An overflowing closet can be an embarrassing (and costly) issue. These six sites will help you sell clothes online -- and reclaim your closet at the same time. This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions...
Truth time: My wardrobe embarrasses me.
It’s not because I dislike the things I wear — it’s because I have so many things I don’t wear.
Since cleaning out my closet and attempting a capsule wardrobe experiment a few years ago, I’ve unfortunately regressed to my old ways — and by “old ways,” I mean my closet is overflowing with things I just don’t wear often enough. In fact, I would guess that at this point, about 60% of my wardrobe is simply taking up space.
But I’m ready to simplify again, and, in the process, I’m hoping to make a little extra money.
So, I’m heading to the internet (because my local consignment shops are — shall we say — choosy) to sell my clothes online in an effort to earn back some of the money I’ve carelessly funneled right into my closet (again).
5 Best Places to Sell Your Clothes Online
These are the sites I’ll use to try to make a few extra bucks as I clear out my wardrobe.
1. Poshmark
Poshmark touts itself as a “fun and simple way to buy and sell fashion.” And while “fun” may be an accurate descriptor, “simple” really isn’t — but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Poshmark is more than just an online platform for selling clothes — it’s a “social marketplace.” Rather than being a place where sellers can list an item, hope it sells and move along, Poshmark is powered by buyers and sellers who share fashion ideas and styling tips, browse each others’ “closets” and generally connect over clothing and fashion.
What Poshmark isn’t? A set-it-and-forget-it type of site.
In order to make sales on Poshmark, you need to upload quality photos, write thorough descriptions, offer style guidance, “attend” buying and selling events within the app, share and promote listings and interact with other users.
Some successful Poshmark users recommend investing in nice packaging or thank you cards to keep your ratings up and your listings more visible.
Buyers are allowed to negotiate prices, and sellers can choose to decline or accept an offer. For sales under $15, Poshmark takes a flat commission fee of $2.95. For sales of $15 or more, you’ll keep 80% of the profit. Once a sale is made, Poshmark will provide you with a pre-paid, pre-addressed shipping label for orders up to 5 lbs.
All in all, Poshmark is a good option for anyone who’s willing to do a little (virtual) legwork.
2. thredUP
ThredUP is an online consignment and second-hand shop focused on brand-name clothing for women and children — and it couldn’t be easier to use.
If Poshmark is the most involved clothing selling site on the market, thredUP might just be the least. Sure, your return may not be quite as big as if you steamed, photographed and listed each piece individually all while liking, commenting and sharing other people’s items, but for the lazy among us, thredUP is ultra convenient.
Debra Wallace, the woman behind the blog Zero, also notes the small return from selling on thredUP. “Used clothing is not worth much,” she writes. “So if you’re looking to make more money, you’ll have to put in more effort” using other sites or brick-and-mortar stores.
For anyone who’s still on board, thredUP’s process is pretty simple: Go to the “Clean Out” tab on thredUP’s website and select “Order a Kit.” (There’s also an option to just donate a bag of clothing, if you’d prefer to do that.) ThredUP will send you a bag that you’ll fill with clothes, seal up and return for free with a prepaid shipping label.
The company will then sort through your clothes, list the keepers on the site and, depending on which clean-out option you chose, either recycle or return the unwanted items to you.
Depending on whether your items are highly trendy and in season or have a little more longevity to them, thredUP will determine whether to give you the money up front or when the item sells on consignment. Once your payout becomes available, you have to cash out via PayPal or Stripe — or take the shopping credit.
3. Instagram
If you’re an avid Instagram user, you’ve probably stumbled across more than one person selling their “closet” on the popular app. And while it’s a clunky interface for buying and selling (sales are done through the comments under photos and via direct messages), the return is pretty good because no commissions or fees are shaved off the top.
Still, selling your clothing on Instagram will take a bit of legwork. You’ll have to know how to work the system (lucky you, we have some tips right here!), and you’ll have to go through the trouble of steaming (it helps), photographing and listing each piece individually. You’ll also have to be totally in charge of collecting payments and shipping the items.
All in all, though, it’s a great option for those who are willing to go the extra mile to make the extra dollar.
4. Tradesy
If you want to sell your clothes on a platform that’s a little bit more seller friendly, (but still not quite as involved as Poshmark) Tradesy is the way to go. Tradesy says it deals primarily in designer and luxury items, but technically you can sell any brand from Xhilaration for Target to Gucci — and any item from purses to wedding wear.
To sell on Tradesy, all you have to do is take a few photos of an item (Tradesy will even do a little editing for you to make it look better), add a description and input a price. (Again, Tradesy is pretty helpful and will suggest a selling price if you’re at a loss.) When an item sells, you can use one of Tradesy’s shipping kits, which are priced according to size.
Tradesy’s flat commission fee is a little steep: The company takes $7.50 of any item sold for under $50. If an item sells for $50 or more, Tradesy takes 19.8%. And you must pay a 2.9% transfer fee when you withdraw your earnings.
The process is a little more involved than just loading up a bag and sending it off in the mail, but with a little bit of work, your payout can be pretty good — as long as you’re selling at the right price point.
5. eBay
You thought we were going to leave eBay off this list for a second there, didn’t you?
We wouldn’t do that!
Even though it’s been around for quite some time (and has a reputation for being unwieldy or a little outdated at times), eBay is still a valid option when you’re selling clothing — especially when you’re looking to make a few bucks on something that isn’t necessarily a fancy name brand.
The selling process on eBay is pretty straightforward: Take a few photos of the item, list item details, decide between an auction-style or “buy it now” sale and wait.
Once an item sells, you’re in charge of packing and shipping it, although eBay allows you to create and print shipping labels on the platform to make the process simpler.
The fee structure is pretty seller-friendly, too. Listing or “insertion” fees are free for your first 200 listings per month. Find out more about insertion fees here.
After an item sells, eBay will take a “final value fee,” or a percentage of the total amount of the sale (which includes the listing price, shipping fee and any additional charges).
If you need more help getting started selling on eBay, check out these tips and tricks for becoming a master eBay seller. Who knows, you might even make a business out of it!
Grace Schweizer is the email content writer at The Penny Hoarder.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.