Here are some examples of size dots in pictures:
Size dots are hiding in some relatively consistent places on your Lululemon clothing. Recently, they have been reducing the number of items having size dots. If you can find the size dot it makes your article of clothing easier to sell as it confirms the size.
The condition of your item is the most important thing to most purveyors of Lululemon. Our wearable collection of art must be in its very best condition. But there are a few other things that are if not necessary, at least helpful in fetching the highest sale price for your item.
Most listings require the following information: Name, Size, Colour, Condition, Shipping and Payment information.
Name: Every single piece of Lululemon has a name. If you can find the name of your piece, you have a much better chance of selling it for what it’s worth. More on that later. Let’s say, for example, I have a Lululemon tank top and it looks like
lIt’s pink and striped and has a built-in bra. If we google those words and do an image search, after a few rows, we will find a top that looks similar and can determine both the Name of the Style of the tank top and the name of the Colour. Some Styles are more valuable and some colours of styles are more valuable than other colors. More on that later. This particular tank top is called a Pink Shell Black Sea Stripe No Limits Tank
Size: Most pieces of Lululemon clothing come with a “rip out tag.” Lululemon wrote a blog post about it. A lot of people prefer for the rip tag to be intact and in my opinion it contributes to the condition of an item. The rip out tag can also be consulted for clues regarding item authenticity, more on that later. Most importantly to this post, the rip out tag states the size of the item. Lululemon makes clothing ranging from sizes 2-12, as of the writing of this blog. They also make children’s clothing under a different name. More on that later. If your item is missing the rip-out tag, in many cases, but not all, Lululemon has conveniently installed a size “dot.” It is a small, white dot, placed somewhere, inconspicuously in the article of clothing. Translation: You’ll need to either: know where to look or start turning things inside out to find it. For example: Scuba Hoodie Size dots are located in the front left pocket, when worn. However, not all Scuba hoodies are equipped with a size dot. Many Lululemon bottoms have size dots in the pocket embedded in the waistband. Sizes can also be loosely determined by measurements and many Lululemon addicts know their measurements in specific tops and bottoms.
Colour: Colour can be determined much in the same way style can. Google is your friend.
Condition: I discussed condition determinations in my last post.
Shipping: If you’re posting on eBay shipping is pretty straight forward. You can choose free shipping, or calculated or do a flat rate, whatever you’re most comfortable with, really. Posting on a Facebook page is different. I try to go with what’s simplest. Sometimes I include shipping in my prices and other times I say “add $5” for shipping.
Payment: If you’re on eBay, payment has been simplified for you. If you’re selling on a Facebook page, you can state how you expect to be paid: PayPal or EMT (Email Money Transfer, a Canadian payment method as of this writing), and you’ll also want to state “as gift or buyer pays fees.” PayPal primarily protects the buyer, so I think it’s only fair that the buyer should have to pay for that protection. As long as you send your item with tracking and insurance and the item is in your stated condition, there should be no issues.
With these basic listing features your listing should look like this:
For Sale:
No Limits Tank
Size 4
Pig Pink
EUC
$10 shipped US or Canada
PayPal as Gift or buyer pays fees.
Happy Selling!
When you’re posting your item, whether on eBay, one of the bidding pages or in one of the direct buy/ sell Facebook pages the condition of the item is going to be fundamental in the final value selling price of your item. And may also dictate whether it sells or not. If you are selling on eBay, I always post the most amount of information possible, but let’s start with the basics. If I were selling my item on a Facebook group, I would describe it quickly with one the following acronyms:
GUC- This is an item that is still wearable, but may have one or more small flaws.
VGUC- This item is very wearable but may have one small flaw that is not a rip, hole, tear or stain
EUC- No visible flaws. Has been washed and worn, but not too often.
VEUC- Rarely if ever worn. Worn once, maybe twice. Practically looks new.
NWOT- This item is brand new, never washed, never worn and has had the tags removed then sat in your closet.
NWT- This item is brand new, and still has the product information attached to it.
A few notes on condition acronyms: these are guidelines only. Please do remember to describe all flaws. If your item is in “GUC,” or “Good Used Condition,” meaning that it’s still wearable, it might have a small stain on the cuff, or a seam may be unravelling. Sometimes people will buy things thinking they might be able to repair them. As long as you’re honest about the condition, they really don’t have any recourse if they decide they don’t like the item. I tend to allow returns anyways, in order to maintain good will, but you don’t have to if you’ve honestly described all flaws. Don’t forget to take a screen shot of your ad, and describe in your correspondence (Facebook messages or eBay ad) the flaws. Keep those messages, in the event of a disagreement, PayPal with consult them to establish your defence.
