Did you know that your closet is the first place in your house to look for extra money?
you can sell clothes online to earn money. in the process, you also declutter your house. flipping clothes can be a great side business.
If you like fashion trends, now you have a new hobby to earn money.
To find clothes to sell, you could:
- clean out your closet
- check out your local thrift stores
- visit garage sales
- make your own clothes
No matter where you find quality items to sell, you can find a place online to sell them. there are some fun options for designers too!
where to sell clothes online
Because you are shipping a physical item, you must factor shipping costs into your selling price. this is a common mistake for new sellers. some sites offer free shipping, so you may want to try those sites first.
1. exchange.com
swap.com is an online consignment store that accepts a wide variety of clothing and accessories, including:
- men
- women
- maternity
- children
- babies
- toys</li
- video games
Best-selling items are fashion items that have been sold at a mall or store in the last three years according to the exchange.
swap.com sends you up to three prepaid boxes each month.
One downside is that you don’t know how much you’ll earn until they receive your box. exchange names the price once your items are processed.
It may take 30-60 days for your items to be processed and listed. after that, the items must be sold before you get paid.
On select items, swap.com offers instant payment with its secure put option. This option is only for the most popular items.
trustpilot score: 3.9 out of 5
2. the realreal
the realreal is a luxury consignor of men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, jewelry and accessories. you can mail your items using your prepaid envelope. or schedule a free home pickup if you have a large collection to sell.
All items are designed to sell out within 30 days, with the most popular items selling out within three days of posting. after 30 days,
the realreal automatically adjusts the price to attract a buyer. when you sell your clothes or jewelry, you keep 70% of the sale price.
select brands qualify for an advance sale service. If your clothing brands qualify, you can get paid instantly instead of waiting for therealreal to find a buyer.
trustpilot score: 4.0 out of 5
3. leprix (formerly snobswap)
There are three different ways to earn money with leprix for women’s clothing and accessories:
- sell your clothes yourself
- give your clothes to snobswap
- trade clothes with other sellers
For more valuable items, you may need to consign your items in person. you can drop them off at your local leprix partner boutique.
Some buyers still want to inspect exclusive items in person before purchasing. when you ship, your items are available for purchase online and in store.
leprix is an excellent choice for most garments. If you have a handbag to sell, the lowest listing can be $40 or as high as $3,000!
the point: don’t feel like you can’t sell here if your items don’t come from saks 5th avenue.
trustpilot score: 3.5 out of 5
4. Merci
mercari is an ebay-like application. just take a photo of your clothes and fill in a description. then you name your price and decide who pays for shipping.
This site looks similar to ebay, except it doesn’t have auction-style listings.
You have two different shipping options with mercari. One option is to pay a flat fee and get a printable label.
The second option is to pay the fee based on the actual weight. for heavy items, you can save money by paying the flat rate.
All communication between you and the prospective buyer takes place in the app. when your item sells, you mail it out. mercari pays you every Monday with direct deposit.
You pay a 10% fee for each item you sell. this vendor fee may be lower than most consignment stores.
trustpilot score: 3.2 out of 5
more information: mercari review
5. unpop
another growing application is depop. you can sell modern and vintage clothing for men and women. all items have fixed prices. you interact with shoppers in the app.
When an item is sold, you pay shipping. To get the most out of Pop, you’ll need to download the iOS or Android app.
trustpilot score: 2.7 out of 5
6. thredup
thredup is essentially an online consignment store. the site allows you to sell your gently used brand name clothing by mail order. They accept clothing for both women and children.
The way it works is to first request a cleaning bag from your site. then you put in your unwanted clothes, shoes and accessories and mail them to them with the prepaid label.
The cleaning kit has everything you need!
trustpilot score: 2.0 out of 5
7. commercial
tradesy helps you sell designer items that are in excellent condition. its main designers are louis vuitton, chanel, celine, gucci and saint laurent.
tradesy will notify you when someone buys your item and you will be prompted to ship it. you’ll pay a $7.50 flat shipping fee for items you sell for less than $50 and a 19.8% commission for items you sell for more than $50 .
trustpilot score: 4.3 out of 5
8. elegant brand
poshmark is an online marketplace for buying and selling gently used items, mostly geared towards designer clothing and name brand clothing.
