With the rise of the vintage and resale market, the small-business social-media mantra of “community over competition” is increasingly being used by resellers.

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So just what is #CommunityOverCompetition? The catchphrase promotes connection and support between shops — it’s the idea that even in a saturated marketplace, every brand has something special to offer. It embodies the values of collaboration, kindness, referrals and knowledge exchange.

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All of these things are positive for the vintage-seller space, says Shannon Ganshorn, owner of South Surrey Vintage and a self-professed champion of the #CommunityOverCompetition mindset.

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“Helping each other and promoting each other is beneficial to everyone,” Shannon says. “Why draw lines in the sand when we’re all doing the same thing? We all want to be successful. It’s actually become a really cool community [online].”

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Shannon doesn’t just talk the talk — she walks it. In 2019, she self-published a resource guide called the Instagram Sellers’ Handbook to help emerging sellers, many of them part of an older demographic who were altogether new to Instagram, to navigate the world of selling vintage on social media.

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While the handbook is no longer in print, Shannon still offers digital copies to Instagram newbies and has much advice to share. She contributed several passages from her handbook to three of our Reseller Tip Sheets.

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She says #CommunityOverCompetition removes some of the intimidation that comes with asking more established sellers for advice. When new sellers do reach out to her, Shannon wants to help. “I always say, I’m totally excited for you to get going and for your shop,” she says. “It’s really just a matter of sharing the love.”

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Sharing specialized knowledge

Shannon has over 20 years of online selling experience under her belt — she began moving products on eBay in 2001. In 2017, she opened South Surrey Vintage as a Facebook-based business, but switched to Instagram shortly thereafter for its easier-to-use interface and audience reach.

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In the shop’s early days, customers were concentrated in the U.S., but as the online vintage-selling community grew in Canada, Shannon saw her local client base expand as well.

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Now, she ships worldwide and is a star seller of 1960s-era kitchenware, housewares and collectibles. Shannon posts large weekly product drops, often categorized by colour or theme, for her dedicated following of 4,000-plus on her Instagram page @southsurreyvintage, and hosts shoppers on weekends in an outbuilding on her property in Surrey, B.C.

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Shannon says her corner of the market turns to her for her encyclopedic knowledge of Pyrex and milk glass. As a Pyrex specialist, she can identify patterns, historical information and market value.

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“People in my community know that they can approach me because I’m interested in sharing my ideas to help others,” she says. “My message is, let’s do this together. And here is everything that I know that I can help you with.”

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Niche within a niche

The wide range of interests among sellers is what helps to keep the online vintage community vibrant, Shannon says.

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Whereas her shop caters to an audience that appreciates colourful mid-century housewares, another shop might be popular for 1970s neutral decor or 1980s streetwear. There’s room for everyone, and sellers should carve out their niche within the niche, she says.

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“I don’t know anything about vintage clothing and yet it’s a humongous market and there are so many sellers there,” Shannon says. “Younger people are really engaged on social media, they’re doing their own little pop-ups. It’s really exciting, but it’s totally separate from what I’m involved in.”

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While she may not be entrenched in every vintage niche, Shannon’s “community over competition” ethos and supportive spirit still applies. She says she’s fascinated by the younger demographic’s rising interest in vintage, especially when it comes to fashion.

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“Gen Z is about identity and expression through identity, and the clothing and accessories is such a key part of that,” she says. “I get goosebumps thinking about it, because it’s really this part of them expressing and standing up and saying, we are here and this is what we’re doing. I love that.”

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Selling on Instagram

Two of Shannon’s top tips for using Instagram to make sales:

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1) Look around.

On Instagram, sellers should “watch and learn,” Shannon advises. “Look at what everyone else is doing and pick up little pieces that you can apply to your own store.”

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Dedicate some time every week to reading other sellers’ posts. Note which hashtags they use, how they structure their store policies, what information they include about their items, and what you like about their product photography or video style.

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“It’s not copying them, but it’s taking little bits of their flavour and adopting it for your own shop,” says Shannon.

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2) Know what works for your audience.

Products styled in vignettes look good, but they may not be right for your shop.

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Shannon normally uses single-product photos — and when she tried introducing styled vignettes with a list of products and their prices in the caption, she saw a drop in conversions. “My customers were used to how I posted before, and I guess the vignettes had too much stuff to look at,” she says. “Stick to your own style.”

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The same goes for inventory. As a part-time seller, Shannon says she has the flexibility to sell only what speaks to her.

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A few years ago, she noticed how popular wicker and brass had become and added some pieces to her inventory, even though they weren’t in keeping with her usual fare. It wasn’t long before she realized she didn’t love them.

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“I can make killer money on it, but it’s totally not me,” she says. “The reason why I’m a vintage seller is because I love specific things. If I had to make money for my livelihood, then I could become a buyer and seller of everything, but being a vintage seller is a super fun hobby for me. So I stay true to what I love.”

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More vintage-selling tips

Shannon Ganshorn shares more of her tips for sellers, from shipping and customer service to Instagram basics, in three of our FREE downloadable tip sheets:

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• Product Distribution for Online Sellers
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• Customer Service for Online Resellers
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• Reselling for New Instagram Users

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How do you encourage #CommunityOverCompetition? Let us know in the comments!

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