It should come as no surprise that as a blogger, I have a lot of clothes. Too many. And I live in a 530 square foot apartment. When I move this summer, the storage situation will likely only get worse, so I’ve been purging like crazy this spring. 3 trash bags full crazy.
While I could just call Goodwill to come pick it up, it’s worth trying to make a few bucks off clothes that are still in perfectly good condition. Selling all those clothes can be a daunting task, however, especially with seemingly endless options, all with their own pros and cons. I’ve tried out more than a few ways to make money off those cast off clothes, and here’s what I’ve found.
- EBAY: I like ebay because at 10%, the cut they take of your profit is the least significant of any of the selling options. The downside is that the listing process is a little cumbersome between photographing and adding descriptions (I’m not Nasty Gal level here – anyone else watching that on Netflix?) and then shipping the items. I’ve found ebay works best for higher ticket items that people will be searching for. The title is definitely important. Your solid color J.Crew t-shirt? Probably not going to sell here. A vintage Lilly dress in a HTF – hard to find – print? That’s what you should list. Here’s a link to my ebay store!
- THRED UP: I’ve bought from ThredUp before and gotten some great items for a steal. A J.Crew blazer, Lululemon top, Kate Spade blouse, all under $50. I’m selling on ThredUp for the first time with this big purge I just did. I’ve heard the payout isn’t stellar, but for those items that maybe aren’t catchy enough to get ebay or consignment attention and I’d rather make a couple dollars off of rather than just Goodwill them, this is the right avenue. You can sign up for ThredUp here.
- CONSIGNMENT SHOPS: Personally, I hate the waiting game of consignment. Taking your clothes and then hoping they sell. However, in cases where you have mid-range nicer items that someone might not search ebay for but will pack up on a rack – say a silk dress from Nordstrom or a pair of designer jeans – you’ll probably get the most bang for your buck here.
- SELL OR TRADE STORES: The items I would take to a store that gives you money or a trade upon drop off are about the same I would send to ThredUp. I’m not expecting to get more than a couple dollars for a striped shirt from Old Navy, but that’s better than nothing. Typically, as an example, they’ll offer you $5 cash or $7 trade. Unless I’ve found some diamond in the rough while I wait on them to go through my clothes, I always just take the cash. In the DC area, I’ve tried both Mustardseed in Bethesda and Buffalo Exchange in Georgetown or on 14th Street. Mustardseed is a bit higher quality and depending on who looks at your clothes, they’ll pay a bit more.
How have y’all found success in making money off your cast off clothes? Has anyone tried Poshmark with any success? I’ve heard it’s super labor intensive and I’m definitely not up for that. Anyone in DC have a recommendation on your favorite secondhand stores?
