Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Selling & Buying on Instagram

As many of y'all know, I have two instagram accounts, @SouthernLillyLady and @LillyLadyCloset.  On my Lilly Lady Closet account I post new and gently used Lilly Pulitzer items for sale.  For a while now I have been considering posting items for my followers that they are trying to sell.  Recently I have noticed that a lot of people are trying to sell/buy on instagram and I have even had many followers ask me if I would post their items for them since almost all of my followers are following my closet instagram for the sole purpose of purchasing Lilly Pulitzer items.  I have finally decided that I will start posting items for my followers on my account @LillyLadyCloset with a strict set of guidelines & rules and a small fee of $2.

One of my biggest dilemmas I was facing when deciding if I would do this or not, was when I would have the time to post everyones items since I am currently a college student.  A solution I have come up with, that I also see to be very beneficial for buyers and sellers, is that I will designated one night a week for posting items.  I decided that Sunday nights are when I have a little extra free time, and buyers/sellers would also probably be home relaxing and able to shop and answer emails.  I find this to be helpful for all of us.  Sellers will have all week to email me their pictures and descriptions and to send me their payments before Sunday.  This also gives me time to notify the seller if they left any information out, such as the price or size of an item, so that it can still be posted on the upcoming Sunday.  I find this to also be nice for buyers because they can ensure that they do not miss any postings they may be interested in since they will know exactly when to check the account for new listings!

Guidelines & Rules

Seller
  • 1.  Send a good picture of the item you wish to sell to SouthernLillyLady@yahoo.com and include a description of the item (ex. size, style, print, anything to describe the item) and also include the price you wish to sell for and an email address where interested buyers can contact you.
  • 2.  Send $2 per photo through paypal to the email address SouthernLillyLady@yahoo.com.
    • Log into paypal.
    • Click the "Send Money" tab.
    • Then fill in how much money you are sending and to whom you are sending it (SouthernLillyLady@yahoo.com).
    • Then click "Services" as the payment type and hit send!
  • 3.  If a seller wants to reduce the price of an item that has already been posted but not sold yet, they can send me the photo again, let me know they are changing the price, and I will only charge $1 to repost the reduced item.
  • 4.  Sellers, you may never raise the price of an item once a buyer has emailed and agreed to purchase the item.  However, if you are willing to take offers, you can put in the description that you are open to offers.  If you do not put that, then buyers should not be price haggling you.
  • 4.  In order to sell an item, the interested buyer must email the seller directly and from there, the seller can send the buyer an invoice through paypal for them to purchase the item.
  • 5.  Once a buyer has paid for an item, please ship promptly.  If you cannot ship right away, please be up front with the buyer and let them know when they can expect their item.
  • 6.  Sellers must email me once the item has been sold and paid for so I can post SOLD on the photo.
  • 7.  All sellers must be honest and provide truthful information regarding an item they wish to sell.  The more description a seller can provide about an items condition, the less likely of a chance that the buyer will be unhappy and feel mislead regarding an item.  If a seller provides false advertisement, they will be blocked from the account and unable to sell/buy again.
Buyer
  • 1.  Email the seller directly through their email posted in the description on the picture if you wish to purchase the item or if you have any questions about the item.  Do not comment on the photo asking the seller questions, because they probably will not see it.  However, commenting saying you have emailed is a good idea because if the seller sees that, but did not get your email, they can let you know!
  • 2.  Pay the seller promptly once you have received an invoice from them.  If for any reason you cannot pay for the item right away, make sure you let the seller know so they are not confused as to why they haven't received payment or so that they do not sell it to another interested buyer.
  • 3.  Do not price haggle a seller.  The only time in which you can discuss a price with a seller is if the seller is open to reasonable offers for an item.  Price haggling is not acceptable any other time.  If you do not agree with the price a seller has listed, just move on to a different item or check back next week to see if they have lowered the price.  If a seller complains of a buyer trying to price haggle, the buyer will be blocked and no longer able to buy/sell again.

Commonly Used Terms

Below are some terms that are useful when describing an item you are selling or considering buying.
  • NWT - New With Tags
  • NWOT - New Without Tags
  • GUC - Gently Used Condition
  • ISO - In Search Of

What Will I Post?

Currently, I will only be posting Lilly Pulitzer items and Lilly Pulitzer inspired items.  I will  post pictures for stores that want to advertise/sell something or for people who create Lilly Pulitzer inspired things such as crafts, paintings, pocket tees, etc.  I will also post for people who are in search of (ISO) a particular item and want to see if anyone knows where they can get it or has one that they would be interested in selling.  If you are unsure about something and wondering if I will post it, just send me an email with the item and a description of what you would like posted and I will let you know!  These posts will be the same as the sellers selling clothes, and will be $2 as well and I can repost it for an additional $1.  Depending on how this goes, I may end up creating a list of other brands that I will accept to post, but I will let y'all know if I decide to do that.

When Will I Post?

As for now, all items will be posted on Sunday evenings.  Sellers can send me things to post all week, and I will post everything I get on upcoming Sunday.  Depending on how many emails I receive, I may end up posting twice a week, but for now it will just be on Sunday evenings!  All listings will be posted on @LillyLadyCloset instagram account.

**I am not held responsible for any issues regarding the items purchased or sold**

If there are any issues between the buyer and seller regarding money or an item, please deal with these disputes through paypal.  However, if there are buyers or sellers that are not following the rules, please email me and make me aware of the situation so that I can make them aware of the rules.  If they continue to be a problem, then I will block them from buying/selling on my instagram account.

If y'all have any questions about how things work or are confused about anything please email me at SouthernLillyLady@yahoo.com!  I hope y'all enjoy this opportunity to shop and sell through me and I would love to hear feedback or any thoughts y'all have about it!

xoxo,
Southern Lilly Lady