How to Optimize Your Listing
Think of your wedding dress listing like an advertisement being read by someone who doesn't know anything about your gown. The more information, detail and pictures you can provide, the more likely someone will contact you.
Price it Right
Price is one of the most importance factors that influences your wedding dress' chance of selling. The more attractive the price, the more inquiries you will recieve.
The best way to determine what your preowned or used wedding dress is worth is to start with a few factors: the designer, the age, the condition and the original price.
Here are some guidelines we suggest:
| New | Sample (Unworn) | Sample (Worn) | Used | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 2½ years old | 25% off (of retail price) | 15-25% off (of sample price) | 50% off (of sample price) | 50% off (of retail price) |
| 2½ to 5 years old | 35% off (of retail price) | 35% off (of sample price) | 60% off (of sample price) | 60% off (of retail price) |
| More than 5 years old | 50% off (of retail price) | 50% off (of sample price) | 75% off (of sample price) | 75% off (of retail price) |
Other Factors
- If the dress has stains, tears or other defects the price reduction should be in accordance with the imperfection.
- Dress alterations (such as adding a bustle) can add value to your gown since a buyer would have to pay additional for it at retail.
If after a few weeks, you find you aren't getting the traffic or inquiries you had hoped for, consider reducing your price. A reduction of 10% or more will place your gown on our New This Week page and will add a 'Price Reduced' banner for 30 days.
Use Great Pictures
Your pictures are the best way to showcase your wedding dress. Ideally, your listing will contain images of the full front and back of your wedding gown. And close ups of any detail. Pictures on an actual person will give a much better idea of the dress than a hanger. And buyers always want to see the actual dress being sold in the listing.
For your thumbnail or preview image (the one that will appear in search results), it is best to use a single image of your wedding dress (instead of a composite of two or three different pictures).
Give Detailed Information
More is definitely better. So include information about the fabric, the details, your measurements, the alterations and if/how the gown was cleaned or preserved. Assume that a buyer won't know anything about your dress unless you tell her.
Include Your Wedding Dress in the Correct Categories
Be sure to fill out all categories (fields like silhouette, neckline etc). Buyers may be searching only by these criteria, so if they aren't filled in, your dress won't return in their search. Not sure what some of the categories are? Visit our Wedding Dress 101 page to see where your wedding dress fits.
And don't forget to include your zip (postal) code. Without it, your dress won't return in local area searches which are done by zip code.
Full Disclosure Is Important
Hopefully it goes without saying, but full disclosure is very important. Revealing any imperfections about your dress will prevent any issues as your transaction progresses.
Use the Facebook 'Like' Button
Each PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com has a Facebook Like button at the top of the page. Clicking this button will immediately share a 'like' for your gown with your social network. And spreading the word is a great way to help sell your dress.
We Recommend Escrow.com
Escrow.com is a secure payment service that protects both the buyer and the seller. Read more about how the service works and why we recommend it here.
