Let’s face it, many of us have too many clothes and not enough money. Which is why selling old clothes for money is top of mind for lots of us right now.
When your closets are overflowing and your bank balance is decidedly not, it might be time to find out where to sell your used clothes for cash quickly.
If you want to declutter and make money, there are a ton of places to sell your unwanted clothes.
If you have good quality, on trend clothing items that are in great condition, you likely sell them easily on online sites or even at consignment stores near your house.
The trick is to get the most money for each item and that will depend on how in demand it is.
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Selling Old Clothes For Money – Tips For Success
Selling old clothes for money is a great way to make a little extra cash in your spare time.
Plus, who doesn’t love making some room in the closet for new stuff!
You can sell them to people who want to buy secondhand clothing, or you can take the clothes to a consignment store and get paid when they resell them.
One thing that I’ve found helpful is checking out what other people are selling on sites like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.
That way you know if what you have in your closet is popular in the resell market.
If you don’t have that many clothes to sell, bear in mind that you can also make money thrifting by looking for valuable clothing items at thrift stores to sell.
If you have children’s clothes to sell, then there are some specialized places you can check out.
You can get the full list in my post on Where To Sell Used Baby Clothes For Cash.
What is the best way to sell used clothes?
High-end, brand new items often sell well at traditional brick and mortar consignment stores while trendy items can do best online, especially if you live somewhere with cheap shipping options.
Before you start making money from selling your clothes, take a few hours to go through your closets and sort out each piece of clothing one by one.
- Check for marks, stains and missing buttons
- Check zippers and make sure pockets are empty
- Wash anything that needs to be freshened up
- Match up items that make up part of a set
- Check shoes for scuffs and broken heels
Remember that most clothing resale stores start buying for the upcoming season a few months in advance.
According to TheRealReal, the following are the top designer items in demand in 2019:
- Chanel
- Hermes
- Louis Vuitton
- Gucci
- rada
- Cartier
- Rolex
- Patek Philippe
- Van Cleef & Arpels
- Celine
How to Prepare Your Clothes for Sale
Once you are sure your clothes are in great shape, take time to research online so you know roughly how much you should be able to make on each piece.
- Photograph each piece of clothing in good light, from several angles
- Make a note of the size, condition and brand
- Search for the same item on sites like Poshmark or Facebook Marketplace to get a feel for the market value
- If the item is a high-end brand (eg for purses or jewelry), try and locate your original receipt and box as they will add value.
Where to sell your used clothes
Once you have prepared everything and you have a good idea of the current value of your items, it’s time to start scouting out the best places to sell your clothes, whether that it online or in a local store.
If you live in a remote area without many stores, then online might be the best way to go about selling your old clothes for money.
However, if you have some in person options, it is worth checking them out to avoid shipping hassles.
Where to sell used clothes near to where you live
If you want to sell your clothes locally, you need to do some research and make sure you go to the right place – many used clothing stores are either thrift stores or consignment stores.
Do thrift stores buy your clothes?
Traditional thrift stores accept donations but will not pay for your used clothes.
They are not-for-profits and depend on donated clothing to make money for the charity they support.
If you are in need of new items to replace your clothing, some stores do offer vouchers and money off coupons for donations and of course, in the USA, you can deduct your donation amount from your taxes.
Do consignment shops buy clothes?
Consignment stores are normally profit making stores who act as a middle man between you and the buyer. For their services, they typically take a portion of the sale as a service fee. Expect to earn from 20-50% of market value per item.
There are two types of consignment stores around. The first buys you for your clothing then sells it at whatever price they wish. Plato’s closet is a well-known store that works this way.
You can drop off bags of clothing and they will sort through it and tell you what they will buy. Expect to receive around 30% of their retail price for each time, if you are lucky.
The second type of consignment store lets you place your items for sale in their space. If your clothing sells, you get all the money minus a percentage for using the store as your “broker”. If your items don’t sell, you have to take them back but do not normally owe the store any money.
5 Places to sell your used clothes near you
1.Plato’s Closet
As I mentioned above, Plato’s Closet is a consignment store that will buy your clothing and then sell it at their convenience. The nice thing is that once your clothes are sold, you don’t have to do anything else.
The bad thing about Plato’s is that they are extremely picky about what they will take and items must be very recent (think last season).
2 Facebook Marketplace/Facebook groups
Although Facebook is online, selling your clothes this way does involve an element of face to face contact. You can either post your items for sell on the general Facebook marketplace or you can join specific groups for reselling clothes and post your items there.
