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People’s wardrobes and wallets were hit by the one-two punch of the pandemic and the now looming recession. With offices opening slowly, people are wondering if they can afford the gas to get there. While companies went on a hiring binge as soon as lockdown ended, according to a Deloitte back-to-school survey, 33% of households with children reported that their financial situation worsened. Not only are prices for everything rising almost weekly, but consumers are also dealing with shrinkflation. That’s when items shrink in size, but the prices for the tinier items go up.
Married or single, everyone’s feeling the squeeze. Fun items you bought during lockdown or the early days of work from home might help you get out of a jam. If your finances could use a little help, or you need to get rid of clothing that’s no longer you, the answer’s in your closet. Just like you shopped online, you can turn around and sell it online for a profit.
Before COVID, the luxury resale market was huge; it hit $24 billion in sales. That data includes high-end websites like The RealReal and the not-so-high-end ThredUp. The online resale market is projected to reach $51 billion by 2023. Why not sell your stuff and grab some of that profit? We’ve all read the stories about people who started selling their clothing online and then expanded to selling so much more that their side hustle became their main job. How did they do that? What’s their secret? How to sell clothes online, and how to make a profit? Let us will explain it all.
What Clothing Can You Sell Online?
Go through your closet and create a pile of everything you’re no longer wearing. Whether you’ve lost weight, gained weight or changed your style, clothing, shoes and accessories; selling what you’re no longer using could mean major money in the bank.
Take anything frayed, damaged, worn or in bad condition out of that pile. If you wouldn’t buy it in that condition, chances are, you won’t find a buyer that will take it either. If an item needs to be dry cleaned to sell, do it. I once had a designer skirt with a small stain; after taking it to a dry cleaner for a fix, I was able to sell it online for over $200.00. A small investment can lead to a significant profit.
Suppose you own high-end luxury items and don’t want to spend time doing all the nitty-gritty work involved in creating an online listing to sell them. In that case, I strongly suggest you send the items to online consignment stores specializing in that market. They do the heavy lifting, and you get the money (less a small commission).
How to sell clothes online smartly? Decide which online resale shops will take unused or lightly used bags, barely worn shoes, designer clothing, seasonal must-haves and certain types of accessories. Items like designer belts are particularly easy to sell online, while everyday t-shirts are better sent to Goodwill. Sending as much to one shop as possible saves you from multiple shipping costs.
How to sell online clothes yourself? You can divide up items that can be sent to high-end consignment stores, and then the rest, you’ll list yourself. How much should you list an item? Check online sites and apps to see what similar items sold for and price accordingly. As an FYI, you can place that listing in more than one site or app when creating listings for an item. As soon as it sells from one site, delete it from all others. The idea is to get as many eyeballs as possible on the item.
Finally, a warning: Online platforms that sell used clothing tend to be very selective, and for good reason. Clothing you purchased from fast-fashion stores will get rejected 99.9% of the time, as will anything with noticeable wear and tear. Don’t waste your time trying to sell items with deodorant stains, missing buttons or fading. In general, designer clothing and accessories will always be in demand, whereas last season’s fashions from Uniqlo or J.Crew aren’t going to work.
Tools You Need To Sell Clothing Online
Have you ever shopped online and come across a cool photo, but when you read the description, it was so lacking that you couldn’t bring yourself to buy it? Don’t be that guy. You want to be that guy who’s selling, selling, selling. Look at how product and item descriptions are written, and use the ones you like as a template. To have the most appealing listing, you’ll also need a couple of things:
1. Tape measure
Including the size and the item’s measurements in a listing is always a good idea. Most brands and designers cut big or small. Adding measurements is an excellent way to help ensure a sale.
For shirts, measure the shoulders end-to-end, sleeve length from the should down to the cuff and length from the top of the collar to the hem. For pants, measure the waist, inseam and outseam. For blazers and outwear, measure the shoulders and sleeves the same as you would a shirt, and center back from below the collar (where it sits at the back of the neck) to the bottom hem.
This tape measure has inches on one side and centimeters on the other. It’s very similar to the tape measures tailors use.
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2. Hanging Mannequin
One thing I’ve learned from selling clothing online is that clothing sells better when it’s on a person or a mannequin. Go ahead and take a selfie wearing the item you’re selling. You can pick up a hanging mannequin if you’re not in the mood to model clothing. There are plenty that are not expensive and easy to dress, and if you’re planning on selling a lot of shirts or jackets, you’ll get your investment back in a few sales.