“VGUC” or Very Good Used Condition. These items will have no rips, holes, tears or stains. Some flaws that I describe with a “very good used condition item” are any wash wear that has occurred. This includes “sueding” of the fabric, which occurs after it’s been washed quite a few times, or if it’s been washed incorrectly. I also say if there is any “pilling,” which occurs when tiny bits of other things stick to the fabric. This most often occurs with Luon, Lululemon’s signature fabric and towels need to be kept far away from this. Pills can be removed with this: Fabric Defuzzer* (Canadian friends, click here). Again, sometimes, people will buy an item thinking they can fix it, and wanting to return it when they are unable to. Fading is another issue I would mention in an ad for a VGUC item. A slight bit of fading never deterred me from buying something I really wanted. The final issue that I can think of that would still allow an item to qualify as “Very” good is “stickiness.” You must include in your ad if your item is “sticky.” When you unfold your Groove pants, do they stick together? Then they are sticky. This is what happens to Luon as it breaks down or if it is washed incorrectly. Over time, it does break down and it will become sticky. It’s still really good, in my opinion, but this flaw is often over-looked by eBay sellers. That said, I’ve purchased several items that were in perfect condition- except for being sticky, and even though the seller didn’t mention this flaw, I’ve never returned an item or asked for a partial refund due to stickiness. But some people are picky and it’s better to be safe, rather than risk negative feedback or having to process a return.
Excellent Used condition is my favorite to buy from. The items are used, but have only been worn a few times, and then the person decided that they just don’t want them anymore. Often these items are the best deal because they still look great in my collection, but they will generally be priced at less than retail. (Except in some cases, which I will develop as this blog continues). There should be no visible flaws, including none of the above. In some cases a slight bit of pilling is excusable, but I strongly caution against using the word “Excellent” to describe your item unless there is no pilling. (Some items like Charcoal Wunder Unders pill in the gusset after one or two uses, there’s one exception. There may be others, but I discourage it because if there is a PayPal case, pilling does not constitute “excellence” in my opinion.)
VEUC, or “Very Excellent Used Condition.” I rarely use this acronym myself. This is reserved for things where I can’t remember if I took the tags off and put it in my closet or if it has been washed and worn once or twice. I recently sold a pair of Pow Pink Wunder Unders that I had taken the tags off and worn for 6 hours. Those were in VEUC.
NWOT or “New Without Tags,” should be pretty self explanatory, however, I am constantly plagued by eBay ads which state the condition as “NWOT” and then, in the description exclaim: “Washed and Worn once!” As if that’s a great thing. No, mystery eBay-er. NWOT is NWOT, I once won a PayPal dispute because the condition stated “NWOT” and in the ad she said “Washed and worn once.” They had obviously been washed and worn MANY times. They were in “Very Good Used Condition,” a far cry from “New Without Tags,” but I digress. It’s all just semantics, just be honest and no one will open a PayPal claim against you… or at least they won’t win if they do.
NWT is the best possible condition in which you item can be. You bought it new, were unsure about it, but maybe you forgot about it, or were unable to return it due to Lululemon’s strict return policy, which can be found HERE. And so it sat, unloved, in your closet… until now!
Don’t forget to take photos of the flaws! If there’s a stain on the cuff, or a few pills here or there, as a buyer- I would love to see a photo before I make a purchase. If you’re interested in trying to repair your item before selling it I wrote a post about repairing Lululemon!
I hope that this has been helpful. Please Remember: These definitions are fluid and some people have a different idea of what “Good” or “Excellent” are and may be expecting “New,” so please remember to be picky and honestly describe all flaws.
Because Lululemon clothing can retain or increase in value over time, it is considered “collectible.” Many Lululemon “collectors” such as myself will judge the value of a particular piece based on the condition of the piece itself. There are several ways to describe the condition of the piece, which I will discuss in a future post. Maintaining the value of your Lululemon is an investment and ensures that it will maintain its value over time.
Lululemon has their own washing instructions available online here: Washing Instruction from Lululemon. The next 6 sentences summarize them, and I describe my personal routine below.
