The Best Places to Donate and Sell Your Clothes Online
A big topic lately has been where to sell your clothes online. This has come up due in part to everyone wanting to tidy up their closets. I've also been discussing this topic during my Wine Wednesday Style Chats on Instagram Stories and have received great feedback. So I thought I'd do a round up of the best resources to donate and sell your clothes online.
If you're looking to sell your clothing online, here is a round up of the best places to buy, sell, and donate. Clothing consignment, where to sell clothes online | womens clothing | poshmark | tradesy | clothing donation | art in the find styling | clothing donation san diego
Where to Donate and Sell Your Clothes Online
The act of being able to give back and recoup some of your clothing is one of the best outcomes of cleaning out our closets. Sure, it can come with a lot of guilt due to getting rid of too much 'stuff' but just knowing that you can give to a good cause or possibly earn a bit of cash back is worth it. Just knowing where to turn when you either want to donate or sell can make the whole process a lot easier. When it comes to selling clothing online, some resources allow you to do it all yourself and some do the grunt work for you. It's just a matter of preference and time. Here are the top online and app selling platforms that seem to work the best!
Resources for Selling Your Clothing Online & Via Social Apps
Tradesy ($$)
Category: High end (Alexander McQueen) to Fast Fashion (Zara) womens wear.
How it Works: To list an item, you take a photo with your phone and upload to their app. You add a description about the item and list it for sale on their platform. You set your price point and shipping is added into the price of the item. Once the item sells, you have the option of getting a Tradesy shipping kit directly from Tradesy, printing a pre-paid label, or doing it all on your own (setting the shipping price, packaging, etc). Returns are handled by Tradesy.
Commission Structure: Tradesy takes 19.8% on items above $50. $7.50 on items under $50. You manage your sales on their online platform and can transfer your earnings to direct deposit, PayPal, or debit card for a 2.9% fee.
Pros: You can decide how hands on or off you want the shipping process to be. They offer complimentary 'image cleaning' meaning they'll clean up any images you take from your phone when you list on the site.
Cons: On top of the almost 20% commission Tradesy takes, they also charge you a fee for transferring your earnings. So bottom line is they take up to 23%.
Poshmark ($-$$)
Category: New, pre-owned items for men, women, and children at all price points. Popular brands are Madewell, Nike, Lululemon, Coach, and Free People.
Budget: Mid to high
How it Works: You photograph and upload the items you want to list for sale. You determine your price. Once an item sells, you are provided a prepaid USPS shipping label (you provide the packaging). All the control is in your hands. You can also create your own 'Closet' or Posh Market where all of your goods for sale are housed in one area and friends can follow and like your closet.
Commission Structure: For anything over $15, you keep 80%. Under $15, there is a $2.95 fee. You can spend your earnings in the app or have it paid out whenever you like.
Pros: Encourages social selling. The majority of people you follow on social media probably use Poshmark to sell more items constantly. You can list your items with friends in something called a virtual "Posh Party" which is a great way to utilize social selling with friends. Poshmark seems to market to a larger 'community' of friends with community events such as Posh Markets. They also have a referral program. Selling rate seems very likely.
Cons: Photo quality can be iffy
ThredUp ($)
Category: Currently Women's and Children's Secondhand Clothing. But you can also send in Men's clothing. Brands include Gap, Banana Republic, J.Crew factory, and Madewell.
Budget: Low to mid
How it Works: You order a free "Clean Out" clothing kit or Donation Kit. You send in the items and they decide which they are going to sell. They photograph, list, and sell the items. A commission is made after an item has sold. You can decide to take the payout via PayPal or shop credit.
Commission Structure: Not clearly posted
Pros: The "Clean Out Your Closet Kit" makes cleaning out your closet in one haul easy and efficient. They offer various Goody boxes (ie: summer essentials, 9 to 5, etc) for those of you buying, where you can choose up to 10 items around $20 each item, to be shipped to you. You only pay for what you keep. They are also promoting a UPcycle program with Cuyana and Reformation, where you donate your clothing for a credit at one of those retailers!
Cons: You can't navigate anything on their site without signing up. (They offer you a 20% discount for doing so.) They may not take most of your items, which will be shipped back to you. *They usually only accept 40% of items in the bag. Their commission, payout structure is not listed. So that is unclear.
Mercari ($-$$)
Category: An app to sell Clothing, Toys, Electronics, & a Variety of other goods from brands.
How it Works: You photograph and list your item. You determine the price and a prepaid shipping label (FedEx or USPS) is emailed to you once the items are sold. You can also choose to ship using your own methods/rates. It's similar to Craigslist with a shipping aspect and Ebay with a rating aspect. You have to complete the rating on both ends to get paid. Payout is offered after payment is complete.
Commission Structure: Mercari takes a flat 10% fee. You get the other 90%.
