Ebay Neatness Tool: DIY Professional Garment Folder

 First impressions are just as important for eBay sellers as for other retailers.  What your item looks like when it arrives can make or break a repeat customer.  I am careful to wash, and iron before photographing (neatness counts in photos).  Once the description is typed, items are neatly folded and stored in clear plastic bags.  The clear bag protects from pet hair, dust, and odors - but allows me to see what's inside so I can quickly grab what's needed when it's time to ship. 
      In my efforts to impress, I ran across this neat tool - the FlipFold clothing folder. So simple a 3 year old can use it -it gives a professional looking fold with NO effort.  Of course, $18 to $25 seems a little high for such a simple device.  This sounded like the perfect project for the DIY diva within me.  I started with Dan Pereda's tutorial for a large 25.5 X 30 inch folder.  It worked well on large items like towels and plus sized clothing.  I also made these two folders for smaller sized items:

 The 18 X 24 inch board works great for most Small to Medium adult size clothing and for Medium to Large size children's clothing.  The 12 X 18 folder is fantastic for baby clothes or small children's items.

I made my folders from corrugated plastic signs rescued from the dumpster (from a Relay for Life event that my son's Boy Scout troop helped with).  Duct tape works best for the hinges since it's flexible and durable. I found that it's best to create your hinge by holding your pieces together sandwich style - as it would look if the hinge was shut - then place your tape on one side and smooth it over the joint and then down on the other side. This will leave plenty of room inside the tape for the hinge to work without bending or rubbing your boards together.