9 Best Places to Sell Old Clothes Online & Make Money Fast
This post is all about the best places to sell used clothes online in the UK and the top tips to earn that cash!
Do you find your wardrobe is bursting at the seams? With clothes you rarely wear! Well, it’s time for a declutter! And the good news is, that you can turn those unwanted clothes into cash!
I love it when people realise they can sell their wardrobes! For so long I gave my clothes away or donated them to a charity shop but if you have items that cost a lot, it’s worth getting some money back for them.
This post will explore the top 9 best places to sell old clothes online and tips to earn extra cash.
From luxury online platforms to some of my favourite apps I guarantee this is the easiest way to make extra pocket money from your wardrobe.
9 Best Places to Sell Used Clothes Online in the UK & Tips to Make Money Fast!
Before choosing the right platform, consider the type of items you’re selling, how it works and the fees to optimise your success in selling clothes online.
Let’s get into it.
1. eBay
Clothing is one of the top items to sell on eBay and if youโre selling vintage items, even better! You can leverage eBay’s auction-style listings to sell your clothing items globally and set the optimal price point.
eBay make it super easy to sell on their platform and even provides tips and tricks to set you up for success. Everything from writing a standout title, taking the best pictures, and pricing your items, eBay has you covered.
It also has a significant user base in the UK and offers a diverse marketplace for second-hand clothes.
The cost: Private sellers can list for free on eBay and after youโve used your monthly allocation of 1,000 free listings, youโll be charged 35p for each new listing created.
2. Vinted
Vinted is a European platform (including the UK) used to sell second-hand clothing. It’s the most user-friendly platform I’ve used for a budget-conscious buyer and my absolute favourite place to sell old clothes (and buy second-hand clothes).
You can list anything on Vinted and if the items are in good condition they will sell well. In my opinion, more upmarket high-street popular brands like Zara sell the best. I have sold a few similar items and people seem to love them.
Vinted includes a prepaid shipping label with each sale making selling super easy.
Be mindful that hundreds of the same items are listed here, so take clear pictures in natural lighting. Describe each item using keywords people will search for eg. โblack midi dressโ. The secret to a quick sale is to take pictures of yourself in the clothes as this shows the buyer how it looks on.
The cost: The great thing about Vinted is that there is no selling fee, so what you earn is yours to keep. Youโll be paid as soon as the buyer confirms everythingโs OK.
3. Depop
Depop is a UK-founded mobile app and one of the biggest online marketplaces for secondhand stores. They have an edgy vibe and anything goes but they are most popular for quirky designs, vintage clothing and Y2K listings. They also sell a variety of jewellery, beauty products and even books!
Depop allows you to build a community of followers who can engage with your products. Remember once you have named your shop, take great pictures and use keywords that you think people will be searching for to describe the item.
Itโs like a whole other social media platform where current trends and algorithms play a big part. You can leave ratings for buyers and they can leave ratings for you as the seller. A good reputation and a high rating give you a better chance of success on this app.
The Cost: Depop charges a 10% fee for all sales made. This is automatically charged on the total transaction amount including shipping costs plus an extra transaction fee from either PayPal or Depop Payments.
You may also be interested in our recent post 12 EXPERT TIPS TO HELP YOU DECLUTTER YOUR WARDROBE
4. Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace can only be accessed through a Facebook account but things sell well here.
I recommend using a local Facebook selling group. Use clear photographs, be transparent about flaws and describe the item well.
List your items and connect with potential customers in your community.
People will get in touch.
5. Etsy
Another great option is Etsy, a huge global marketplace where millions of online stores sell handmade products, vintage clothes and gifts. This online marketplace has changed over the years as not everything is handmade anymore.
If you want to sell your wardrobe Etsy is an excellent platform. I would suggest listing vintage, handmade or upcycled pieces to reach a community interested in one-of-a-kind pieces.
The Cost: Etsy charges a listing fee of 0.20 USD for each item you list for sale. When you make a sale, they also charge a transaction fee of 6.5% of the price you display for each listing. Etsy sales fee breakdown here.
