Fashion, fashion, fashion – oh, the things that we do to keep up with the ever-changing trends.
These days, it is the era of fast fashion where clothes, looks, and accessories go in and out of trend. We’ve all been there: a cute top or sleek jeans catch our eye, and we buy it – but never get a chance to wear it. Alternately, all of us also have clothes that we’ve worn so many times that they’ve started losing their charm. The point is, they’re just sitting there, getting outdated and there’s nothing you’re doing about it.
At the end of the day, these items are only cluttering our closets. If you’re getting tired of sifting through the jumble that’s your wardrobe, then it’s definitely time for a clean-up. Here’s a 5 point guide to getting rid of old fashion items from your closet and making some money on the way:
Picking out your old items (and selling them on online platforms)
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While there are some fashion items that are totally timeless, there are other ones that don’t really withstand the tests of time that well. From boots that never go out of style to grey clothes that are literally ageless, you can keep some things and get rid of others.
The first step to thinning out your wardrobe is to mentally prepare yourself that you’ll be losing some items. Then comes the distillation part. First off, it’s best to select items that are ill-fitting or worn out. Then you can even toss some stuff out from seasonal items that you haven’t worn in a while. Thirdly, you might want to reassess from a fashion point of view; separate items that have gone out of style and see what is and isn’t in trend currently.
If this approach is not working for you, then go with the Marie Kondo way and ask yourself if the item you’re holding on to gives you any joy. Any item that gives you joy, keep it. If not, then kindly give it away.
After you’ve separated all of your items, you can make money by reselling clothes online. These days, there are so many unique platforms that allow you to list your old clothes and accessories with easy access to a world of customers. Here are just a few:
- Poshmark: It’s a website that thrives on second-hand clothes and other commerce items for men, women, and children.
- thredUP: This online consignment and thrift store also thrives on second-hand commerce and even has an easy access app for its clients.
- Letgo: This is a local-use app that allows you to buy and sell from your surrounding community.
- Mercari: This multinational e-commerce company allows you to trade your items in a safe and easy manner.
From experience, I would say if you have time to list your items yourself, Poshmark or Mecari are your best bets for making cash. ThredUP does not give much payout at all. If you’re not into worldwide selling, then you can sell your things online on eBay or Craigslist. If you can bling it up, then you can even put them up on Etsy.
Gather all your wardrobe items and accessories (then sell your things in a physical manner)
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If you’re not good at selling things online, then you can get rid of items from your closet physically as well. You can gather all your shoes, bags, accessories, and even the outdated jewelry that you don’t wear anymore and set up a garage sale. It’s a great way to interact with people while thinning out the clutter from your closet. Maybe get your family and neighbors to bring in their things as well.
However, interacting with so many people and setting up the whole thing can be overwhelming, not to mention time consuming. If it is not your cup your tea, then you can simply sell everything you got rid of from your closet to your nearest thrift stores. Different ones offer different prices but don’t expect too much. Also, if there’s something with a price tag, then you definitely won’t get full price on it.
It’s understandable that not everyone might have the skills to sell what they need for the desired price. If that is so, then you can simply go to a consignment store. They sell your required items but keep a small slice of profit for themselves.
Find out what sells best (and sell it across different platforms at once)
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Finding out what sells best is really what can ramp up your profits while you’re trying to declutter your closet. People have an inherent inkling to buy certain brands. They want to get stuff that’s popular – brands that have good name value. So you need to do your research on this market demand. Sift through your closet to find the things that are popular out there.
Remember: the things that you find beautiful or stylish are not guaranteed to sell well if they do not have the kind of brand outreach that people like. Most online selling platforms have handy seller guides. You can use to see what items people are really interested in at the moment. Then choose items from your closet accordingly.
While trying to find cult-favorite brands and popular items, you can get suitable information from online seller guides and list out which brands are hits. After that, you can ramp up your sales even more by investing in cross-listing, where you can list the same items across multiple platforms to get maximum results. There are many good cross-listing platforms out there, but you can check out Vendoo vs List Perfectly for some great results.
Picking out the cream of the crop (and renting it out)
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Most of us end up having so many fancy clothes and no place to wear them. More often than not, they just end up sitting in our wardrobe for a long time, unused and getting timeworn. You can pick these out, take some pretty pictures, and rent them out on a regular basis if you’re done wearing them yourselves.
There are so many great online platforms where you can rent things out. This about online communities on social media (think: Facebook marketplace). Or what about apps like Rent My Wardrobe. There are also online places like Rent the Runway or Le Tote. There are so many ways that you can make the most of your old clothes without completely giving them up.
Donate it all (and get a tax write off)
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Tax write-offs can reduce your taxable income on tax returns. Although they are a small benefit, they also give you the satisfaction of helping other, less privileged people. You need a donation receipt and the items from your closet you are getting rid of. Then you can begin to itemize your clothing donations for taxes.
It’s a simple matter of filling out the correct forms. Form 1040 has a Schedule A section where you can list the exact total amount of the things that you donated. Note that the rate is adjusted to the market value of things. Upon submission, you’ll be able to get a tax write-off.
Conclusion
With the advent of online buying and selling of used clothing items, now is an excellent time to make some money by pruning your closet. Moreover, it’s the era of the “capsule wardrobe”. People find it trendy to have a set number of interchangeable clothes that are absolutely classic and don’t go out of style. All you have to do is appraise the lifestyle you lead. Then track what you like to wear for at least 30 days. Keep those items only when you’re getting rid of items from your closet. It might be related to color or style preference, after which you can map out what your capsule wardrobe is going to look like!
I hope these tips help you to clear out the clutter and get rid of items in your closet and put some cash in your pocket!
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Gilles Couvreur is the founder of Crosslist, a productivity tool that allows sellers to list quickly on the world’s largest online marketplaces. In his free time, he loves to share simple tips that help resellers reach more customers.
