Vintage T-Shirt Consignment Program
Terms Updated 8/1/2024
Avoid the Hassle of Selling Yourself
If you’ve got an awesome vintage tee (or t-shirts!) that you want to sell, you’ve come to the right place. Our consignment program takes all the hassle out of selling your t-shirt online. You won’t have to worry about deciding which marketplace to use, signing up (attaching credit cards and bank accounts), photographing, accurately describing, measuring, and grading your t-shirt. No fielding questions from international buyers, no dealing with shipping or the potential for returns (or fraud!).
Let’s take eBay, for example. It has plenty of pitfalls and several hoops to jump through. The biggest issue is setting up a new account, as eBay views new sellers as less reputable and reliable. The site also puts lengthy holds on payments for sold items and insists items are delivered before allowing access to that money. They then ask that you connect your eBay account to your personal bank account so they can deposit funds (and also remove the funds should there be a dispute.)
With us, those hassles don’t exist, and you’ll get up to 80% of the profits.
If you’re already intrigued, use our forum here and tell us what t-shirt(s) you have or our contact form if you don’t have photos handy.
But we encourage you to read on, including the FAQs later in this article….
We’ll Sell Your Vintage T-shirts
Defunkd has been actively creating content on this website since 2008. We get thousands of web visitors daily because we’ve created a search-engine-optimized, comprehensive vintage t-shirt resource supported by a wonderful community of vintage t-shirt collectors. Check out our About page for the full scoop on the Defunkd operation.
Instead of selling your goods to an online retailer (which is likely to give you a low-ball offer), our program ensures we’ll fetch top-dollar for your t-shirt. And the exciting part is that we offer consignees up to 80% of the sale price! Don’t be sucker-punched with seller’s remorse when you see the t-shirt you sold to another retailer for $100 fetches $1,000. With our consignment program rates, you could have received $1,600 if we had sold your item instead!
Here’s the most recent example of a consignment item we promoted on Instagram.
We run unique t-shirts through our Certification program, and bidders have added peace of mind that the item is authentic (yes, counterfeit t-shirts are a big problem!) They’ll also get a physical certificate linked to a full assessment on our website.
You’ll want to check out how thorough our certification protocol is here.
BTW, the De La Tee fetched $1126. After subtracting eBay fees, the t-shirt’s owner took home nearly $800.
The bottom line is that we offer zero hassle, and we get you more money.
Click here to get started!
How Vintage T-Shirt Consignment Works
1) Click here to Fill out our consignment form and let us know what you have to sell. We’ll use several tools to appraise your item and then email you to negotiate a profit split.
2) Ship the item(s) to us using a tracked delivery service.
3) We’ll take care of everything from there: photography, research, certification, eBay listing, promotion, customer communication and shipping.
4) You will receive your split once eBay releases the transaction funds to us.
What Types of Vintage Tees We Accept
Good question. First and foremost, they must be authentic vintage. We’re looking for tees manufactured prior to 2000. There are certain exceptions, though, so filling out the consignment form to check never hurts.
To get a better idea of what we’re looking for, take a moment to scroll through our blog archive of sold tees and what price they fetched, or check out our Instagram account showcasing rare, high-value pieces.
Rock, metal, hip hop, and Harley tees are always good sellers, as are many items pre-’70s. We also like dealing in lots. For example, if you have numerous band tees from the ’70s and ’80s, great. If it’s just a single tee you have, that’s great too. We’re always looking for rare and sought-after items. We’re trying to say that there must be demand for the item; otherwise, these shirts will sit on our shelves.
T-shirts that we’d certify are typically ones with a value of $1000+.
Again, if in doubt, fill out our consignment form!
Will You Buy My Vintage T-Shirts?
Yes. If, for some reason, you’re in a time crunch or the shirts don’t have enough value to justify a partnership between us, we also buy them straight up. Contact us here.
How do you come up with the profit split?
We always offer profit splits of up to 80%. But in the case of an 80/20 split, it likely means you have a rare, high-value t-shirt. The most common ratio is 60/40 in your favor and sometimes 50/50 if your item is more generic. But we may also decline your item(s). Some examples are too common or don’t have a resale value high enough to justify a consignment partnership. If so, we may offer to buy the item from you.
How long does it take to get my share of the profit?
If the item was sold on eBay, we’ll calculate your share and pay you once they release the funds from the transaction to us. This could be a few days, but sometimes the funds get released when shipping tracking indicates the item was delivered. If we sell the item privately, we’ll pay you out as soon as we’ve been paid for it.
What type of listing formats do you use?
Certain items are no-brainers as auctions, especially when backed by the additional promotion we offer. But typically, we list them at a fixed price with offers. We’ll discuss the listing format and pricing strategy with you so you’re comfortable. We’ll field offers on your behalf and discuss them with you. We’ll never accept an offer below your comfort zone (unless you sign off on it). Rest assured, we won’t let the item slip away below value.
What fees are subtracted from the sale to calculate the final profit?
If the sale occurs on eBay, the site charges fees (check here for eBay fees). If the sale occurs outside of eBay, on Defunkd, through email, or through social media, we’ll avoid eBay fees. And if we can sell privately, in some cases, there are no fees at all!
Shipping to the final customer is an additional fee paid at the time of purchase, and it doesn’t affect your profits.
Will there be any additional fees for me to receive my portion of the profit?
No, as long as you have a PayPal account and can receive personal payments. We use Friends & Family to payout, so there are no fees on your end for receiving the funds. If you don’t have a PayPal account, no problem. In cases where we have to use another method that incurs fees, they will be subtracted from the final amount.
Can you cover the cost of shipping my tee to you?
Not anymore. During our pilot program, we had a few instances where customers opted to use expensive couriers that were not only twice as expensive but had subsequent “handling fees” charged to the end user (us!) We’re happy to receive a package in whichever way you feel most comfortable shipping – but we no longer factor in the price you pay for shipping into the equation. And any additional fees the carrier charges us will be taken from the final sale price.
But we’ll happily discuss your plan to ship to us, and we can advise you on the most cost-effective and safest services, the best packaging materials, and any potential for forms and duty, as well as avoid any hidden fees.
What if I change my mind and want my tee(s) back?
That’s perfectly fine! If the item hasn’t sold, we’ll remove the listing and return it within a few days using a tracked service. However, we’ll ask that you reimburse us for the return shipping cost prior to mailing back the item.
If your t-shirt hasn’t sold, we may offer to buy it from you.
What are the potential pitfalls?
There’s a slight chance your item will be sold via eBay, but the customer will not pay for it. In this instance, we would relist the item and start from scratch; no additional fees would be incurred; it’s just a nuisance and causes a delay. Sometimes, a customer will return an item, which typically transpires after we’ve paid you. So, we would assume ownership, and it would be our discretion to relist the item, which format to use, and what price to sell it for.
Get started now by filling out the consignment form – click here!
If you have additional questions, don’t worry! We’ll email you to clarify any remaining details you may be curious about.