission
Shipping Cost: Variable
Wore It Once is a platform that connects buyers and sellers of used wedding dresses, gowns, jewelry, shoes, and other clothing items. You can sell your wedding dress by setting up your own custom shop where you can list other wedding-related items as well.
When listing your dress, you’ll need to fill out a form with details including size, color, and style. Then you’ll write a custom description for your dress and decide on a listing price.
There’s a one-time setup fee of $20, and there’s currently no commission on the sale of any of your items. Your listings never expire and you set your own prices. There is also no limit on the number of products in your shop, so you can list and sell all of your used wedding items at once.
8. Wedding Bee
Listing Fee: No listing fee
Commission: No commission
Shipping Cost: Variable
Wedding Bee is a website and an online community focused on providing advice, tips, and tricks to real couples planning their weddings. You can find information on topics such as DIY wedding projects, day-of tips, as well as dream wedding inspiration.
But most importantly, the site also features a classifieds section where you can sell your wedding dress.
It’s free to list your wedding dress on Wedding Bee, but you can purchase a featured ad. You set your own price, communicate with interested buyers, and are responsible for shipping the dress. You can also list other wedding-related items such as shoes, accessories, decorations, and more.
9. Sell My Wedding Dress
Listing Fee: $19.99 for a basic listing; $29.99 for premium listing
Commission: No commission
Shipping Cost: Variable
Another option to sell your wedding dress is the aptly-named website Sell My Wedding Dress. There are two options for listing your dress: a basic listing, which costs $19.99, and a premium one that starts at $29.99, which includes a featured listing and better placement for your ad.
The site does not charge any commission fees, and there are no hidden costs. Your listing will stay up until your dress sells.
To list your dress, you’ll need to fill out some standard information such as the size, color, and style of your dress. You’ll also need to write a description and decide on a listing price.
Where to Sell Your Wedding Dress Locally
If you’re looking to sell your wedding dress locally, there are a few options. Your best bet if you’re looking to stay close to home are local wedding dress consignment shops.
Craigslist
Craigslist lets you sell anything from furniture to children’s toys. It also has a section for selling wedding-related items such as wedding gowns.
While this may not be the best place to sell your wedding dress, it also means you don’t have to ship the dress or pay a listing fee. Selling a wedding dress through Craigslist may take longer, and it may be harder to find qualified buyers.
Creating a listing is free, but you should take time to write a great listing for your dress and decide on a fair price.
Many Craigslist buyers try to haggle, so set your price with a little wiggle room. Take the time to add detailed photos, especially if there are any problems with the dress.
Facebook Buy and Sell Groups
Another local option to sell your wedding dress is on Facebook Buy and Sell groups or through the Facebook Marketplace.
These groups will sell almost anything, so you won’t be marketing to brides only. The upside is that the buyers are local, so you don’t have to worry about shipping your dress.
Include lots of photos, a good description, and a competitive price when listing your dress. You may have to negotiate on the final price, so leave some bargaining room.
It’ll probably take you longer to sell your dress via Facebook, but there are no fees to create a listing.
Local Wedding Consignment Shops
If you want to sell your wedding dress locally, the best option is a wedding dress consignment shop.
Since these shops specifically focus on selling wedding-related items like wedding gowns, accessories, and shoes, this is your best chance for getting your dress in front of local buyers looking specifically for a wedding dress.
One of the big downsides of local wedding dress consignment shops is that they charge fairly steep fees for helping you sell your wedding dress, similar to some sites on this list.
Many shops charge a commission rate in the range of 40% to 60% of the final sale price of the dress.
Tips for Selling Your Used Wedding Dress Online
When looking to sell your wedding dress, there are a few factors to consider. First of all, make sure your dress is in good condition without any tears, stains, or other damage. Since you’ve likely only worn the dress once, it’s probably still in good condition.
Also, keep in mind that photos sell. The more photos you can include from all different angles, the better.
You can include both photos of you in the dress and the dress on a hanger, but make sure to show any important details such as beadwork or a special lace design up close.
Provide all relevant information such as size, exact color (ivory, off-white, etc.), petticoats, and so on. If the dress was altered in any way, try to describe the alterations with as much detail as possible.
How Much Can I Sell My Used Wedding Dress For?
How much you can sell your used wedding dress for depends on a number of factors.
As a general rule of thumb, a used wedding dress in great condition and under two years old can usually sell for 50% of the retail price. If your dress is a designer brand such as Vera Wang, you can get closer to 60% of the retail value.
There are calculators that can estimate how much you can get for your wedding dress. Enter some general information such as your dress’s brand, condition, size, etc. and you can get an estimate for the value of your gown.
Here are a few calculators to help you determine the best price to sell your wedding dress:
How Long Will It Take to Sell My Wedding Dress?
The time it will take to sell your wedding dress depends on various factors including the brand, style, size, and condition. Also, keep in mind that the popularity of the marketplace or store you select to use for your listing will play a role in how much traffic your dress gets and how quickly it sells.
On average, expect your dress to sell within 60 to 90 days of listing provided it’s a popular brand and style, in excellent condition, and no more than a couple of years old. Dresses that are an older style, not in good condition, or are a lower-demand size may take longer to sell.
The post How to Sell Your Wedding Dress for Cash (and 9 Places to Do So) appeared first on DollarSprout.