Style Tips: A Danville mom has the ultimate 40th birthday bash—with some help from eBay

East Bay fashionista dishes on how to turn those out-of-date items into cold hard cash

Danville's Pamela Donahue schmoozes with star stylist Rachel Zoe at the famed Chateau Marmont

OK, fashion addicts, we all know it can be tough to stay up-to-date in today's economy. We are all holding on to our purse strings, literally.

But recently, I have turned the back regions of my closet in to a virtual money tree. I took a look at the shoes, dresses, tops, and accessories that I have collected over the past 15 years and realized I had a great opportunity to solve the challenge of funding my BIG 40 celebration.
Two months before my 40th birthday, I cleaned out my closet, took digital pictures of all my sell-ables, and put them up for sale on eBay.
A Gucci handbag brought in about $300, a pair of YSL shoes went for about $100, another $100 for Chanel heels, and $200 for a pair of ostrich Manolos. Before I knew it, I had $4,000—enough to spend a weekend at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont with my husband and put together a Prada/YSL ensemble to wear to a dinner party.

Turns out this was a birthday that I’ll never forget. I got to celebrate with good friends, and even had a chance meeting with Bravo TV star, Rachel Zoe. The stylist to the stars happened to be staying at the Chateau Marmont and one of my friends asked her to say hi for my birthday. What a treat—she’s one of my favorite fashion icons. She even introduced me to Sting, who was staying there as well.

But enough about me—here are some tips about how to clean out your closet for cash. For you those of you who have been under a rock and have not experienced buying and selling on Ebay—it is really easy.

*** Go through your closet—if you have not worn it in six months, it’s time to say good-bye!

°°°Take digital pictures of all your items and include as much detail—measurements, fabrication, season- runway pictures or celebrities wearing them—as possible when you upload them to eBay.

***After creating your eBay page, try and list at least the maximum number of items at once. This gives you more bang for your buck, as there is a fee per listing.

*** Just because you paid over $500 for a pair of luscious Manolos does not mean you will get that price when you sell them used. And start your items at a low price, to encourage bidding wars. Competitive pricing is the key!

***For higher ticket items, include free shipping. Buyers love this incentive.

Good luck!


 

Posted at 05:03 PM in Diablo Style | Permalink