How To Sell Clothes Online: A Beginner’s Guide for 2024

Selling clothes online can be a great way to earn extra cash or even start a new business venture. While many people turn to online marketplaces like ThredUP or Poshmark to sell their used items quickly, another path offers more control and potentially greater rewards: building your own online clothing store.

Imagine having a beautifully designed online shop that you can call your own. Whether you create unique pieces, have a knack for curating stylish collections, or simply want to empty out your closet, having your own store gives you the flexibility to showcase your brand and connect directly with customers.

Plus, it’s easier than you might think. Even if you’re completely new to the world of e-commerce, my step-by-step guide will walk you through the entire process of selling clothes online fast – from choosing a website builder to setting up your store and listing your products.

Laying the Foundation for Your Online Clothing Store

Selling clothes online can be a broad category, so it helps narrow your focus down to a specific niche. Some popular ones include streetwear, sustainable fashion, athleisure, plus-size, and children’s clothing. To identify the best niche for you, consider your interests and expertise, and use tools like Google Trends, social media platforms, and online marketplaces to see what’s trending.

Once you’ve identified your niche, the next step is to define your brand. Start by determining your unique selling proposition (USP). For instance, if you’re entering the sustainable fashion niche, your USP could use 100% organic materials. Even if you sell used clothes, your USP could focus on curating high-quality, gently used pieces from top brands.

Think about how you’ll source your clothes, too. Are you going to sell used clothes and store thrift inventory in your garage? Are you going to partner with manufacturers to produce your designs? Or maybe you plan on making the clothes yourself. All these aspects will affect your website’s ultimate focus and design.

Finally, you want to put together a plan and budget for launching and growing your online clothing business. Your business plan should outline your goals, target market, USP, and marketing strategies. Estimate your initial costs and set realistic milestones and deadlines to keep your business on track.

Choose the Right Platform To Sell Your Clothes

When it comes to selling clothes online, you have several options: build your own clothing store, sell on online marketplaces like ThredUp, Poshmark, and Amazon, or leverage social media. While online marketplaces and social media channels can help you reach potential buyers quickly, they come with limitations that can hinder your long-term growth.

Sure, online marketplaces might handle web hosting and marketing for you. But their fees are not worth it, especially if you’re just starting out. For example, ThredUp charges a $14.99 processing fee for its standard Clean Out Kit service. You want to make money and have control over your profit margins – not see a huge chunk of your earnings go to middlemen.

Social media is a bit better since you have more control over your marketing strategies. You can sell clothes via Instagram’s product catalog or set up a TikTok shop. But then, using social media means your success will largely depend on the whims of that particular platform’s algorithm, which can bring poor results even if you do everything right. Plus, social media is saturated with other sellers, so it’d be hard to stand out and capture customer attention.

But you can have the best of both worlds (and more) by simply building your own online clothing store with a website builder like Wix. Unlike online marketplaces, a dedicated store gives you complete control over your customer experience and how you present your business. You don’t need to meet a certain inventory level, adhere to a seller policy, or lose a sizable amount of your profits to platform fees.

Plus, with Wix, you can sell on major online shopping, social media, and print-on-demand dropshipping platforms from a single dashboard. This means you only need to set up your inventory once and can manage all your sales channels from one place, saving you time and reducing the complexity of running your clothing business.

To help you get started, Wix offers a free plan to explore its online store features – from adding products to setting up shipping – without any upfront cost. You can also take advantage of the 14-day money-back guarantee to try out a Wix Premium plan that allows you to accept payments. This way, you can build and test your clothing store and ensure it meets your needs before committing to a paid plan.

Choose a Good Name for Your Online Clothing Store

When starting your online clothing store, it’s essential to pick a catchy and memorable name that aligns perfectly with your domain name. A domain name is the web address that customers will type into their browser to find your store. The best domain names are short, simple, and directly related to your store’s name or the clothes you sell.

For example, if your store’s name is “Thrift Threads,” you should aim for a domain like “thriftthreads.com.” This consistency helps build your brand and makes it easier for customers to find you online. Try to avoid names that are too complex or difficult to spell.

