Do you:
1. Wish you had more room in your closet for new clothes, but have too many old or unwanted items you’ve been avoiding getting rid of because you paid so much for them in the first place?
2. Wish you could afford that amazing new Marc Jacobs bag or other expensive, trendy item?
3. Hate outfit repeats (especially when it comes those expensive party dresses)?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you need to learn about recycling your wardrobe! Here are some simple and rewarding ways to go about making money and making room in your closet for new styles:
1. Sell your clothes on an online auction site.
Ebay is my personal favorite. It’s great because they have an excellent customer service and conflict resolving system, as well as convenient connections with Paypal. Don’t have a Paypal account? Get one. And don’t look back.
Millions of Ebay-ers are scrounging around online looking for that designer piece of clothing that YOU don’t want anymore. If it’s in good condition (especially if it was worn only once), you can really make a lot of money.
P.S. Don’t be afraid to look around Ebay for deals on your favorite designers! I have bought some great items that were sold out in stores, for much lower prices!
Downside: Ebay takes a percentage of your earnings.
2. Sell your clothes on a non-auction online site. 
Threadflip.com has a nice “environment” and its easy to connect it to your Facebook. People can “follow” your style. It actually reminds me somewhat of lookbook.nu, or one of those types of street style sites.
Style.ly and Yardsellr.com are two of my favorite sites for selling clothes! They don’t take a percentage of your earnings (AWESOME!) & it’s free to list as many pictures of your items as you want. Ebay can get pretty expensive with that. Style.ly is tailored more for selling fashion related items, but I’ve also had success selling on Yardsellr.com. You can connect your accounts between the two sites so that if you post something on one, it will automatically post it on the other (less work!). You can also connect your Facebook account to the sites. Oh! And the best part is that if you have already posted some items on Ebay that you want to sell, and they aren’t doing so well, or you just want to try your luck somewhere else, you can automatically download your listings from Ebay to Style.ly and Yardsellr. Great for those of us who are extremely lazy.
Downside: Threadflip.com takes a percentage of your earnings. Style.ly and Yardsellr.com do not have a strict customer service or conflict resolving system, so I can imagine that if you were a buyer, you might have some trouble getting scammed by sellers. They are getting better though!
3. Sell your clothes to vintage and used clothing stores.
I personally like to sell to Buffalo Exchange. Basically you just find the store closest to you, bring in a huge duffel bag of your unwanted (in style!) clothes, trade ’em in for cash, or for a store credit. You get more money through a store credit, so I usually go with that. You can really find some GREAT pieces at these stores for amazing prices. It is really fun to search through.
Downside: Stores like Buffalo Exchange are really picky about the clothes they actually take. Don’t be surprised if half your wardrobe gets rejected. They also don’t pay amazingly, and you could probably get alot more money selling your clothes online. However, this option is good for fast cash, and some items that I have trouble selling online actually sell really fast to Buffalo Exchange for more money. You just have to corner your market for used clothes and feel out the most effective way to clean out your closet while making maximum cash.
Some more stores like Buffalo Exchange: Crossroads Trading Co., Plato’s Closet, Beacon’s Closet.
4. Make something creative & cool, and then sell it on Etsy.com
Channel your inner fashion designer and create a masterpiece using beads from old necklaces, studs from old belts, or just cut up your old jeans and plaster them with spikes and studs. Be creative and have fun! Then, you can either keep your creations, or sell them online for even more money. I’m going to do a tutorial on how to create distressed/studded shorts soon, and given their popularity right now, I would definitely try to make a pair and sell them if I were you.
Hope these tips help! If I think of any more, I’ll just edit this post & add them in.
3 Responses
I love buffalo Exchange. They have so many styles and accessories. I take my old things in and they either pay me outright or give a store credit. i have good luck in this store. Some consignment shops really do not get good prices for items left and the worst part is when you forget you have items and then the store donates them. 🙁
I did a post on recycling old clothes as well ABC news did a cover on locations in NYC I put the link in my article. You have good options here I wasn’t aware of. Thanks.