How to handle offers when selling clothes: accept, counter or decline

How offers work on Rewear

A buyer makes an offer by tapping Offer on your listing and entering an amount below the asking price. The form also suggests a few quick amounts. The offer then appears in your chat with that buyer, and you get a notification, plus an email if you have emails switched on.

On an offer you have three buttons:

• Accept agrees that price with that buyer.
• Decline turns it down. The piece stays on sale at your asking price.
• Counter lets you type a different price. It cannot be above your asking price. The buyer can then accept, decline or counter you back.

You can also leave an offer unanswered, but a quick reply is better for everyone. A buyer can take back their own offer while it is still waiting for your answer.

What accepting means

Accepting an offer agrees the price with that buyer. It does not take the piece off sale.

• The agreed price lasts 48 hours. If the buyer has not paid within 48 hours of the offer being accepted, it expires and the piece goes back to its asking price for them.
• Someone else can still buy it at the asking price in the meantime.
• If you want to hold it for the buyer, use Reserve on your listing and choose how long. While a piece is reserved it is hidden from everyone else and only that person can buy it.
• Accepting one offer closes any other open offers on the same piece.

There is no selling fee on Rewear, so you receive the full offer price you accepted once the buyer confirms delivery. The buyer pays postage and a buyer protection fee of 30p + 3% on top. You can read the details in our Terms.

Decide your lowest price first

The hardest part of offers is deciding on the spot. Do it when you list instead.

1. Set your asking price using condition, brand, season and similar pieces. Our guide on how to price second-hand clothes walks through it.
2. Decide your lowest acceptable price and write it down.
3. Leave a little room between the two if you are happy to haggle.

Once you have a figure, every offer becomes a simple yes, no or counter.

Accept, counter or decline?

• At or above your lowest price: accept. Holding out for a few more pounds can cost you the sale.
• Close to it: counter at or just above your lowest price. Many buyers expect a little back and forth.
• Far below it: counter once at your lowest price, or decline politely. You do not owe anyone a discount.
• Several offers at once: you can only accept one, and accepting closes the others, so pick the one you want before you press the button.

A short message alongside a counter helps: "Thanks for the offer. The lowest I can do is £18, as it is barely worn." It keeps the conversation friendly.

Things that make a difference

• Speed. A buyer who hears back in an hour is still interested. One who hears back in three days may have bought something else.
• Timing and season. A winter coat in October is in demand, so you can hold firmer. The same coat in May might be worth accepting a lower offer for.
• How long it has been listed. If a piece has sat for weeks with no interest, a reasonable offer is worth more than you might think.
• Bundles. If a buyer asks about several pieces, point them to a bundle. On Rewear a bundle from one seller is posted as one parcel, so the buyer pays postage once, and any bundle discount you have set comes off automatically. Our guide to bundling clothes to sell more explains how to set one up.

Common mistakes

• Taking a low offer personally. Some buyers start low out of habit. A calm counter costs nothing.
• Ignoring offers. Silence loses sales and leaves buyers unsure.
• Countering below what you would accept just to be done with it.
• Raising the price to make room for haggling after someone has shown interest.
• Agreeing a deal outside the app. Paying or being paid outside Rewear removes the buyer protection, and the record of your conversation. Our guide to selling clothes online explains why it matters.

Lowering the price instead

If you keep getting offers at roughly the same figure, the market may be telling you something. You can lower the asking price on the listing at any time, and people who have saved the piece can be told about the drop.

The short version

Decide your lowest price before you list. Answer offers quickly: accept if it meets your figure, counter if it is close, decline politely if not. On Rewear an accepted offer lasts 48 hours and does not take the piece off sale, so reserve it if you want to hold it, and keep everything in the app.