Pros: You can sell just about anything on the app
Cons: You can sell just about anything...you get the idea. This structure might be overwhelming for those that are looking for simplicity.
The RealReal ($$$)
Category: Luxury clothing & accessory women's and men's resale
How it Works: The RealReal has their own in-home consultants that can come in to evaluate the high end goods via their requirements. You can also ship your goods with a free prepaid label or drop-off at one of their
Commission Structure: You receive 40%-85% of the resale value. They have a clear commission structure here.
Pros: You have the ability to make quite a bit of money back on high end items. They maintain a high quality reputation for sussing out the goods.
Cons: As with any luxury association, they are extremely conscious about the items they are taking. This is a bonus for buyers. Their price points for luxury items are still quite high, so if you're looking for a good deal, this won't necessarily be it. You can't do a lot on their site without signing away your email.
ReBag ($$$)
Category: High-end gently used handbags from Louis Vuitton to Hermes
How it Works: Rebag is a luxury handbag resale platform both in app form and online. They also have some store locations in LA & New York. You upload pictures of your gently used bag and they will offer you an online quote/offer for the bag. Should you choose to take it, you send in the bag and a payout will be given to you.
Commission Structure: You get paid an amount up front. The quote is given to you and you can choose to accept it or deny it.
Pros: This is a useful resource to resell your bags in one go. No waiting to see if it sells. You receive an offer and are paid upfront.
Cons: They are very specific about the quality (which will actually work in your favor if you're purchasing) so you may find that even your gently used bags with scuffs won't be accepted.
Resources for Selling Your Clothing in San Diego
One of the services I offer as a wardrobe stylist is dropping clothing off on consignment for clients. Whether you're looking to make cash immediately or are okay with building up a balance, here are some of my favorite locations in San Diego.
My Sister's Closet
Category: A San Diego and Arizona based clothing consignment shop that has high end (Chanel) pieces and everyday (Loft) pieces for Women. They are expanding into men's and furniture.
How it Works: You bring in your clothing, both high end and everyday pieces, and they assess it on the spot for resale. They handle both accepting items and donating items that are not accepted. You can choose to take back any items or donate any remaining items you no longer want.
Commission Structure: The consigner receives 45% cash payout or 55% store credit. Your account builds and you can cash out at any time in store or email for a check to be mailed.
Pros: You drop off all your items and they will donate the items that they don't choose for selling. So it's all done in one place!
Cons: They usually will only accept seasonal items, so if you decide to clean out your closet of winter items during the spring, you might not have much luck. The consignment payout is fairly low.
Buffalo Exchange
Category: Young men's and women's trendy & vintage clothing
How it Works: You drop off bags of clothing and wait for them to assess your pieces. They will offer you an amount on the spot which you can use to cash out or for store credit.
Commission Structure: 30% payout in cash or 50% store credit
Pros: If you're looking for a quick payout, this is the place to go. They accept most in-season, on trend, youthful & vintage pieces. They do everything on the spot.
Cons: They are specific about what they take. No business casual clothing or brands like Loft or Ann Taylor (not their markert). They only give you 30% of a payout in cash.
Resources for Donating Your Clothing
ForDays
A sustainable recycling program, you can donate clothing with a paid Take Back Bag to For Days. They have a few sizing options and will mail you a Take Bag Bag. Once you send it in, you’ll receive a site credit for their women’s or men’s clothing collection. They accept: all textiles, including socks, underwear, sheets, pillow cases, towels, linens, shoes, and handbags in any condition.
Harper wilde
Harper Wilde is specifically for recycling bras because you cannot donate recycled bras at donation centers. You can read more about why and how via that link above and you can get started here.
The Princess Project
What it is: If you have gently worn bridesmaids dresses or other special occasion dresses that you're looking to clean out, this San Diego non-profit organization is the best place to donate them to. They accept year-round dress and accessory donations. In turn, they then host prom dress events for high school girls that cannot afford a prom dress!
Dress for Success
What it is: Dress for Success outfits women in business attire for the corporate world. They are a non-profit organization that helps to empower women to achieve economic success. If you have career appropriate attire that you are no longer using, they have donation locations throughout the U.S.
Goodwill & Salvation Army
With drive through drop-off locations throughout the U.S. you can basically hand over your goods with the greatest amount of simplicity.
Pickup Please
This is a Vietnam Veterans of America non-profit organization that offers a 24-hour turn around pick up service. This includes everything from clothing to home goods (no large tvs for furniture). You schedule a pick-up, leave the donations in clearly marked containers outside of your home, and they pick up between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The donations go to soldiers and servicemen, women, and families.
Task Rabbit
You can go online to their drop off donations page and arrange a pick up for a small fee. A small portion of the fee you pay will do towards charity. They usually can arrange a pick up asap.