The Newsstand - September 2018

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Handmade Seller Magazine
September 03, 2018

Etsy Who? Instagram is the New ‘It’ Platform for Vintage Shoppers

There was a time when Etsy was the go-to place for shoppers hunting for vintage collections. Not anymore.

Instagram is taking over with its new age vintage shops that boast carefully curated collections of rare items that are often sold within minutes.

Serious businesses and hobbyists alike are choosing to sell vintage items on the Facebook-owned app and for a good reason.

With a gigantic monthly active user base of 800 million, Instagram has recently rolled out several useful features, like product tags and the “Shop Now” button, that make online buying and selling easier, fun, personal, and simply more practical.

The trend is also solid evidence of the emerging power of social commerce, where startup costs are almost zero, influencers are making an impact, and conversations about the cost of fast fashion are convincing those who wouldn’t otherwise have jumped in on the bandwagon.

So, how does vintage shopping on Instagram work?

A lot of Instagram sellers find that old-school methods still work like a charm. Most of the vintage shops on the platform post an image with a fancy caption underneath listing the size, color, price, and other details of the product, along with how to claim it.

Buyers can typically claim a vintage piece by either leaving a direct message or a comment. Since these items are usually one-of-a-kind, they often sell on a first-come-first-serve basis. Buyers looking to snag an outfit as soon as it is up for sale can turn on post notifications, so they never miss the next one.

Here are some cool vintage IG accounts you can check out for inspiration:

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