Fleek Blog

Are you looking to expand your online presence for your reselling business? Instagram is the perfect platform for you to showcase your unique vintage items and connect with potential customers. Social media is an invaluable tool for independent secondhand and vintage clothing retailers, and Instagram is one of the best options out there. Visuals-driven and used by millions, Instagram is the ideal place to share both your awesome clothing and personal story with a wide community of vintage-lovers and bring in customers to your store. Read on for some tips on how to use Instagram effectively for your reselling business and make the most of all it can offer you.

Create a visually appealing business profile

The first step to using Instagram for your shop is to create a visually appealing profile that maximizes Instagram’s tools for businesses. If you haven’t already set up an Instagram, choose a username that reflects your store’s name and niche, and use a clear and recognizable profile picture. Try to make this profile picture attractive, as this might be what brings customers in when spotting your name in follower lists or comment sections. Remember to use the same picture across any other social media platforms you have, so you’re instantly recognizable. 

Your bio should include a brief description of your store and a call-to-action to visit your website or physical location. This might be through a link-in-bio tool like Linktree, which allows you to share all your links in one place. Instagram bios only allow 150 characters, so make sure you use them wisely: line-breaks and well-picked emojis can help make the info look clear and inviting. 

Setting up your Instagram profile as a business account is essential to making the most of this platform. Instagram business accounts provide plenty of benefits to utilize as a store: you can view analytics info about who you’re reaching, run ads and even sell products directly from the app. It couldn’t be easier – all you have to do is go to Settings, then Account and Switch to a Professional Account. Select your category and continue as a Business account to follow the easy steps to access all this incredibly helpful info. Analytics will help you know when and what to post, which we’ll explain next. 

What to post

Now you’ve set up your Instagram Business Account, it’s important to get the content right. Your posts help to define your target audience, so make sure you consider what those potential buyers might like to see. Start off with info about your store in simple but attractive infographic style posts with a bit about your store, FAQs and what makes you you. If you have a physical location, tell people where you are and when you’re open. Looking at the pages of similar stores can be a good place to start for inspo. 

Instagram is a visual platform, so make sure you take clear and well-lit photos of your best secondhand items to show them off as the gems they are. Use a high-quality camera or smartphone and experiment with different angles and lighting to showcase the unique features and details of each item. If you’re into funky set-ups, try designing your shoots so they show your style and attract the target audience you’re looking for. It’s a good idea to keep your photos consistent in style and theme, so your profile looks cohesive and professional. Whether this is HD photos with a plain white background or colorful scenic shoots that showcase your personal style, try and keep a consistent style that creates a recognizable brand. 

Captions are super important tools to add extra info along with some flavor to your posts. Use keywords associated with your brand and product, along with well-chosen emojis to make longer captions easier to read and more visually appealing. Hashtags can be a great way to reach a wider audience interested in vintage and secondhand fashion. Research popular hashtags and include them in your posts to increase visibility, or experiment to see what works for you. You can also create your own branded hashtags to help build your brand and make it easier for customers to find your content. Avoid excessive hashtags though, as it looks clunky and can be unappealing, and always put them at the bottom of your caption.

If you have a physical store, geotag it or your city as the location. This will connect you with the community, and if people are looking for things to do in the area, they might just see your store pop up!

Posts aren’t the only form of content you can share on Instagram. While this will be what makes up your main feed, there are various other ways you can communicate with your followers and potential buyers. Stories, for example, are the perfect place to share quick info like reminders or behind-the-scenes snaps that keep buyers interested. You can then save these as a Highlight at the top of your page, so a few consecutive stories with key info about your shop can be saved in one easily-accessible FAQ highlight. Share new or important posts as stories, just in case followers have missed it on their timelines! 

A newer feature to make the most of is Instagram Reels. These are short videos that let you get creative when showcasing your gorgeous products, without requiring a big budget for production costs. Reels are proven to increase reach and engagement, as the Instagram algorithm pushes their new products. Make the most of this feature while it’s hot and share a couple of reels a week to keep on top of the trend. While they require more effort than a quick post of story, you will reap the rewards when those likes and new followers roll in. 

Use Instagram’s business analytics to see which posts, stories and reels are gaining the most traction to see what’s working best for you.

