Welcome to The Seller Scoop, a monthly newsletter covering the vintage resale industry from The Vintage Seeker. Was this email forwarded to you? Get your own copy delivered straight to your inbox: Subscribe here and make sure you select the option for resellers.

Hi vintage vendor*,

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Earlier this month, I was strolling the aisles at the Toronto Vintage Show when I overheard someone say to their shopping sidekick as they surveyed the hall packed with vendors:

“I guess vintage is back?”

A few things here: First, I wasn’t truly “strolling,” of course. That makes it sound like I was jauntily browsing the racks, relaxed and unfettered.

The show was lively, but low-key it was not.

Nope, it was vibrant, full of energy and absolutely stuffed with shoppers super-focused on scoring their next find.

Second: You caught this, right? Vintage never went anywhere. It’s not “back!” Though it feels like it is, because its popularity is *probably* unprecedented.

I say “probably,” because I speak anecdotally after years of shopping this show, and I wasn’t around taking notes before that. But I don’t remember physically bumping elbows with people until about a year ago. (All is fair in love and vintage, though.)

Some hard data to back this up: in its 2023 Resale Report, online secondhand retailer thredUP expects the secondhand market to double by 2027, reaching $350 billion — and that’s for just apparel.

Third thing. This consumer’s rhetorical question taps into something bigger at play: vintage has moved beyond a niche interest and into the zeitgeist. 

Resale is quickly becoming one of the defining pillars of retail for this current generation of consumers.

One need only to look around at the crush of people (it was a literal crush at times, and that’s saying something given the aisles were over nine feet wide) and the daylong lineup out the door at the Toronto Vintage Show for proof.

People are loving vintage for its individuality, its affordability, its sustainability. And they’re hungry to shop in person again.

Don’t get me wrong, online resale is a fantastic way to reach customers — thredUp’s report estimates online resale will grow 21 per cent each year for the next five years — but there has been a shift back to offline since the height of the pandemic. 

Call it an evening out. We’re back at the middle of the vintage bell bottom. (Sorry, bell curve.) 

In lockdown life, everyone sat around scrolling social media, and selling there was simple. A no-brainer.

But lives have resumed, and, amid algorithmic changes, we’re all lucky if we hit 10 per cent of our followers with a post. 

Industries change. 

And the way we reach people changes, too.

So, I’m trying something new to reach you. 

An email dedicated only to sellers so I can share things going on in the industry, as well as articles that might be relevant to your business, from thevintageseeker.ca and beyond. 

This will be monthly for now until I get into a rhythm, so watch for the next one of these in May.

If you’ve previously signed up for my other newsletter, The Vintage Seeker Scoop, it’ll still be delivered once a month too, but will now focus exclusively on the consumer side. 

Why might that one still be of interest to you as a seller?

Well, my whole goal with The Vintage Seeker is to help sellers reach more customers.

In this newsletter, The Seller Scoop, that means talking about all things industry-related, sharing resources that can help you grow personally and professionally, and letting you know what your peers are doing.

In the other newsletter, The Shopper Scoop, that means introducing customers to sellers. 

Maybe you’ll be one of them.

*Not a seller, vendor or market organizer? Somehow you’re on my seller email list! 

Update your preferences in the link in the footer of this email if you only want to receive shopper content.

As referenced above, thredUP recently released its 2023 Resale Report, which remains one of the secondhand industry's few data-driven reports. 

Among the findings: Value is the top driver of consumer purchasing decisions, according to over 3,000 respondents polled for the survey. In these uncertain economic times, that’s hardly a surprise. 

Here are five ways to communicate value to potential customers:

1. Get personal. Let people know when they buy from your secondhand shop, they’re buying from a small business owner. Show how their purchases change your day-to-day life. Focus on the service you provide and what they get for their dollar.
   
2. Make it about them. Along the lines of that personal touch: share how you offer personalized recommendations, custom sourcing, bundles tailored to their preferences and exceptional customer service. They’re not just buying an object from you. They’re entering your world.
   
3. Hold a promotion. If you’re able to discount or offer a coupon and still retain some profit, a periodic promotion can help customers feel they’re getting a good deal or value from your shop.
   
4. Develop a loyalty program. Reward customers for repeat business with exclusive offers, discounts, special emails, first looks and other incentives to show you appreciate their support.
   
5. Qualify the quality. Share the little-known details about your pieces — the materials used, the provenance, anything that will emphasize the quality of the vintage products you offer so customers know they’re making an investment that has already stood the test of time.

Focus on value in your listing and marketing to meet consumers where they’re currently at. Have more ways to communicate value? Let us know.

Heading to a market soon? We’ve just published a brand-new Reseller Tip Sheet all about being a market vendor, and you’re first to know about it. For the free download we created in collaboration with Past Lives Thrift, pop your email address into this form.

Take the terror out of tax time with a few easy-to-implement strategies courtesy of Tova Epps, tax preparer at Artbooks.

Social media is a super way to connect with customers — but without a strategy, it can be a time-suck with negligible effects on your bottom line. Social media strategist and vintage buyer Rochelle Latinsky shares how to smartly plan for social.

• The Clotheshorse Podcast is in the middle of a four-part series diving deep into the ethics of selling secondhand goods, a perennial social media topic that tends to demand a level of accountability from resellers that seemingly outweighs fast-fashion conversational counterparts. What gives? Listen to the podcast to find out.

• The Cut recently published its own missive on the same topic titled The Ultimate Reseller and Consumer Guide to Thrifting Ethically.
  
• Large retailers are wondering how negotiation tactics used on peer-to-peer resale platforms (like Poshmark) favoured by independent sellers are going to affect their product take-back programs.
• The case for storefronts: a NYC vintage shop owner tells Business Insider how she turned her $12K a year online business into a $400K a year bricks-and-mortar location.

Whether you are looking for professional development or new connections in the industry, we’ve got it all: 

• Attend regular events with international experts on topics important to sellers
• Ask questions, get shop feedback and share advice on our private discussion boards
• Participate in thought leadership and promotional opportunities designed to boost exposure
• Connect over regular member calls for ongoing motivation and support
• Access exclusive how-tos and articles to support your business