17 Places to Donate Clothes and Clutter for Money

The Discard Pile

Stuff, stuff, and more stuff. The Marie Kondo fad — not to mention all the extra time many of us have been spending at home in the pandemic years since — put decluttering at the forefront of many people’s minds. But what do you do with all your stuff without personally filling a landfill? Donating is quicker and can be done with in one fell swoop; if you'd like to make some side change, selling is an option. Here are several options for your excess stuff.

Goodwill

What it takes: Clothing, shoes, accessories, books, furniture, small appliances, household items, CDs/videotapes/DVDs/records, linens, and sporting equipment
What it offers: A tax deduction; Goodwill does not offer payment in exchange for donations.
Where the money goes: Proceeds go to support "people who face various obstacles to employment," including lack of work history, disabilities, limited education, language barriers, and more.

Goodwill takes donations of just about anything, but prefers that the items aren’t ripped or stained, that they work, and have all their parts and pieces. Goodwill cannot take recalled products or items that don’t meet current safety standards. Most locations allow you to bring in items during operating hours, and some will even pick up items, but call your local Goodwill to find out if it offers this service. Goodwill’s mission is to improve the quality of life for individuals and families through education, job skill training, and employment support. Roughly 87% of Goodwill’s revenue goes to providing these valuable services in your local community.

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The Salvation Army

What it takes: Clothing, furniture, automobiles, household goods, and appliances. Some locations accept cars, trucks, boats, RVs, and more — visit this page to find a vehicle donation service near you.
What it offers: A tax deduction; Salvation Army does not offer payment in exchange for donations.
Where the money goes: All thrift store proceeds go to support Salvation Army's "Adult Rehabilitation Centers, where those struggling with drugs and alcohol find help, hope, and a second chance at life."

Sure, the Salvation Army is perhaps best known for the Christmas Red Kettle bell ringers that can be spotted collecting small cash donations outside stores during the holidays. But did you know that you can donate goods to the Salvation Army? The organization makes it quite easy with local drop-off locations or by filling out a quick form online for a pickup from your home. The local Salvation Army has the right to refuse items they deem unacceptable.

Volunteers of America

What it takes: The list of what Volunteers of America takes and does not take is extensive. It accepts most clothing and household items in good working condition.
What it offers: A tax deduction; VOA does not offer payment in exchange for donations.
Where the money goes: Thrift donation proceeds and purchases go toward VOA programs throughout Ohio and Indiana, providing housing for the homeless, veteran housing assistance, mental health treatment, residential reentry services for ex-offenders, and more.

Volunteers of America takes donations to fill its many thrift stores throughout Ohio and Indiana. VOA makes it easy to donate, all you have to do is bag items and leave them outside, clearly visible to the drivers. A volunteer will also come in and pick up items if requested, as long as they don’t need to carry items up or down stairs. You can also donate a car, boat, RV, or truck. It must be in running condition to be picked up. When you donate to VOA, 88 cents of every dollar goes to helping those in need in your local community.

Buffalo Exchange

What it takes: Men’s and women’s clothing and accessories "in excellent condition" and laundered. The website notes the chain is "always on the lookout for: plus sizes; menswear; everyday staples ...; designer; vintage; jewelry; costumes; and athletic wear." It asks that you limit items to around 50 pieces max.
What it doesn't take: Children’s clothing and accessories, swimwear, maternity, intimates, sleepwear, counterfeits, fur, bridal wear, discount department stores such as Walmart, Kmart, Kohl’s, Sears or JCPenney; and home goods such as sheets and towels.
What it offers: 30% of the selling price in cash (via PayPal) or 50% for in-store credit.

Buffalo Exchange is one of the rare consignment shops with multiple locations nationwide. It will buy your excellent-condition men’s and women’s clothing and accessories by appointment only due to pandemic restrictions. It buys all seasons year-round. Buffalo Exchange is open seven days a week, all you need is a government-issued ID to sell your stuff.

