Where to Sell Clothes for Quick Cash

Emptying your closets of unwanted or long unworn clothing is an easy way to make extra cash quickly. A number of retailers have decided to harness the growing resale market by creating their own platforms for selling used goods, including Shein, the Chinese fast-fashion retailer that just launched an app called Shein Exchange. But clothing resale opportunities that aren't brand specific abound these days thanks to the proliferation of online marketplaces. In addition to filling your piggy bank, reselling old clothing offers the silver lining of doing good for the planet, diverting items from landfills.

Related: Where to Donate Clothes and Clutter for Money

EBay is an easy way to reach a giant marketplace of potential customers. (The site has about 182 million active buyers.) What's more, you have the flexibility on this platform to either sell your goods for a fixed price or allow shoppers to bid, says Julie Ramhold of DealNews. "You can even use both methods if you don't want to choose, and then shoppers will have the option to bid or buy outright," says Ramhold. Just be sure to take high-quality photos for your listings, as the images are what catch a buyer's eye. In addition, choose the payment options customers may use carefully, adds Ramhold. 

"We suggest utilizing PayPal rather than allowing for check payments, as those can bounce, and you could end up unintentionally giving away something for free," she explains. More tips from Ramhold: Don't forget to factor in eBay's selling fees when pricing your items for sale. You don't want to accidentally shortchange yourself by pricing items too low and not make any money after paying those fees. Make sure to do some price research on the site before listing clothing to see what comparable items are selling for. 

Related: 10 Things You Should Never Try to Sell on eBay

A company that's been around since 2009, ThredUp today is known for being a popular spot to shop and sell women's and kids' clothing, says Ramhold of DealNews. "They make it relatively easy, too," she says. "Order a Clean Out Kit from ThredUp, and then when it arrives, you fill it up with all the gently used items you want to rid your closet of." ThredUp also provides the shipping label, so you just send the kit off via FedEx or UPS, adds Ramhold.

When your items sell, you have the option of cashing out or earning credit to do some shopping yourself on ThredUp. But be aware that selling on ThredUp means you receive just a percentage of the sale — anywhere from 3 percent to 80 percent, says Ramhold — often adding up to spare change. Also, Ramhold says many sellers make the mistake of not "reclaiming" items that don't sell. "If an item doesn't sell on ThredUp, you can reclaim it during the last seven days of the listing period," she explains. "If you aren't reclaiming your unsold items, you're basically throwing potential cash away. If you don't reclaim them, they become the property of ThredUp." But there's a catch — reclaiming means paying the cost of shipping to get them back.

Related: 24 Earth-Friendly Habits That Can Save You Money

Poshmark is a large social marketplace for fashion, and another one of the top places to sell new and used clothes online, says retail analyst Shannon Vissers of Merchant Maverick. "It's one of the more active markets, and if you have a unique, flawless item from a popular mid-range brand, you're almost sure to get some bites," says Vissers. 

It's also easy to list items on the site using the Poshmark app, adds Vissers, by just snapping a picture of what you want to sell with your phone and uploading the image. Still more upsides of using Poshmark include the lack of listing fees and the easy shipping process, she says. Poshmark provides pre-paid mailing labels via email for the sellers' use. And once the item is delivered to the buyer, you get paid.

A locally focused platform, OfferUp is an app that was created to allow users to connect with potential buyers in their surrounding community or city. "What I love about using a local listing app like OfferUp is that you can sell items very quickly and offer either a drop off or have the buyer pick up from your home or a public area," says budgeting expert Andrea Woroch. "As long as it's priced right, you can sell items really fast here." When selling on OfferUp make sure you have great photos, clear and concise product titles, thorough descriptions of the items and fair prices.   

Selling through a consignment store is another option for decluttering your wardrobe and making extra cash, says Woroch, who recommends Buffalo Exchange, which has locations across the country. In order to sell clothing with Buffalo Exchange amid COVID-19, you must make an appointment with your local store, and a buyer will review your items. As an additional safety precaution, the clothing you want to sell will sit overnight in the store before being placed on the sales floor. You should also launder your unwanted clothes prior to bringing them to the store and leave them sitting untouched for 24 hours in your home. 

