Best Places to Sell Clothes Online

De-cluttering your space and getting rid of some old things that no longer bring joy to your life is a surefire way of clearing your mind and making room for more meaningful, exciting things to come. Whether it’s an old favorite dress that you haven’t worn since college but feels too expensive or beautiful to simply throw away, or your old baseball cap collection that hasn’t seen the light of day in years; now might be the time to stop holding on to these items and make way for some new things, or simply condense your wardrobe and aim to live a more minimal life.

When it comes to getting rid of your old clothes, we know that simply throwing them away is not the most environmentally-friendly way of disposing of them. Of course, donating clothes is a great way of giving to charity and clearing out your wardrobe. However, if you’re a little strapped for cash and feel you have some items worth some decent money, selling your clothes is a great way of giving them a new lease of life and earning yourself some extra cash.

Plus, you can actually turn this into a side hustle if you enjoy it. Instead of just selling the clothes you already have, you could buy underpriced second-hand clothes for the purpose of flipping it for a profit.

The great thing is, selling your old clothes could not be easier. There is a huge market for used clothes. Numerous websites and apps offer platforms on which you could sell your clothes for reasonable prices. Listed below are some of the best options for selling your pre-loved clothes.

Websites and Apps for Selling Used Clothes

While there are a lot of ways to sell your stuff, the options covered here are the best for selling clothes.

Poshmark

Poshmark is easily one of the most popular selling platforms out there. Simply create your account and add the items you wish to sell to your Poshmark closet, and wait for the offers to roll in.

In order to be successful in selling your clothes on Poshmark you might want to build your own presence on the site, this means following users who appear to have similar tastes and interests to you and building your own network.

The platform can be accessed on your computer or laptop and also as an app on any iOS or Android device. You can price the item as you see fit. Once it sells, Poshmark will send you a postage label which is pre-paid by the buyer. Stick this on the box and it’s good to go!

thredUP

thredUP takes the ease and simplicity of selling your old clothes to a whole new level. You don’t need to worry about photographing or listing your items. thredUP takes care of it all. Once you’ve signed up, thredUP will send you a pre-paid postage bag which you can fill up with your unwanted clothes and then send to them. They will then sort through the clothes, photographing, listing and sharing them on the site.

For those with a busy schedule or the lack of facilities to photograph the items themselves, this is super convenient. It does, however, mean you will receive a lower percentage of the profits. Using thredUP, you will only receive 80% of the sale, with thredUP taking the rest, but this seems pretty reasonable given the service they provide.

The site and app are accessible on all mobile devices.

Crossroads Trading

Crossroads Trading operates a little differently, in that they have several physical stores located around the country. You can either take a bag of your unwanted clothes into the store or request one of their pre-paid postage bags and send them in. Crossroads will then decide which items are likely to sell in their stores, and any they don’t feel are relevant will be sent back to you or sent to charity if you’re willing to pay a small fee.

Crossroads Trading offers a convenient service, however, they are pretty picky about the items they accept. Mostly, they look for designer items that are currently on-trend. They also only offer sellers 30% of the sale price or 50% if you take it in the form of a Crossroads gift-card.

Buffalo Exchange

Buffalo Exchange provides a service very similar to that of Crossroads Trading. The system works exactly the same, except for with Buffalo Exchange you will receive your fee before the items sell.

Buffalo Exchange also offers 50% of the selling price if you take a store gift card or 30% in cash. You can take your items into the store directly, or send them off in one of the Buffalo Exchange pre-paid bags which fit up to 40 items of clothing.

The Real Real

The Real Real is a great option if you have any luxury designer items lying around. It’s one of the quickest selling platforms, with most items selling within three days of posting.

The Real Real will even pick up your unwanted items directly from your home, or alternatively, you can send them in or drop them off at one of their offices. The Real Real team will then take care of photographing, listing, and shipping your items to buyers, and promise sellers up to 85% of the sale price.

