Since moving a year and a half ago my lifestyle and body shape have changed pretty drastically. I no longer live within a block of a bar and I now work in an office where sweatpants are not acceptable (not even on weekends). So my wardrobe needs a little purging.
So below are my experiences with various different ways that have become popular to get rid of your closet and make a little moola in the process.
Local Consignment Shop: This is actually how this post started. I was living the dream, dropping off some of my nicer clothes to a local consignment shop and every few weeks I would stop by, pick up anything that hadn't sold and use my credit to by something that actually fit. Then she called and said I had some items to pick up...2 bags worth! WHAT!? Suddenly, I was out of credit in the shop and had two bags full of clothes that are REALLY NICE. But that's the problem with consignment, you only get paid when she gets paid, so I had to start trying some other methods to see if I could do better elsewhere.
Pros: Local-I got on the local train when I worked as a VISTA volunteer and saw how much of a difference local shops did for the towns. Plus, its super convenient to have someone buy your clothes and sell you something that fits better all in one place. Credit-most consignment shops that have contracts give you at least 40% of what they sell the item for, so you usually make a good deal of cash, or credit if you have just given the shop all your clothes.
Cons: Picky-In a shop with about a dozen clothing racks she has to be very picky about what she takes. Slow-small towns mean sometimes your things don't move very fast...or you end up getting them back at the end of your consignment period.
Plato's Closet: In the past I have found a lot of things that I loved at Plato's Closet but alas, I am now 28 and live in another part of the state. However, on one of my recent trips to Columbus, I packed two bags of things that I had sorted to ensure they were nicer than thrift store quality and stopped at Plato's on my way to dinner with a friend. Of course it happened to be the same weekend that there was no sales tax on clothes so there were 100 teenage girls and their mothers EVERYWHERE. Moral of the story: I had to come back the next day cause they didn't have time to sort my things right then, they took 4 things and gave me $8...not a great ROI considering it didn't cover the tank of gas it cost to get to Columbus. And on perusing the racks I found approximately 3 things in my size none of which I would wear. If you're going to Plato's and you're plus sized I would recommend one of the locations that does NOT sell Men's wear because that will give them more room to keep some of the plus sized clothing, also if you're older than 17...good luck finding something other than accessories you'd actually wear.
Pros: Trendy. Cheap. Quick-if you live in a major metro, you'll get cash right then or the next day if they're overwhelmed.
Cons: Young-its really geared towards high school students. Picky-take very little. Cheap-as in they give you very little for what they take. Distance-you need to live in a location where there is one.
Tradesy: There are tons of apps and websites out there where you can post items from your closet and put them up for sale. A friend of mine uses PoshMark and loves it. I selected Tradesy because I was (at the time) looking for a used wedding dress and they had the best selection of those and the best sign up deal ($25 credit free), and wasn't strictly brand-name clothes only. The upload and pricing process was simple-they even have a little tool that gives you a suggested price, the clothes for sale seem to be good quality, and if you receive the item and it doesn't fit, you send it back to the company and they refund you, no matter what the actual "seller" wants. However, the 9 items in my "closet" have gotten 0 "loves" and no purchases. So I'm not sure if more of the social aspect gets your clothes viewed faster (you can follow other people's closets) or if the shoppers here really are looking for those designer pieces. Also, don't forget to turn their notifications off when you sign up cause seriously...they're ridiculous.
Pros: Easy-just snap a photo and price your items. They even promise to provide stuff to mail the item if you sell it. Location-can be done on the couch in your sweats.
Cons: Slow-No one seems to be buying. Pricey-nothing seems like a true deal
Yerdle: For those of you who don't know, Yerdle is an online community of people who get together and give away their stuff for credits "Yerdle dollars." You sign up, Yerdle gives you $25 Yerdle to start. You list your items on their easy-to-use "Give" button and someone is like, I need that "free" item and "spends" their imaginary money to buy it. The buyer pays the shipping (although sometimes Pro-Yerdlers will contact you directly and offer extra Yerdle bucks for free shipping), you print off the UPS label and drop it off. Simple. However, I've only had two "Gives" and I haven't received my first item yet. It's a cool way to get stuff "free" but its kinda annoying to have to keep stuff sitting around your apartment that you're not going to get actual cash for. I've also noticed that once your item loses its new-ness it doesn't seem to sell. Both of my items sold within a few days of listing and the remaining items have kinda been hanging out ever since...so maybe there is more strategy needed.
Pros: Easy-just set-up and "price." Cheap-all the merchandise is "free"
Cons: Shipping-It doesn't really seem free when I still have to give my card number for shipping charges. Slow-not a lot of movement once your items lose their newness
ThredUp: Yes, I know, you probably see ads for this place all over your Facebook feed. But
the only other reputable option I had heard of was recently purchased by Ebay and is focusing exclusively on designer clothes. So I thought this option would be a little more my style. They send you a "clean-out" bag, you fill it, schedule a Fed-ex pick-up, they pick it up and take your stuff. Then about 2 weeks later they emailed me and said they were selling 14 of my items and giving me $27. Not bad for an evening drinking wine and stuffing a bag full of clothes. I'm not sure about their selection though, I went through and looked at stuff and all the things I liked I was fairly certain I could get just as cheap new, but again they sell a lot of brand names that don't necessarily appeal to me, so I think I might end up just cashing out.
Pros: Easy-stuff bag, schedule pick-up, get money Location: THEY PICK UP THE BAG FOR YOU--seriously, you don't even have to drive it to Fedex yourself.
