Buying and selling clothes in Sweden: 768 adverts

What is on the rails

Seekuro holds 768 live clothing adverts from Sweden. The mix is not fast fashion. It is Nordic labels, a steady run of vintage, and quality basics that people bought well and are now passing on.

The current adverts show it: a Soft Goat cashmere sweater in size S, Lee Powell jeans in W31/34 from the 120th anniversary denim run, a Shirtonomy light blue shirt with a turndown collar, a Leveté Room blouse in pink with the tags still on, a Diverse Originals shirt in XL. Vintage appears constantly, including a wool skirt from the 1940s or 1950s. Footwear and accessories fill the rest: Blundstone boots in size 38, a braided Saddler belt in dark brown. Children's clothing is there too, with Mini Rodini shell overalls in 56/62.

All of it comes through Tradera, the Swedish auction marketplace.

What it costs

Asking prices run from 1 to 1,800 Swedish crowns, with the middle at 200. That middle is the honest number: most garments here are ordinary second hand pieces in good condition.

A crown or two buys a basic item somebody wants gone. Around 200 crowns you are buying a good quality used garment, a shirt or a knit from a known maker, worn but sound. Towards 1,800 crowns you reach cashmere, leather, unworn items with tags, anniversary or limited denim runs and genuine vintage with a date.

Children's clothing sits low, because it is outgrown rather than worn out, and that is where the best value in the whole category usually is.

Sizes, and why they are the main risk

Buying clothing unseen fails on size more than on anything else, and a Swedish wardrobe mixes several systems at once.

Never buy on the label size alone. Ask for measurements taken flat with a tape: chest across the armpits, length from the shoulder seam to the hem, shoulder to shoulder, and sleeve from shoulder seam to cuff. For trousers ask for waist flat, inside leg, and rise. For jeans with a W/L label, like W31/34, ask anyway, because denim shrinks and stretches with wear.

For boots, a size 38 from one maker is not a 38 from another. Ask for the insole length measured heel to toe in centimetres. For Blundstone and similar lasts, ask whether the seller wears a wide or narrow foot.

Ask whether the garment has been washed since it was last worn, and whether it has ever been altered. An altered garment fits one body.

Condition questions that matter

Photographs flatter clothing, so ask directly.

For knitwear and cashmere, ask about pilling under the arms and at the cuffs, and whether there are any moth holes. Ask them to check the underarm seams in daylight.

For shirts, ask about the collar and cuff edges, where wear shows first, and about underarm staining, which does not photograph.

For denim, ask about the crotch seam and the knees. For anything with a zip, ask whether it runs smoothly end to end.

For leather and boots, ask about the sole wear, the heel, and whether the leather has dried or cracked at the flex point.

For items sold with tags, ask for a photograph of the tag attached to the garment, not lying beside it.

Writing an advert that sells

Put the brand, the item, the size and the condition in the title. "Soft Goat cashmere sweater size S beige" is searched for by name. "Sweater" is not.

List the measurements in the description, always. It is the single thing that most reduces returns and arguments, and most Swedish sellers already do it, so an advert without them looks careless by comparison.

Photograph in daylight on a plain background. Show the front, the back, the label with the brand, the care label with the fabric composition, and a close photo of any flaw. A seller who shows the flaw sells faster than one who hides it.

Say what the fabric is. Wool, cashmere, cotton and synthetics are bought by different people for different reasons.

Because Seekuro publishes your advert in six languages, a Nordic label that is well known at home becomes findable by buyers in Germany, Finland, Norway and Spain who search for that brand by name.

Posting and returns

Clothing is light and cheap to post across Europe, which is why this category works well internationally.

Fold cleanly, use a plastic mailing bag for most garments, and a box for anything with structure such as boots or a tailored jacket. Put knitwear in a bag inside the mailer so it cannot get damp.

Say in the advert whether you accept returns and who pays the postage, because with clothing this question will be asked. Private sellers are not obliged to take an item back when the buyer simply changed their mind, but saying your position clearly up front prevents most disputes.

Agree postage before the price. On a 200 crown garment the postage is a visible part of the deal.