Want the secondhand scoop?
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
If you offer services such as alterations, private shopping or closet clearouts, consider them part of your inventory — and promote them
A version of this article originally appeared in The Seller Scoop, our biweekly newsletter for vintage, antiques and secondhand sellers and vendors. Stay inspired with your own copy: Sign up here and select the option for selling insights.
I was doing the social scroll the other day when I paused on a comment by a seller on someone else’s item.
The comment itself wasn’t particularly notable, but what caught my eye was the seller mentioning as an aside that they sew and do alterations.
Interesting. I tapped over to the seller’s page to poke around.
But I couldn’t find anything about alterations, save for a couple of product posts where it was briefly mentioned at the end of the caption — e.g., if you need minor alterations on that item, just let them know.
Nothing in their bio, their story highlights, or their pinned posts. I scrolled a couple times and didn’t see any dedicated feed posts about alterations, either.
This seller’s offering a really fantastic and helpful service with alterations...but...no one really knows about it.
If they regularly promoted the fact that they do alterations, they’d slowly become known among their followers as the shop that does alterations. Not many do tailoring in-house. Easy way to stand out.
It might even lead to some sales. If someone knows that they can easily get a pair of pants let out from the same person they’re buying from, it saves them a trip to the tailor and removes one point of friction from buying vintage clothes that otherwise might not quite fit right.
You could even be helping people to realize they have a problem that needs fixing — maybe they don’t even consider much vintage clothing to begin with because they’re subconsciously concerned about the wrong size or fit.
You consistently letting them know that you do alterations helps them become aware of a solution to a problem they didn’t even realize they had.
Continued below
Continued from above
Are you letting your potential customers know about all the spokes of your shop?
Maybe you offer styling, appraisals, organization, repair/mending, rentals, custom sourcing, dry cleaning, wholesale, upcycled products, closet clear-outs, donation drop-offs.
How much do you talk about it?
Building consumer awareness is an important part of marketing your small business.
According to a 2019 study by social media analytics firm Sprout Social, 50 per cent of people follow a brand on social media to learn more about their products and services.
People can’t take advantage of a service they don’t know about.
So tell them!
Let them know that you have other services via:
The more that consumers see a holistic picture of what you do as a seller, the more they will remember you when they have problems that need fixing.
And the more they can understand the prices you set. (That's a whole other conversation.)
For more on educating consumers, check out our super-helpful article by vintage seller Krista Montelpare, with a ton of tips for selling at non-vintage markets.
Do you offer services over and above your inventory? I’d love to know about them and help you come up with some ways to market to your potential customers. Book a shop consultation to get a thorough deep dive! And make sure to add your Services to your listing categories on the free-to-list Shop Secondhand Directory.
