How To List, Package and Ship a Vintage Hat the Right Way

If you’re in the game already this blog may seem basic. Fair enough. But how you present your inventory to potential buyers — and what it looks like when it hits their doorstep — really is the fork in the road that separates amateurs from full-on resellers. Tightening everything up from listing to packaging to shipping is the only way you're gonna see any kind of longevity out of reselling.

@thriftcon How to list, pack and ship a hat (the right way) #reseller #vintagehat #shippingorders ♬ Caution - Kaytranada

LISTING

When listing your hats, always, always include as much information about the product as you can and be sure to point out any flaws or repairs that may have been made. This not only keeps the listing honest, but ensures you won’t have any surprise suck ratings from buyers. (And you’d be surprised at how many people actually don’t mind a few flaws or are actually looking for them).

-Size (doesn’t have to be exact, just a good way to instill confidence in the purchase)

-Material (people often search for specific mediums)

-Country of origin (if possible, throw it up there, doesn't hurt)

-Era (use your expertise to list a range of dates it could have been made in)

-Flaws (when you photograph and list them all, returns and bad reviews magically disappear)

It's best to snap several photos of all angles, input the data, and get to sellin'.

*Honorable mention goes out to Vendoo for creating an easy and productive desktop platform that allows resellers to crosspost across multiple reselling apps. It cut our listing time by more than half when we started using it, which is more time to spend out in the wild hunting for treasure.

-----

PACKING

One of the most important factors in reselling is how you package your gear. Opening up a package is often the first physical interaction your customer has with you, after all. 

No, you don’t have to spring for custom printed boxes and fancy filling, but you should always use a box for hats. An 8" x 8" x 8" size is purrrrrfect for hats (and often costs the same to ship as a stuffed envelope). No one — and we can't stress this enough — no one likes opening up a smashed envelope containing a pancake.

In fact, reusing boxes is a way to lessen your impact and maintain a sense of sustainability across the industry. But more importantly, your product doesn’t get destroyed when the shipping company decides to play FIFA ’99 with your package.

It’s as simple as padding the insides with some reusable material, placing it backside down in a way the bill has room to move, and securing it with more reused packaging material (or inexpensive recycled stuff if you have to buy new).

-----

SHIPPING

Everyone has their secrets to keeping costs down and reliability up. We’re no different. Pro tip: if you’re just starting out, your first order of business should be to lock down your shipping program. It can have a huge affect on profits.

First thing's first: Do. Not. Ever. Wait. In. Line.

Not only is waiting in line at a post office a colossal waste of time, but most places actually charge you more for the pleasure of standing around. Get a free account at PirateShip.com and print out your labels at home. Half page sticky labels are available on Amazon, or you can just print it on regular paper and cut it down to fit the box. 

Pirate Ship is the most inexpensive company we’ve found that provides all the necessary options for resellers including insurance, tracking, international and basic analytics.

Sheeeeeesh.