If you are wondering how to make money on Grailed, then read on. I have been selling a variety of thrifted items (Clothes, shoes, bags, accessories, and collectibles) for a couple of years now.
And just last year, I have decided that I want to try selling in the international market. After Googling the best websites to sell on, I came across a few that I really got interested in – Depop and Grailed.
I have not set up my Depop account yet as of this time since my main priority is to grow my menswear selling account. Depop sells mainly to female customers but they do have a large following of male customers as well.
While Grailed is exclusively menswear although occasionally, you’ll find some items for the female market posted on the website.
Table of Contents
What is Grailed?
Grailed is probably one of the largest (or the largest) website/app of community curated menswear clothing and accessories as of the time of writing. They’re very popular among people who love men’s high fashion and would like to acquire collectible pieces for a fraction of the retail price.
Grailed is also popular among guys who love high-end and international (a lot of Japanese designers) streetwear brands.
You will also find a lot of vintage pieces that are obviously not being sold anymore in traditional retail shops. Grailed is a niche marketplace that has attracted a huge following over the years and continuously does so.
Note to Readers: Before you signup, please be advised that the information written here is valid as of the time of writing but may have been updated by the time you see/read this post. Please check your Grailed’ website to check the updated information.
How do you sign up on Grailed?
Signing up is easy! All you have to do is to click on the black button labeled ‘Sign up’ on the upper right side corner of your screen and the sign up prompt will pop-up.
You have an option to sign up using your Facebook, Google, Apple account, or your email. Since I created an account to sell, I signed up using my email address.
Once you’re done with the sign-up process, make sure to confirm via email.
How to create listings on Grailed?
Creating a listing is also very easy! The first thing that you have to do is to click on the ‘Sell’ button on the upper right side of your screen. It will then lead you to a page asking you ‘What you would like to sell?’
One thing that I love about creating a post on Grailed is this functionality. You can duplicate a similar listing and just edit it before publishing to speed up the process. For example, if you are going to sell a Yohji Yamamoto Jacket, just typed in ‘Yohji Yamamoto Jacket’ and choose one among the drop-down list.
Click whichever you think is similar to the post that you’re trying to create. In this example, I’m just going to click for the first one. Afterward, just edit the listing and upload pictures.
Important things to remember when creating a listing:
1. Fill up all necessary information and be as accurate as possible when describing the item that you’re selling.
2. Although all garments have size tags, please include actual measurements of the garments. The reason behind this is that garments tend to change in size due to washing and continuous wear and not providing accurate measurement might trigger a return or negative feedback from your customers.
3. Please provide as many photos as possible. I’m not actually sure what the limit is when it comes to the number of photos that you can upload on Grailed. But in my experience, I have posted more than 20 photos for one item. This is to ensure that all sides have been shown to the customer.
4. Please make sure that the photos are clear and the colors are as accurate as possible. You can do this by taking photos of your items in a well-lit area of your room. The best source of light is always daylight, but if you don’t have ample light in your room then you can supplement this by using photography lighting equipment.
Personally, I use a ring light with a stand to ensure that my items are well-lit when taking pictures.
Here’s an example of a clear and clean picture. The seller posted 13 pictures to show all sides and angles of this jacket to prospective buyers.
5. Please set the expectation for your customers. As I have mentioned above, you can use the description box to describe the items as accurately s possible. You can also include in your description the following information:
- Materials of clothes
- Flaws if there’s any
- Your return policy
- Shipping options and timeframe of shipping
- Who pays duties & taxes
- Other relevant information that the prospective buyers need to know
How do you make money on Grailed?
How do buyers buy from Grailed sellers?
A prospective buyer would either click on purchase, offer, or message if they wish to buy your item.
When they click on purchase, it means, they’re buying the item based on the price that you have posted it for.
If they click on an offer, usually, they will make an offer that is lower than your published price. Be sure to be careful in accepting offers because it always includes the shipping fee.
For example:
If you are selling a $100 shirt and they send an offer amounting to $100, that means you will be shouldering the shipping fee. It’s fine if the shipping fee is not that much. In my case where the shipping fee to the US costs $65 (min) via DHL Express, then this is not ok.
This means I will have the remaining $35. If you deduct Grailed and Paypal fees, then, I’ll be left with a smaller amount of money.
When they click on the message, prospective buyers just want to know more information about the item that you’re selling and they’re not making any offers yet.
How do you get paid on Grailed?
As of the time of writing, an offer made on Grailed is binding except for some circumstances (click here to know more).
If the offer is binding, it means that the payment will float on your Paypal account until you get to ship the item. Since I’m writing this post during the lockdown period, a lot of sellers might not be able to ship their items within 5 days because couriers in their area may or may not be open yet.
If you will not be able to ship your items in 5 days, be sure to inform your buyer before you even accept the offer to avoid a possible refund and possible negative feedback.
How much are Grailed Sellers’ Fees?
Grailed charges 6% commission plus applicable PayPal fees: 2.9% + 30 cents for domestic and 4.4% + 30 cents for international. The total charge can be around 9-11% of the total sale price.
