The business of used socks is booming. A quick Google search shows this. Numerous platforms advertise anonymity, discretion and unique goods. A dream come true for buyers, but on the sellers’ side the market is highly competitive.
A young woman revealed to BERLIN LIVE how tough the business really is.
Berlin: Customers appreciate the “exclusive feeling”
Sara Lass* (27) is a data analyst by day and an exclusive sock seller by night – at least that’s what she was for about four months. During this time, she got to know the business well. Instead of using relevant platforms, however, she decided to use the second-hand online shop Vinted. Why?
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“I think that it’s more appealing to people. Many buyers have the image that you’re a student and just want to sell normal socks, but you make an exception for them.” This creates an “exclusive feeling” that many appreciate.
But there was another reason that attracted her to Vinted. “It’s relatively easy to avoid paying the platform’s fees.” You actually have to pay 5 percent of the item price plus an additional €0.70 per purchase to the shop, but Sara quickly redirected buyers to Telegram or Snapchat. That way she got the full purchase price.
Selling is actually prohibited
However, the trade in worn socks and panties, which Sara later sold, is not entirely permitted there. The latter is completely forbidden “for hygiene reasons,” explains a spokesperson for Vinted. The former, on the other hand, is only permitted if the socks are washed beforehand. Not quite what buyers are looking for.
In order to fly under the radar and not be blocked, Sara got creative. For the advert, she put on the socks and photographed her legs “in a slightly provocative pose”. The Berliner then wrote only a little text in the advert itself: “If you have any questions, please let me know.” That was enough for the sock seekers. “No one contacted me who just wanted socks,” reports the 27-year-old.
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But it took a while for the business to really take off. “At first, many people just liked the socks. Little by little, I realized that I had to make my products a little more appealing.” One way to do that is to write to customers directly and ask them what they are looking for. For Sara, this is customer loyalty, a classic marketing tool that she also uses in her daily work. Most purchases come about this way.
However, a little negotiating skill is also required. “I enjoyed seeing how high I could negotiate the prices.” The fact that she hadn’t worn the socks herself remained her secret. “My feet just don’t smell, no matter how long I wear them.” So a friend took on “the work” for a share of the selling price.
But the money was not easy to earn. “It takes a lot of organization. You have to be very keen to make a purchase happen. Because a lot of writing leads to nothing. So it really isn’t as easy as you think.”
*The name has been changed, but is known to the editors.
