Sell your clothes and make some money using these apps.
If you are like me, you have probably been consuming a copious number of snacks and Netflix while staying at home. I’m not judging, I know being at home can be exhausting.
But I have been trying to clear out my brain and become a little bit more productive. This for me has meant doing so late spring cleaning that I have been putting off.
As I was cleaning out my closet, I realized that I had a lot of clothes that I didn’t wear anymore, some that I never wore, and some that I can’t wear due to some (cough) unexpected weight gain. These clothes have just been sitting in my closet collecting dust.
So, I decided to sell my clothes and make some extra money. Selling gently used clothes is easier nowadays than it has ever been and it is a nice way to make some extra money on the side.
This list includes some of my favorite reselling apps and platforms and their pros and cons. Happy selling!
P.s This is not a ranked list I just really like numbered lists.
1. EBAY: THE KING OF KINGS, THE REIGNING CHAMPION OF SELLING USED ITEMS
- Pros: This is a well-known and well-established brand.
- Cons: There is a lot of competition and fees can be high if you are selling in bulk.
Even though it has been around for a very long time, there is still a reason why eBay is so well regarded and prominent when it comes to selling clothes. Its established position at the top of the food pyramid means that there are millions of people using the app/platform to sell and buy anything. This means that it is easier to reach a highly targeted group of people looking to buy your things.
eBay gives users 50 free listings every month, so if you are not selling a bunch of clothes there is essentially no listing fees. There is a 10% fee for the total selling price of items up to $750.
There is also an auction option if you want buyers to bid on your items.
2. MERCARI: THE NEWCOMER TAKING THE WORLD BY STORM
- Pros: Listing is completely free, and there is only a 10% selling fee.
- Cons: This is not just focused on clothes and thus can be convoluted.
Mercari similar to eBay is not just used for selling clothes. It is used to sell almost any used items. Selling is as easy as taking a picture and adding a description and price.
Listings are free but there is a 10% fee on the total cost of the transaction. The money will be available in your account once the transaction is complete.
The money can be withdrawn into your bank account or it can be used to buy other things on Mercari.
Once the item has been sold, Mercari sends you a shipping label
3. POSHMARK: A CROWD FAVORITE
- Pros: There is a calculator built into the app that allows you to see how much profit you gain instantly. Allowing you to adjust your prices to get the best outcomes.
- Cons: It can be hard to get attention to your clothes and the fee is 20% for items $15+.
Poshmark is the go-to place to sell fashionable clothes. It is also very quick. When I used it, I was able to get posted and start selling in just a couple of minutes. It is super quick and easy to create a listing with pictures.
Once the items have been sold, you will get a pre-paid label from Poshmark. This label also tracks the packages and acts as insurance in case something happens to the items.
The pros are that sellers are usually protected in case something happens to the package; shipping is also free. Another bonus is that it comes in with a built-in calculator that lets you know how much profit you are going to make when fees are included.
Sellers can also trade for things in their closets, or make offers to sellers.
There are of course fees attached to the platform. The fee is $2.95 for items under $15. It is 20% for items over 15%.
4. DEPOP: THE UNDERDOG ON THE COME UP
- Pros: Decent fees and fairly easy to use.
- Cons: A lot of saturation with people selling things directly from China
Depop THE platform for all my influencers, semi-influencers, wannabe influencers, and creatives alike. It is modeled closely after Instagram with its layout and its follow feature which allows some sellers to gain large audiences.
It is fairly easy to use. They utilize PayPal to process transactions. They will take 10% of your total sales (including shipping). So, it is a fairly low fee structure for selling your clothes.
5. VINTED: THE ACCESSIBILITY QUEEN
- Pros: Buying, selling, and swapping items is extremely easy.
- Cons: This is fairly new, not that well known.
For all fellow vintage connoisseurs, Vinted is the promised land. Sellers are encouraged to have multiple listings as this will increase their chance of selling items.
Similar to Poshmark, buyers and sellers can interact and ask each other questions. They can also make offers for prices lower than those listed.
Once the order has been placed, sellers have five days to ship out the items. Once delivery has occurred, then payment is disbursed to one’s vented account.
This is a super affordable app and profitable for the seller because listing and selling are free. It is the buyer who has to pay fees.
6. THREDUP: GOODWILL BUT MAKE IT DIGITAL
- Pros: You can sell your clothes in bulk and they handle everything if your items are accepted.
- Cons: If your items are not accepted you have to pay the shipping to get them back. The profits can also be very low.
ThredUp essentially acts as an online version of Goodwill. If you a bunch of clothes that you are no longer using then ThredUp is an easy choice. The company sends you a cleanout kit, which you fill to the brink we things that you want to get rid of.
After your clothes have been shipped off, they eventually arrive at the ThredUp office where someone will sort through your things and choose the ones they want and reject the ones they don’t. For these items that they accept they will pay you.
The company makes it easy for you because they take care of all the logistics. They take pictures of the items, list them, market them, and ship them to their very large customer base.
Now, there are some downsides to using the platform. ThredUp only accepts 40% of items in each of the packages that they receive. There are more likely to accept new, barely used, or new clothes. And if you want the clothes that they didn’t accept back, you’ll have to pay them $10.99.
The website also eats a large portion of your profit margins and the payout you receive ranges greatly and could even be as little as 5%.
It is best for those looking to sell a large number of high-quality clothes without putting in much effort.
7. TRADESY: IF YOU ARE BOOGIE
- Pros: Listing your designer items is super easy and also free.
- Cons: The 19.8% commission fee will eat into the profit margins of your more expensive items.
For my boogie ladies and gents (and non-binaries) Tradesy is a great option. It allows you to sell your used designer clothes. It is a little bit more involved. In order to sell your items, you have to sign up for the platform, upload the pictures you took yourself, and add product details for the listings.
You are in charge of handling shipping, but Tradesy does make it easier by providing a prepaid shipping label for sellers.
You are also given the discretion of setting your fees as high or as low as you want. Because there are no listing fees, there is no risk if you are unable to sell your items.
An additional bonus is that Tradesy handles all returns on your items.
However, the downside is that there is a hefty 19.8% commission fee for those items that are $50+. The company can also hold onto our earnings for up to 21 days after delivery. Nevertheless, this is certainly one of the best higher ends resell marketplaces.
Whew! While this list is not exhaustive by any means it certainly gives you a taste of what’s out there when it comes to selling your clothes.
If you aren’t in the selling mood and are instead in a buying one make sure to check out my Poshmark here.
Looking to make some passive income, check this out.