What Flaws to BOLO When Sourcing for Sweaters?

Hey hey, finest resellers around! How bummed out do you get once you get your latest haul of sweaters home, only to find that most of them have some sort of flaw?! It’s a serious letdown. Today, let’s discover the most commonly missed flaws on sweaters and see what we can do to make sure we don’t end up taking these items home to sit in a never-ending death pile!

• Related: I’ve Officially Sold 5,000 Items on eBay. Here’s My Thoughts.

Here’s The Top 5 Flaws to Keep in Mind While Sourcing for Sweaters

1. You probably didn’t catch all that pilling mid-grab in the middle of the thrift.

   Several times, countless actually, I’ve stumbled upon the most perfect sweater on the rack. It’s as if it popped out at me just ready to be resold! But then, I’ll get it home and find out that it’s got pilling for days!

   Solve this problem by: Invest in a nice, compact, affordable fabric shaver on Amazon or the like. These things really do work wonders, and I often wonder why I hadn’t known of them before I was a reseller! Here’s one of my favorites.

2. Sneaky stains that haven’t seen the light of day.

   Those stains will fool you until the cows come home. There’s the obvious ones, that stick out to you from a mile away in the thrift, and then there’s those ones that you don’t realize exist until getting them under the bright lights in your office.

   Solve this problem by: Using your flashlight on your phone, or bringing a small strong one to view any strange spots while still outsourcing. You could even bring a magnifying glass to really get a good look at a stain, to see if it’s one that you may be able to get out or not.

   Related: Your Item Sold. Then, You Find a Flaw. Now What?

   

3. Not so great snags.

   Snags can be a real drag if you don’t spot them while sourcing. Sure, maybe you’ll see one or two small ones, but then you get it back to your office and find that there are quite a few! Not so cool. Luckily, most snags are a pretty easy fix.

   Solve this problem by: Spending those reselling pennies on a Knit Picker! This tool will become your best friend for fixing snags in a flash. No more will you have to worry about sweaters with snags.

4. Shrinking Sweaters.

   Oftentimes, at the beginning of my reselling journey, I’d try and wash all the things! As much as I recommend doing so with any items that definitely need it, I’ve slowly gotten away from attempting to wash or steam sweaters. This is because most sweaters that have a blend of fabric will need to be washed and dried a certain way. Plus, any high-end material sweaters always take a much larger amount of care and may even need dry cleaned.

   Solve this problem by: If you’re unsure of an item’s material, (perhaps that material tag is no longer present or has worn off), opt for giving it a good lint roll and moving on. Place it on a flat surface to remove any wrinkles while it awaits its new home. These items are easily damaged and may be better suited for someone who has the time to give it the TLC it really needs.

5. Pesky under the armholes.

   These often go unnoticed since most of us don’t consider checking the armpits of a garment before scooping it up. Even if the rest of the item looks completely perfect, don’t forget to check on this spot before you decide to check out.

   Solve this problem by: Make yourself a shortlist of these items to be on the lookout for! Don’t forget to write down where holes may be hiding, and check those spots out before purchasing.

6. Bonus! (Buttons!)

   Buttons won’t be found on every sweater, but most cardigans may have buttons! This means you need to be sure to check each one to find any broken or missing ones. If you get lucky, you’ll find some extras next to the material tag!

   Solve this problem by: Keep a spare bag, like this one of buttons lying around for whenever you need to pop on a replacement. If you aren’t sew savvy like me, feel free to include one in your listing to let your customer know that you’ll be able to provide them with one if needed.

• Related: What Flaws to BOLO When Sourcing for Jeans?

P.S.! A friendly service announcement that Monday Posts will from now on be moved to Tuesday! Thank you kindly for your understanding and for your continued readership!

Thank You!

A giant thanks to everyone that has supported me this far into my journey! I greatly appreciate you returning to read my posts hope that you will continue to drop by in the future.

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-Shelby

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