When to post

You want to make sure you’re posting regularly on Instagram to keep up the traction of your profile and let followers know you’re on trend and here to stay. We recommend at least once a day if possible, with even more stories to keep your presence up. Knowing when to post is where the Instagram Business Account feature really comes in handy. You can use business insights to see when your followers are most active and work out the best time to post and reach the most people from there. If this is later than you’d usually like to be active, don’t worry, you can use various third-party tools like Later and Sprout Social to schedule posts for when you want them to be seen without having to do it at exactly that time. You can even prepare a batch of posts to go out and schedule them at certain times to save you time going back and creating each individual post at different times. 

Keep a calendar of important dates you want to share with your Instagram community like Black Friday or sale days, or theme your content around occasions like Independence Day or International Women’s Day. This will keep you relevant, and is also a good way to share with your followers what matters to you and your business more generally. 

Engage with your audience and keep them interested

Once you’ve got your followers, it’s important not to lose them and keep them buying from your business. Reply to any messages and comments quickly to prove your reliability, and consider spreading your reach by commenting on your followers posts when appropriate. For example, if a buyer posts a great pic of them wearing some of your vintage pieces, comment how much you love their post! This is a great way of free marketing. 

Keep people interested by hosting giveaways, raffles and competitions. Setting up a giveaway that requires users to follow you and share your post on their story to enter is a perfect way to broaden your reach, as they will be sharing your store with all of their followers too. People love free stuff, and it does you a favor too!

Show you’re keeping on top of the latest trends in fashion via your stories. If Rihanna steps out shopping wearing a sports jersey and running shorts, share with your followers similar items you have in stock. Make sure to keep your followers updated with any cool new things you’re doing or stocking too.

One of the main assets of Instagram and social media for businesses is the ability to work with influencers. Partnering with influencers who align with your brand can help increase your reach and drive traffic to your store. Look for influencers in your niche with a similar aesthetic and target audience, and reach out to them to see if they’re interested in collaborating. You can offer them a free item in exchange for a post or tag, or pay them for a sponsored post. Having an influential figure share your business with their fanbase can help drive new customers to your store and show you as a trendy and trusted business.

Consider going Live with your influencer ambassadors as an opportunity to share what your business is about and any upcoming events with their followers as well as yours. While there’s always the risk of something out of your control happening while broadcasting live, it can be worth it, especially if you’ve got something great you want to share or make that personal connection with your followers. Even something small like showing a new stock delivery as a sneak peak to those keen buyers before they’re posted to your website or put out on the rails in store can be a great form of interaction. Just make sure you’re prepared and have a plan for the stream, and all should run smoothly!

Instagram can be an extremely valuable tool for vintage store owners looking to expand their online presence. By creating a visually appealing profile, posting high-quality posts at the right time, engaging with your audience and collaborating with influencers, you can effectively use Instagram to promote your vintage store and connect with potential customers. Don’t forget that by using Fleek to sell your wholesale products, we can feature your store on our Instagram feed too. Make sure to follow us at @joinfleek for latest wholesale drops and the hottest trends, or check out our app, website and FAQs for more information on how we work. 

Shopping for vintage and secondhand clothing is one of the most fun parts of running a reselling business, but we all know it can be hard to find those quality pieces that will bring buyers in and have them return for more. Here at Fleek, we can help make that process easier. With hundreds of verified wholesalers at the tip of your fingers on our website and app, it couldn’t be easier to buy quality secondhand and vintage clothing in bulk. This blog will talk you through the wide range of options out there for sourcing your stock and how you can get the best supply for your business.

1. Goodwill

Pros: Everyone loves Goodwill. Spending hours browsing those endless bins of secondhand clothing is truly a vintage lover’s heaven…and a bargain hunter’s too. Goodwill stores are easy to find and easy to love: with cheap prices, convenient locations, and a wide variety of items, it’s no wonder that Goodwill is a popular place to source. 

Cons: Everyone loves Goodwill. Stores are often crowded with people fighting over the best picks (literally). People are on the HUNT for those stand-out finds at a low cost and it can be extremely competitive. Plus, with so much variety and unpredictability of stock, it’s hard to find a lot of just what you’re looking for – such as a 20-piece bundle of vintage Levi’s 501s made in USA in all the sizes you want.

2. Estate Sales

Pros: Estate sales are a hidden gem. You never know what people have stuffed at the back of their closet or boxed up in the loft. Vintage grandad coats? Quality leather jackets? Estate sales have it all. Every vintage seller thrives off discovering that special rare piece, and estate sales are the perfect place to find them. 

