How to Sell Clothes Online & Make Money From Cleaning Out Your Closet
Here’s how to sell clothes online while organizing your closet.
Your closets could be your payday!
I personally love purging my stuff; partly because I discover things I’ve forgotten about and partly because I can sell clothes online and make money cleaning your closet! As someone who is far too guilty of thinking, “I’m going to keep this because I’m sure I’ll wear it someday,” I RARELY end up wearing it someday. It’s better to just let it go.
Check out these easy ways to make some cash when you let go of those gently-loved (and sometimes brand new) cleaning treasures. Cha-ching!
Here are some places you can sell clothes online after cleaning out your closet:
1. Poshmark
The great aspect of selling on Poshmark is the control you have over the buying and selling process. You set your prices and you’re free to negotiate with offers that come in below asking. This means you can determine the piece’s end value.
Poshmark also hosts Posh Parties where you can browse, buy, and list products within a particular category. Shipping is super easy from the seller’s side. They also take a pretty standard commission from your sale (they share what that is before you decide to list on the site).
“I’ve bought and sold quite a few pieces on Poshmark and it’s been a great experience every time! I’ve purchased designer shoes that were discontinued, and have sold multiple bridesmaid’s dresses that had been collecting dust. Anything that has some sort of value, I always opt to try to sell on Poshmark before donating, and I can usually get pretty lucky with a sale.
For the best exposure, you’ll want to promote your clothes when a Posh Party is happening, that way they get in front of prospective buyers’ eyes who are interested in that brand or style of attire. You can negotiate price or swap with clothes from another seller’s closet’. It’s pretty fun honestly, but you’ll just want to be sure you aren’t spending more on the site than you’re making! 😂” – Emily at Hip2Save
2. OfferUp
Looking for a super simple way to buy and sell things locally? Look no further than OfferUp! You can browse and sell clothes, furniture, and even cars. Simply open the app, snap a pic (or multiple pictures) of your item, add in a title, description, and price, and list it — it really doesn’t get any easier than that!
From there, you can message buyers who are interested, and they’ll be able to rate your profile based on their purchasing experience. Being quick to answer any questions, promptly shipping (or arranging a meeting to make the transaction in person), and ensuring your description matches your item are all simple ways to earn yourself a good rating.
3. Depop
Depop is my personal favorite site to shop and sell! It’s such a stylish place that fits all tastes, and the selling system is super easy. They have a very detailed item-listing section. You specify the brand, color, what occasion the item fits, who you want your target audience to be, and more. They either give you a shipping label that is added to the cost of your item or you can do your own.
Note that your items are way more likely to sell with free shipping; I had a dress listed for two weeks, and once I added free shipping, it sold the next day. 😆
All your payments are through Paypal, which I feel super safe about. When someone buys one of your items, Paypal holds the money until you ship the item, and once you do, it’s automatically added to your account. Easy peasy!
4. Mercari
Similar to Poshmark and eBay, Mercari sells things from apparel to toys to home decor and more. It follows the same system as the other two mentioned site where you create a listing by adding pictures, product description, and setting a price.
When it comes to sending out your goods after a sale, you pay for the shipping, and Mercari takes a 10% cut of your profit. Looking to reap the benefits of your sale right away? Opt in to “instant pay” where for a $2 fee, you can get paid in minutes at any time of the day! There’s also direct deposit, making it the perfect side hustle!
5. eBay
The original online selling platform has come a looong way from when it first launched. Even better, eBay allows you to think outside the closet when it comes to selling your cleaning finds! Books, toys, decor, and pretty much anything that has value can be sold on eBay.
Keep in mind that there are millions of other sellers, so getting your listing noticed will take a little extra finesse. It’s worth it to get the max value on your items in the long run.
“Selling on eBay is pretty easy. You set your prices so you always get what you’re asking. Just be really careful because they charge fees on the total amount (shipping + item) and they don’t take those fees out right away (they send you a bill at the end of the month). Name brand and hard-to-find items move a lot faster than off-brand items, but everything seems to sell eventually!” – Chelsey at Hip2Save
6. Tradesy
Are you a high-end shopper? Take a look at Tradesy! Very similar to Poshmark, you list products yourself and set your own prices for high-end designer goods.