Buffalo Exchange pays 30 percent of the selling price for your unwanted clothing. Payments are made via PayPal. You can also opt for a digital trade card and receive in-store credit for 50 percent of the selling price. Tips for successful selling at Buffalo Exchange include bringing clothing as soon as you know you won't wear it again, rather than letting too much time go by, and also making sure your items are in good condition. Unique or vintage pieces also tend to be popular sellers.

Mercari is another option for listing clothes within minutes by just taking a few photos and uploading them via an app. Listings on Mercari are free, and thanks to the site's sizable user base, items sell quickly, says Laurice Wardini, co-founder of the fashion blog ClothedUp. Like so many other e-commerce sites, tips for doing well include using good photographs, fully describing what you're selling, and pricing fairly. Wardini, who has sold more than 40 pieces of clothing on Mercari, recommends professionally taken photos. 

"They showcase the product you're selling in much better detail and set you apart from a lot of the competition," she says. You might also want to include images of the clothing on a model. "I find that items tend to perform better when I attach photos of the item on a model, whether it's myself or an image I find online," Wardini says. "In addition, I always make sure to offer free shipping, even if it requires me to raise the cost of an item a little bit."

Kat Steck, a Los Angeles-based mom and blogger at The Junkyard Journals, uses Facebook Marketplace regularly to sell clothes. "Facebook Marketplace is used more frequently for furniture, electronics, and home decor, but it's still possible to sell clothes on the platform if you know what to do," says Steck, who like other sellers, stresses the importance of clear and "authentic" pictures. 

"I typically put a nail on the wall or a hook at the top of my door and hang the items up that I want to photograph," Steck says. "Having a blank background with natural daylight will feature the item to stand out as people quickly scroll through Marketplace." If you're selling multiple items in a lot, laying them on a blank white sheet or on top of a bed and getting up high to take a clear flat picture is helpful, she adds. To move items even more quickly, bundle similar items together. "For example, baby clothes all size 0 to 6 or women's fall tops sizes L/XL." 

If you have luxury clothing to sell, try The RealReal, a site that made its name in the clothing resale game early on for selling authenticated luxury consignment items, which are inspected by in-house experts. The RealReal resells more than 200 designer brands. "This is a great company to consign with. I shop using this app a lot, and items do not stay listed for long," says Montali of Dream Organization. Before trying to sell on this platform, Montali suggests making sure to review the list of designers that The RealReal is accepting. 

"They are very clear about what brands they're currently buying," Montali says. In addition to an online presence, The RealReal has retail stores in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. After booking a free virtual expert consultation to video chat about the items you want to sell, including potential pricing, the clothing is shipped to The RealReal via free UPS pickup. When the items sell, payment is made via direct deposit, site credit, or a check. Sellers pocket as much as 85% of the sale price.

It's no secret that kids grow out of clothing practically overnight, and that can get pricey. Kidizen has the answer. Sell your children's gently used clothing (with the all-important emphasis on gently used). To get started on Kidizen, you must set up a shop on the platform and then start promoting your pieces. You can even download free Kidizen business cards for your shop. Additional tips for success on this site include choosing the right time of year to sell items, writing thorough descriptions, and working regularly to increase your shop's visibility.

On Tradesy, you can sell new or pre-worn authentic designer pieces. The site lists bags, shoes, clothing, or accessories, and there's a Tradesy app that makes the process quick and simple. When someone buys your item, Tradesy sends you a prepaid, pre-addressed shipping kit. You'll pay a flat commission fee of $7.50 for items that sell for less than $50. Anything that sells for more than that price will be charged a 19.8% commission. 

Earnings are distributed via PayPal, debit card card, or automated clearing house (ACH) transfer. Good photos and fair prices will help move items on this platform more quickly as well. You may also want to share your Tradesy listings on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter. Reducing the price on out of season items can also help clothing sell more quickly.

Through swapping sites like The Swoondle Society, you can send in your kids' outgrown clothing and get credit toward trading up a size, says Woroch. "This alleviates your need to keep buying new clothing with every growth spurt," she says. "Considering used clothing doesn't net much money, this is a great option for families to offset the high cost of constantly buying new clothing and shoes for growing kids."