Hang it in front of a solid background, like a curtain rod or the back of a closed door. When taking photos of the mannequin wearing the shirt or jacket, don’t forget to take photos of the back too. If you’re selling a blazer or jacket, show a few photos of the inside. You may want to turn the item inside out and shoot the lining. If a buyer sees it’s flawless, they’ll buy it. Remember, the more photos you have of an item you’re selling, the more enticing it looks to a buyer.
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3. Male Dress Form
If you plan to sell suits, pants or don’t want to deal with hanging something up on the above item to photograph it, definitely pick up a male dress form. Sometimes called a mannequin, these forms beautifully show how a sweater, hoodie, or blazer will lay on the body. You can take the form off the stand and dress it in jeans, trousers, or shorts. Simply run the pole up the leg, and voila! You’re showing an object how it will look (more or less) on the buyer. While this is a pricier investment than the hanging version, if the merch you’re planning on selling is at least twice the cost of this dress form, you’ll make money back quickly.
Again, set the from in front of a plain background. When taking photos of the mannequin wearing the shirt or jacket, don’t forget to take photos of the back too. The more photos you have of an item you’re selling, the more enticing it looks to a buyer.
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Photos and Product Description Best Practices
Selling clothes online like a pro often comes down to photos and product descriptions. When shooting photos of your items, ensure the area is clean and well-lit. Whether you’ve got them on a hanger, flat on a table or draped on a mannequin, take one full picture of the front and one of the back, and detail shots of any cool details the item may have. If it’s shoes, take a photo of the soles and bottom to show how worn or unworn they are. You might also want to take close-up photos of the laces or other details on the shoes.
When writing the listing, the more information you can provide, the more likely a buyer is to click that “buy it now” button. Write out the brand name and whether you’ve worn it. Use phrases such as “never worn,” “barely worn,” or even “given as a gift, I loathe it, please buy it” works. If the tags are still on the item, highlight that and take a photo. Add fabric content and color if it has special washing instructions, and don’t forget to list what it is.
How Do You Get Paid?
Many online clothing resellers will send you payment by direct deposit or check. Others will send you payment only via payment apps such as Paypal, Venmo or even their proprietary payment system. If you don’t have a Paypal or Venmo account, set one up before you start selling. If you’re using eBay or any other platform responsible for invoicing the customer, for the love of God, don’t send your stuff out until you’ve got the money. No money, no goodie.
Dealing With Disputes from Buyers
Many of the big companies will handle returns, disputes and customer complaints. To protect yourself, keep all correspondence within the site or app that you sold the item. Do not delete any emails. Some sites like eBay will not step in unless you ask them for help. If a buyer has bought an item and decides they want you to give them a discount after the item has shipped, you don’t have to. If it escalates, you can make the vendor support department aware of what you’re dealing with. Honestly, rude buyers rarely happen, but it’s always a good idea to read how each company handles such issues ahead of time.
Now that you’re armed with all that knowledge, below are 17 sites where you can sell your clothing and other gently used items online. How to sell clothes online for profit like the mega sellers do? After using a few of these sites, you’ll get a feel for what’s hot and what’s selling. Many sites and apps have virtual workshops where you can pick up information on how to make selling clothing online a very profitable side hustle. If you can, read all their manuals and join their virtual meetings. Who knows, maybe a few months down the road, you’ll be making 10K a month just by selling men’s jeans online.
The Best Places To Sell Clothes Online
When you’re ready to sell your clothing online, you’ll need to choose an auction site or online consignment store to work with. Below, we’ve ranked and reviewed the top sites for selling clothes online. While sites like ThredUp and Facebook Marketplace are good options for beginners, more experienced resellers might have more luck on sites like Etsy and The ReaReal.
Check out the top sites for selling used clothes, with comparisons of their selling options, payment process, selection system and commission rates.
1. Poshmark
With Poshmark, not only can you sell clothing, accessories, shoes and watches, but you can also get rid of unwanted gifts, unopened fragrances and even unopened grooming products. You can list almost anything you need to offload on the site. It also has a healthy designer section as well. Poshmark is women-centric, but it also has a thriving men’s selection.
While you can view items on the website, everything happens on the Poshmark app, so download it. While you can list it and forget it, getting involved is the real trick to making money there. If you’re paying close enough attention, you might hit one of the site’s themed parties. According to the Poshmark Seller Guide, parties consist of sellers who are in good standing and Poshmark Ambassadors. These sellers can also invite co-hosts to share their favorites from other Poshers.
In short, Poshmark sales rely heavily on seller involvement. The more you’re involved, the more eyeballs hit your listings; it’s that simple. Be aware that buyers will likely send you messages asking you to lower prices, or if they’re doing a bundle (buying from various buyers in one shot), they’ll expect you to lower your price. Because Poshmark handles payment via direct deposit, you won’t have to chase buyers to pay up.
