This month's featured seller is Jill, who sells under the name Jill_Mazz and has an eBay store called Sneaky Chic. I first met Jill through my friend Rachel. Jill is one of the nicest sellers I've ever met, and the care she takes selecting her items and presenting them on eBay is incredible. What I like most about Jill's eBay store is that she not only has a few Anthro items, she also has a large, varied inventory of non-Anthro items. Her store is a very well edited collection. (A permanent link to Jill's store can be found in my blogroll.)
So, without further ado, let's meet Jill.
(Q) How and when did you start selling on eBay?
(A) I started selling on eBay in 2006. At that point, I was just selling my children's old clothes. When that first auction for a lot of toddler clothes fetched over $100 I was hooked. I dabbled in children's clothing for a year or so, and then I moved over to women's clothing.
(Q) How did you find out about Anthropologie, and what attracted you to their clothes?
(A)I found out about Anthropologie while I was doing my clothing research for eBay. I absolutely love Anthro's unique and romantic stylings that allow a woman to be incredibly feminine without looking like Pollyanna.
(Q) I notice one thing immediately about your listings, and that's the care and thought you take in presentation — each photograph is very nicely done and really presents each item in a way so that buyers can truly "see" it. When you photograph an item, what are your goals? Do you have any tips for outfit photography?
(A) Thank you so much for the kind compliment. Buying clothing online is incredibly difficult. When I take my pictures I want my buyers to see every detail of my items so they are comfortable with their purchases. Clarity and full disclosure is paramount to me, and so I do my very best to present my offerings so that there are as little "surprises" as possible when they arrive in the mailbox.
I guess if I had any advice to give, it would be:
- Take the picture of your item in the cleanest way possible. It's okay if you don't have a manni or form. Keep it off the floor, or use a sheet or large posterboard as your background. Or you can hang it against a door in your home.
- Try to present your item how a person would wear it. Steam or press your item. If you're lying the clothing flat, line up seams so the buyer can understand the shape of your item.
- Use the macro setting on your camera to take closeups of any details on your item. Look for the "tulip" icon on your camera — that is most likely the macro setting.
(Q) What are your criteria for choosing an item to list? Do you look for certain styles? Sizes? Or you do you aim to have a mix-and-match of inventory?
(A) There really are a lot of variables that come into play. Choosing an item to sell almost always falls under three categories for me: brand, size and style. I tend to stay with quality, well-known brands and larger sizing. But if something is super cute yet in a small size I might still consider it.
(Q) Are there any Anthro items that you've sold that really speak to you or are your favorites?
(A) I absolutely loved this cardigan from Moth (pre-2005). It was so lightweight and I'm a sucker for ruffles.
The second piece I really loved was this long cardigan from Sleeping on Snow (also pre-2005). The embroidery was absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, I never got to sell it; handwashing revealed many moth nibbles. It was a shame for sure.
(Q) There are a lot of Anthrophiles out there that love to find older, more unusual pieces on eBay. What advice do you have for them in terms of choosing their sellers wisely?
(A) Don't be afraid to research your seller. Feedback percentages and detailed seller ratings ("the stars") show only the past 12-month history, but a neat website called Toolhaus will list every single negative or neutral feedback a seller has had for his/her entire selling career. With Toolhaus, it is very easy to see patterns in bad seller behavior.
And for those really hardcore Anthrophiles that are searching through eBay — be sure to report any seller that uses "Anthropologie" in his/her item title when the item isn't really from Anthropologie. It's the only way that eBay will finally clean up those Anthropologie keyword spammers!
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I hope you've enjoyed this feature and I'll be back again next month with another seller profile.
XOXO,
Sara
If you are an eBay seller of Anthropologie items and would like to be featured on Seller Spotlight, please contact me via email at saraefarr(at)gmail.com
