1. How to Build an eCommerce Website
  2. How to Sell Handbags Online

How to Sell Handbags Online

Start a business selling handbags and purses with the best eCommerce software

The Handbag and Purse Market is Constantly Growing

Whether to complete an outfit or to carry needed day-to-day items (or both), you can be sure that handbags are never going out of style. If anything, the market is only increasing each year, as more options become available and more customers realize they can find their perfect bag for any occasion. Plus, up-and-coming designers are always appearing on the scene, ready to compete with the biggest names in the business by releasing their own brand. This is a great time to enter the industry!

If it's your dream to open an online handbag store, all you need is some knowledge, a good plan, and the best eCommerce software to make your ambitions a reality. You'll be able to offer your customers the compelling shopping experience they crave, and your online store will be equipped with plenty of tools to build and grow your business.

Sell Handbags

Types of Handbags, Purses, and Accessories to Sell Online

Deciding to sell handbags online opens up a huge market with lots of possibilities. Since handbags have both practical and fashionable use, you can focus on either or both of these extremes, or even somewhere in the middle with handbags that are designed to combine fashion with utility. Price points are also something to consider, with handbags available for every budget from bargain-bin carryalls to high-ticket designer purses. You can choose any type of handbags that fit your ideas for your brand.

You also have plenty of choice when it comes to style, material, manufacturer, and more. You could sell the mass-produced handbags most people are familiar with, or you could opt for handmade purses created by local artisans. While leather has always been a popular material for handbags, there's a growing market for vegan products that avoid using any material sourced from animals. The possibilities are almost endless, so what's most important for your business is that you choose a niche that works best for you.

Sell Handbags Online

Summary of Types of Bags and Accessories You Can Sell

  • Mid-tier budget purses
  • Designer handbags
  • Clutch bags (to match a larger handbag, or alone)
  • Custom or handmade bags
  • Vegan or eco-friendly handbags
  • Messenger bags and unisex satchels
  • Evening purses
  • Bargain handbags
  • Novelty handbags (fun shapes, cartoon prints, etc.)
  • Outdoor and waterproof handbags
  • Travel handbags (theft-proof, RFID-blocking, etc.)
  • Briefcases
  • Small luggage
  • Wallets and change purses
  • Small cases for makeup, sunglasses, etc.
  • Cleaning and repair kits (for leather, buckles, etc.)

This list is just a quick representation of a huge range of products including all types of handbags and related accessories, aiming at both style and substance, and covering products for both men and women. When you start your online handbag store, it's up to you what types of products you sell and who your target audience is. Keep in mind it's always worth it to sell accessories that can accompany your main product line; this allows you to upsell to the customer by suggesting items that will complement their purchase.

Dropshipping Handbags, Purses,
and Accessories

Dropshipping is an online business model in which you don't keep any inventory in stock, but instead sell products which are then shipped directly from the supplier to the customer. To start, you choose products from the supplier's selection to add to your online store, and mark up the price as you see fit. When you get a sale, the order is forwarded to the supplier for fulfillment, they keep the cost of the item, and you keep the markup. Dropshipping can be great for a new business since it means you won't have to invest up front in inventory or maintain warehouse space to store it.

You can build an online store based solely on dropshipping handbags, or sell a combination of products, some that are dropshipped and some that are not. It's up to you and your business plan.

Dropshipping Handbags

To begin dropshipping handbags, you need to find a supplier that carries the type of handbags you want to sell. You can find tons of suppliers on Doba, AliExpress, Worldwide Brands, and other dropshipping directories. Another option is to contact a manufacturer or distributor directly and see if they offer dropshipping services.

Next, you need to connect your dropshipping supplier to your eCommerce website. This will allow your orders to be automatically forwarded to the supplier, and should also provide you with tools for quickly adding your selected products to your website. Shift4Shop has full built-in dropshipping support including integrations with Doba, AliExpress, and Worldwide Brands, and also lets you set up any of your suppliers as a dropshipper to handle any deals you make with suppliers.

Organic Social Media
Marketing for Handbags

Handbags are a strongly visual product, since they're considered a fashion item (no matter how useful they may be). Just like with any product, customers will want to know what your products look like, who designed them, and the types of features they have (such as number of internal pockets). However, when selling handbags online, your customers are also going to want additional information that tells them whether your handbags are going to meet their personal style and practical needs.

This is what makes social media marketing an essential part of the business strategy for anyone selling handbags online. Instagram and Pinterest should be your primary targets, since so many customers look to them for inspiration for their own style. You can also get great results from Snapchat as long as you have the time to create the frequent, interactive content that thrives on that platform.

Social Media Marketing

Selling on Instagram is highly recommended and easy to start. Your first step is to create a Facebook Shop by making a Facebook Page for your business. Add your Shop tab and fill it with the products you want to sell on Instagram. Shift4Shop makes this easy by letting you export your products from your website to your Facebook Shop, synchronizing your sales across both platforms, and letting you handle all your orders in your centralized Shift4Shop dashboard.