When an item is sold, you download the mailing label and send it on its way. For sales under $15, Poshmark’s flat fee per item is $2.95. Anything above that price, Poshmark takes 20% of the item’s sale. Personally, I only make sales when I join the various themed parties and keep posting what I’m selling. If I don’t do the parties, I don’t get sales.
The Bottom Line: Because of its wide selection and easy-to-use app, this is our top recommendation for selling clothing online. More experienced sellers, or those with more expensive designer clothing, should also consider sites like The RealReal and eBay. However, for the average person wondering how to sell clothes online, Poshmark is a great place to start.
2. The RealReal
The RealReal has positioned itself as the crème de la crème of online reselling. It’s the perfect place for hoarders of luxury, high-end and designer brands to divest themselves of their excessive shopping. The company sets the item’s price, and rarely can you talk it into raising it. The RealReal will happily resell your designer clothing, shoes, accessories, scarves and watches.
Clothing and accessories must be nearly pristine, or they’ll mail them back to you. Go through their designer directory to ensure they’ll take the brands you want to sell before you spend on sending. The only exceptions are watches and jewelry. It takes scratched watches with fraying bands and jewelry that’s slightly worn.
Items stay online until they’re sold. After a set time, it will reduce the price, and your cut will reflect the lower price it sold for. As a seller, you start with a 55% commission on items sold; after selling $1,500 worth of merch, your commission jumps up to 60%, and when you’re selling 10K worth of merchandise, you get 70% commission on everything sold.
To send, you can either print out a mailing label on the site to send in your stuff, or if you live near one of the brand’s brick-and-mortar stores, you can schedule an at-home pickup or an appointment to drop the clothing off. After your initial appointment, you can stop by a store and drop off stuff anytime.
The RealReal pays via direct deposit. As someone who uses The RealReal, I’m pleasantly surprised with an almost monthly direct deposit from them. And yes, I have gotten stuff rejected.
The Bottom Line: The best option for buying and selling used designer clothing online.
13. StockX
Known as the place to pick up hard-to-find sneakers, StockX also resells electronics, collectibles, trading cards, clothing, accessories, and NFTs. Geared towards guys, this is a phenomenal place to window shop and get rid of gear. You can list items two ways: highest bid or a set price. Once sold, the item is shipped to StockX for verification. Once it passes that test, it’s shipped to the buyer. You have two days to ship it out. Otherwise, you must pay a 15% of the total amount penalty. StockX has a seller level that you use to assess fees from sales. The higher the level, the smaller the percentage they take out. For example, if you sell six items and the total amount of sales is $1500, they take a 9% transaction fee. If you make $30,000 in sales, the percentage drops to 9%.
The Bottom Line: This is your marketplace if you have rare, one-of-a-kind sneakers or collectibles.
4. eBay
eBay is the OG of self-eCommerce, aka how to sell clothes online, aka get rid of all your extra crap. You can sell your clothing via an auction or use the “Buy It Now” feature and operate as a more traditional store. Auctions run for seven days, and you can list up to 250 auctions per month for free. “Buy It Now” features run for 10 days, which is best for items with a fixed selling price. As a seller, you can add a handling and shipping fees to auctions and BINs. You also have the option to sell worldwide.
After the auction ends, eBay will charge you a final value fee ranging from 10.2% for clothing and accessories that sell for under $100.00 up to 12.85% for more expensive items, including watches and jewelry. Due to the proliferation of other resale sites, eBay doesn’t get as much traffic as before. However, you can still make sales via the site, especially If you’re selling niche items such as sneakers, vintage clothing, jewelry, watches and clothing bundles.
As a seller on eBay, you are responsible for mailing out items to your customers. Do not ship anything out until you have received payment. If you have quality items, especially designer wear or collectibles such as rare sneakers, you can make some serious coin on eBay! At one point, I was selling clothing on the site for between $1,000 and $1,100 a month. That meant I had to have at least five live auctions a week, every week.
The Bottom Line: The OG auction site is still one of the best places to sell clothes online, full stop. If you have the time to take photos, write descriptions, answer questions and ship products, eBay can be the side hustle you’ve been searching for.
5. Depop
Depop is where the cool kids hang out. You could easily stumble upon a DJ, model, actor or someone who’s Insta-famous selling their clothing and accessories there. It’s an excellent place to sell vintage, Japanese brands, and high-end merch. Based in the U.K., it has a global reach, with buyers and sellers coming together worldwide. Sellers are charged a 10% fee for any item sold, and you can download a shipping label right from the site or app. There’s an option where the company will also ship the item to the buyer.