Cons: Estate sales are competitive for a different reason. They can be exclusive and invite-only affairs, they don’t happen all that often, and there isn’t always a ton being sold. After all, how many designer handbags can one person have? There will be plenty of secondhand sellers like you looking for those precious finds and you might miss out. While estate sales can be great for sourcing those rare vintage picks, you may want to find a more reliable source that won’t come down to just pure luck.

3. Local Thrift Stores

Pros: Heading to your local thrift store is another great way to buy cheap secondhand clothing and give back to the community at the same time. Smaller than Goodwill and less likely to get you caught in a battle of band-tees, local thrift stores can be an ideal place to find secondhand clothing for less.

Cons: Local thrift stores tend to be too small without much stock, and what they have isn’t always the best quality or most desired items. You may end up spending a lot of time for just a few pieces that won’t get you a great return on your investment.

4. Buy/Sell/Trade Stores

Pros: Buy/sell/trade stores have an enormous variety of stock, and someone else’s trash might just be your treasure. Some people might not recognise those timeless trends like you do. And while you’re at, you can trade-in your hard-to-sell inventory for cash and/or other items that are more suitable for your reselling business. 

Cons: While buy/sell/trade stores have an incredible variety to choose from, it’s just as competitive, if not more, than anywhere else. Most importantly, it can be difficult to turn a profit from the secondhand finds at these stores as they mark up their prices once someone trades them in. Remember – they’re running a business too. Be smart with your funds and find an option that keeps costs down.

5. Friends & Family Closets

Pros: Possibly the easiest option of all – you might not even need to leave your house. We’re all guilty of hoarding clothes we don’t wear anymore…when’s the last time you saw your mom wear that 90s denim maxi skirt you used to love? Visit their house for a closet-raiding mission, you might even be doing them a favor!

Cons: Even though it’s tempting just to search your brother’s closet and call it a day, he still needs some clothes to wear. While convenient, this option doesn’t scale up and you will eventually run out of the good finds. This, however, is a great way to get your reselling business started, and you then can graduate to more scalable and reliable sources.

6. Online (Poshmark, Depop, eBay)

Pros: There’s not much you can’t find online these days, with hundreds of websites selling almost anything you can think of when it comes to vintage and secondhand clothing. It’s easy to stock your business without even having to leave your home, and it can be fun browsing the latest trends on these sites. There’s a whole world of secondhand clothing on the internet, you just have to take the time to look for it. 

Cons: You can find good stuff online, but it’s rare you can buy great products in bulk. Besides, there are so many online stores it can be overwhelming. And just like buy/sell/trade stores, you’re buying from resellers, so expect a markup that will make it difficult for you to make that money back and even more when you resell. It’s expensive and time-consuming spending hours scrolling through those websites … if only there was just one perfect place you could buy stylish AND reliable secondhand clothing in bulk at a low price, all from the comfort of your couch…

7. Fleek

Pros: Fleek is a one-stop-shop for all your wholesale secondhand and vintage sourcing needs. With our convenient website and app, it couldn’t be easier to find what you’re looking for and buy in bulk from verified sellers. You also get peace of mind through Fleek’s buyer protection policy that protects you on every purchase. Forget spending hours sifting through stores or fighting over those sought-after picks – they’re all in one place at Fleek. Take away the hassle with our easy search bar, hot deals and virtual handpicks with verified sellers to find exactly what you need without even leaving the comfort of your home. 

Cons: We can’t think of anything…check us out and come see for yourself!

Fleek is here to make sourcing wholesale vintage and secondhand clothing for your reselling business a breeze. Whether that’s virtual handpicks with verified sellers or shopping for trending stock in bulk with full buyer protection, we are a safe and trusted way to source your vintage and secondhand clothing business. See How it works and take a look at our FAQs to find out more. Or just drop us a line and say hi – we check all our messages! hello@joinfleek.com

Fleek’s insights into Winter 22/23 trends /  Take a look at our top, in-demand products for winter 22/23

Winter is just around the corner. As secondhand becomes first-choice, it’s just as important to know what’s trending in the world of vintage as it is in the world of fast-fashion – and don’t they feed into one another? This year, dressing means playing around with some of the key trends dominating the runways in Autumn/Winter 2022, as well as experimenting with more stylish and alt streetwear looks.

