Did you know that an average American family spends $1,700 on clothes each year and that each member has 30 or more outfits? Another shocking figure is that the average woman in the UK has more than 20 unworn items in her wardrobe. So, not only do we waste money on constantly buying new clothes, but we also waste clothes by not wearing them. What can we do to make this seemingly dead-end situation work in our favour? Well, we can buy used clothes for a cheap price and sell the clothes we are not wearing to earn some extra cash. Here are five online shops where you can do that.
ThredUP
ThredUP is a very popular website for buying and selling used clothes. There are several conditions you need to meet to be able to sell your stuff here. Firstly, your clothes should be in excellent condition, so no items with holes, stains or signs of wear are accepted. Secondly, the style should match the season and be on trend. Thirdly, although not decisive, there are some brands which are accepted rather than others, such as DVF, Theory and J. Crew. Some items that are believed to have great potential will be paid upfront, while others will be paid upon sale.
Tradesy
At first look at the Tradesy website, you feel like you’ve come to a prestige designer shop. This is no wonder since they’re selling only authentic, designer clothing. So if you’ve got any of those designer treats you are no longer wearing, you can make them pay off by listing them on Tradesy. The listing process is quite simple and the shipping goes without hassle since the company sends you a free shipping kit, and handles your returns, if there is a need for it. The payment is done via PayPal.
Swap
At swap.com, they believe that every dollar counts and that used high-quality items shouldn’t be thrown away. They have high criteria when it comes to accepting clothes, meaning there should be no obvious signs of wear. It is a website where you can list and find everything from cheap school clothing for kids to men’s suits. As for the payment, you have two options: immediate cash payout after your item is sold or store credit which will allow you to further save money by buying more affordable clothes you need.
Poshmark
At first glance, Poshmark is your usual buy/sell website, but there is one thing that sets it apart from the bunch: you can throw online shopping parties with your friends. This option allows you to join a theme party (e.g. designer handbags) and list or buy stuff sold there. Also, it is in a way a social media platform, because you can snap a photo of the piece you want to sell and stylize the photo with unique filters to draw extra attention. The shipping is a breeze since you are sent with a pre-paid shipping label. Once your item is sold, you get 80% of the total price, since the commission fee is 20%.
The Real Real
The Real Real is an online consignment store and it is all about luxury clothing. So you can imagine that the items that are sold here must have a familiar label, such as Hermes or Chanel. Although it is not highly likely most of us have closets full of such items, a thing or two can appear in the form of presents or splurges, which can fill up your wallet now. As for the very listing process, after signing up, you should tell them how many items you have, send them for assessment and they will authenticate, photograph and price your stuff. When one or more of your items are sold you will get 70% of the earnings. If you have more than ten items to list, you will even get a special service in the form of a merchandise manager coming personally for them.
People splurge on various things and clothing accounts for a large percentage of a family’s budget. It is important to cut down those costs where you can, but that doesn’t mean renouncing buying clothes. You can save money by shopping for pre-loved items, and earn a couple of bucks on the side by selling your clothing.
Author
Gabriella Diesendorf is a freelance writer from Australia and a devoted mother. She loves badgering about beauty, green lifestyle choices and parenting techniques, and if you mention attachment parenting or natural makeup she will bore you to death.