As well as clothes, The Real Real will also accept and sell other items such as jewelry and home décor.

Tradesy

Tradesy is another great platform offering the quick and simple sale of your unwanted items. Designer handbags do especially well on the site, but you can also successfully sell your old clothes, accessories and shoes.

All you need to do is photograph your items and post them on the site. Once your item has sold, you can choose from several delivery options, depending on which is most convenient for you and the buyer. Tradesy will take a commission fee for every sale. If your item sells for less than $50, the fee is fixed at $7.50. Anything over $50 and they will take 19.8% of the sale price.

The great thing about Tradesy is that they will handle any returns, and you will still get to keep your earnings.

Depop

Depop has grown significantly in popularity in recent years, with many people choosing to purchase their clothes from Depop sellers over regular retailers.

It’s possible to make a sizeable amount by selling your unwanted items on Depop, and vintage clothing does especially well on the site. To successfully sell your items, you will want to create an account and develop a network, following similar accounts and engaging with your target audience.

With Depop, you are solely responsible for photographing and listing your items and then negotiating with prospective buyers. Depop will take 10% of all sales revenue, but there is no listing or subscription fee with the site.

Depop can be accessed through the web or as an app on any iOS or Android device.

Plato’s Closet

Plato’s Closet specializes in name-brand, on-trend pieces that are in excellent condition. Simply take your items to your local Plato’s Closet store and have them evaluated by one of their employees. If the items are deemed acceptable for sale, you will be offered a price that you can then accept or decline. The great thing is, you don’t need to wait for the items to sell before receiving your fee; you will be paid then and there.

Plato’s Closet currently has a huge number of stores located across the United States, and some in Canada, so you’re likely to have a store near you. They have a list of preferred brands on their website, so it might be worth checking this out before making your way there. The list includes brands such as Abercrombie and Fitch and Brandy Melville. 

Clothes Mentor

Clothes Mentor is dedicated to making fashion more sustainable and they do this by facilitating the resale of gently-used, good quality designer items. Much like Plato’s Closet, Clothes Mentor asks that prospective sellers bring their items into a Clothes Mentor store for evaluation. If they accept the items, you will be given cash on the spot. It’s a highly convenient system for sellers, assuming there is a store in your area.

Clothes Mentor accepts clothing, accessories, jewelry and footwear, as long as they have minimal signs of wear, are clean, and in excellent overall condition.

It’s not necessarily the most lucrative way to sell your items; Clothes Mentor sell most items at 30% of their original retail price, and then offer sellers around 30% of the resale price, but it is simple and great for those who don’t have the time or facilities to photograph and list the items themselves.

Vinted

Vinted boasts more than 34 million members on their site, so this is a great place to sell your items and reach a huge audience from the comfort of your own home.

Once you have created your Vinted account, you can photograph and list your items for free. After the item sells, you will need to box it up and attach a pre-paid shipping label before taking it to your local Vinted drop off point, which can be located through the Vinted website or app.

Vinted takes no subscription fees, no listing fees, and no selling fees, so all of the money you earn through the site is yours to keep. This is excellent and there are not many platforms offering this kind of service. However, the huge number of members on the site also means that there is a lot of competition from other sellers.

Kidizen

Kidizen is an extremely popular platform amongst parents. The site or app can be used to sell unwanted hand-me-downs. This is a great way of finding a new home for your pre-loved items and potentially giving other families the opportunity to enjoy the items for a reduced price.

With Kidizen, you can sell clothes, accessories, toys, books and shoes as well as other items. You can either list and sell the items yourself, or if you’re short on time, have one of the Kidizen Style Scouts sell the items for you.  Either way, Kidizen will take around 12% of the sale price once the item has sold.

You will receive your payment in the form of KidBucks, which can either be used to purchase items on the site or be redeemed for cash through your PayPal account.

eBay

eBay is considered the holy grail when it comes to buying and selling unwanted, pre-loved items online. Most people are familiar with the site and it has a huge global audience. (See our article How to Sell on eBay for Beginners.)