6. Instagram
The platform I know best for selling used clothes online is Instagram. There is a huge community of secondhand sellers and many take consignments too. You can utilise Instagram as a social media platform to showcase your clothes. Create a visually appealing feed, use relevant hashtags, and direct potential buyers to your selling platform.
If you want to look at some of the recommended sellers I have used before check out my post 5 Examples of Sustainable Fashion You Need to Try Today. I have linked all the secondhand sellers I love on Instagram.
The cost: The cost for consignment is different for each seller but they will usually charge a % fee only when they have sold the item. If you like the sound of any, contact them for more details!
7. Vestiaire Collective
Vestiaire Collective is a great example of a circular economy. The platform is a large collection of preloved luxury and designer goods and runs online.
List your designer clothes and connect with potential buyers in the UK and globally. Vestiaire Collective encourages people to buy better quality items and take care of the ones they own to maximise their resale value. Brands like Michael Kors, Calvin Klein and Banan Republic are popular here.
As a seller, you will list items yourself, take photos of your items and add the description, price and condition of what you are selling. The Vestiaire Collective team will standardise all the photos and validate the items. Once the items have been made available, they can be sold online.
The Cost: Vestiaire Collective takes a 20% average commission on each sale, though the commission is variable depending on the price of the item.
8. Thrift+
Send your used clothes to Thrift+. Their mission is to end fashion waste making it easier to shop and sell preloved clothing. This platform aligns with the concept of circular fashion and giving back.
Order your Thrift+ bag and fill it with your unwanted clothes, use the prepaid shipping label included and send them back. If your items sell you can either receive points to spend on Thrift or donate to charity to redeem vouchers to spend online.
9. The Cirkel
The Cirkel is an online consignment shop for women’s clothing that aligns with the circular economy, attracting environmentally conscious buyers. This is a great place to buy and sell designer brands and luxury items.
Their mission is to ‘reduce the impact of fashion by elevating the second-hand experience.’
The first step is to send them a WhatsApp message to get the ball rolling. They will then organise a collection or drop-off for your items and do everything from there. Just sit back and wait for your items to sell. The Cirkel has a seller’s dashboard too so you can easily stay in the loop on how much money you have made.
The Cost: There is a commission structure depending on the value of the listed item. For items with a value of ยฃ0-ยฃ1000, the customer payout will be 50%. The higher the item’s value, the higher the customer payout.
Each platform has pros and cons but you will most likely be drawn to one over the others depending on what items you have to sell.
I’ve explained where to sell your clothes online but what about the bit in between? What steps should you take before uploading your old clothes online?
You need to know the basics!
Iโve been doing this for years so I have a couple of great tips I use whilst selling clothes online that will make it easier and faster for you to make money from your old clothes.
7 Top Tips to Sell Used Clothes Online in the UK
Declutter your wardrobe
The first thing you need to do is declutter your own wardrobe! A smaller, simple wardrobe will help you get dressed a lot quicker in the mornings. If youโve never decluttered your wardrobe before you will have clothes that donโt fit you or you donโt like.
Decide which clothes you want to keep, which items you want to sell and which ones you want to donate.
For tips on decluttering check out 12 EXPERT TIPS TO HELP YOU DECLUTTER YOUR WARDROBE
Divide all the clothing you want to sell into categories, eg. tops, trousers, dresses, mini dresses etc. This makes it SO much easier when it comes to photographing these items.
Decide where to sell your clothes online
You have a pile of clothes you want to sell, so the next step is to decide where to sell your old clothes. There are several online platforms you can use and depending on which type of clothing you are selling will most likely determine which platform you choose.
The 9 platforms I mentioned above are the best online sites to sell your old clothes.
If you have found higher-end items in your wardrobe, think about renting these out instead. You can rent it to multiple people and be paid every time.
Check out HURR Collective and 11 Clothing Rental Alternatives to HURR Collective for some examples of rental platforms that offer this lending service.
When you know the platform/s you think will work best for you, you can start creating your profile on the apps so youโre prepared when you start uploading the pics.
An example of an item I have sold on Vinted
Take clear pictures!