The Bottom Line: Simple and straightforward platform offering the latest fashions.
6. Etsy
With Etsy, you can spend 47 cents a month and have your very own storefront, which allows you to pick your store name, upload your photos and set a price for each item. As with Poshmark, being social is integral to the selling strategy. When creating a listing, ensure that you’re using keywords so that if someone is searching for a particular brand, your item may show up when they’re Googling it. You may also want to create a Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram account to publicize what you have in your store. Out of the three options, the easiest to do is to set up an Instagram account with your Esty store in its bio. Once you’ve uploaded the photo of the item and written a short description (with keywords), you can let it passively direct customers to your shop.
In addition to keywords, you might want to create a Twitter handle for your store and an Instagram page where you can showcase what you’re selling and generate social traffic to your shop. Etsy charges sellers a listing fee of 20 cents per listing, a 3.5% transaction fee and a 3% processing fee.
As a seller, you have an option to allow Etsy to process transactions or get money from buyers. As someone who has an Etsy store, I say do it. Let the site do the heavy lifting, so all you have to do is pack up that shirt, download and print that mailing label and then walk it to the post office. If you don’t have to chase down a buyer for money, don’t do it.
The Bottom Line: In recent years, Etsy has prioritized the needs of businesses over individual sellers and artisans. However, Etsy can connect you to a huge audience of shoppers, so if you have many items to sell, this is one of our top recommendations. The site does charge a listing fee, so be selective in the items you add to your store.
7. Mercari
Mercari has both a website and an app to sell unwanted clothing. Like Poshmark, you upload your images onto the app, create a description, and you’re done. However, you’re not limited to selling just clothing. The company takes a flat 10% fee off of every sale as well as a 2.9% processing fee for every sale transaction. You can opt for either direct deposit or instant cash payments from the site. I have friends who religiously shop there but don’t know anyone who’s sold items on the site. The company also offers low shipping rates for sellers.
The Bottom Line: A good Poshmark alternative with an app that makes it easy to buy and sell.
8. Crossroads Trading
Crossroads Trading has stores across the country and a website, although the site doesn’t showcase active inventory. If you’re interested in selling your clothes online, request a pre-paid UPS bag, pack it with stuff, and you’re good to go. It sets the price per item, and you can either pocket 30% of what they would price the item for or get 50% in trade.
Crossroads Trading can be very selective on brands and types of goods it is willing to accept, so visit the website to see what it’s looking for now. If you’re looking for quick cash and have excellent clothing taste, this might work for you. If they do reject your clothing, you have the option to have it sent back to you, or they will donate it to a charity for a small fee. As someone who has only sold at their stores, I can only tell you that the physical stores’ pricing is fair.
The Bottom Line: We love Crossroads Trading’s physical stores, and their online options are also super convenient. Remember that everyday clothes from J.Crew or Banana Republic aren’t likely to sell, as Crossroads is looking for more popular and designer brands. Off-season clothing may also be rejected. This is a great option to get your rejected clothing back or donate it to charity.
9. ASOS Marketplace
ASOS does more than sell fast fashion; it has its own ASOS Marketplace where you can pick up vintage clothing and new stuff from emerging brands. It should be said, ASOS Marketplace is not for the casual seller. To sell on the site, you must create your own boutique filled with either actual vintage items or your own designs. Items cannot be drop-shipped, pre-sold or anything like that. ASOS has very stringent rules for sellers and customer service within its Marketplace, so it’s like running a small business within a mega business site.
The Bottom Line: This is only a good option for experienced sellers or business owners with a significant amount of time and used clothing to sell online.
10. ThredUP
When ThredUP’s IPO went live in March 2021, the ThredUP stock price shot up in seconds. You have likely seen its ads on TV, and while it likes to bill itself as a thrift store, that’s not exactly true.
By definition, thrift stores are the retail arms of nonprofit organizations. Monies generated from said stores go back into said nonprofits. In reality, ThredUP is an online consignment store, just like Poshmark, Mercari, et al. This is the perfect place to dump your ex’s clothing and accessories quickly and easily. Request a free pre-paid bag, known as a clean-out kit, fill it up with your finest used clothing, send it back, and the ThredUP team does the rest.
They price, photograph and sell the best items, just like TheRealReal, and you receive a direct deposit after your stuff is sold. While it sounds easy peasy, you won’t get a payment until a specific threshold is met. Even then, you never get the entire amount. Instead, you’ll have a “store credit” sitting there, and it will periodically email you, trying to entice you to shop online. However, there are some great deals to be found, so it’s not such a bad deal.