Basically, if you can, wash on cold & air dry. Air drying protects and preserves the fabric. Don’t use fabric softener, it clogs the fabric, and keeps it from performing optimally. Wash items that are made of the same fabric together. Make sure you close all zippers before washing. Spot clean bags.
Personally, I always only wash each type of fabric with itself. Luon with Luon, Luxtreme with Luxtreme. I often end up washing items alone, particularly things made of their “Swift” material. This stuff gets pilled and snagged so easily I don’t usually risk washing it with anything else. I always wash on the Delicate (Cold/ Cold) cycle & dry on low. Other times I hang to dry my items. I also wash all my bright coloured items alone, regardless of how many times they’ve been worn. For the love of God, please never wash your Lululemon with towels.
Don’t be shocked if someone asks you how your item has been washed and if it has been in the dryer. I get this question all the time on eBay. Just be honest.
Twice in my last post I said: “More on that later” in reference to the fact that I don’t sell things in the auction-style pages unless they are in excellent condition and that I save my most heavily used or damaged items for eBay. The reason I don’t sell damaged or heavily used items on the Facebook pages, which are more public than I care to admit is for that very reason. They are very public. One poor sale, or unhappy buyer can result in a negative impact on your reputation resulting in a negative impact on sales. This is true in any business but is especially true in such a tight-knit community as exists on these pages.
This is why I issue this necessary warning to those of you who are new to the secondary market and Facebook pages. Try to take very good care of your Lululemon clothing. (More on that later :)) Only sell things on the Facebook pages that are in excellent condition OR disclose all flaws, honestly, and if there are flaws take pictures of them in the most honest way that you can. As an added service, you can also offer to pay PayPal fees, or return shipping if they don’t like the item. These actions are not expected, but will go a long way in ensuring that your buyers are happy and that in the event of a disagreement where an administrator is to be involved, you will be declared the most gracious party. This is important because at any time and for whatever reason, an administrator may remove you from her page. Some buyers are malicious and would rather report you to PayPal or the administrator for reasons that are beyond your control (for example, it doesn’t fit) or because they decided they need the money (some items sell for hundreds of dollars) but maintaining a good reputation will ensure that the administrators of the page will talk to you before kicking you off their page.
I’ve taken the time to issue this warning because if you use any of the advice on my pages to your benefit I’d rather think I was sending responsible, accountable, benevolent, respectful, compassionate and understanding people to participate in the community rather than anything contrary to that.
Happy Selling!
So you’ve got some used Lululemon clothes and you’d like to get some cash for them. In my last post How To Enter the Lululemon Resale Market, I talked about the different places to sell your item. I’m going to go over the pros and cons of each type of place. To my mind there are three types of places to sell your item. One is eBay, another is a straight buy/ sell page and the final is an auction-style page.
Let’s begin with eBay. eBay is by far the place where you’ll find the most potential buyers. I have yet to list a Lululemon item for $1 starting bid and not have it sell for a modestly fair price. I love the wide range of buyers my product is exposed to and rarely, if ever, do I have problems on eBay. Personally, however, this is the place where I sell my most heavily used items. I list the product AND its faults, start it at a dollar and it always sells, even if it has a hole or a stain. Basically, eBay is where I get rid of things I’ve used over and over again, because I don’t want them to be associated with me and my name. More on that later. Pros: most exposure Cons: PayPal and eBay take a fairly large chunk in fees.
Next, the basic buy & sell format pages. These are great because you can write down your items in a list with your asking price like so:
MANY ITEMS FOR SALE! Sizes 4-8
Tops size 4:
No Limits Tank in Polar Cream/ Deep Indigo, EUC – $45
NLT in PP/ Black, EUC – $55
Cool Racerback – Heathered Menthol – $40
Tops Size 6:
*************************************** (Insert the remainder of your ad)
All prices do not include shipping from (insert place where you live)
PayPal as Gift or Buyer Pays Fees.
Those last two lines will save you a fortune. Sometimes I post my prices with shipping included, sometimes I don’t include shipping but say “Buyer pays exact shipping.” Not paying PayPal fees saves you 4 percent and not paying eBay fees saves 10. It can be a lot of money once you add it up.
Direct Selling Pages Pros: Get your asking price, no cost to list or final value fee, buyer must pay PayPal fees if paid as goods. Direct Selling Pages Cons: It can take longer to sell your item. A lot of the time you’ll get low-ball offers. I suggest politely telling them that your price is the price for which you’re willing to part with a piece of your collection.