Tips for selling on Facebook
- Make sure to do a search for similar clothes before you list so you know the right price point.
- For high-end or in-demand brands, look for Dedicated Facebook resell groups for that brand as you will likely make more money.
- If you don’t want to meet with people in person, you can arrange for porch pick-up and let them leave the money in your mailbox or bank transfer you the money beforehand.
3. Uptown Cheapskate
Uptown Cheapskate is very similar to Plato’s Closet and just as picky. The best thing to do it to take a whole bunch of clothing to these kinds of store and then hope you can get rid of at least half of it.
Cash is paid on the spot or you can get store credit and make 25% more.
4. Buffalo Exchange
Buffalo exchange has 50 stores throughout the USA. Items that they especially want include: Plus sizes; Menswear; Everyday staples like Jeans, T-shirts and Button-Ups; Dresses; Shoes; Sweaters and Jackets; Shorts and Skirts; Designer; Vintage; Jewelry; Costumes; and Athletic Wear.
For anything they buy, you’ll receive 30% of their selling price in cash or 50% in store credit on-the-spot
5. Yard Sales
Personally a yard sale would be my last resort as you are highly unlikely to get a lot of money for your used clothing ($1 per item is pretty average).
However, if you have done the rounds of your local consignment stores and the ones listed above and still have some clothing left, you can probably off-load it at a garage sale pretty quickly.
Where to sell used clothes online for cash
If there is nowhere to sell used clothes near you or you prefer to do everything online, there are always new online consignment stores popping up. Below you will find the top sites where you can sell your clothes online for cash.
Poshmark
Poshmark is perfect for trendy, designer clothes that have a lot of life left in them. You can download the Poshmark app and create your listing right from your phone.
Poshmark provides free prepaid envelopes for shipping and also a free authentication process for luxury items. Once your items have been delivered, you will receive your cash minus a commission.
For all sales under $15, Poshmark takes a flat commission of $2.95. You keep the rest. For sales of $15 or more, you keep 80% of your sale and Poshmark’s commission is the rest.
Thredup
Thredup markets itself as the World’s largest online thrift store and it is probably the easiest way to sell your used clothes as the effort required is minimal.
Just order a Clean Out Kit from the Thredup website and they will send you a huge polka-dot bag that fits all the clothes you no longer wear. Send it back for FREE and they will inspect, photograph, and list your items. You will get paid for anything they sell.
eBay
eBay is a great place for selling used clothing, especially name brands. If you own a lot of pieces, you can even set up your own eBay storefront to get more buyers.
You can also make money on eBay by selling clothes that you source at thrift stores and garage sales.
LePrix
LePrix is an online consignment store that specializes in vintage and luxury goods. If you have items that fit the bill, you can either take them to a LePrix boutique in the directory or apply on the LePrix website for a “white glove consignment package”.
Tradesy
Tradesy is only available in the USA and specializes in designer clothes and accessories. It is good for selling pre-owned bags, shoes, clothing, and more from top designers. You can sell straight from your closet and post unlimited listings quickly using the website, iOS, or Android apps.
Tradesy’s commission is 19.8% on items $50 or more and a $7.50 flat rate on items under $50.
Material World
Material World works in the same way as the storefront consignment stores likes Plato’s Closet. Send your used clothing to Material World and they will decide what items they want to buy and make you can offer. if you accept the offer, they will pay you upfront.
Anything they don’t accept can be shipped back to you.
TheRealReal
The Real Real is another online consignment store that focuses on designer brands. You earn up to 85% of the selling price for your items (you make more, the more you sell).
The RealReal offers free in-home pickup, free shipping or drop-off making it an easy option for selling your used items.
Etsy
Although Etsy might not be the first place you think of when it comes to selling old clothes, there are many popular vintage items on Etsy, including clothing.
If you have high quality retro items such as t-shirts, baseball caps and even gowns, you can make a pretty penny on Etsy.
Other Places To Sell Used Clothes
If you want to make some fast cash and are prepared to “go the extra mile”, why not consider selling socks online?
You can sell used underwear online for big money and while it is not for everyone, it can be an easy way to make some money quickly.
Selling Old Clothes For Money – Final Thoughts
Selling old clothes for money is a great way to make some extra cash without doing any work.
For those who want to get rid of their old clothes and turn them into something new, there are tons of options available both online and offline.
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