It's All In The Price

 
So you researched the value of your bag and are about to list it. Most Facebook selling pages demand that you include all charges in your listing price. To make sure your expenses are all covered, consider:

Postage
Make sure you chose an adequate service. Royal Mail's standard insurance only covers a parcel value up to £50. Anything above that value needs to be sent by "Next Day Special Delivery". This not only guarantees delivery by 1pm for the next working day but also insures your parcel up to £500. Check Royal Mail pricefinder for details

Packaging
I have stacks of boxes sat in a cupboard (actually, usually they're stacked up next to the front door, much to Mr G's annoyance) and keep various packing materials. I buy some bubble wrap and nice tissue papers every now and then and don't tend to relay that cost to my buyer but you could calculate a contribution into your total selling price.

Paypal Fees
Most selling pages and eBay stipulate payment via Paypal Goods & Services and the fees are automatically deducted from the amount the seller receives. The fees equate to 3.4% of the total amount plus £0.20. E.g. if your buyer sends you £500, you will receive £482.80. If you'd want to receive the full £500, you'd have to ask the buyer to pay £517.81 (though you may well round to a sum nearby). TIP: use this Paypal calculator!

Calculating your "all in" selling price
So, let's assume you have a bag, for which you research a maximum value of around £350 and for which you want to receive no less than £320. It's quite heavy, so you think you'll have to spend £11 on postage. You don't have a box to hand, so you buy a nice box and bubble wrap for £5.
£320 + £11 + £5 = £336
To receive £336, your buyer has to send £348.03. Bit of an odd number, so you'd probably list at the nice round figure of £350. Or maybe £349, if you want the price to look that tad more competitive.

Tips

• Bear in mind though that the seller will only pay what they believe the bag is worth, so whilst you want to calculate in your postage costs and fees, don't over-inflate your selling price - your bag simply won't sell.
• Don't be tempted to offer payment via Paypal Friends & Family - you're likely to get chucked and blocked from the relevant selling site, as it's against the rules.
• If your prospective buyer lives nearby, you could agree to meet and cut out postage and fees. In that case: insist on cash on delivery, as a G&S Paypal payment demands a postage receipt, which you obviously wouldn't have if you handed over the bag in person. 

Hopefully you found these tips useful. More about selling your bag on a Facebook group here!

How much is that Mulberry in the window?

 
One of the most common queries on our Mulberry Facebook group right behind "is this bag genuine?" is "how do I price my bag that I want to sell?" We are usually happy to help but sometimes the sheer volume of queries (alongside approving selling and chatting posts) means we can't reply until later - or not at all. So here a few good pointers:

Your bag's condition
Have a good and honest look at your bag with the eyes of a buyer. With that I mean, forget that it's your bag for a minute and imagine you just bought and received it in the post. What's the condition like? That scuff that you normally don't notice might suddenly bug you. The little pen mark would take the shine off it for you. (It goes without saying that any fluff, crumbs or marks that can be polished away, should be removed. Sounds grim but whilst you put up with your own dirt, you would probably slightly wretch at that of others!)
  
How much are other bags selling for? 
A good place to research prices are these:
Facebook selling groups - Simply pop the name of your bag in the search bar and see which other bags of the same model are currently up for sale. Tip: click on "All Posts" so view those that have already sold.
Ebay - Again, search for your bag model and then filter by "sold".
Evaluate your findings
1. Compare the condition of those bags that you researched with yours. Where does your bag sit?
2. Consider rarity - how many search results did you actually get? Lots of bags of the same model means it's buyer's market: they have lots to chose from. Only a couple or handful?

Also consider
1. Seasonality - In spring or summer you might find it harder to sell oak or darker leathers. In winter the candy/pastel colours might not be so covetable. Coming up to the sale, people might be saving their pennies to buy new for not much more than pre-loved prices. And after the sale they are spent up. 
2. Other factors that drive desirability - The market can be incredibly fickle. I've seen my fair share of crazes come and go - and that's just on the selling pages! Somebody receives a fairly rare item and suddenly everybody wants it. Wait a month or two and suddenly loads are for sale - and nobody wants them anymore. Keep your eyes on ISO (In Search Of) posts and chats.
3. How quickly do you want to sell? Want to sell quickly? Pick your price at the bottom of the range. Don't mind waiting for it to shift? You can afford to set your price slightly higher and wait until somebody comes along who is happy to pay that. 
4. Not sure you actually really want to sell? Set a price (which may well be on the higher side) at which you will be absolutely fine if your bag goes. Even if you miss it, you'll be happy to have gotten that money - probably to buy something else?!
5 . Consider if you'd be approachable for an offer. If somebody pm's you and asks whether they can make an offer, don't be offended. See what they have to say and consider it. If it's not enough decline politely.

Want to find out more about selling your Mulberry (or other designer bag) on Facebook pages? Start here!

Good Pics, Bad Pics

Remember me going on about what you should and shouldn't do when selling on Facebook Groups? (Or more specifically handbag groups, such as the one I co-admin.)

I promised a follow up on all 7 Rules and after my ranting about why to read the pinned post, here some tips about taking pics to sell your bag.

First, a little disclaimer: I am no photography expert, merely somebody who thinks that if I sell a bag for a sizeable sum, I want to a) represent it looking its best and b) make sure potential buyers get a good idea of what it looks like. As mentioned above, I also admin a page and see what can happen if adequate pictures aren't supplied: at best your post won't get approved. At worst you will find yourself at a dispute with a buyer.