Finally, we have the bidding pages. These are the most fun. Although, even if you run them properly it can take several tries to sell your item if it is not highly desired, if your asking price is too high or if it’s a bear market.
Pros: If you price it right, your item should sell in a day. If not, it will probably still sell. Condition, however, is very important. I don’t sell anything on the bidding pages unless it’s in excellent condition. More on that later. Cons: It takes way more effort to sell on a bidding page because you must post your ad, and “bump” your post (bumping is commenting on your post so that it goes back to the top of the page), as frequently as is allowed on that page and baby-sit your post just in case someone asks a question of for more pictures, etc.
Overall, this is how I do things: I sell all my very used, or much older Lululemon pieces on eBay. I am sure to mention all the flaws, but it’s basically a guarantee that whatever I no longer want stops taking up valuable real-estate in my closet. If I have many pieces to sell, I post them on one of the straight buy/ sell pages. It’s the fastest way to get the most exposure and I usually sell two or three items the first day. If I only have one or two pieces to sell and they’re in immaculate condition, I’ll run an auction for a few days and take my time selling it in order to get the highest price possible. If it doesn’t sell at one price, maybe it will sell for $5 less a few days later. You never know who’s looking, you might get lucky that day.
One exception to my rule is when I know I have a very highly sought after item. I’ll put it on eBay because even considering the fees, I know I’ll get the highest price there.
You can start with eBay.
Rephrase: You COULD start with eBay. But you don’t want to. eBay fees are pretty high. Well, compared to zero fees, eBay fees are high. What you want to do is start on the many Facebook groups dedicated to the sale and resale (and resale) of Lululemon apparel. The biggest is called the Lululemon Exchange, there’s also the Lululemon Bidding Battles (LBB) site where many unicorns are posted daily. (Don’t know what a Unicorn is? Check out my other post about the vernacular of a Lululemon addict.) There’s also a Canadian Version of LBB, where the seller only has the right to ship only within Canada. The Lululemon Market is popular, and The Lululemon Trading Post has a similar format. Each site has their own rules. The main reason myself, and many other people use these sites is to avoid eBay fees, sell to people who love LLL as much as we do and so that when there is a problem buyer or seller they can be removed from the group. Most of the time, the transactions go off without a hitch. Myself, I’ve never had a problem.
The Lululemon Market is simple: You can post your item to the wall, for whatever price you want and you’re allowed to bump it every few days. You also have the option of adding your photo to a size album and then bumping it to the wall.
The Trading Post has similar rules: You can post your item in an album with a price, then bump it to the wall, with subsequent bumping allowed only once every 7 days. While pricing is not “policed,” fairness in pricing is politely requested.
The Lululemon Exchange is both the largest group and the one with the most rigid guidelines. You may post your item to the wall, or you may post it to a size album, but you may not do both. Also, it is specified that no photos may be posted to the wall, therefore any ads you post to the wall are to be text based only. You may not bump your post to the wall when it is added to a size album, you must wait 7 days. You may not bump your posts more than once every 7 days. This is to ensure that the wall is not flooded with too many repeat ads. They also have very strict rules about pricing. So, read carefully.
Lululemon Bidding Battles: The idea is simple enough: you post a photo to the wall of your item, stating the name, size, condition, starting bid, buy it now (BIN) price (optional) and ending time (24 hours from the start time) and people are free to bid on (or BIN) your item. You’re allowed 6 bumps during the 24 hour run time, plus one extra “to the wall,” if you post in a size album. This is the best place, by far, to sell hard to find items, or pricier ones.
There you have it. Your entry into the Lululemon after-sales market is a simple Facebook search away.
Of course sometimes links are helpful too:
The Lululemon Market is located here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/281577148614119/
The Lululemon Exchange is located here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/luluexchange/
The Trading Post is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/161513970598488/
Lululemon Bidding Battles is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/143922069083293/
I hope that helps 🙂
UPDATE:
There’s another group that started in the same month that I wrote this post (June of 2013), that I hadn’t added to this list, even after it gained popularity. It now has over 3,000 members and there’s a lot of action in the group! It’s called the Unicorn Bidding Field and you can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lululemonbidding/ Enjoy & Happy Selling! Thanks to Jen for helping out with this update!
