My January goals—selling to secondhand shops - YouLookFab Forum

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My January goals—selling to secondhand shops

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

At the start of the year, I seemed to think lots of things were imminent that have actually just happened. For example, I explored that sections of stores for the first time just a couple weeks ago. It was as delightful as I expected, and I plan to go back many times, alone and with visitors. Buying a sewing machine was a “maybe someday” thing that I’m now thinking of doing for real. And the bag of stuff to sell that I had ready to go is still waiting.

I’ve gotten lots of good advice on here about shopping secondhand. What about selling things that way? Everything is clean (several pairs of pants for my son were never worn (he’s 6’3” so things he’s outgrown are not necessarily children’s clothing)) and neatly folded. I will go during the times posted for selling items. What else do I need to pay attention to? Is there any point in sorting in any particular way?

Thanks for any advice you have for me!

General

22 replies

Latest reply was from Stagiaire Fash

Synne

Veteran

Selling is much harder than buying, in my experience. Will follow this thread for tips!!

LaPed

Veteran

It really depends on the individual store, in my experience. Some consignment/resale places have a minimum number of items, others have a maximum. Some only want items folded and in bags/boxes, some only want items on hangers. Some places like vintage, some only take items from the past few years. Some places will list what they're taking on their website/FB page, and others will list what they're *not* taking. And once you get there, what they keep is completely up to whichever clerk you get, and let's just say it's rarely an objective process. If you can, scope out places beforehand, figure out what their policies are, and if they have a particular set of brands/styles they prefer. I'll be curious to hear how it goes and what the secondhand shops are like in Berlin.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I have had really bad luck with trying that. The recycle shop didn’t like even some of my NZ designer stuff and said a pair of shoes was too worn that had literally 3 wears! I decided they had too young an aesthetic for me and they were very restrictive and rather unpleasant. I have sworn off even entering their store.
I sold one beautiful 1988 silk skirt through a vintage consignment store but the other items I took there didn’t sell so I brought them home again. And that store closed during the pandemic.
My one attempt several years ago to sell online on Trade Me ( similar to E-Bay) didn’t work either.
So sorry no advice!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Thanks JenniNZ. It’s helpful to hear your experience, though I’m sorry it was fo negative. I’ve picked out 2 shops that I think carry the sort of thing I’m hoping to sell. Beyond that, I don’t know what I can do—but maybe someone else will.

Irina

Veteran

I didn’t have a great experience with consignment stores, too. The store I used listed the brands they take and I had some of those brands to sell. They reduced the price after a couple of weeks on unsold items and sold it then. I paid commissions and got about 50% of what I expected. So, for a few years if I have something to sell, I list it on Facebook Marketplace. I like that I communicate with a potential buyer directly and decide if I want to lower the price.

The items that I sell are in “like new” or in new condition, mostly buying mistakes. I donate gently used clothes.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I'm excited about your sewing machine purchase! Lots of competent sewers on YLF, and there are great sewing communities you can join too.

I have no experience selling wardrobe items, but wish you luck. WOW, your son is tall

Sal

Veteran

I have tried selling on TradeMe (our version of EBay) and at consignment. I have sold things but the money has been neglible. It does all help, and I figure if someone buys something for $10 then it is more likely to be used than donation (sometimes).

I do think teen boys gear is probably a good seller though. Simple, easy to fit, known labels etc... My friends have had better success with teen gear than with adult women's clothing.

Hope it goes well!

Gigi

Veteran

It's really dependent on the individual store. There's no way to know until you try it. The consignment store that is my first choice for selling things is extremely picky. White items have to be bright white, everything has to be very well ironed, and things have to be in near-perfect condition. So I start there and then take the rejects to my second choice for consigning. The second shop isn't nearly as picky, but they still turn away quite a few of my items.

Sometimes an item can be in near-perfect condition, but the shop won't take it because of the label (I once had a beautiful real leather skirt from H&M's premium line that was refused solely because it was H&M). The shop might also refuse things that are in great shape simply because they know from experience that the shoppers who frequent the store don't like that type of item. I have had maxi skirts rejected for this reason.

I have found that unless the item is really nice, it's not always worth the trouble to make it look nice for consigning. Having to remove any little stains, bleach the item if it's white, launder the item, iron it, hang it, and cart it to the store and wait while they choose what they want is a lot of hassle for sometimes very little money. (The consignment stores I've dealt with give you 40% of the proceeds from your stuff.)

If some of your stuff gets rejected and the staff isn't in a rush, ask them why so that you can learn what works and what doesn't.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Sal, that’s very surprising about teen “gear”. There is a second bag of used mostly Hollister stuff that I had thought would be much more difficult to sell. I was thinking we might unload it as a “lot” on some site online. Maybe not!

Angie, yes, I’ve already gotten a little sewing machine advice at YLF and might ask for more. I admire the creativity some people here show in their sewing.

Irina, i don’t have super high hopes about prices. We have said for ages that we were going to put this stuff online, but neither of us seems keen on actually doing that. Subway tickets there and back will set me back €4.75, so that’s the minimum.

LaPed, I don’t know how I missed your reply earlier! I’ve found out as much as I can, I think, about how to take stuff to these shops, so am now just crossing my fingers.