1. Include all pictures as listed in the Pinned Post
   
   Yes, I know, you're sick of me constantly referring to the pinned post, but - honestly! - it's just there to help you!
   Essentially, these pictures are there to fulfil three functions:
   - proof that your bag is authentic
   - illustrate its condition and
   - simply for showing off your bag.
   For authenticity you will typically be required to supply clear pictures of the Mulberry imprint, fob (front and back) and made in label (front and back).
   For more info on showing its condition have a look at 2. below.
   For showing off how lovely it is just think about what is no nice about your bag. Does it have some fab internal pockets? Is the colour beautiful? Can it be worn multiple different ways? Showcase these features!
    
2. Show all details and flawsYou're asking for somebody who has never seen the bag to part with their money so you want to make sure they know what to expect. Make sure you not only mention any flaws in your description but you photograph them as well as possible. This applies for example to stains, scratches or marks on the leather (especially any damage to piping), scratches on the hardware, any damage to inking and any stains on the lining/interior. Believe me when I say you don't want to omit anything: firstly that's not fair and secondly it's not worth the hassle. Paypal (which should always be used for payment) will most likely side with the buyer if you weren't quite honest.
   
3. Use daylight where possibleThis is a tricky one for me, especially in the winter: leaving the house in darkness and returning after sunset, means I could really only ever take pictures at the weekend - and on dull days not even the daytime will afford great conditions. In that case I try and use multiple, non-harsh light sources to avoid glare and shade. This is really most important if you want to show off a not so well known colour. Always good to point out which in picture the colour is the closest to what it looks like in real life. If you're really struggling I'd advise to do all your pics and add a stock photo of the colour to refer to.
    
4. Stuff your bag
   
   Potential buyers want to see how your bag looks when being carried - and presumably that would be with some stuff inside it. So, especially if your bag is slouchy or not particularly structured, show them. Nothing quite as sad as a deflated Alexa... It's best if you store your bag stuffed anyway, so you might have tissue paper or maybe even a Pilo from LoveLolo, if you don't, just get creative with some scarves, socks or cuddly toys...
   
5. Remove distractions
   
   You want to show off your bag, not your busy carpet, kid's toys or kitchen paraphernalia. If you think you have a gorgeously patterned duvet or wallpaper you could, of course, use this to your advantage and add a bit of style in the background but I'd say keep it simple.
    
6. Provide clear pictures
   
   No-brainer really: blurry pics are rubbish, as are those that are so tiny you can't make out any detail.
   

So... don't do this...

 Deflated Alexa with bonus Lego.

 What am I even looking at..?

 Blurry details.

Unclear imprint.

But do this instead:

Stuffed Alexa without distractions

Hardware flaws

 Clear pics of imprint...

 ...and fob.

Clear pic of made in label front...

...and back

...and I'll shut up now... ;)

Why You Must Read The Pinned Post

I get it. Reading the Pinned Post is a pain.  Wading through the rules and understanding what makes a Facebook group tick can feel like a bit of work.  But I promise you: get this bit right and you will make your life much easier.  And more importantly: you will make the residing admins love you and add you to their Christmas card list.                    (*slight exaggeration, no guarantees.)

So what happens if you don't? 

Well, for one thing your post might either get deleted or not get approved in the first place. Why? Take a look...

So my top tips:

• Don't forget pics of the features inside the bag: Mulberry imprint, front and back of fob, front and back of made in label. Have a look here for some good examples.
• Very few Mulberry bags have no "made in" label. Can't find one? Search for it. Still nothing? Search again. They like to hide in inside pockets, nooks and crannies. If there's just a leather tab instead of a label, include a pic of that instead.
• Don't forget to mention whether the bag comes from a smoke or pet free home. It's fine if it doesn't but you must disclose this. Either way, mention it. 
• Want pricing advice? PM admin.
• No "any interest in my bag?" posts. Thinking of selling? Do a sales post.
• Read my post on selling on Mulberry Facebook Groups for more tips!

7 Rules for Selling on Mulberry Facebook Groups

Hi guys,

Right, I'm way too tired and so behind on this, so I'm gonna make it short and snappy:

If you know my blog, you are probably a member of at least one of the Mulberry selling groups on Facebook - or maybe, like me, of all of them? I love them all, they all have their own personality and style and provide different points of views.

After having been a member of Mulberry Buy and Sell for around a year, Esme (who founded the page) and Victoria asked me to join their admin team. I've now been part of that team for few weeks, the group has grown to over 10,000 members and I thought I'd talk to not just our members but any members of a buying/selling page.

My plan is in the next few weeks to give more guidance around these rules but for now (because of the late- and tiredness) I will leave you with these:

1. Read the Pinned Post.
Make sure you're familiar with the rules around buying, selling and generally using the page. You ask why?! Find out here!

2. Take good pictures.
Whilst you need to make sure you show and declare all your bag's flaws, you want to sell it - so make it look good! Some top tips here!

3. Research price.
Price it too high and it simply won't sell; too low and you will lose out. Some pointers here.

4. Include all charges.
Check in the pinned post you you should show the price. Usually it's an 'all in' price, so make sure you include Paypal fees and postal charges. A quick guide on how to calculate here.

5. Have your Paypal ready.
Paypal is usually the only acceptable payment method on these pages - so if you want to buy or sell: have your account ready.

6. Be around after you post.
Try to be around when your post gets approved as people might comment - and be happy to answer questions.

7. Be nice to admin.
Pretty easy. They want a simple life. Follow the rules, be friendly and patient (yes, that includes, no constant "why hasn't my post been approved yet" messages) and you will find they will help you where ever they can. Annoy them at your own peril.

Are you a member of any of the groups?