In some cases, the domain name you choose may not be available – that is, someone else is using it for their website. But don’t stress too much about that because website builders like Wix offer tools to search for available domains and even suggest alternatives if your preferred name is already taken.

What’s more, you can get a free domain for the first 12 months when you sign up for Wix’s yearly or multi-year Premium plan. After this period, you’ll pay a tiny domain name fee, separate from the website builder plan.

Customize Your Online Clothing Store

It’s super easy to sign up for Wix. Once you submit your email address, the AI bot will ask you several questions. It will then use this information to create a personalized dashboard for your web-building experience.

Before you start building your website, you’ll have the option of designing it using one of Wix’s templates or having AI generate a personalized site design for you. When I created my store, I went with the first option. Since I made it clear to Wix’s AI bot that I wanted to sell clothes, it recommended a bunch of clothing and T-shirt store templates for me to choose from.

Editing a template is straightforward. All the tools you need are on the left and top side of the web builder. You can add new sections or elements, such as text, images, or buttons, to each page section.

You can even create whole sections using AI. Simply select which page you want the section on (e.g., About or Homepage) and what you want to include, and Wix’s AI will generate a complete section with ready-to-use content.

Wix also lets you add images and videos from your social media to your website. You can link your Facebook and Instagram or upload directly from your device. Alternatively, you can access Shutterstock media directly from your web builder or opt for Wix’s free videos and images.

Add Your Clothes as Products

To add clothes to your store, go to your Wix dashboard and select Catalog > Store Products > Products. This will take you to the page where you can add new clothes and manage your current products.

Click the New Product button. You will be given two options: Physical product or Digital file. Choose Physical product. Next, click the Add Images button to upload photos of your clothing item.

It’s best to have multiple high-quality images showing different angles (front, back, and sides). If your budget allows it, consider using a model to display each clothing item. Ensure the images are well-lit and taken against a neutral or white background to remove distractions.

Now, fill in your product details such as name, price, description, and stock-keeping unit (SKU) code. For your product description, include information about the material, fit, and available sizes. Also, discuss any clothing benefits that would appeal to your customer.

If your clothing item comes in different sizes or colors, click Add Options to add variants. For example, you can add sizes (S, M, L, XL) and colors (red, blue, black).

Once you’ve filled in all the details, click Save, and the product will be automatically added to your product page.

Update Your Store Settings and Payment Information

To set up your store settings and payment information on Wix, go to your Wix dashboard and click the Settings menu. In this menu, you’ll be focusing on three sections: Checkout, Tax, and Accept Payments.

In the Checkout section, you can customize the form your customers will fill out at checkout and include an opt-in checkbox for customers to join your SMS and email list.

To build a strong relationship with your customers, set up automated emails for order confirmations, shipping updates, and abandoned cart reminders. You can also include checkout policies like terms and conditions, privacy policy, and return policy.

Next, navigate to the Tax section to manage how your business collects tax. You can choose to collect tax from certain locations by creating a tax location list. You also have the option to collect tax at checkout or include it in your prices.

Lastly, go to Accept Payments to configure your website to accept both offline payments, such as cash and checks, and online payments from PayPal and other third-party providers. If you subscribe to one of Wix’s Premium plans, you can use Wix Payments to accept credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more.

Preview and Launch Your Clothing Store

Before launching your clothing store, review and test every aspect of your site. Start by previewing your store on desktop and mobile devices to ensure all website content is displayed correctly. The alignment of images, text, and other visual elements should appear as intended. Check for any spelling or grammatical errors that could undermine the professionalism of your store.

Next, test the functionality of your e-commerce features. Navigate through your site as a customer would and see if all clickable buttons, links, and images work. Broken links or buttons can frustrate and drive potential customers away, so look out for those. If your store includes scheduling features or other interactive elements, ensure these are fully operational.

Test the shopping cart and checkout process thoroughly and check if you can select products, add them to the cart, and complete a purchase seamlessly. Verify that promotional discounts, taxes, and shipping costs are accurately applied.

You also want to test the site’s navigation and ensure all pages load correctly and quickly. Slow-loading pages can annoy customers, so consider running a speed test to identify any performance issues.