Buying and selling is mainly done through the app, although you can also do it from the desktop version of the website.
They charge a flat fee of $2.95 for all items sold for less than $15. For sales of $15 and over, Poshmark takes a flat 20% of the sale price. consider this as a commission.
poshmark also provides you with a prepaid shipping label. which, for some, makes the fees worth it for a hassle-free experience.
Note: It doesn’t matter if the clothing is in good condition, just be sure to describe each imperfection to the buyer.
trustpilot score: 1.4 out of 5
more info: poshmark review: is it a legit way to sell clothes?
9. build a shopify store for dropshipping
Flip clothes for profit is also a fun idea. It’s called retail arbitrage. you can buy used clothes locally to sell online. or you can partner with a brand to submit new items.
For drop shipping, you need to create a website that also includes your products on social media. shopify will build your store and handle payments.
Your drop shipping partners items sold from your warehouse. you just have to coordinate the sale and earn a commission for your effort.
Creating your own website can have several advantages:
- increased earning potential
- opportunity to advertise your brand
- a “hands-off” retail strategy due to dropshipping partnerships.
With this idea, you have several options to sell clothes you don’t “own”. you don’t have to spend time or money rebuilding your inventory.
Instead, you can create a website to generate traffic. dropshipping means you spend less time trying to make money.
10. eBay
ebay, the largest online marketplace for DIY sellers. You should seriously consider selling your clothes on eBay. depending on the brand, ebay may be one of your best options for selling clothing.
As an individual seller, your first 100 listings are free each month. if you want to sell more, you need to open a store. shop fees remain reasonable.
You can sell each piece for a fixed price or at auction. if you want to start a bidding war, choose the auction first.
many other sellers prefer to sell on ebay due to its relatively low commissions. you can keep about 90% of the selling price, which is better than instant shopping websites.
of course, paypal keeps 3% of the sale price. and you also need to pay to ship. so keep these different fees in mind when posting your articles.
tip: offer free shipping to generate more clicks. just include shipping costs in the “buy it now” price, so you don’t lose money.
related post: what is the cheapest way to send a package: ups, fedex or usps?
11. etsy
etsy allows you to sell vintage and handmade clothing for children and adults.
selling on etsy allows you to attract a different audience that is not looking for designer brands. It is possible to sell used, pre-made and made-to-order clothing on etsy.
A little tip to increase your store’s audience: network with other etsy stores. networking is a secret to ranking higher on the etsy algorithm. a higher ranking means you appear at the top of search results!
12. Facebook
another social media platform to consider is facebook. As the world’s largest social media platform, think about the reach of your potential audience.
use facebook ads to reach your target audience. the facebook marketplace allows users to interact with your ad. ultimately, they can visit your online store.
A second (and possibly more profitable) selling option on facebook is local buy and sell groups. you can sell clothing in bulk or individual items. and you do not have to pay sales commissions.
Selling locally with online listings is 100% free. As always, include quality photos and clear descriptions of the items you’re selling. If your ads are confusing, you won’t sell anything.
13. craig’s list
craigslist is another timeless classic. it’s free to list and sell. you just have to know the buyer to make the exchange.
Each local board has a clothing and accessories section that allows you to post any items you want.
Consider this option if you’ve worn non-designer clothing that other sites don’t accept. Since you pay no fees or shipping, your earning potential is higher too!
You can also consider these craigslist alternatives to reach more buyers. but be sure to try craigslist and facebook. both sites are free and it only costs you your time to get them listed.
14. zazzle
another market for custom t-shirts is zazzle. You can sell custom designs and branded t-shirts. Get started by joining the Zazzle Designer Program. you can also sell baby clothes on zazzle.
Just like cafepress and redbubble, zazzle handles the printing and shipping. zazzle will pay you by paypal or check.
trustpilot score: 4.5 out of 5
frequently asked questions
summary
In conclusion, it is possible to make money selling clothes online. You can do this by cleaning out your closet or turning online clothing sales into an ongoing side hustle.
Most sites make it easy to sell by paying shipping when items are sold. so don’t settle for the annual garage sale where you only make a few bucks.
Try these websites first. you can earn dollars with each sale instead of pennies.