UPDATE:
The Canadian version of LBB, while once fairly popular has not seen much action lately. This is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Canada.LBB/ if you would still like to join. Thanks to Sherri for helping out with this update!
UPDATE: I found a page for Canadian sales that seems to have more action. It’s called Lululemon Canadian Combat and can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lululemoncanadiancombat/
UPDATE: Lululemon 911, a seller-focused market has become quite popular. Here’s the link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/549663845180180/
The collectibility of Lululemon is undeniable. Some people must have all the Vinyasa scarves, others want an impressive collection of Wunder Under pants. Some people collect all items in Teal Zeal, others must have Pique everything! I’m a sucker for Define jackets, and Groove Pants. All of us are willing to pay more than retail for our most desired items. Who knows, maybe you have the latest coveted treasure hiding in your closet!?
Apart from the obvious collectibility of Lululemon clothing, is the quality. The general quality of Lululemon clothing has, historically, been impressive. I have many items in my closet that have lasted through the years, despite regular, rigorous use. Fast forward to today: over the past year Lululemon has presented its loyal client base with no fewer than four serious issues.
Having had personal experience with color bleeding and poor seam construction, I must admit to being extra cautious when purchasing NEW Lululemon products, in-store. It used to be customary for me to go in to my local retail establishment, be greeted by name, choose my selected garment (having done my research the evening before), and walk out the door without even trying it on. I used to spend my money on retail clothing, in-store. And, I still do, but only on selected items. And I try everything on. I check the seams, quickly, and I do a bend test to “make sure the coverage suits my needs.” The bulk of my spending now occurs in the after-market where I can buy better quality products at inflated prices. But I’m very happy to pay those prices, as long as i get what I want. And so are a lot of other people.
The collectibility of the items is created by Lululemon’s scarcity model, they only make so many of each style and color. The desirability is enhanced by the current trend of on-going product quality issues. As it stands, even if I thought that they were going to bring the Define jacket back into production, I would still prefer to purchase them in the after-market sales arena, rather than in-store, because their used clothing lasts longer than their newer offerings. As an aside, I have heard rumors that the define jacket will be put back into production. However, I’m concerned that they will reduce the quality of the materials and create a bastardized version of my beloved Define jacket. This worries me.
UPDATE:
The Define may or may not be coming back into production based on the results of a survey/ vote process that Lululemon is currently conducting on Hey Lululemon! .com I’ll discuss these results in a future post.
UPDATE: HeyLululemon.com has been retired. Also, the Define did come back! I wrote a post about it!
Clockwise (beginning with the Runder Under that has some black), left to right: Raspberry Glo, Blush Quartz, Pink Shell, Flash, Paris Pink, Pow Pink and Pinkelicious.
People who love Lululemon clothing, myself included, obsessively study and monitor the past and current trends of the offerings. They know all the color codes and the difference between Raspberry Glo, Blush Quartz, Pink Shell, Flash, Paris Pink, Pow Pink and Pinkelicious. They know all the small nuanced differences between each Lululemon product and the names of all the products. The FedEx man refers to them as his “regular 2:00pm stop.” They can immediately identify someone who is wearing Lululemon and tell you the name of the product and the color. They treat their clothing like a wearable art collection rather than as garments that will expire, go “out of style,” and need to be thrown away.
It is for this reason that Lululemon’s clothing can both maintain and/or increase in value over time. When something becomes a collectible, the value of the item is controlled by the desirability (demand) as well as the availability (supply) of the item. For example, recently, I saw at auction a Lululemon Define Jacket in Royalty Space Dye sell for $500! These jackets retail for $99. This particular color first appeared in Hong Kong in late July of 2011, as discussed on the ever popular Lululemon Addict Blog. How does a jacket fetch over 5 times retail within 2 years of being released? Simply put: it’s Lululemon.
Lululemon Addicts, follow this blog and two others in order to stay current on the newest items. Lululemon has their own blog, where they will often preview things http://www.lululemon.com/community/blog/, and http://lulumum.blogspot.com/, is also popular. Another source of information is lululemon’s twitter feed: https://twitter.com/lululemon, where they recently revealed the new golf collection. The reason it is necessary to inform yourself so thoroughly is because once you begin to identify yourself as a collector of Lululemon clothing, you have by default also become a speculator of the market.
So, begins your entry into the after market sales of Lululemon.