The Bottom Line: ThredUp is a super convenient option for fashionistas cleaning out their closet. If you don’t want to deal with taking photos or dealing with buyers, this is the perfect service for you. Unfortunately, ThredUp only deals in women’s clothing, so men are out of luck.
11. LePrix
LePrix partners with high-end consignment shops across the country and acts as their online showcase. If you’re not near any of its brick-and-mortar partners, it offers a “White Glove Service” for consignments and will send you a pre-paid label and kit to mail back.
Once on the site, it’s easy to lose oneself window shopping. While the site is geared towards women, it does have a respectable men’s section. The FAQ section doesn’t give any information on commissions or payments, which means it would rather have you walk into one of their partner shops instead of mailing anything in.
The Bottom Line: A solid option for sellers with designer clothing and accessories to sell.
12. Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is like Craigslist, may it rest in peace, only powered by Facebook technology, which is both good and bad depending on how you feel about Facebook. You can rent an apartment, sell a game console or buy a pair of shoes… all in under an hour. Upload photos, make a listing and boom! You’ve got a sale going on.
Facebook doesn’t take a cut, so 100% of the money goes back into your pocket. If you decide to sell on Facebook Marketplace, be smart and do the transaction in a public place if possible. There’s always an urban myth about how people have gotten mugged when selling from their houses. Doing the exchange where there are other people around, if possible, lessens the chance of you getting bopped on the head.
The Bottom Line: Facebook Marketplace is a great option for people who miss Craigslist. It’s also a good last resort for clothing that can’t be sold through the other options listed here. (Warning: some customers on Facebook Marketplace can be pushy and annoying.)
13. Rebag
Rebag started as a way for women to easily resell their luxury handbags. The site grew, and now men are selling their designer bags, luxury watches, scarves and, yes, even suitcases. Spotted on the site recently was a Gucci child backpack ($1140), a Tag Heuer Aquaracer watch ($895) and a Hermes Eiffel Briefcase Courchevel ($1480).
To sell clothing online with Rebag, you can submit detailed photos to the website or drop items off at a Rebag location. After verifying that it’s not a fake and is in near-perfect condition, you will receive an offer. Should you accept the offer, the Rebag team will send you money within a few days, and voilà — You’ve made a sale.
The Bottom Line: A great option for men and women trying to turn designer accessories into extra cash.
14. Tradesy + Vestaire Collective
While Tradesy is another site created with women in mind, the online reselling site has menswear and accessories. Take a photo, create a listing, and now it’s live on the site. Tradesy takes a $7.50 commission on items under $50 that are sold, and for items over $50, it will take $9.80. They’ve partnered with Vestaire Collective for menswear so that you can sell those Gucci loafers, menswear, or a watch.
The Bottom Line: A perfectly good option for selling men’s and women’s clothing online. The site doesn’t have as large a footprint as sites like The Real Real or ThredUp.
15. Grailed
If you are a buyer (and therefore, now a seller) of on-trend clothes, try selling your gently used items on Grailed. Categories include streetwear, techwear, luxury, vintage, minimal and avant-garde fashion. You can use the app or website to sell and shop. Sellers are charged a 9% commission fee per sale, and since it uses PayPal to expedite funds to your account, you will be charged a PayPal processing fee determined by your destination.
The Bottom Line: An excellent platform for finding and selling recently purchased and on-trend clothing, especially in the streetwear category.
16. Galaxy
Galaxy recently went through a very robust round of funding. They raised $7 million and have created a resale app for solo entrepreneurs like you and established resale stores. Their POV, or raison d’etre, if you will, is sustainability. For every item sold, it’s one less item clogging a landfill. While there’s information on their website, all business is conducted via their app. They don’t collect fees from sales. Among their sales tools, you have the option to host your own live show on the app. Show off your goods, sell them, and interact with buyers. App reviewers rave about how easy it is to sell items on the site. One review stated they made a sale right after they listed their first item. As of now, the app is available only for iPhones.
The Bottom Line: With so many ways to reach buyers and their low fees, this site could net you some serious cash.
17. Rebelstork
While this is not a clothing or accessory resale site, If you’re a parent with a little one or two, Rebelstork can help you make bank on all the items your kids have grown out of. They take strollers, car seats, playmats, toys, so many things, heck, even furniture. They’re currently servicing the greater Toronto, Vancouver, and New York City areas. They offer pick-up and drop-off locations in those cities. After an in-house look-over, they’ll list and sell your items. Then send you payment via direct deposit. They have a sliding payment scale. For example, items that sell at $250, you’ll receive 70% of the sale price. If an item sells for $50 or under, you receive 20% of the sale.
The Bottom Line: A resale site that’ll pick up a crib and sell it for you? You can’t go wrong.