Seasonal buying and selling can sometimes leave you out of pocket so when is the best time to buy or sell??

In my experience of nearly 6 years of buying and selling childrens clothes on ebay I have noticed definate trends in prices for items according to the time of year.....this short guide is aimed at helping the newer ebayer with the seasonal trends, so you do not need to learn the hard way like me!

• Summer clothes start listing in February - this is when the clothes can achieve their best prices.  Summer clothes are just coming into shops and while the weather is not normally such hot weather at this time of year people are preparing for the hotter months ahead.
• Summer clothes start to reduce in price around June, July time as most people have all they need by now - this is a great time to buy as prices tend to be lower than the earlier months.
• Winters clothes start listing in September - this is also when these clothes can achieve their best prices.  For the same reasons as summer clothes.  Also remember back to school, this is the best time to sell outgrown uniform!
• Winter Clothes start to reduce in December - all the big shops have sales on so you are not going to achive top price for items when people can get them in the High St cheaply.
• If you have seasonal items like Christmas top or Easter top then list them 4-6 weeks prior to the event.  They will achieve there best prices now..........equally if you are looking to buy these types of items look for a Christmas dress in summer when you can pick it up for next to nothing!

Although selling at these times will probably mean you will have to store clothes for 6 months before selling them - it is worth it for upto and above 50% increases in your profit.  Just remember to store them well - as you won't have happy customers if items smell musty and are all creased :0)

A few helpful hints for your listings:

1. Always give as clear a description as possible 'Oilily Dress Spoex Size 116 - As New - Age 5-6' will attract a lot more bidders than a 'Oilily Dress' - make sure you give as much information as possible in the small space allowed!
2. Add a Gallery picture - although there is a charge for this feature, a lot of people only look at items with a gallery picture - seeing a little snap of what's on offer will get the buyer more interested, and increase the money you make!
3. Make sure your descriptions are clear and accurate and answer all questions promptly.

A couple of helpful hints for buying:

1. As in the above section #1.  If an item is not listed with a descriptive title it will not get as many people looking at it - so take a peek you may bag yourself a real bargain!
2. Don't bid straight away and get in a bidding war - hold back and watch the competition.  See what bids have been made, it will tell you if there is someone who is desperate for the item or not.  If a buyer has out bid everyone else every time a new bid is placed, wait till the end when they can't do it to you!

I hope you have found this little guide if some use........thank you for stopping by!