PayPal’s fee percentage is determined based on the location of the buyer’s PayPal billing address.
This might be too much for others but I find it reasonable for the items that I am selling.
What are the best items to sell on Grailed?
Grailed has four sections: Grailed, Hype, Sartorial, and Core.
Grailed is for high-quality and highly coveted clothing items and accessories from well-known luxury designers and in good wearable condition. Some examples of Grailed items are Saint Laurent, Raf Simons, Rick Owens, etc.
Hype is for new streetwear releases and the latest drops and some examples of Hype include Supreme, Air Jordan, Yeezy, etc.
Sartorial is for high-end classic menswear, ranging from clothing to footwear, from brands like Brunello Cucinelli, Tom Ford, and Alden.
Core is for well-known, mass-market brands, as well as vintage clothing. This is what I’m not selling because the shipping fee is expensive from where I’m from and it will not be worth it for the customers to buy Core items from my Grailed store.
How to find items to sell on Grailed?
As of the time of writing, I sourced my items from three places:
1. Thrift Store
2. Carousell (Local online marketplace)
3. eBay
The majority of my Grailed items are sourced from thrift stores. However, when I find good bargains in other online stores, I buy them and resell them on Grailed.
Before you go out and buy your Grailed inventories, it’s very important to:
Familiarize Yourself with Brands:
This is to ensure that the time you spend on the thrift store will be well-spent. It will be such a huge time-waster and it will be frustrating for you to go to a thrift store and not know what to buy.
Here are some basic things that I do to grow my knowledge of what brands sell well on Grailed.
Check Out Grailed’s Staff Picks
Go through the listings on the Staff picks section of Grailed and get yourself familiar with the brands that are displayed on that page. If you have some time, open each item and visit the main page of the seller to know what other items he is selling on Grailed.
This is a great way to learn what other sellers are buying and selling.
Check Out Grailed’s Blog on Most Expensive Items Sold
This is one of the things that I always read on Grailed. I’m trying to familiarize myself with the expensive items that are being sold online so I will have an idea of what to look for when I source out my next inventory.
Follow Online Sellers on Instagram
There are a lot of people selling on Instagram and I highly suggest that you follow those who are specializing in the niche that you also want to specialize in. I personally like to specialize in Japanese brands and anti-fashion labels and I’m following the brand labels Instagram accounts and accounts of those who resell these brands.
Related Post: How to Sell on Instagram without Spending Money
Watch Fashion Shows on Youtube
Thank you universe for Youtube! If there’s no Youtube, I will probably not have the chance to watch runway shows of designer labels that I’m following. Go to Youtube and watch both new and old fashion labels on the niche that you want to specialize in.
In my case, as I have mentioned above, I want to specialize in Japanese brands and anti-fashion labels, that’s why I watch a lot of Yohji Yamamoto’s shows.
Familiarize Yourself with Authenticity:
Luckily for vintage garments, counterfeiters didn’t bother making fake copies of them (for now I guess). However, this is not true for bags and accessories. I’m starting to notice fake ‘vintage bags’ starting to flood the market.
For new garments though, this may not be the case especially for popular brands such as Supreme, Bape, and Evisu. So be sure to constantly educate yourself in knowing what an authentic garment from the fake one.
Explore Other Sources of Inventory
Once I get to stabilize my finances this year, I’m planning to explore other sources of inventory by flying into Japan probably next year to check on how I can source out products from Japanese sellers.
I’m also thinking of accepting consignments but I’m not sure yet as I am not familiar with the ins and outs of consignments. But I’m keeping an open mind on this option.
The last strategy that I’m thinking of is to partner with other online sellers locally. I could either buy the products outright or repost their merchandise on my Grailed account.
I’m not sure yet how all of these plans will pan out. These are just personal thoughts that I have regarding growing my Grailed inventory.
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Final Tips on Selling on Grailed
1. Once you sold an item on Grailed, be sure to update your Paypal and the listing with the tracking number. This is to ensure that your payment will be released to you by Paypal.
2. Please keep your shipping proforma invoice from your couriers especially for international shipments. You’ll never know when it will come in handy.
3. For international sellers, always ship your items and require a signature. You can ask your preferred courier about this. This is to ensure that you have proof that the buyer did indeed receive your item. I’ve read some stories about sellers facing a claims charge by the buyer for allegedly not receiving the item.
4. Always make sure to ask for the contact number of the buyer. When you accept someone’s offer, only the name and shipping address automatically appears on the message. Please ask for the contact number as it is a piece of very important information for shipping.
5. Ask for feedback. Once your buyer receives the item, do not hesitate to ask for feedback. The more feedback you have, the more trustworthy you become in the eyes of prospective buyers.
6. Focus on quality! Do not be tempted to post a lot of low-quality garments on your Grailed account. If you want to earn real money in online selling, always focus on the quality of your products.
7. Focus on the quality of your service. This is a very underrated statement but being a polite seller goes along way.
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Do you also sell on Grailed? Feel free to share your tips and suggestions in the comment section below.
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