Big Seller at Flea Markets: Designer Toddler Jeans

If you are looking for something new to sell at your local flea market, designer toddler jeans are a great way to recycle clothing into something new for a premium price. Jeans that are trendy sell, no matter how old they are. In fact, because the worn out look has been a timeless fashion for so long, hand me down jeans are a great market to be in with the tough economy. Everyone wants the designer look for a better price. The key to making money is to sell the old jeans with a new look and to display your product as if it were a new item. That doesn't mean you have to lie to people and tell them they are not recycled jeans, it just means you have to make them and market them a little different than say a typical consignment shop would do it.

SELECTING YOUR GENTLY USED PRODUCT

First thing you want to do is select the best grade of clothing possible. Any mildly used blue jeans in a name brand will work. Be sure you look carefully for any stains, small holes or broken belt loops that can't be repaired. Any staining is very important. Even the smallest stain will turn people off from even looking at another pair on the table. In their mind, they will think the clothing is dirty and move on without a purchase. So, selecting clothes without stains are important. Faded is okay, because the designer style now is faded. Just make sure you don't have any wear that thins the material or any type of fading that looks unnatural. You will want to keep your price under $2.00 a pair if you can for the initial purchase to ensure the best profit.

PRESS YOUR PRODUCT BEFORE ALTERING

Before you start sewing and making alterations, you will want to press your pants. Sometimes, you will catch a stain, a hole, or other flaw you missed after pressing them. If you can't remedy them, toss them out. Again, one bad pair will give the rest of your product a bad look. People will actually look harder at your product if it appears less of a value than they are used to.

START CREATING

TRY A CUFF: A great way to turn your boring product into a designer hit is to create cuffs that you can attach to the bottom of the pants creating a small flare or boot cut look for the pants. In the picture above left, you can see a pair of basic WalMart Pants that I turned into designer cuff with a boot cut look. The pattern is interesting and gives the pants a very 70's look that is very feminine.

CREATE A PATCH: Patches are a great way to bring color and creativity to a pair of jeans also. You can cut coordinating patches that match the material on the cuffs and add them around the knee area or on the back pockets. This works great if you discover a small hole that needs to be covered. Just ensure you patch the inside as well with some backing if there is a hole, so it looks planned and not repaired.

STREAM LINE WITH A TIE BELT: To top off the look, you can also add a thin belt that simply goes through the loops and ties in the front or on the side. If you really want to be creative, you can make an elastic belt with a clip that will help keep the pants up and create better opportunities for customer satisfaction. With an elastic belt that cinches the pants slightly, kids will get an adjustable fit for longer wear.

DISPLAYING YOUR PRODUCT

While there are many ways to sell your product, display will always be important. If you are selling on line or in person, you will want your product to be displayed similar to the way they are displayed in new retail stores. With designer pants, you will want to use a hanger if possible that shows off the products features. A skirt hanger that shows the pants from the front view and the reverse view would be your best bet. If you are selling at a table and don't have a way to hang your product, try folding them so that the best feature is displayed. If your cuffs are the most attractive, fold them to the top. If your patches are the best, fold them to display the middle.

Also, remember if you are selling pants that you have lengthened with cuffs, you will want to remove the original tag from the pants and adjust the size by placing your own labels on the pants. Since you have created a new product, you will want the label to reflect your new product name. Use a tag gun, easily found on e-bay, and print your own tags so the customer knows the unique product can only be purchased from you.