Cons: Picky-I'm not sure they really took a lot of my stuff. Cause my bag was FULL (see below), and they only took 14 of my items and a bunch of them were marked "small flaw found" which I assume means they gave me less for them. Selection: In terms of shopping I was not impressed with their selection in my size (again maybe that's just a plus-sized problem) and nothing worth paying for shipping on top of the item.
Pros: Local-I got on the local train when I worked as a VISTA volunteer and saw how much of a difference local shops did for the towns. Plus, its super convenient to have someone buy your clothes and sell you something that fits better all in one place. Credit-most consignment shops that have contracts give you at least 40% of what they sell the item for, so you usually make a good deal of cash, or credit if you have just given the shop all your clothes.
Cons: Picky-In a shop with about a dozen clothing racks she has to be very picky about what she takes. Slow-small towns mean sometimes your things don't move very fast...or you end up getting them back at the end of your consignment period.
Plato's Closet: In the past I have found a lot of things that I loved at Plato's Closet but alas, I am now 28 and live in another part of the state. However, on one of my recent trips to Columbus, I packed two bags of things that I had sorted to ensure they were nicer than thrift store quality and stopped at Plato's on my way to dinner with a friend. Of course it happened to be the same weekend that there was no sales tax on clothes so there were 100 teenage girls and their mothers EVERYWHERE. Moral of the story: I had to come back the next day cause they didn't have time to sort my things right then, they took 4 things and gave me $8...not a great ROI considering it didn't cover the tank of gas it cost to get to Columbus. And on perusing the racks I found approximately 3 things in my size none of which I would wear. If you're going to Plato's and you're plus sized I would recommend one of the locations that does NOT sell Men's wear because that will give them more room to keep some of the plus sized clothing, also if you're older than 17...good luck finding something other than accessories you'd actually wear.
Pros: Trendy. Cheap. Quick-if you live in a major metro, you'll get cash right then or the next day if they're overwhelmed.
Cons: Young-its really geared towards high school students. Picky-take very little. Cheap-as in they give you very little for what they take. Distance-you need to live in a location where there is one.
Tradesy: There are tons of apps and websites out there where you can post items from your closet and put them up for sale. A friend of mine uses PoshMark and loves it. I selected Tradesy because I was (at the time) looking for a used wedding dress and they had the best selection of those and the best sign up deal ($25 credit free), and wasn't strictly brand-name clothes only. The upload and pricing process was simple-they even have a little tool that gives you a suggested price, the clothes for sale seem to be good quality, and if you receive the item and it doesn't fit, you send it back to the company and they refund you, no matter what the actual "seller" wants. However, the 9 items in my "closet" have gotten 0 "loves" and no purchases. So I'm not sure if more of the social aspect gets your clothes viewed faster (you can follow other people's closets) or if the shoppers here really are looking for those designer pieces. Also, don't forget to turn their notifications off when you sign up cause seriously...they're ridiculous.
Pros: Easy-just snap a photo and price your items. They even promise to provide stuff to mail the item if you sell it. Location-can be done on the couch in your sweats.
Cons: Slow-No one seems to be buying. Pricey-nothing seems like a true deal
Yerdle: For those of you who don't know, Yerdle is an online community of people who get together and give away their stuff for credits "Yerdle dollars." You sign up, Yerdle gives you $25 Yerdle to start. You list your items on their easy-to-use "Give" button and someone is like, I need that "free" item and "spends" their imaginary money to buy it. The buyer pays the shipping (although sometimes Pro-Yerdlers will contact you directly and offer extra Yerdle bucks for free shipping), you print off the UPS label and drop it off. Simple. However, I've only had two "Gives" and I haven't received my first item yet. It's a cool way to get stuff "free" but its kinda annoying to have to keep stuff sitting around your apartment that you're not going to get actual cash for. I've also noticed that once your item loses its new-ness it doesn't seem to sell. Both of my items sold within a few days of listing and the remaining items have kinda been hanging out ever since...so maybe there is more strategy needed.
Pros: Easy-just set-up and "price." Cheap-all the merchandise is "free"
Cons: Shipping-It doesn't really seem free when I still have to give my card number for shipping charges. Slow-not a lot of movement once your items lose their newness
ThredUp: Yes, I know, you probably see ads for this place all over your Facebook feed. But
the only other reputable option I had heard of was recently purchased by Ebay and is focusing exclusively on designer clothes. So I thought this option would be a little more my style. They send you a "clean-out" bag, you fill it, schedule a Fed-ex pick-up, they pick it up and take your stuff. Then about 2 weeks later they emailed me and said they were selling 14 of my items and giving me $27. Not bad for an evening drinking wine and stuffing a bag full of clothes. I'm not sure about their selection though, I went through and looked at stuff and all the things I liked I was fairly certain I could get just as cheap new, but again they sell a lot of brand names that don't necessarily appeal to me, so I think I might end up just cashing out.
Pros: Easy-stuff bag, schedule pick-up, get money Location: THEY PICK UP THE BAG FOR YOU--seriously, you don't even have to drive it to Fedex yourself.
Cons: Picky-I'm not sure they really took a lot of my stuff. Cause my bag was FULL (see below), and they only took 14 of my items and a bunch of them were marked "small flaw found" which I assume means they gave me less for them. Selection: In terms of shopping I was not impressed with their selection in my size (again maybe that's just a plus-sized problem) and nothing worth paying for shipping on top of the item.
Like I said---that bag was STUFFED. |
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