Sunday, October 21, 2012

10 Tips for How to Sell Your Wedding Dress FAST

*Edited on 8/7/2015 for aesthetically pleasing text and a few grammar changes.  Original post on 10/12/2012

Today I sold one of my two wedding dresses!




I will say that it took me a while but I learned a couple of things from the sale for anyone that is trying to sell their wedding gown in Utah.

Here are some of my tips to sell your gown fast:


1.  Don't use Craiglist to sell your gown!  I only got scammers when I posted my ad.  Here's how to avoid them: 

  • They use incorrect spelling and/or grammar.
  • The area code is out-of-state AND they don't introduce themselves
  • They always send you a text message like this: 



  • To screen a scammer, always ask them something to the extent of "Hey!  You should try the gown in person to see if it fits and if you like it" It's a legitimate thing to say to a potential buyer and it screens scammers because they're not willing to do deals in person.  I asked this to one of the many scammers in both English and Spanish because initially I thought this person just didn't know English.  Check out the response below...



        {I always report scammer phone numbers to this agency HERE}

2. Use your local classifieds.  I used ksl.com, the local listing for Utah. 

3. Be patient! I kept renewing the ad several times for a period of months after our June 2012 wedding.  Hey wait a minute...isn't this supposed to be "How to sell your wedding dress fast, Alina??"  Why yes it is.  Keep reading below.

4. Renew the ad on a Saturday before NOON.  Before, I would always renew my ad during the week on my lunch breaks.  But Saturdays is when most brides surf the classifieds online and visit bridal shops.  I did just that today and within an hour I got a text that didn't sound scams and it sold at 3pm!  I didn't publish the text because of confidentiality.  A legit buyer will send a text message like this:

"Hi alina!  My name is _______.  I was wondering if you still have the dress you posted on ksl?"

5.  Create your ad NOW, asap after your wedding.  The fall/winter months are the best times to sell a used wedding gown.  Lots of people are going to get engaged and plan on shopping for The Dress first thing before anything else within this time.  Plus it's hard to get a ton of cash if you decide to sell 3 years down the road. 

6. Make sure that your ad has the buyer's questions answered before she makes the call.  The size, color, where you bought it, is it clean or not, any alterations and the price.  Be honest, don't make someone go out of their way to try on the dress to find out it isn't what they thought.  Don't waste their time and lose a sale! 

7. The price must be right if you want to make a quick sale.  Start with 50% of the original price and increase/decrease it from there on facts such as the style, the year of the gown, condition, where you bought it, and the brand.  I like to keep the price at increments of 100s because it's a cash sale and too much of a hassle fiddling around with $1, $5 bills and coins.  Be open with OBO in your add if you're selling the gown at $500 or more.  

8. Clean your apartment/house to a "T", get your pets/kids out of way and have a full size mirror.  No one wants to do a deal in a stinky place.  You want to show people you really loved your gown that much, enough to care for it after the wedding and maintain it in decent condition.  Your living area should reflect that too.  Dress to impress, obviously you are not in a business suit, but wear a darker wash jeans instead of yoga pants and comb your hair and put on some makeup. 

9. Post enough pictures of the gown ell your gown faso that buyers can have a great idea of what the actual gown looks like.  Front, back, detailing etc.  It really does help to post your own picture with the gown on instead of on a hanger.  

10.  If somebody calls you to see the gown today/last minute (and in my case, less than an hour of the renewal post)...

You Say "Yes!"
(to the showing, not to The Dress ^_^) 

The longer you wait between a scheduling a showing, chances are they'll go to someone else to buy another gown.  Give the buyer an incentive too.  When I spoke to the prospective buyer on the phone, I told her I would throw in my goofy bridal slip at no cost if she wanted to buy the gown that day.  

To end today's post, I'll post a picture of the dress that was sold and how the bride saw it when she came over to the apartment.   Sorry this is not a blog quality picture, this was taking on an iPhone 4.   



Farewell lovely gown! You made a bride-to-be feel beautiful and so happy today :)

Good luck with selling your gown!  Please comment below with any suggestions, opinions, or questions on selling your gown. 

**NOTE If the real reason for trying to sell your wedding gown fast is because your wedding got called off, please read this post  HERE

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