What sets Tradesy apart is the seller support. The site offers TONS of resources to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward (or maybe best hanger forward) like free shipping kits, photo enhancement, and 24-hour customer service. 👏 This is crucial when trying to get offers on your name brand and designer goods! Listings only take a few minutes to set up and once you make a sale, the site takes a standard commission off the transaction.
Looking to buy? Use our exclusive link and get $20 off your first order of $50 or more! 🎉
7. Facebook Marketplace
The same place you share family photos and engage with friends is where you can sell your new or gently used goods. You can sell pretty much anything on Facebook Marketplace! It’s similar to Craiglist in that the transaction itself doesn’t take place on the website, rather it lets buyers in your area know what you have for sale. Think of it like a virtual yard sale! You can even mark items as free if you just want to get some stuff off your hands.
All that said, there appears to be more and more ads popping up from 3rd party sellers on this site, so keep an eye out for items marked for shipping which typically indicates it’s not a Facebook user. Of course, you can still buy them, but know these are generally from companies using Facebook as another platform to sell their products, rather than family, friends, or local sellers in your area.
However, some Facebook users will offer shipping if they’re really trying to move something out of their home, so the moral of the story is to read all listings carefully to know the finer details of the transaction.
Check out even more tips on buying and selling through Facebook Marketplace!
8. Swap
Originally launched as a kids’ clothing consignment shop, Swap.com is now one of the hottest internet e-tailers offering over 2 million unique products! The process is a little bit different from your typical online sale.
Instead of creating a listing yourself, you mail in your clothing to Swap using a pre-paid shipping label for their team to analyze and come up with an offer to purchase your items. From there, they do the selling for you, and anything that doesn’t make the cut can either be sent back to you or sent to one of Swap’s textile recycling partners.
While it’s super easy to mail in clothes for sale on the site, the payout for the pieces can be a little on the low side. That said, they pretty much do all the work for you, so if don’t have free time to do all the work yourself, this could be a good way to go!
9. ThredUp
If you want to sell clothes online with minimal effort, ThredUp may be for you! The selling process on ThredUp is very similar to Swap, but ThredUp lets users get an estimate on their Consignment page of how much their clothes are worth before sending anything in. Then the actual selling process starts by ordering a FREE cleanout kit where ThredUp will send a shipping label and bag to fill with your new or gently used clothes. As items sell, you cash out or get shopping credit to do some of your own purchasing on ThredUp!
Similar to Swap, sometimes the payout can be a little low, but they’re taking care of listing, selling, and shipping. So even if you’re not rolling in dough, you’re still making more money than if you’d kept those clothes and never ended up wearing them.
10. Bonus: Donate to Goodwill for the tax deduction.
Put those old Amazon shipping boxes to GOOD use! With GiveBackBox, you simply fill your old Amazon box with clothes or household goods to be donated, enter your zip code and email address, and print your generated shipping label.
Drop the package off at your local post office or schedule a FREE pickup. While it’s technically not a way to sell clothes online, it’s an easy way to cut down on your rarely used belongings and pay you back with a small tax deduction* (and karma), all without leaving the house. 😁
*Keep in mind, since the standard deduction has gone up under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, people may have less opportunity to claim charitable contributions.
Keep that money coming in by checking out this survey site that makes earning extra cash simple!
I sell on Marketplace and offer shipping and have done very well. I’ve sold about $1,000 worth so far (2 years) by selling clothing, shoes and home goods. Shipping is by weight through USPS and UPS. Marketplace is offered a lower shipping cost from those shipping places then you would be able to get yourself. It’s user friendly and generates a pre made shipping label that the buyer pays for. A small seller fee is applied. I buy the cheapest poly mailers from Amazon and also use used boxes from previous purchases. I really enjoy purging stuff I no longer need and also sell for other people too.
I’ve been selling on Poshmark for since 2013 and absolutely love it! If you use my referral code “JESSLEE90” you get $10 off your first purchase (and I get $10 for sending you). If anyone had questions about selling on the platform, I’m happy to help!