Synne, you are ahead of me, because you sure do know your way around second hand stores as a shopper—you have picked up some great things!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Gigi, thanks for your detailed comment. I’ve been wondering about the Uniqlo sweaters (his) and Bsrshka pants (would’ve been mine) in this bag. They are new with tags, but the wrong tags. These aren’t consignment stores; they’re the kind that buys (or not) your stuff straight up. Seems simpler to me that way. But like you I think that maybe if people are paying for the item, they are more likely to use it somehow.

Joy

Veteran

Do not expect to make any money on consignment. It is like giving it away but someone who really wants it may be more likely to get it. Packing and sending things can be a pain too. I give it away if I can. I recently gave my DDIL a pile of stuff to go though and try on. She gave most of it back so it will go to a local thrift store when they are open to taking donations again.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Joy, we are fortunate to live in a big enough city that I hadn’t even considered packing things up and mailing them.

rachylou

Veteran

It’s easier to sell to stores that cater to college-age kids and buy outright. I worked in a consignment shop for awhile and I find it too difficult to consign…

anchie

Veteran

Just recently I sold bunch of stuff on Zalando. I did not get a lot of money but better than nothing. Process is easy breezy and quick. You upload photos of your items, they tell you how much you will get for it. If you agreed to the price you pack everything up, they send you free shipping label and that is it. Within few days I got credited on my Zalando account. You can then spend it on new or used items there.

cat2

Veteran

Our local consignment store only takes a limited list of designer brands. We were selling bridge level clothing and mall brand purses and shoes on eBay, but they recently changed policies and requested our Social Security number, I guess so tax authorities can find us? Anyhow, that’s a complete non-starter from a privacy prospective and we donated our eBay pile. Finding a place to donate was also hard, we drive everything to our cabin and donate at a thrift therecthat is glad to see us. The thrift store in our city turns donors away.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Rachylou, that’s the kind of shops I’m looking at. Consignment just sounds like a headache for little reward.

Anchie, heaven knows I’m on Zalando! Some of the pants my kid never wore are from there. That will be my next choice if this doesn’t work out.

Cat2, eBay asking for your social security number even surpasses Facebook refusing to let me back on without uploading my ID. There are Humana stores in town where I think we could donate, but the general difficulty finding a spot speaks to the issue of too much clothing in the system and how unlikely it is that things will be used.

cat2

Veteran

FI: If you can’t find a place to sell or donate, you can check to see if your town has a fabric recycling program.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Cat2, thanks for the idea. I haven’t looked into what Berlin offers, have been thinking Humana for unwanted clothing, or maybe the bag to trade in at H&M, which is worn-out clothing.

I hemmed and hawed over whether to take the stuff along to a doc appt in the same part of town as the stores earlier today, decided it was too heavy to take when I wasn’t sure I could get rid of it all. Good thing, because when I called this afternoon, he said he was totally full, so we made an appointment for next Wednesday.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

I have sold a reasonable,amount of things on eBay but it is a lot of work for not much return .l am just about to close my account down with them now as sadly some of the bad things you hear about eBay are revealing themselves and l don’t want the aggravation .l think l will go back to donating my clothes to charity.l find that most people only really want new or almost new stuff at very low prices.

Allie

Our local consignment store closed down in the pandemic... sounds like it might be a broader trend.

Agree with others that consignment is unlikely to net substantial money, but I like it since it feels the items are more likely to find a good home than donations that end up recycled more often than not. I used to sell trendy clothes on Ebay in my school years, but now find that is more work than it is worth.

I now use ThredUp and TheRealReal since they make it super easy. Just throw in a box with prepaid lable and ship it off. ThredUp has some deals with partner brands (including Cuyana and MM. Lafleur, which I frequent) to get an extra 25% when you "sell" for credit to that store. They usually consign the higher priced items for you and just buy from you cheaper ones. TheRealReal focuses on high-end designer brands, but I have found the resale value better than ThredUp if your clothes qualify. I don't use them too much, but have an occasion dress cycle where I buy consigned dresses, wear a few times, and resale them. It is kind of like dress rentals, but works better for me. I am a sucker for a beautifully made occasion dress, but can't justify the cost-per-wear otherwise.

Good luck on the sewing machine! I have a resolution to bring mine out more this year. Active sewing new items devolved into making small tailoring adjustments to gathering dust post-kiddo. But then I'd never go to the tailor since "I can just do that myself", but never did

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Buyers also may pass because they have too much in your size, or they have too much of that specific item in your size. It helps to look at the store to see what they carry/who they sell to. One store by me only carries inexpensive brands that high school students would buy. Another two are designer items only. One consignment store overpriced my items so they didn’t sell, I wish they had reduced the price instead of having me pick them up.
Good luck!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Update: the place where I had an appointment is a consignment shop. I didn’t know thst. Also had no idea of prices, so as we went through and decided what to ask for things, I went along with the guy’s suggestions at first, until we were about halfway through. If all of the 18 items they accepted sell, I think I’ll get around €100.

Allie, I tried selling on thread up when we were in the US—after one bag, the site never said they were accepting when I checked it. I agree with you about things bought from consignment shops being more likely to be used.

BD, I wasn’t expecting a ton of money anyway; maybe I can be glad to have avoided your dilemma of things being priced too high to sell.