ThredUp Starting Tips: How to Make Sales on ThredUp

So far we've covered a basic overview of what you need to know, what to send in, and now we will dig into how to drive sales and what to do once you're items are received by ThredUp.

The way ThredUp prices your items can be so dependent on the person doing it. Sometimes they price things great, sometimes even over what I think it will sell for, and other times it is straight garbage. 

Either way, you will want to change the prices. I highly recommend following Kreithchele's pricing strategy, which you can learn from her course (info at the bottom of this email), but the starting point and the highest you can price your item is 20% off retail. Some designer items and bags can be 10% off.

To find and edit the price, you can click the listing and calculate 80% of the estimated retail, or if you are on the computer, you can type in "$99999" and it will tell you the highest you can go.

You will be able to change the prices once the box is completely processed. You will receive an email once it is processed and you will have 12 hours from that time before they go to bidding where you cannot change them.

It is so important to stay on top of that box once you start seeing that it is being processed. If it finishes processing at 8pm and you sleep in to 8am, you are kind of out of luck. 

But don't worry, once they get out of bidding and go live on the site, you will be able to change the prices. You just hope at that point the item didn't sell at auction or go straight to someone's cart as soon as it is listed.

Contacting ThredUp About Mistakes

It is pretty common for ThredUp to mess up the brand, not put it is NWT, butcher the estimated retail price, or a bunch of other things. Don't freak if this happens. 

You will want to reach out via chat on the app as soon as you see a mistake. Email takes a long time to hear back.

Take a screenshot of the item with the item number and the bag it is from. Message them about the mistake and add in your screenshots. If there is an issue with estimated retail price, add in screenshots of your research online.

They are pretty good about fixing these mistakes. Try and make sure you reach out during their business hours as they are more likely to get back to you quicker. 

Continue to watch the item, because they are known to keep the listing unavailable vs. making it active again. 

Driving Sales

1. Dropping Prices

One of the main ways to drive sales on ThredUp is by dropping prices. The same exact thing with CCO on Poshmark happens with dropping prices on ThredUp: everyone who has liked the item will receive a notification of the price drop.

It can be really common for people to forget about their likes on ThredUp, especially if they have a lot and they are always "available". So this tactic gives the likers a constant reminder of the item.

Kreithchele's strategy on this would have to be the number 1 thing I learned and implemented from her course, so I won't reveal that information, but highly suggest learning it for yourself via the course.

2. Like Your Own Items

There are two reasons I do this. For one, it allows me to keep better track of my items. Instead of having to go through all my boxes, I can easily see how many likes an item has and how often people are putting it in their carts. This helps me know what to source as well.

I also do it to make it appear that more people like the item. People always want what others want, and if you start your listing out with a like, it gives the perception that it's not a super undesirable item. 

3. Put Your Items In Your Own Cart

Just like above, people want what others want. When you put your own item in your cart it appears to others as "In Someone Else's Cart". 

If they really wanted the item, it puts urgency on them that once it is out, that they should snag it. Also, if people are searching by "In Someone Else's Cart" people may want it more because like before, it gives the perception that it is a good item, even if its not. 

I will usually do this on a weekday vs. a weekend since more people are likely to shop on the weekends or around payday. 

I don't have a complete structure to it yet, but I will fill my cart with my own items, then take them out after about 24 hours.

I will also focus on items that have 10+ likes or have been in someone else's cart before. This just allows it to reach more people vs. a small number of likers who may or may not be affected by it. 

I have had someone successfully buy an item immediately after I removed it from my cart!

So yeah, a lot can go into this "leave it and forget it" platform, but it is so worth all the money!

Don't get discouraged if a tactic doesn't work all the time, too. Nothing ever does 100% and it doesn't mean you should stop doing it.

&& in addition to taking care of items during the ThredUp selling process, it is so important to take care of items once they are sold or you need to reclaim them. You don't want ThredUp claiming your items for themselves!

Next post we will go all into that. If you are not an organized person now, you are going to need to be!


XOXO
- Ashley

Don't forget to enroll in Kreithchele's course here!