Second hand marketplace — lechatnoir/istockphoto

Crossroads

What it takes: Excellent-condition men’s and women’s clothes and accessories (no more than 50 items at a time) either by appointment, drop-off, or by mail. Crossroads stresses that it looks for current trends that match the season; more details can be found in its Selling Guide.
What it doesn't take: Crossroads does not accept jewelry.
What it offers: 30% of selling price in cash or 50% in-store credit. A third option is to consign high-end products, which you could get up to 70% cash-back on, depending on how much the item sells for.

Much like Buffalo Exchange, Crossroads is a consignment shop with locations across the country. It too buys excellent-condition men’s and women’s in-season clothes and accessories. You can do so with an appointment and a valid, government-issued ID.

ThredUp

What it takes: Gently used (excellent condition) women, juniors, kids, maternity, and plus-size clothing as well as shoes, handbags, and accessories. ThredUp notes that only about 40% of items it's shown tend to meet company quality standards. Loads to be considered for purchase by the company should not exceed 30 pounds.
What it doesn't take: ThredUp does not accept men's clothing, and provides a list of other items you shouldn't include in a Clean Out kit — look at its support page and click on "What items can I send to ThredUp?" for more details.
What it offers: You can choose a "donation" or "payout" option. The first garners you a $5 donation to a charity of your choice. The payout option is a percentage of "ThredUp’s selling price. It increases with your price and is subject to change," but ranges from between 3% to 15% for items under $20 to 80% for items $200 or more. More specific details can be found at the website's Payout page.

ThredUp is a good way to get rid of gently used clothing. Simply request a clean-out kit, for which the company pays shipping. It will assess what it can buy and donate the rest unless you request it back, at which time you will pay shipping to get it returned. Aside from cleaning out a closet and sending in the bag, you don’t have to do much. The company inspects your items, photographs them, and lists them for you. One of the great perks of ThredUp is that it takes everyday brands: Gap, Old Navy, J Crew, etc. Things you would find at the mall, it takes and resells.

PoshMark

What it takes: Poshmark accepts new and secondhand style for women, men, kids, the home, and more. Its website notes that "makeup and personal care products must be new, never swatched, alcohol-free and aerosol-free. Any liquid products must be new and in their original sealed packaging."
What it doesn't take: Poshmark has a prohibited items policy that includes replicas or fakes, health and wellness products, and more.
What it offers: For sales under $15, the fee is a flat rate of $2.95. For sales above $15, Poshmark's fee is 20%; you keep the other 80%.

This is also an online selling platform, but works a little differently from ThredUp. Instead of mailing your stuff, you list it yourself. You download the app, photograph your items, upload a description, and the company markets it for you. You manage your listing and pricing. When an item sells, Poshmark sends you a prepaid mailing label so you can send it directly to the buyer. You keep a larger portion of the sale than at places such as ThredUp, but you do a lot more of the work. You can sell many brands on PoshMark, but the company does have a list of popular brands that is worth noting.

Dress for Success

What it takes: Dress for Success accepts donations of gently used women’s professional attire and accessories. Its general rule of thumb: If you would wear the clothing to a job interview, it’s an acceptable donation. It also accepts footwear, jewelry, accessories, scarves, handbag and such.
What it offers: A tax deduction; Dress for Success does not offer payment in exchange for donations.
Where your donation goes: To a woman striving to become financially independent.

The mission of Dress for Success is to support women in becoming financially independent. It provides networking support, professional attire, and professional development tools. Because your gently used professional attire goes directly to a woman in need, the organization asks that it be freshly laundered, ironed, no more than 5 years old, and suitable for a job interview. Donation hours and donation specifications can vary.

Career Gear

What it takes: Men’s clothing donations must be new or gently used, clean, and in style. Career Gear accepts suits, ties, footwear, shirts, pants, belts, coats, briefcases, and more.
What it offers: A tax deduction; Career Gear does not offer payment in exchange for donations.
Where your donation goes: Directly to a man striving to become financially independent.