Tools like PageSpeed Insights can provide insights into your site’s loading speed and offer recommendations for optimization. Some quick tips for improving site speed include optimizing image sizes, reducing the number of plugins, and enabling browser caching.

Start Selling Clothes on Amazon, eBay, and Social Media

Expanding your reach to multiple platforms, such as Amazon, eBay, and social media can significantly boost your sales. With Wix, you can streamline this process and manage all your stores from a single dashboard.

Simply go to your Wix dashboard and navigate to Catalog > Sales Channels. Here, you’ll see the options of selling your clothes on Google Merchant Solutions, Amazon, eBay, or TikTok Catalog. Simply click on your preferred platform(s) and follow the setup guidelines.

Once connected, you can manage all your product listings from the Wix dashboard. This includes updating product details, pricing, and inventory across all platforms. You can also use Wix’s inventory management tools to keep track of stock levels and avoid overselling.

Promote Your Online Clothing Store

Promoting your online clothing store will help drive traffic and boost sales. One of the first and most important steps is optimizing your website for search engines. Wix offers robust SEO tools to help you enhance your site’s visibility. You can use these tools to modify product titles, descriptions, and categories, which can help your store rank higher in search results.

Another option is to start an email campaign. Using Wix, you can capture email addresses through sign-up forms on your website and send targeted emails to remind subscribers of abandoned carts and back-in-stock products. If you prefer using email marketing tools with advanced features and detailed analytics, you can integrate them with Wix through embed codes.

You can use the power of social media marketing with Wix by running targeted ads and engaging with your audience on Instagram and Facebook. It also allows you to schedule social media posts and analyze your marketing performance. However, its social media integration is limited, so consider using a dedicated social media tool for broader support, including platforms like Pinterest, TikTok, and Threads.

If managing all these promotional tasks feels overwhelming, consider hiring a freelancer. Many experts specialize in building and promoting online stores and can offer these services at affordable rates.

Promoting your online store is a long-term investment requiring consistent effort and planning. To see quicker results as you build your SEO profile and start your marketing campaigns, consider starting selling your clothes on Amazon, eBay, and social media. This multi-channel approach ensures your products reach potential customers faster, giving your store the boost it needs from the start.

Selling Clothes Online Couldn’t Be Easier in 2024

Starting your own online clothing store requires careful planning and dedication, but the rewards are great. Each step is crucial for your success, from selecting your niche and customizing your store to promoting it across multiple channels.

It’s also essential to track your website’s performance and keep it updated with fresh content, as this will help keep your customers engaged and drive continuous growth.

I want to stress that it’s normal to feel overwhelmed. Luckily, you don’t need a perfect website to start selling clothes immediately. You just need to take a deep breath, dive in, and get your basic (yet functional) Wix store online. You will refine and improve things as you get comfortable with the process.

FAQ

What is the best place to sell your clothes?

The best place to sell your clothes is through your own clothing store. While most people prefer online marketplaces like Amazon, Poshmark, and ThredUP, creating your own store is better in the long run. Unlike online marketplaces, having your own online store lets you maintain full control over pricing, marketing, and customer relationships.

Is it a good idea to sell clothes online?

Yes, it’s a good idea to sell clothes online. It provides flexibility and makes it easier for you to reach potential local or international buyers. If you’re just starting, I recommend setting up your own clothing store rather than selling on online marketplaces like Amazon. It’s not as difficult as you think, especially when you use a website builder like Wix.

What is the best online site for selling clothes?

The best online site for selling clothes is your own website. With web builders like Wix, you can create a customized online store and still sell clothes via online marketplaces and social media – all within one platform. Wix also provides the essential marketing and payment tools to grow and promote your business effectively​.

How do I start to sell clothes online?

To start selling clothes online, identify your niche, whether it’s a fashion style you’re passionate about or trending styles. Also, know your sourcing options, target market, budget, and preferred selling platform. Having your own store is ideal, and you can easily create one using a website builder. I recommend using Wix because of its AI-powered platform, customizable templates, and easy-to-use store management tools.