At Fleek, we’ve collected data from our customers, and their customers, on what’s selling right now and with the best margins! Read on to stay up to date with the latest trends, make the most of the season, and to ensure that your store doesn’t get left behind this Winter 22/23!

1. The North Face Nuptse

Launched in 2018, the North Face Nuptse puffer is here to stay. Celebrity wearers, designer collaborations, and streetwear loyalists have turned this item into an icon of Gorpcore. The trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. Fashion lovers both young and old continue to seek out The North Face Nuptse at the best prices. 

No vintage seller will have missed the 400% rise in North Face puffer jackets in recent years, and they continue to be one of the most searched-for vintage items across every reselling platform. 

Handpick yours with Riaaj or explore the collection.

2. Hype Branded Puffers

Closely following the Nuptse, but no less deserving, are hype brand streetwear puffers. Customers are hunting for Canada Goose, Arc’teryx, Moncler, and Stone Island pieces to face the cold of winter weather and look steezy while doing it. 

Offering a range of branded puffers will grab everyone’s eye, no matter what fit, color, or logo they’ve been searching for. Compete with fast fashion stores’ uniformed and reproduced responses by maintaining a range of offers for customers this winter. 

Handpick with one of our wholesalers and make sure to ask for pre-authenticated pieces! While shopping designer can be risky, it really doesn’t have to. Most of our sellers are happy to pre-authenticate ahead of your handpick. Our top seller? Thrift Kings. 

3. Afghan coats

This year, stores like Urban Outfitters and Asos are pushing out afghan coats in all colors and styles. But customers are not quick to forget that these coats have a long history.

Kate Hudson’s Penny Lane character has meant that the coat is popularized not just for 70s aesthetics, but Y2K looks. The coat remains playful and effortlessly stylish. What better way to respond to the trend than to offer coats that made their way through hippie fashion scenes before making its way to your customers? 

Shop here, or handpick here.

4. Burberry trench

A Burberry Trench is one of those lifetime coats that everyone is always on the hunt for. This couldn’t be more true this season. Following the viral success of Matilda Djerf and ‘Scandi’ fashion, the trench coat is an essential piece of this season’s trends. The chic minimalism of a Burberry trench offers everything you need to satisfy customers on the hunt to recreate these looks. 

Our top Burberry sellers: 786 Vintage Rags, S R Enterprises, Old is Gold, Retro Fashion, Bhau Enterprise.

5. Rework branded sweatshirt

More popular than ever, reworked pieces are an easy way of carrying branded pieces that offer something truly unique to customers this winter. Upcycling is super hot this winter and reworked sweatshirts offer the best way to showcase this trend.

Best of reworked:

6. Coogi & Coogi style knit jumpers

These are the OG vintage knits. These knits are a must-have in your store this season and Fleek offers the very best quality and prices.

Endorsed by Biggie Smalls, the jumper became a staple of the next generation of hip-hop artists. On the track ‘One More Chance’ he boasts ‘I stay Coogi down to the socks’. 

Coogi and Coogi style bundles.

Handpick with Blackstone Vintage.

7. Long Y2K skirts

Vintage maxi skirts are in the spotlight this winter. Driven by brands such as Urban Outfitters, a long skirt is a perfect way to bring in a feminine item to the winter layers. Whether it’s woollen, denim, tartan or cargo, long skirts are in high demand. Low-waist skirts bring the y2k look, while body-hugging long skirts bring a silhouette back to winter outfits.  

Winter skirts:

8. Branded fleeces

Last but not least, outdoor streetwear comes into its own during the winter months. Fleeces are not only a top-demanded vintage item, but they represent peak functionality and style. Outdoor fashion that brings hiking, camping, and climbing aesthetics to the streets has seen Gorpcore rise to one of the most desired looks. Patagonia, The North Face, Denali, and Ralph Lauren Fleeces are authenticated and bundled at great prices by Fleek. 

Handpick: Thrift Kings

Bundle: Patagonia Community Picks.

If you want to get these hot items at the best quality and prices, Fleek is a safe and trusted way to source all your trendy winter pieces this season. We verify every single seller before they join the platform and you have full buyer protection with us. See How it works and take a look at our FAQs for more information. And as always, drop us a line and say hi – we check all our messages! hello@joinfleek.com