Even though Instagram is your primary target for selling handbags on social media, your Facebook Shop is also a fantastic marketing and sales channel. By posting content regularly and interacting with customers, you can help build your brand's popularity and sell products directly from Facebook without needing to bring every customer to your website. Facebook-specific promotions, like special coupon codes, can stir up a lot of excitement among your followers and earn you an influx of sales. Facebook is also a great place to promote your limited-time Daily Deals and Group Deals.

Once your products are ready on Facebook, create an Instagram account for your business. You'll need to get approved to sell products on Instagram, but the process is short. The approval will allow you to tag products directly in your Instagram posts to make them "shoppable." Customers viewing Shoppable Posts can tap the products that interest them to learn more or immediately make a purchase. This is a great strategy for lifestyle photos, as customers can see your handbags in use or in the context of a complete outfit, and decide right away to buy.

Successful Stores Selling Handbags Online

Online Handbag Sellers Powered by Shift4Shop

italian bags sale
lovely purse 4u
AR New York
juneberry bags
bops
privee fashion accessories

Online Store Themes for Selling Handbags

Set Up a Gorgeous Handbag Store in Minutes

Purse Valley

Purse Valley

A friendly and fashionable free eCommerce theme perfect for many styles of handbags and related items. Large banners help show off your products, promotions, new arrivals and more, and product animations add some spice while the customer browses.

Luxe Bags

Luxe Bags

A more advanced eCommerce theme with a sophisticated look, ideal for selling luxury and designer handbags. With home page banners to draw customer attention, an attractive parallax scroll effect, and enhanced navigation via the sticky menu, this theme has it all.

How to Get Started Selling Handbags and Purses Online

Shift4Shop is the best eCommerce software for starting and growing your business selling handbags online. Between social media, inventory and order management, and hundreds of other tools for creating and marketing your business, you'll have everything you need to succeed. It also offers a unique opportunity unmatched in the eCommerce industry: a completely free plan. If you use Shift4 Payments as your payment processor, you can access our free End-to-End eCommerce plan which includes all our features and zero limits, with no monthly fee. There's never been a better option for starting (and growing) a business on a budget!

Selling Handbags and Purses Online

Why Shift4Shop is the Best eCommerce Platform for Selling Handbags Online

HTML Builder and Page Editor

Building a website can be hard, but it doesn't have to be. Shift4Shop's intuitive web design tools make it easy to edit your store's appearance to perfectly match your brand.

Unlimited High-Resolution Product Photos

Customers want to see every detail of a handbag before they buy it, and your Shift4Shop website enables this with space for unlimited product photos that can be zoomed in for close inspection.

Multichannel Selling Tools

Want to sell handbags on Amazon or eBay alongside your online store? Shift4Shop makes it easy, in addition to integrations with Facebook and Google Shopping to help you reach as many customers as possible.

Full Suite of Marketing and SEO Tools

Shift4Shop comes with powerful marketing features for both organic and paid marketing, plus the best SEO tools in the industry to help your online store reach the top ranks of the search engines.

Built-In Blog

Release fashion news, style tips, designer interviews and more on your own integrated blog to help build your brand's authority, pull in new customers, and keep your fans coming back for more.

Accept Online Payments

Shift4Shop is powered by Shift4 Payments, which sets up in minutes and lets you accept credit cards and several alternate payment types. We also integrate with more payment methods than any other eCommerce platform today, including digital wallets, international payments, buy-now-pay-later financing, and much more.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best accessories to sell with handbags?
To understand the best accessories to sell with handbags and purses, think about the items that go inside the bag. These can include cases for smaller items like glasses, makeup, loose change, and more. Other possibilities are grooming kits and other types of travel supplies for "on-the-go." When a customer is shopping for a handbag, they may also want to purchase these additional items to help organize or stock up the handbag they plan to carry on a daily basis. Shift4Shop makes it simple to inform customers about these products in several ways, such as by adding Related Items to your product pages.
What is a vegan handbag?
While most people assume the word "vegan" refers solely to a diet completely free of animal products, the word has also evolved to mean any item created without the use of animal products, whether edible or not. A vegan handbag is manufactured using only products that are not sourced from animals. Vegan handbags, apparel, and other accessories are very popular among customers who prefer not to use animal products in their lives. If you're going to sell vegan handbags, some other keywords you can use are "ethical" and "cruelty-free." Customers often search using these terms.
What is an eco-friendly handbag?
An eco-friendly handbag is manufactured with a minimal impact to the environment. They use sustainable resources, and sometimes recycled material. The handbags themselves are often recyclable (this doesn't mean they won't last as long as other handbags, only that they're made from materials that will break down naturally if the handbag is thrown away). Some handbags that are made of recycled material are not, in themselves, recyclable — the act of repurposing the material for a handbag instead of discarding it in a landfill is the recycling. Many customers seek out eco-friendly items whenever possible, and also search using the keywords "green," "repurposed," "upcycled," "sustainable," and more.