Selling Your Dress? 5 Key Insights

On the day you buy it...... on the day you wear it.…. it's the best thing that ever happened to you in the form of a garment.

Your wedding gown.

At some point though, you may want to make room for something else in your life and your wedding dress - or prom dress -  has lost that aura of "oh wow!!" and it is in the way. This is not a Dr. Phil moment about why you no longer need this item. Most women sell their gowns because they are superfluous. So consider this your Scout Handbook. This is a quick and dirty about the practicals around selling something of value that you no longer need.
BT is not a consignment shop, so we won't buy your dress, BUT we do have some sage advice and experienced observations.

photo credit: Oleksandr Pidvalnyi

1. More often than not, you will receive more money for your dress if you sell it yourself. Just know that selling it can be a major hassle. You'll need to set up meetings with brides so that they can try on the dress and you'll need to answer questions.
2. You should have a realistic expectation about the worth of the dress. Remember that you've worn it and it isn't fresh off the rack. Even if you took excellent care of it, it's still pre-owned, as the car industry says. You should expect to get at least 50%-60% LESS than the original price if you sell it on your own.
   
3. If you decide to sell through a consignment boutique, and they are certainly out there. BT's research showed:​
   

• boutiques only accept dresses less than 5 years old and in pristine condition
• they will sell a used dress, in good condition for 50 - 60% less than its original price and most will split the proceeds 50/50 with you.
• A new dress with the tags still on it will be marked down 25% usually.

Boutiques and consignment shops are all different, so just be prepared to be flexible and consider the biggest upside is the new closet space.​