Over the weekend we talked about some eco-friendly ways to repurpose your clothing. But for the non-crafty kids out there, or for anyone who just wants to be a minimalist now, I wanted to touch onall the eco-friendly ways to get rid of it all. Ready? Okay.
- Goodwill, salvation army, or charity shops. They collect your gently-used stuff [not just clothing, in a lot of cases] and sell it, using the proceeds to fund job training, missionary work, medical research, or aid to disadvantaged people. So you’re helping the environment while you’re doing good things for others. A+! However, a quick note on this: these shops get thousands of pounds in clothing donations every year, and a lot of it gets thrown away or sold for scrap processing. Don’t donate anything that’s not in good enough condition to give to a friend or family member – anything that doesn’t meet this criteria can be cut up for rags or pillow stuffing. Got it?
- eBay. The best place for selling your old designer, name-brand, and rare/collectible items. I’ve never sold anything on eBay [though I've certainly bought a few things on it!], but eBay themselves have put together a handy guide on how to have a great auction. Have any other tips? Share them below.
- Etsy. Sell off your vintage clothing and other goods among a community of like-minded collectors. Etsy prohibits selling items that are under 20 years old, so keep that in mind. Also, you’re not supposed to sell handmade things that have been used, so that granny-square vest your grandma knitted you six years ago doesn’t qualify. Here’s a list of things to do to make your Etsy shop better.
- Gently-used resale shops. In high school, I used to take my old Abercrombie stuff [yes, I know, shut up] to Plato’s Closet and sell it for cash. Larger cities have places like Buffalo Exchange, where you can sell both high-end and low-end stuff and donate whatever they don’t want to buy. Anyone who’s a thrift fiend like I’m sure many of you are knows where your local shops are; for the rest of you, this is a good start for finding a place where you can sell your old clothes.
- Yard sale. Yes, it’s a little bit labor-intensive, so if you don’t have a ton of things to sell, it’s probably not your best option. If, however, you’re cleaning out your closet for the first time since 1998, this can be a great way to get it done quickly. Set a time and promote it; slash prices in half an hour before you close down to make sure that everything sells. If possible, call a local charity shop and see if they’ll come pick up whatever’s left at the end of the day.
- Shelters. Homeless shelters and domestic violence shelters always have clients that are coming in with literally nothing. They’d be glad to take your loot – you’ll be helping out people in a situation where they need it the very most. Here again, don’t give them anything that’s in such poor shape you’d hesitate to give it to a friend – homeless people might not have much, but they don’t have any more use for a holey, stained tee than you do, okay?
How do you get rid of your clothes? Any other ideas? Share ‘em in the comments!
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1 comment
tori says:
Aug 18, 2010
the buffalos in az were always super-picky with items they’d buy, but I always found the best stuff there to buy!
locally, I love love love the mustard seed. Christie prices items fairly and consigns fairly, too. if you can wait a while to get a return on your items, it’s so worth it. otherwise, like you mentioned, plato’s is quick and dirty, but they’re pretty overcrowded with stuff (the case for all of their local stores) and it’s hard to get a good price on higher-end items. like, they’ll sell your Steve Madden strappy pumps or Michael Kors ballet flats for $10 and you get $2 for them. :( so, yeah. quick & dirty.