After creating an account and photographing your items, you can list them in one of two ways. By putting the items up for auction, you agree to sell to the highest bidder, by listing your item at a buy-it-now price, you set the cost and have full control of the value of the item. Both are great ways of selling your items and your choice will likely depend on the speed at which you wish to sell the item.

eBay has a specific area for selling clothes and other accessories or footwear, so it couldn’t be easier to sell your old stuff. They often run promotional offers meaning that you can list items at a reduced listing price, or with smaller commission fees. In general, eBay will take 10% of the sale of each item.

Mercari

The Mercari app allows sellers to list their unwanted items including clothes, accessories, electricals and a whole range of other items. The app is easy to use and often items sell quickly.

Photograph and list your items on the app and choose your own price. Once the item sells you will have three days to ship the item by taking it to your local depot or having it picked up by a courier. Payments are made quickly and Mercari will take a flat 10% fee for each sale.

See this comparison article: eBay vs. Mercari vs. Poshmark.

Facebook Marketplace

Facebook is one of the most-used websites globally, making it one of the best places to reach a wide audience quickly. Facebook Marketplace operates in a similar way to eBay, allowing you to list your items and sell them at whatever price you and the buyer agree upon. You’ll be selling to local people and you’ll meet up to accept payment and provide the item sold.

The great thing about Facebook Marketplace is that there are absolutely no seller fees! Plus, many items sell quickly.

Facebook Groups for Your Local Area

Most localities have specific Facebook pages or groups set up for buying and selling, so joining these is a great way of finding potential buyers for your unwanted clothes.

You can search for groups in your area, and you may also find yard sale groups where you can promote your yard sales or individual items that you want to sell.

Listing on these groups generally doesn’t come with any fees and it’s an extremely easy way of selling your unwanted clothing.

Tips for Selling Used Clothes

Once you’ve chosen the platform you feel is best suited to you and offers the best service for the sale of your pre-loved clothes, there are some basic tips you will want to follow to ensure the successful sale of your items.

1. Make Sure the Items Are Clean and In Good Condition

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the item won’t sell if it has some signs of wear and tear, just make sure you are honest about the quality of the item in the listing. Overselling the condition of the clothes is likely to result in unhappy buyers, refund requests, and negative reviews, which can have detrimental effects on your future sales.

2. Take Good Quality Photos for Online Listings

Items that are photographed in good lighting and with a good-quality camera are significantly more likely to sell. Buyers want to know what they are paying for so be sure to upload photos of the item from various angles, clearly showing any signs of wear and labels to prove the legitimacy of the item.

3. Do Some Research

When sorting through your wardrobe and deciding which items to sell, you want to have a good idea of the items that are already popular and selling well on your chosen platform. This is a good way to avoid paying listing fees on items that generally don’t sell or aren’t currently popular.

4. Set Reasonable Prices

Again, this one really comes down to research. Before listing your item, search for similar listings and see how they are generally priced. This will give you a good understanding of your potential earnings and will ensure that you’re not going to be undercut by other sellers.

5. List More Than One Item and Ask Buyers to Review Your Service

Before buying an item from you, prospective buyers are likely to check out your page and see how trustworthy you seem. Having more than one item listed makes it clear that you’re a legit seller. It’s also extremely helpful to have some positive reviews from previous buyers on your profile, so always be professional and cordial and encourage them to leave reviews if they are willing.

Conclusion

Selling your old clothes is an excellent way of earning some extra cash and it really couldn’t be easier! By using one of the apps or websites listed here and following the basic tips we have outlined above, there is no reason that you can’t find a new home for some of your old clothes, and earn yourself a nice little bonus at the same time.

It’s also a great way of prolonging the life of your clothes and reducing the negative impact that they can have on the environment as part of the fast fashion cycle. Another win!