7 Tips To Help You Sell Your Wedding Dress

So I finally sold my wedding dress (big cheers)!

It has taken a few months from when I first decided to sell it and I could have probably sold it sooner if I had put my mind to it. But it was only recently when we were unpacking in the new house that I thought to myself I really must do this and before the baby comes!

After trying a number of different sites, I finally sold her on eBay via auction, which I was originally reluctant to do given the temperamental outcome of auctions but in the end I was satisfied with the result.

If you’re thinking of selling your wedding dress, here are my seven tips to help you sell :

1. Decide on what is important to you and then get emotionally detached!

When I first decided to sell my dress, the return I got for it was important to me. While it could no longer be classed as a new dress, it had only been worn once and I wanted to recoup some of the cost of what I paid. However I think is why it took so long to sell. Given that the dress was still being sold new, the price I wanted for it was not realistic in the second hand market (I wanted 50% of what I paid, rather than 30%-40% which is the norm). So the second time round I lowered my expectations and took the view that sitting in my house it wasn’t earning me anything, so whatever I sold it for (within reason) I would be happy to accept.

Another reason why I think I was slow to sell the dress was that I was still emotionally attached to it. It holds a lot of positive memories for me and sometimes I would think, why am I selling it? However in the end dress or no dress, I will always have great memories of my wedding day with great pictures to boot, so having it hanging it my house for months on end was not really a good used of space.

2. Choose your preferred site

Like I mentioned earlier, I tried a number of different online sites to sell my dress. From general selling sites to sites dedicated to selling wedding dresses, all of which were unsuccessful. One site, Preloved, I did receive a number of enquiries but nothing ever went forward. In the end as my last attempt I decided to use the auction option on eBay. Benefits being that it would reach a wide audience and I could have the dress sold within a week.

There are lots of sites out there who will claim to sell your dress for a fee, but I was a bit dubious about them and wanted to do it myself. Whichever site you do choose remember to factor in any fees that you will have to pay when you sell it.

3. Write a detailed description

This is key not only because it will minimise the number of questions you will be asked but it will also help people make an informed decision on whether they wish to buy your dress. Having researched around, I realised that my original descriptions were quite basic and brides-to-be wanted a lot more information, especially around measurements etc.

This is a copy of my final advert:

I am selling my wedding dress.

Designer: Maggie Sottero

Name of dress: 'Harriet' {still available as part of her collection}

Size: 14 but due to bodice can fit 12/14. Bust - 41 inches Waist - 35 inches Hips - 43.5 inches (Important to mention)

Colour: Diamond White

Alterations: I am 5ft10 and had an extra 2 inches added to the length {wore 2" heels} and a bustle put in at the back. (Important to mention)

Has not been dry cleaned. (Important to mention)

Dress Description:It is a one-piece, strapless, A-line gown with corset closure. It features an asymmetrically draped A-line silhouette with Duchess Organza creating an airy lightness. Lovely embellished lace motifs decorate the bodice, skirt and train.

Fell in love with the dress when I saw it and got loads of comments on the day.  Reason for sale: Baby on the way and want to create space in our home. (Always good to include)

Open to reasonable offers.Feel free to ask any questions or request for more pictures. Happy for you to come and view the dress as well.

4. Take lots of pictures

Unless a person comes and views the dress before hand, they will be making their decision based on your description and pictures, which is why it is important to include as many pictures as possible from all angles. You don’t need to be a David Bailey, these are a mixture of camera and iPhone pics. (The picture at the top of this post is Instagram for iPhone!)

5. Investigate delivery options

At first I was dead set on ‘collection only’. I mean how was I going to be able to pack up this huge dress and post it anywhere. However when I started getting lots of questions from people asking whether I would post it, I realised that I was limiting my market by saying collection only.

So I took time to find a suitable box and gently folded the dress to fit into it and enquired about couriers. Surprisingly it was not as expensive as I thought. Given the size of the box, it would have made it quite expensive with Royal Mail but sites like Parcel to Go are great in finding a range of courier prices.

The person who won the dress did not live locally and the dress was sent to her by courier.

6. Promote your advert

Throughout the whole week of the auction I promoted the dress on my personal Facebook page and the blog Facebook page. I also tweeted about it and my friends re-tweeted it as well. Don’t know if it helped but it’s all promotion!

7. Respond to questions and queries promptly

This should be a given as you are talking to a prospective buyer. Equally with having a 7 day auction on eBay, I was on a timeline so the quicker I responded the better, so that they could decide if they want to bid or not.

If you have successfully sold your wedding dress do you have any additional advice that worked for you?