Instagram Shopping

As if we needed another way to shop, social media has become just another tool in swapping and selling (and buying of course!). There are tons of "swap and sell" Facebook groups out there (often specific to your area) but did you know there's a world of people selling stuff on Instagram? I've been involved in buying and selling clothes for my kids on Instagram for about a year and a half now and It's a great way to get some of your money back from the clothes your kids have outgrown as well as buying used clothing at a reasonable price. So much of what they have gets worn 2-3 times and we know people never buy clothes at garage sales so I was just letting it all pile up in the closets and giving some of it away. If you're interested in making some extra money from your kids' clothing (or your own), here's how it works:

- most people (including myself) have separate "shop" accounts that are used strictly for selling. They will post a picture of the item for sale and include all of the information such as size, brand, condition and price

- many times, shops will schedule a sale and post preview photos of the items they'll be selling. That way if you see things you're interested in you know when to log on and shop.

- if you find something you want to buy, you simply leave your PayPal email address (the one you use to sign in). The seller will send an invoice to your paypal account and they will ship the item to you once it's paid.

Here are a few things I've learned that I'll share with you:

1. Very rarely do you truly get scammed and if you do you can file a claim with PayPal to resolve the issue and get your money back. If there is a scammer out there, it doesn't take long for people to catch on and they will spread the news.

2. There are a few acronyms that you'll need to know: EUC (excellent used condition), GUC (good used condition), VGUC (very good used condition), NWT (new with tags), NWOT (new without tags), OBO (or best offer, sometimes used for hard to find or popular items)

3. There's a recent trend of gifting the money to sellers rather than being invoiced. When the seller sends an invoice they have to pay a fee to PayPal that's a percentage of the sale. If the money is sent as a gift to friends and family the seller won't owe any fees to PayPal. Sometimes sellers will offer a discount if the buyer gifts the money. I only gift money to sellers I'm completely comfortable with and who have a good track record. Just know that if you gift the money you will have no way of opening a case against the seller if they never ship your item.

4. If there's a popular item being posted, be ready to claim it fast! The best way to do this is to have your paypal email copied ahead of time so all you have to do is paste it and send.

5. Just remember that these shops are run by moms so they may not ship your item the day you pay. Things come up, kids get sick and life gets busy so just be patient. Most people ship once a week (that's my policy as well) so just know that going in.

My best suggestion for finding shops is to start by finding my shop @delta_littles then checking out the shops I follow. It may take some time to find shops that that have your style and the right age/gender for your kids but once you do you can rack up on quality items for your kids at great prices.

If you're interested in opening a shop of your own, here are a few tips:

- the most important thing you need is followers. A great way to get them is to post a few preview photos of your best items with a caption on it like "selling these great items and more when I reach 500 followers". Use an app like A Beautiful Mess or Rhonna to create the image. If you do open a shop please tag me and I will share your photo (that way my followers will see it and, hopefully, follow you)!

- the brands that sell the best are Zara, Gap, Old Navy, some target stuff and of course any "designer" brand like Bobo Choses, Mini Rodini, Nununu, etc. and for these brands it's a good idea to hashtag them with the brand name. Example #bobochoses. People who like this brand, myself included, will often search the hashtags for recently posted items).

- for shipping, I suggest ordering some poly mailers. They're cheap and make the process much faster. PayPal has a shipping service so once the invoice is sent and the item is paid you can print your label and ship it. In order to use this service, however, you have to know the weight of the item so you'll need to purchase a postal scale. I got mine at walmart for like $15. The first class shipping option is the cheapest but can only be used for packages weighing 13 ounces or less. If my package weighs more I use parcel post.

Ok I think that about covers it but is be more than happy to answer any questions you might have. Just leave your question in the comments and I'll get back to you ASAP. Happy shopping :)

- Elizabeth -