What’s Hot: Vintage Clothes Are Having a Moment
At one of our recent Palm Springs estate sales, there was one room that quickly earned a nickname: the Magic Closet.
And it really was magic.
The woman who owned the condo loved clothes—and she had an extraordinary collection. We estimated there were around 500 pairs of shoes, 200 purses, and at least 2,000 pieces of clothing.
Over the course of the sale, we had seven different clothing resellers come through that closet. Watching what they bought—and what they left behind—gave us a fascinating look at what’s hot in the vintage clothing market right now.
It’s Not Just Chanel and Hermès
One of the biggest lessons for us was that brand names matter—but not necessarily the brand names you expect.
Of course, everyone recognizes names such as Chanel and Hermès. But our resellers were looking for many other labels, including some we had barely heard of.
They knew their customers. More importantly, they knew what they had successfully sold before.
That’s a great lesson if you’re sorting through a closet for an estate sale: research the labels before assuming something isn’t valuable.
A brand that means nothing to you may have a loyal following on Poshmark, eBay or Etsy. Before putting everything on a $5 rack, take a few minutes to search the label and look at what similar pieces have actually sold for—not just what sellers are asking.
Resellers Buy Differently
Our resellers weren’t necessarily looking for one spectacular $500 piece.
They were buying quantity.
Many pieces averaged around $5 each, particularly when buyers purchased large quantities and received additional discounts. For a reseller, that can make perfect sense. If they know they can sell a $5 purchase for $25, $40 or $75, there is room for everyone to make money.
For an estate sale, there’s another advantage: a reseller who leaves with 30, 50 or 100 pieces of clothing can move a tremendous amount of inventory very quickly.
Sometimes selling in volume is more valuable than trying to squeeze the maximum price out of every individual item.
Vintage and Quirky Can Beat Expensive
Another surprise was what attracted attention.
Yes, buyers wanted recognizable brands. But they also gravitated toward things that were vintage, unusual, colorful or just a little quirky.
Vintage T-shirts were popular. So were golf shirts and pieces with personality.
That reflects something we’re seeing beyond estate sales as well. At the Palm Springs vintage show, it seemed as though nearly half the vendors were selling vintage clothing.
Vintage fashion has become a serious category.
Buyers aren’t necessarily trying to recreate an entire 1970s or 1980s wardrobe. Often they want one distinctive vintage piece they can mix with contemporary clothing.
And that means the strange shirt you were about to donate may deserve a second look.
Fur Is a Different Story
One category that generated considerably less enthusiasm was fur.
Even among buyers actively looking for vintage clothing, most of the resellers largely avoided it.
That doesn’t mean every vintage fur has no value. Exceptional designer pieces or unusual examples can still find buyers. But compared with other vintage clothing, the resale market can be much more limited.
If you’re handling an estate with several fur coats, don’t automatically assume that because they were expensive originally, they’ll command high prices today.
Original cost and current resale value can be two very different things.
Know Where the Buyers Are Selling
Another useful lesson was understanding what happens to these clothes after they leave an estate sale.
Our buyers were selling through places such as Poshmark, eBay and Etsy, as well as their own stores and customer networks.
Each marketplace has a slightly different audience, which is one reason different resellers can walk into the same closet and buy completely different things.
One buyer might know vintage T-shirts. Another knows designer purses. Someone else has customers looking for unusual shoes or 1980s dresses.
They aren’t just buying clothes. They’re buying inventory they already understand.
Our Tips for Selling a Closet
If you’re preparing clothing for an estate sale, here are a few things we learned from the Magic Closet:
Research unfamiliar labels. Don’t assume an unknown brand is worthless. Search it online and, whenever possible, check actual sold prices.
Look beyond luxury. Chanel and Hermès are obvious. The less obvious brands may be where some of the surprises are.
Don’t overlook quirky pieces. Vintage T-shirts, golf shirts, unusual prints, embroidered pieces and clothes with personality can attract buyers.
Be realistic about fur. What was once an expensive purchase may have a much smaller resale market today.
Think about volume. If you have hundreds or thousands of pieces, selling 50 items to one reseller at a good bulk price may make more sense than trying to maximize the price of every garment.
Invite resellers. They can be some of the best customers at an estate sale because they buy differently from someone shopping for themselves—and they often buy a lot.
The Magic Closet Lesson
The biggest takeaway from this sale was simple:
Don’t underestimate the closet.
Furniture, art and jewelry may seem like the obvious stars of an estate sale, but clothing can be a significant category—especially when there is a large collection of vintage, designer or unusual pieces.
And don’t worry if you’ve never heard of the label.
One of the resellers probably has.
At Desert Estate Sales, we’re constantly learning from what buyers actually buy. That’s one of the things we love about this business: sometimes the item you expect everyone to want sits there all weekend, while something you almost overlooked has three people fighting over it.
That’s the fun of vintage.