Fashion - Pocketful of Joules

5 Tips for Selling Your Clothes on Facebook

You probably read the title of this post and said, “WHHHHHAAATTTT?” because you had no idea that you could sell clothes on Facebook. Yeah, me neither! I just found out a couple months ago and my mind was blown!

I first heard about clothing buy/sale groups when reading other reviews of Stitch Fix. There would occasionally be a mention of selling the unwanted 5^th item on the Facebook boards to get the discount for buying all the items.

My interest was piqued, so I went on Facebook and requested to join a few different Stitch Fix groups. Once I was approved, I started watching how other ladies would sell their items to figure out whether it was worth the time and effort. It seemed easy enough, so I posted two sweaters from my August Fix that I was sure that I didn’t want. I figured, if they sold before I had to check-out than I would keep the rest of the box for myself. If not, no big deal.

I was shocked that BOTH sweaters sold within 24 hours and I was immediately hooked.

Within the next few weeks I started cleaning out my closet of anything I didn’t totally love and watched my Paypal account grow larger and larger. I then joined a couple non-Stitch Fix groups and continued with my closet purge.

While I’ve mostly been working on cleaning out my closet, I have purchased two items off the boards as well – this elephant blouse and this gorgeous Stitch Fix tank top.

All in all, it’s been such a great experience that I wanted to share some tips with you in case you wanted to try it out for yourself!

Tip #1: Sign up for a free Paypal Account
If you don’t already have a Paypal account, click over and sign up for one. From what I’ve seen, every group seems to use Paypal for all of their payments. It only charges a small fee on purchases (which the seller pays) and the buyer automatically gets insurance protection in case the sale goes wrong.

When I sell an item, I go over to Paypal and immediately send the buyer an invoice by entering their email address, the amount of the sale, and a description of the item. As soon as they pay, I get an email letting me know the money is in my account. Easy, peasy!

Tip #2: Join Some Groups
I initially joined a bunch of groups, but then pared them down to a manageable amount. There are TONS of groups out there from general Closet Cleanout groups to specific store/brand groups. Use the Facebook search box to find out if there are groups for your favorite brands.

Here are my 4 favorites:
Stitch Fix b/s/t Large/LX
Curvy Girls Stitch Fix B/S/T & discussion
Stitchfix Trades
Anthropologie BST

Tip #3: Read the Group Rules Very Carefully
Each group is run by its own administrator, which means that they all have their own rules. For example, some groups have specific rules on how you should word your post, how to call ‘dibs’ on an item and how quickly a post should be deleted.

Group administrators are sifting through a ton of posts every day (for NO pay), and they don’t tolerate rule-breakers. So, be sure to follow the instructions pinned to the top of the group page or you may find yourself kicked out of the group.

Tip #4: Do Your Research
When you are approved to join a group, take some time to look around at other posts before starting to do your own. It can give you a good idea on the format that works best for posting, what the typical prices are, and how sellers estimate shipping.

When I first joined the Stitch Fix groups, I found that a couple of the super popular items that were being sold for almost full price were living in my closet. I was able to see what the typical sale prices were and decided to go ahead and sell them since I wasn’t reaching for them very often.

I’ve also found that items sell a lot quicker if you take pictures of them on you, rather than just on a hanger. It helps the buyer see how it fits an actual body so that they can decide if it will be right for them.

Here’s an example of a sweater I recently listed for sale:

Tip #5: Treat a Buyer like an Actual Customer
When you sell your item to someone, make sure to treat it seriously like you were a store doing a transaction. Package your item nicely, mail it first class (or priority mail) so that you get the free insurance and a tracking number, send your buyer the tracking number and just be all-around courteous.

So, is your mind totally blown? Have you bought or sold clothes off Facebook before? If so, do you have any tips to add?

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Reviewing FabFitFun: the Fall Box & a $10 off code

Back in July I had a promo code for my first FabFitFun box, so I decided to try it out (you can read all about it here). At a price of $49.99, it was a bit more expensive than the subscription boxes I had in the past. However, since it was a quarterly box instead of a monthly box I figured that it would be a nice little treat to usher in each season.

I enjoyed my Summer box so much that I decided to keep my subscription for the fall as a little ‘birthday surprise’ to myself. So, let’s see what I got!

Gold Radiance Luxury Facial Mask with Collagen and Rose Oil – $65
This facial mask by Passport to Beauty is supposed to stimulate circulation, increase enzyme activity and soothe skin. I was pleasantly surprised to see that this month’s box contained TWO of these facial masks, so I can try it out a couple times.

I snickered at the description on the box, “When left on for 20 minutes, this luxurious high performing mask melts into your skin leaving it rejuvenated, restored and giving you an instant radiant glow. With thoughtful openings for eyes, nose, and mouth, the perfectly fitted mask unfolds into a no-mess, no-fuss, on the go 20-minute luxury facial treatment.” Yeah, I’m really glad they THOUGHTFULLY included eyes, nose and mouth openings, because I don’t think I can hold my breath for 20 minutes!

