Photo Credit: Tessa Barton
Whether you have decided to sell your wedding dress after your big day, or are opting to buy a used one instead, many factors contribute to the cost of a used wedding dress. We’ll break down the important components of a wedding dress that will help you either determine how much to price yours for, or help you decide if you’re getting a good deal on a used gown or not.
Status:
If a wedding dress holds a high status, meaning that it is from a well-known, famous designer, in great shape, or made with expensive materials and accessories, this dress should sell for at least 65-75% of its retail value. Most of the time, dresses of this status will come with a certificate to let the new owner know the quality that went into the gown.
Condition:
If the dress is in perfect condition with no stains, dirt, or damages then it will typically sell for around 65% of its retail value. Also stating if any alterations done to the dress can be reversed or not is important and will change the amount the gown can potentially be sold for. But if trying to sell a dress that has some damages and obvious stains, expect to get a lot less than what you paid for it.
Age:
If selling a brand new dress soon after your big day, expect to get around 60-65% of what you originally paid for it. The newer the dress, the more you will get for it because these dresses are more likely to have less damage or yellowing done to it. Although, if selling an older dress (7+ years) that is still in nearly perfect condition, you should still be able to get around 50% off of retail price.
Cleaned or Not:
When selling a used dress, almost every consignment shop or online shop will require that you sell your dress only after you have had it cleaned. Having your dress professionally dry cleaned is the only way to ensure that no damage will be caused to your gown. We can tell you here how to choose a trusted dry cleaner. Buying a gown that has not been professionally cleaned will only cost the soon-to-be bride more money, or will cost the seller more money once the shop has to have it professionally cleaned themselves.
Designer:
When choosing to sell a designer dress, the seller will immediately get more bang for their buck solely because of the name on the label. Because of this, when choosing to buy a used designer dress, walking in prepared for a higher price tag than compared to non-designer dress is suggested. Just because of a certain name is on the label of a dress doesn’t mean that the previous factors don’t matter, having a designer label just means that you may be able to get more money for your dress/ pay more for your used dress.
When it comes to buying or selling a used wedding dress, the above factors are important to take into consideration if contemplating the price tag that goes along with the gown. Read our latest blog post on how to prepare a gown to be sold after the big day. Check out some amazing used wedding gowns right here at BravoBride.
