Selling Costumes
Costumes sell on eBay and Halloween is coming! The best sales weekend will be the weekend before Halloween - you know buyers love to wait until the last minute!
1. When shipping closer to Halloween keep in mind that the 2-3 priority service is not guaranteed. When It comes to that last week before Halloween many customers want their costumes fast but like everyone don’t want to spend a lot on shipping. Don’t try to be a super hero! It will bite you in the butt!
2. When sourcing, always check completed listings before buying, like with anything you buy you need to make sure you can turn a profit. One thing to check is availability of active listings as well. For example, Pokemon would seem like a great costume to buy but actually it’s not because every other eBayer already had the same idea. There are probably 1,000’s of Pikachu costumes which will draw the price lower than even the retail stores.
3. Stick to characters and outrageous costumes when selling on eBay. By outrageous I mean like a panda bear costume or silly costume like a men’s princess costume the company that specializes in these is named Rasta Imposta. Stay away from traditional Halloween costumes like witch and vampire. If you search vampire or witch 1,000’s will come up and so many will be so cheap that unless you got it free or close to free after shipping and fees, it won’t be worth your time.
4. Buy high quality and theatrical quality costumes. Brands that make these are: InCharacter, Disguise Prestige, Rubie’s Grand Heritage theatrical quality, and Fun World Diamond Collection. If you find a witch or a Frankenstein or whatever it really doesn’t matter because high quality costumes sell well on eBay and for $80-$300, just make sure you can get it at a decent enough price to make a profit so check completed listings. This is the only time you shouldn't worry about buying characters or traditional Halloween costumes.
5. Check your local Halloween retailers. They might have clearance which you can sell and still stand to make a decent profit. Like the high quality costumes, one brand to also look for is Leg Avenue. Leg Avenue requires all their sellers to adhere to a strict pricing policy which is why it is so expensive everywhere you go. BUT, they do allow for markdowns on last years merchandise so if you can find it at a decent price, you can still turn a profit.
6. When listing make sure you also list what is not included in the costume, especially if you use a stock photo or take a picture of the packaging. For example, with Leg Avenue is the petticoat (the tulle material fluffy lace underskirt that is usually pictured on all Leg Avenue short dresses but is never included). Add in everything that may be in the picture of the packaging that is not included like shoes, swords, hairpieces whatever. If it’s on the packaging picture but isn’t included make sure you mention it.
7. Believe it or not the best costumes that sell on eBay are the most non-popular because no other seller thinks to buy them. Here are some costumes that are not so popular in pop-culture but do well: ‘80’s movies and cartoons like He-Man and She-Ra, The Princess Bride, Assassin’s Creed men’s and women’s costumes, Alice in Wonderland costumes the classic look like the Disney movie, Toy Story, etc.
