Donations vs. Consignment ... my closet angst!

lyn*

There's a few items I haven't donated from my closet, even though they are definitely not fabulous and I have not been wearing them and they have been hanging in there for YEARS.

The problem is - they are far too expensive/not-worn to donate. I feel that this puts me in a bind - why would I donate things I see as lower value?

I have a problem letting go of the almost $200 BCBG sweater dress new with tags attached that I've never worn because it is soooo expensive. If I donated it; I don't think people would really appreciate it ... especially not in this town.

Any suggestions as to what to do about it?
a) Suck it up and donate?
b) Consignment shop? (I've never done this before)
c) Let it hang in my closet longer?
d) Maybe someone here wants it? :p

Thanks for your advice,
Lyn

14 years ago

Dressing

13 replies

Latest reply was from lamireille

Travelgal Nicole

Veteran

I would go consignment shop if you still have the tags on it. With consignment shops if they don't sell it you can pick it back up and then donate it. Unless somewhere here would like it....

14 years ago

(website)

Veteran

eBay!! It has been my saving grace lately. Especially if you still have tags on it, it will sell better than pre-worn items.
I sold my pencil skirt, that I decided had no place in my life, for $25. I bought it for $42, but a consignment shop would likely get $20 for it, and I would only get $8 out of that $20.

But if you are truly just interested in donation . . . I like me some BCBG!

14 years ago

sarah

Veteran

Lyn, you might be interested in the answer to this thread that I started quite awhile ago, now.

I ended up deciding to donate my better items to Dress for Success. But I don't have very much time to consign or do the ebay thing.

14 years ago

Lantana

Veteran

I vote (b)or (d) over (1) for the reason you mention, ie the clothes are more likely to go to a good home.

But in the end they are dead wood, aren't they? You spent the dollars long ago and wherever these clothes go now you will not know their fate.

14 years ago

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I have not recouped much of my cost in consigning. I had a brand new Michael Kors wrap dress with tags, went two rounds of consigning. Eventually I gave it to a friend. I had a $400 DKNY dress I got like $30 for. I've also lost money when dry cleaning costs were factored in.

14 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Personally, I have a HUGE problem with this type of thing.

I cannot bear to see my expensive stuff consigned for pittance when on top of it all the middle person makes money on the deal. It absolutely grates me. It feels a billion times better to donate to the needy (like DFS or the Salvation Army) or pass on to a good home like a friend or YLF member for free. This is precisely what I do with the items after a closet edit.

14 years ago

lamireille

Active Member

I just did (okay, *started*, with miles to go before I sleep) a major closet overhaul and although there were a lot of no-brainer donations (nice stuff, most of it, but I just knew I wouldn't wear it again), I still have a LOT of stuff. Some of the pieces are hard to get rid of because I bought them at a real store and paid real money for them, and I know that I simply have to put those behind me; that's not the hard part. The ones that are giving me a problem are the pieces that I *would* wear again but are just clogging up my small closet.

Has anybody had an epiphany that's helped them get rid of stuff they WOULD wear again but don't have room for? I've tried thinking of the people who would get a lot of enjoyment out of them, and as Angie says, it does feel good so that helps, but it doesn't quite make up for the difficulty I have in getting rid of things I still really like!

I'm too chicken to try eBay--I've read horror stories about buyers and would be brokenhearted at a negative feedback--and consignment stores don't pay enough to be worth the bother. So everything's going to be donated, and I'm okay with the loss of the money (although I also feel regretful...). I just still *like* this stuff!

13 years ago

christieanne

Veteran

I have decided that consigning clothes is too much of a pain - you have to dry clean it first and then don't get much for it. I had very good luck with shoes and handbags but obviously no dry cleaning. I had already asked every single person I knew if they wanted stuff (including my facebook friends) and then brought the shoes to consign.

With all of your moving, is it going to be easier to donate and let it go if you don't have a friend/relative who wants the things? I have been donating to a cancer society shop and the Children's Hospital shop instead of the bigger, more well known thrifts and that is an option - pick your cause

13 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

LaM - My friends and I have something we call a "Tonja loan," named after our friend Tonja from college.

Basically, whatever you give to a friend, if you need I back for any reason, you get it back. The other person can't pass it on without asking you first.

I have done many Tonja loans and have never once asked for anything back. It just makes it easier to let things go,

13 years ago

velvetychocolate

Veteran

I can't be bothered to get organized enough for e-bay, and I'm not all that inclined to try the consignment store route either. I save stuff up, and then donate it or give it away.

I don't really want to sell these things, and I even have a bit of a tough time donating to a place that will then sell it. Somehow, I feel better giving things away, or donating to a place where the item(s) will be given to someone who could use them at no cost to them.

I think it's partly because I already bought the item - I must have liked it at the time. So, in this respect, I feel like these things might still be 'good' even if they aren't for me.

Hmm...this might sound strange, but if you think of the money spent on the item - that money is 'energy' in a way, and I'd rather send that back out into the world than try and get it back. If it's not for me, then maybe it might be wonderful for someone else.

13 years ago

ManidipaM

Veteran

No solutions, Lyn, but watching this thread closely for ideas because I have a few of these 'wardrobe white elephants' too.

13 years ago

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

LOL; this is an old thread - my Salvation Army was recently very lucky I sent some of the nicer items for a charity auction they are doing

I like the services they have offered for some of my less fortunate patients, and so they were my charity of choice this year

13 years ago

lamireille

Active Member

ironkurtin--I am totally laughing at the idea of your naming these loans "Tonja loans"...! It's so funny that you and your friends all have this little joke about Tonja--and it's a good idea, too! It will really reduce my pangs of regret and it will also make me less sad about saying goodbye to something forever, even if I don't ever ask for it back (and like you, I'm sure I never will... the toughest obstacle for me with giving things away is that the parting is such sweet sorrow, and you've solved that problem!).

velvetychocolate--I love the concept of money being energy, and the idea of sending it back out into the world (instead of being stagnant, and even negative in a way, in my closet) is excellent! That will help a lot! For the items that I really like bunches, I'll try to imagine that my feelings about them are also positive energy and that they're going out into the world, too, to bless the people who will wear them instead of me.

Thank you both so much!

13 years ago

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