How to Sell Purses and Handbags Online

1 Find Your Niche

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Purses and handbags come in different shapes and sizes. It’s better to pick a specific type of purse or handbag to sell, instead of targeting the entire market, which means some solid niche research will come in handy. For example, you can sell:

• Designer purses for women
• Lightweight wallets for men
• Handbags for frequent business travelers

Here are some research techniques and tools you can use to pin down what kind of  purses your new business should be selling:

• Marketplace Analysis: Check out the biggest online marketplace websites such as Amazon, eBay, and Alibaba to see what’s trending.
• Keyword Research: Tools such as UberSuggest and KeywordTool can help you get a sense of search queries people use when looking for purses online.
• Google Trends: Use Google Trends to analyze patterns with regard to the demand for different types of purses and bags.

2 Source Your Purses

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Okay, so you did some research and have some idea on what type of purses or handbags you’re going to sell. Now, it’s time to see how to stock up your inventory.

Design Your Own

If you have a good eye for design, you might want to consider designing your own purses. Print-on-demand services (such as Printful) allow you to design purses and handbags. Moreover, these services also let you white-label purses and bags with your own designs.

Manufacturers/Wholesale Suppliers

Purchasing purses in bulk from a manufacturer or wholesaler is a conventional way to fill up your stock. Directory websites such as Alibaba, ThomasNet, and Kompass can help you find suppliers for the types of purses you want to sell online.

However, you’ll need some upfront investment. Plus, it can be tricky to find the right suppliers to work with. So make sure to evaluate them on seller ratings and reviews, request product samples, and schedule in-person meetings, if possible.

Dropshippers

With dropshipping, you can focus on selling purses online – without purchasing them from a supplier. This is because dropshipping suppliers can ship purses directly to customers when they make a purchase. You can use platforms such as SaleHoo and Oberlo to find reliable dropshippers.

Working with dropshippers relieves you from holding and managing inventory – although your control over product operations, quality, and shipping will be seriously limited.

3 Create a Brand

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It’s important to take branding seriously right from the beginning, especially for fashion items such as purses and handbags. The bigger your brand, the more you’ll be able to charge for your purses. Take advantage of the following tips to get started on the right foot.

• Think of a memorable domain name and design a logo that makes your brand easily recognizable to buyers.
• Pay attention to the color scheme and fonts to be used in all your marketing materials, including your website anciad sol media.
• Your brand’s writing style, tone, and voice should match the personality that you’re trying to create in the minds of your audience.

4 Decide Where to Sell Purses Online

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Another important decision in your journey is which avenue(s) you’ll use to sell purses online. You can pick from the following options.

Social Platforms

A social media platform is what most people think of first when it comes to selling purses and handbags, and rightly so! It’s easy to start selling on a platform such as Facebook. However, it may not be so simple – or may be insufficient – once your business grows to a certain level, and you’ll need to consider other channels down the line to expand your customer reach.

Online Marketplace

A more professional way to sell purses online is to register as a seller on one or more of the internet’s large online marketplaces. These include Amazon, eBay, and Etsy. These marketplaces provide you with straightforward selling tools and a steady stream of customers, but take a cut from your sales to compensate for these benefits.

Your Own Online Store

Building your own online store to sell purses can be slightly more challenging than the other options we’ve listed above. However, it makes the most sense in the long term. Creating an ecommerce  website (with a platform such as Shopify, BigCommerce, or Wix) allows you to build your brand and control the profits, given that you’re willing to put in the work required to build a customer base from scratch.

5 Showcase Your Purses

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Once you’ve figured out where you’re going to be selling purses online, it’s time to prepare the content that you’ll need to add about your purses. This mainly consists of the photos and descriptions – let’s take a closer look:

Product Photos

Adding eye-catching photos of your purses will go a long way in persuading your buyers. Think about it – they can’t touch or feel the fabric of the purses. The only option they have is to assess them are from the product photos – so it makes sense to make them good!

That’s why we highly recommend uploading several, high-quality photos when listing your purses online.

Product Descriptions

Product copywriting is both an art and a science. You’re not selling a physical object, but promising an experience. That’s why research is so important. It tells you what your customers want, so you can speak to their needs when writing the product copy.

In addition, your product descriptions should provide as much factual detail about your purses as possible. These details will include specifications, benefits, features, FAQs, and so on.

6 Price Your Purses Fairly

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Pricing your purses right is crucial to the success of your purse business. It requires a good understanding of customer psychology, as well as your operational costs. Keeping that in mind, here are some useful strategies you can make use of:

• Keystone Pricing: Keystone pricing refers to a pricing method in which you simply set a price that’s twice the wholesale cost of your purse.
• MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price): If you’re sourcing brand new purses from a wholesaler or manufacturer, you can set your prices according to what they suggest.
• Competitive Pricing: Take a look at your competitors and how much they are charging for similar purses.

7 Set Up Your Online Purse Store

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If you’ve already made up your mind about where to sell your purses online, find your chosen approach below to learn how to get started.

Create your Own Online Store

As we discussed, building your ecommerce website is one of the best decisions you’ll make if you’re serious about selling purses as an established business. Using an ecommerce site builder such as Shopify, BigCommerce, or Wix, you can create – and manage – an online store, without any coding or technical skills.

Moreover, an online store builder provides you with several themes and tools to customize and extend the functionality of your ecommerce website.

Create a Seller Account on a Marketplace

Another option is to create a seller account in an online marketplace. For example, if you’re going to sell purses on eBay, you can create an eBay seller account, showcase your purses, and start selling.

If this is your first time selling products on eBay, registering as a seller is free. But as your business expands, consider paying a premium monthly fee to create a more professional-looking eBay store.

Sell on Social Media

Selling across multiple social channels helps you attract buyers of a particular social media platform. You can also tap into the unique business tools and features provided by each platform to boost purse sales, as well as engagement with your brand.

For example, to sell purses on Facebook, you can use the Facebook Shops feature to create a shopping experience, and sell purses to Facebook users. 

8 Package and Ship Your Purses

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Secure packaging and efficient shipping can go a long way in improving customer satisfaction, and triggering repeat purchases. Customers love it when they get their products in excellent condition, and when they’re delivered fast – so you should leave no stone unturned to ensure the same!

When it comes to packing, gather essential supplies such as bubble wrap, packing tape, scissors, mailing envelopes, shipping boxes, and so on. Remember, your packaging boxes should be lightweight, but still secure.

For effective shipping, you’re also going to need a courier service. Some of the most reputable logistics companies you can partner with include USPS, UPS, and FedEx.

9 Invest in Marketing

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If you’ve done everything as advised so far, you’re ready to spread the word about your online purse business.

When it comes to marketing purses and handbags, digital marketing is your best bet. More specifically, you should target social media platforms inclined towards visual content, such as Instagram and Pinterest.

Your decision to start with either Instagram or Pinterest will also depend on your target audience. If you’re selling purses to youngsters, it’s best to start with Instagram. On the other hand, most Pinterest users are middle-aged individuals, which makes them perfect prospects for pitching high-end luxury handbags to.

Another important strategy is to give special offers and discounts to encourage prospects to buy. For example, consider Italian Bags Sale.

This online handbags store gives you plenty of reasons to shop from the moment you land on its website, including free shipping, free returns, and a 75% off clearance sale.