Similar to Dress for Success for women, Career Gear helps lower-income men achieve job readiness, professional development, and mentoring opportunities. It also provides interview- and business-casual attire, which is where your donations come in. The downside of Career Gear is that it’s small, with locations in just a handful of cities, such as New York and Washington, D.C. In-person donations are taken on only one day of each month, but you can ship donations.

Play It Again Sports

What it takes: Used sports and fitness equipment. The store recommends calling ahead to discuss what equipment you have to sell.
What it offers: What's paid for items is based on brand, condition, and demand. The store has sell, trade, and, at some locations, consignment options available.

If you’ve got kids who play sports, you should be aware of Play it Again Sports. Though pandemic restrictions are in place at many locations, in general you can take in any sporting item during a store’s business hours and have that item assessed. The whole process typically takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Play It Again Sports will then resell your items, giving you cash or store credit. The stores do not buy firearms.

Half Price Books

What it takes: Books, of course, but also textbooks, ereaders, games, gaming consoles, music, movies, magazines, collectibles, mobile phones, tablets, and more. We’ve even seen toys for resale at some HPB locations. Find details here.
What it offers: Your offer price is based on the condition of the items and supply/demand of the item.
Where your donation goes: If Half Price Books has a surplus of an item, it will still buy it from you and donate it to a nonprofit organization. A few of the organizations that have benefited include the Girl Scouts, the YMCA, Feed the Children, and many more.

Half Price Books is a good resource to offload all kinds of items taking up space on your shelves. The process is simple — just bring in your items for review and a cash offer. Make sure to bring a government-issued photo ID.

Habitat for Humanity

What it takes: Habitat for Humanity's ReStores accept appliances, furniture, home goods, and building material donations, among other things. Each local ReStore is different, so check to see exact donation guidelines. You can also donate a vehicle.
What it offers: A tax deduction; Habitat for Humanity does not offer payment in exchange for donations.
Where the money goes: Proceeds from the ReStore sales go toward helping people achieve suitable housing, be it reviving neighborhoods, building affordable housing, fixing housing problems, or restoring communities where disaster has struck.

Either bring items in for donation, or, for large items, call your local ReStore to inquire about a free pickup.

Facebook Selling Groups

There are many online selling groups on Facebook to choose from, some local and some nationwide. While this is a good option — you don’t even need to leave your house, and you set the price you want for each item — there are some downfalls. Meeting a stranger to exchange goods and money always carries an element of risk. And you have to take the time to photograph each item for sale, upload each picture, and list each item, which can be time consuming. Each group has its own set of rules, and there are always times people don’t show up to pick up an item they want to buy, which leaves you back at square one.

Facebook Marketplace

Facebook also has a Marketplace for local sales, a good alternative to local selling groups because everyone with a Facebook account has access. This gives you a much larger pool of local people who may be interested in buying your goods than a private selling group that limits who's accepted into the group. That said, there also may be more people selling the same items you are, and for a lower price. That adds a dose of competition.

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Photographing clothing — ijeab/istockphoto

Craigslist

Much like Facebook Marketplace, you can sell items on Craigslist. This online forum makes it convenient for you to list items at your leisure and set your own price requests. It also has some of the same drawbacks: meeting a stranger to exchange goods and money, the hassle of taking pictures, and making the listing for each item, etc.

Host a Garage Sale

If you don’t want to waste time taking pictures, listing items individually, and arranging to meet someone for an exchange, a garage sale may be a good option. You can sell all of your stuff at once from your own home. Garage sales do take some planning: You’ll need time to organize and price everything, you’ll have to advertise to get people there, and you will need to dedicate a half day, whole day, or even multiple days to sell the most stuff. Garage sales work great when several houses or a whole neighborhood do them together: It’s safer, you can pool together and get more advertising, and more houses means more stuff and more people coming to shop.

Kids' backpacks — AGrigorjeva/istockphoto

Local Schools

If you want quick and easy, local schools will likely take donations. It’s a good idea to call and check about guidelines: Books, art supplies, board games, and other classroom materials are a good place to start. Gently used backpacks could help out a child without one, while gently used toys can benefit the school fundraiser as game prizes.