Once you have the clothes sorted into categories, start thinking about taking clear photographs of each item. Look at your favourite clothing brand and see how they do it for inspiration.
- Hang the item in front of a plain white/light-coloured wall.
- Use a wooden hanger (if you have one) it makes the picture look more premium and professional.
- Take multiple shots of the item also work well, the item may have different textures in the fabric or some special detail you may want to show off.
- Use photos of yourself wearing the item to show how it looks in real life, this gives the customer a visual shopping experience. If you arenโt comfortable doing this, you could always find the stock photo and include that.
- Use as much natural light as possible but if you live somewhere (like me) where it is quite dark and rainy most of the time, some artificial lights could be a good investment.
- Don’t use filters on the picture as it can tweak the item’s colour! Overly exposed photos can make black items look grey or washed out.
As a buyer it is much better to see exactly what you are purchasing, this transparency will earn you great reviews and trust from other potential customers.
Take pride in your parcels-remember with higher ratings come more sales!
Include detailed descriptions
Including a detailed description of each item is important, including the condition of your item! (the more information the better) I canโt tell you how much admin time you will save from being 100% transparent about the item you are selling.
Use keywords!
Before you list an item, google the piece of clothing and find the exact product online. You may need to do a bit of research here but there will be a full description online you can use, this will help people to find your item through relevant keywords etc. Eg. โmidi dressโ is a popular keyword people will search for.
Include any imperfections, customers generally donโt mind small flaws here and there as it is a pre-owned piece but only if they are aware of it beforehand.
Details to include:
- Details, textures of fabrics
- Colours
- Fabrics/materials in the item (you can find these on the itemโs tag)
- Where the item is from and RRP
- Description of the item
- Any imperfections
This part might take time to research but it is worth doing!
How to price an item of clothing for resale
When pricing your old clothes, I find it useful to do a quick Google search and find the exact piece of clothing online.
It may be still available and then you can quickly find out the value of your item. If it is no longer available to buy from the stores donโt assume its value is what you paid for it originally!
Clothes tend to devalue in price once you have purchased them. If it is a standard fast fashion piece the value will be reduced but letโs say you have an old vintage or rare piece it may be worth a lot more than you paid.
It is about knowing your brands and the difference between fast fashion and vintage.
Research the resale platforms you are going to sell the items for and try to find the same/similar pieces and see what other people are selling them for, this usually gives you an indicator of price point. If the item has any flaws, make sure this is reflected in the price.
I aim for around 30-50% back of the total price I paid (if I wanted a quick sale of an item I wanted to get rid of, I would lower the %).
Include ‘free shipping’. Remember to include the shipping fee in the full price as it makes customers feel like they are getting something for free, even though most of us know this isnโt the case.
Just give it a go, you may find trial and error works best here and you will eventually find a pricing strategy that works well for you and your items.
Upload the items to multiple sites
Once you have all your photos and descriptions ready to upload I would advise copying and pasting the listing to multiple platforms. This is the best way to get your item in front of as many people as possible and as you have done all the research, it shouldnโt take too long!
This is easily done with the Facebook marketplace as Facebook allows you to upload each listing to all your chosen groups at the same time.
Try and be open to negotiation, most people will ask for a reduced price. Sometimes listing an item slightly higher gives you room to reduce your prices and if someone buys multiple items you could waive the shipping costs to guarantee the sale.
Tips for sending your items out
- Reuse old packaging for your sales.
- Use compostable packaging if you buy your own.
- Make it personal, write a little note and say thank you! It might just make someoneโs day to receive a small note of appreciation. I love that. (Remember the ratings)
- Charge the appropriate amount of money for the size of the delivery, I have lost money in the past for not estimating the size properly.
- Send the items second class to save money although I would use a recorded delivery for any high ticket items or any equivalent service so the items are insured.
- Another option if the delivery is local is to drop it off yourself, maybe use a bike if you have one which would make your delivery extra eco-friendly!
Let me know if you found these tips helpful! Enjoy the process and let me know which one you choose and why in the comment section below.
This post is about the best steps to take to sell old clothes online & make money fast!
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