I have sold makeup and skincare on Mercari. I sometimes ship on my own and use Pirate Ship. The cost difference can be eye popping sometimes. I always prefer to ship using them.
I’m a seller on poshmark and if you sign up with my code you can save $10.00.
You don’t have to meet people you just package up your item and print the label and I set up a pick up with the post office😊
https://posh.mk/11uMyYLUzrb
I have really been getting into Poshmark the last couple of weeks. I’ve always sold on there but taking it seriously to try and save up money for vacation. Recently had a second child and now a stay at home mom of two. It’s a great way to earn some extra money. I have sold over $200 since July 2nd. Here is my code if anyone wants to sign up or needs tips!! For a limited time, use my code STEPHANIETAY270 to save $10: https://posh.mk/Gb7STXmWzrb
I love buying and selling on Poshmark over any of the other platforms….it’s the most easy to understand and ship with. Happy to give a new seller tips! 🙂 If you use my code to signup you’ll also save $10 on a purchase! MELSCLOSET222 https://posh.mk/z8nTyYXmArb
I sell on Posh, Mercari, and on Facebook. There are groups you can join for more niche markets. I am in a few plus size clothing sale groups and a few kids clothing groups. I sell more items faster than I have sold in my 2 years of active Posh selling. Maybe finding something like that (there’s a group for everything!) It is work, but be sure to read the rules and the format they want the listing to be in. The Photoroom app is your friend. It adds lighting to the photos and removes the background. Hope these tips help as well. I love the selling apps but I haven’t had much luck at all with them this year. Expendable income is low and shipping is more expensive. Makes the profit margin small and discourages others from selling.
You guys! Be so careful with Thred up.
I sent in 2 stuffed bags of high end clothing and only got $44.
It was Nordstrom clothing with tags and they didn’t even list a lot of it. They listed the cheapest clothing I sent in but not the expensive clothes.
Just read the reviews so you know what to expect. People are often very disappointed.
I agree, thredup does not pay you hardly anything. I feel like they take advantage of you.
I have a Facebook group. Has 200+ members that are local and when I clean out my closet every few months I list my stuff and make from $50-$300. Easy peasy..
How do you only market to local people? I would like that.
Here’s a little bit of help if you are interested in mercari.. Great way to clean out your closet or kitchen and make a little money!
Use code FJHSAT when you sign up with my link: https://merc.li/ZhMwcSb
Ive been selling on ebay for years and there new system does pay you daily and takes out fees then too. You still have to pay a monthly store fee (for me about $35). But the crazy part is that there fees are based on how much you sell. I sell Sunglasses and Reading glasses. Some months my seller fees are 20% but they can go up to 29%. Thats crazy. So you can never tell how much you will make off a sale until the sale is complete and you see all the fees add up. Plus they charge fees on shipping which is crazy too. Id move to another platform but Amazon is just as bad fee wise.
I wonder if it would be a good idea financially to start a business to sell stuff online for the tax benefits. I’ve used eBay for years one and off but nothing consistent. I never started an eBay store due to the monthly fee because I was never consistently selling items. I would love to figure out which site is the best in terms of the cost and ability to sell items.
Tip- ThredUP offers Partner Bags. I sent them clothes and I get to choose which credit I want usually Vera Bradley or crocs. They give you 15% extra when you choose a partner bag I usually get $50 (the most I have received was $150) for around 15 items. They changed the program so make sure and look up the brands you are sending in. They completely stopped taking cheaper brands. ALSO, when buying try buying from the outlet 20+ items at 40% off is around $3 a piece. Just an fyi from someone who uses the ThredUP service, ALSO, I think this list needs to include buy sell shops like Uptown Cheapskate (I don’t have one around me – very jealous) they give you cash for clothing up front. Teen clothing Plato’s closet and finally local consignment shops. My kid specific consignment shop does well and my last adult consignment shop was $37 for 9 items sold. I live in a smaller town so, I drive to the larger town to consign for a higher chance to sell.
Partner bag link- https://help.thredup.com/en_us/thredup-x-abercrombie-fitch-r1QU0GROI
Due to process improvements, Swap is not issuing new seller shipping labels until September 1, 2022. 🙁