I feel like I would not be doing my job if I didn’t show you a picture of how creepy I looked with the mask on…

Ollie wasn’t impressed. Or scared. Or really much of anything, other than ready to cuddle.

Then, since I was stuck lying down for 20 minutes – otherwise the heavy, gelatinous mask would start slipping down my face – I made a video. Because, that’s how I roll.

A video posted by pocketfulofjoules (@pocketfulofjoules) on Oct 5, 2015 at 12:42pm PDT

#sexyandiknowit

I have to say that the mask felt pretty gross while it was on – kind of like a slimy and cold piece of thick jello that you have to stick to your face for 20 minutes. However, after I removed it there was absolutely a noticeable difference in smoothness and all-over brightness in my skin. I’m glad I took the time to try it out the day before I got my new headshots taken at work!

Lucky Lip Stain by Manna Kadar Cosmetics – $24
This 3-in-1 product works as a primer, lip gloss and lip stain. It goes on with a wand and feels like a thicker kind of lip gloss. Unfortunately, it’s almost exactly the color of my lips… so it just looks like gloss on me. If I’m not getting a color out of it, I’ll just stick to my handy ol’ chapstick.

Flawless Skin Fluid by Doctor D. Schwab – $39
According to the description, this lightweight moisturizer has all natural ingredients, including grape stem cell extract and powerful peptides to help balance and bright skin and give it a youthful-looking flawless glow. Initially I was going to add it to my giveaway pile, since I prefer a heavier moisturizer with SPF year-round. But then I read some other reviews that said this moisturizer has some subtle sparkle to it to give you a bit of a glow, so now I can’t wait to try it out!

FabFitFun x Tappan Collective Umbrella – $32
Talk about great timing, this umbrella was delivered to my house the day before Hurricane Joaquin brought a week of rain. I have a larger umbrella, but this one fits nicely in my purse. It also has a really cute ‘Rain, Rain Go Away’ typography design all over it.

Purple Purse Charm by Allstate Foundation Purple Purse – No price
In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness month, FabFitFun has joined forces with the Allstate Foundation Purple Purse to help spread awareness for the cause. By attaching the purple charm on your purse or keychain you can help support women in need and join the fight against domestic violence and financial abuse. I love that this was included in the fall box, because I was not familiar with this cause or the meaning of the purple charm.

HISY Battery Pack – $24.99
This portable battery pack can pair with the iPhone and other devices to give you a quick charge on the go. I love battery pack chargers and probably already have 5 of them around the house from blogging conferences… so I really don’t need another one. If you don’t have one though, this little gadget is pretty awesome.

Strength Tubing Ankle & Total Body Tone with Tubing and DVD by Merrithrew – $33
So here is the “Fit” portion of this season’s FabFitFun box, an ankle strength tube and DVD to show you how to work your lower body and core. I work out at home by running outside or using my elliptical, so something like this will be useful in the winter to break me out of my elliptical rut.

Glass Crystal Bead Bracelet by Tribe Alive – $49
At first glance, I was shocked that this bracelet is valued at $49. However, after reading more about how Tribe Alive partners with artisans all over the world to employ impoverished women I was really impressed. This bracelet was hand-crafted by women in Honduras, a country which suffers from an extraordinarily unequal distribution of wealth. By learning and mastering the art of making jewelry these women are able to feed their families and develop the skills they need to cultivate a brighter future.

This is my absolute favorite item from this quarter’s box and I will wear it with pride. You can find my exact bracelet here and while you are there be sure to check out all the other amazing artisan created products.

Gift Card by Jeweler’s Wife – $15
The Jeweler’s Wife is an online jewelry company that features tons of designers such as Alex and Ani, Kendra Scott and more. This $15 gift card can be used towards anything on the website and shipping is free, so I think I’ll keep it around for buying Christmas gifts in a couple months.

Gift Card by Picture it On Canvas – $75
For the second gift card in the box, they gave us $75 to spend on anything on the Picture it on Canvas website, which includes coasters, canvas prints, phone cases and more. I love putting family pictures on canvases, so I can’t wait to check the website out and order something for our home.

The total value of everything in the Fall FabFitFun box is: $357, which is even more than the summer box! Out of everything in the box, my absolute favorites were the bracelet and facial mask. All in all, I was really impressed at the variety in this month’s box and the value of all the products. I can’t wait to see what they send me in the winter box!

Do you want to try out the FabFitFun box? I have a special code that will give you $10 off your first box, just use this link.

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post and FabFitFun did not pay for me to review their products on my blog. If you decide that you would like to sign up for your own subscription and use my link, I will receive referral credits on my account and you will receive $10 off your first box.

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4 Pairs of Printed Shoes that will Add FUN to Your Wardrobe

As easy as it is to throw on a black or brown pair of shoes in the morning, it adds a little extra kick when you mix in a fun printed version instead.

I wrote a special post over on BlogHer with four of my favorite printed shoes for you to try out this fall: Get out of a Style Rut with these 4 Pairs of Printed Shoes.

I’d love it if you clicked over to check it out!

Do you love printed shoes, or do you stick to the basics? If you have Tieks, do you think they are worth the money?

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