Selling clothes online can be a great way to clear up your crammed wardrobe, get rid of last season’s fashion and make some extra cash while you’re at it.
You’re staring at a wardrobe filled with clothes, yet somehow, you still have absolutely nothing to wear… If you find yourself hoarding piles of clothes you never use, it’s time to clean out your closet and make some cash in the process.
Selling clothes online is easier than ever – there are now apps and services that have streamlined the process so even if you’re a newbie to the game, you can start making cash instantly.
We’ve put together a list of some of the top places to sell clothes online, as well as some helpful tips to help you make the most of your wardrobe.
Top sites for selling your old clothes
These are the best places to sell clothes online:
Depop
Best for: Pretty much everything, but vintage and quirky items sell best
Charges: Depop charges 10% of each sale (plus PayPal fees).
When it comes to finding the best sites and apps to sell (and buy) clothes online, Depop is the undisputed winner.
The app is designed just like Instagram – you upload a picture of your item in the usual square format (you can upload a series if you want), and add a caption underneath with more information, like the condition and description of whatever you’re selling.
Depop also gives you the option to set the prices and select the item size. For newbie sellers, the process of uploading your stuff and making your first sale is super easy.
You can sell pretty much anything that’s in your wardrobe on here, but vintage stuff tends to be the most popular, or high street clothes that have now sold out in-store.
If you’re looking to sell shoes, jewellery and even lifestyle stuff like posters, old books and records – literally anything goes. You can also make arrangements with other sellers to swap items if you can agree on a deal.
Find your niche, build a mini-brand and expand your followers – believe us, selling on Depop is even more addictive than Instagram.
Vinted
Best for: Everything, but upmarket high street brands (think Zara and Mango) tend to do best
Charges: None (buyers are charged a fee though).
Vinted is a huge online marketplace for selling clothes, with millions of users. It’s similar to Depop in that pretty much anything goes – you upload your items, set the fee and package things off when they’re sold.
However, in comparison to Depop, Vinted has a slightly older target audience – you’re more likely to find your mum on there. You might not be able to sell your 70s maxi floral dress on Vinted, but a classy Mango suit jacket is likely to be snapped up in minutes.
As with most platforms for second-hand clothes, if you’ve got anything that you’ve bought recently but doesn’t fit, it’s way more likely to sell than something from a few years ago.
Even better, if you can bag a popular high street item that sells out in store quickly, you’ll be able to sell it for twice the price on here.
eBay
Best for: You can sell literally anything on eBay
Charges: 10% charge on all sales (plus a 35p listing fee for any listings over the free monthly allowance of 1,000).
It might seem like the eBay boom is over now, but with millions of visitors every day, the site is still hugely popular and can be a great option for selling clothes online.
The great thing about eBay is that you can sell literally anything on there – but it can also be your downfall too.
The key to good business is trying to find out what people are searching for – look for niche markets or demands, and create listings that target key search terms.
Remember, there are also two selling options to go for. ‘Buy It Now’ allows you to set a non-negotiable price, but if you opt for an auction, buyers can place bids. This could mean your clothes sell for a lot more than you’d imagined – plus, you can set a starting bid, which means the item won’t be sold for a price you’re unhappy with.
Try to schedule your bidding to close on a Sunday, the busiest day of the week for the site. We’ve even got more advice on how to become an eBay pro.
ASOS Marketplace
Best for: Clothing entrepreneurs
Charges: £20 a month, plus 20% commission.
ASOS Marketplace isn’t for newbies or those just looking to make an extra few quid by selling their last season cast-offs – it’s for dedicated clothes sellers looking to establish their own business (or who already have one).
For example, you need to have at least 15 items listed in your boutique at all times, which can be quite an ask.
To get started you need to apply for a boutique – they’ll only consider you if you make your own unique clothing, have a large selection of high-quality vintage garments or you’ve already established yourself as an independent fashion label.
Compared to other options listed here, it’s quite pricey (and, as a buyer, your TOTUM card won’t work in the Marketplace either) but if you’re determined to have a career in high-end or retail fashion, having access to ASOS’ huge audience is a major plus.
Preloved
Best for: Selling your clothes online locally
Charges: Completely free.
A bit like Gumtree, Preloved is a free classified ads site that lets you list things to sell in your local area – it’s also one of the largest classified sites in the UK with an audience of millions.
The best thing about Preloved is there are no fees whatsoever and there’s a strong emphasis on location, so you might be able to sell clothes to people in your area and save on postage.
Make sure to fill in your profile so people know you’re a reliable (and real!) person. You also get three free pictures per ad, so use them wisely!
Facebook Marketplace
Best for: Selling locally
Charges: Completely free.
Facebook Marketplace isn’t known for being the most successful platform for selling clothes online, but since it’s completely free, it might be worth a shot.
The Marketplace allows you to upload items in the traditional way, but it has also been merged with Facebook selling groups.
These groups are normally specific to certain locations, like towns or boroughs, allowing you to potentially cut out postage costs by selling to people who live close enough to come and collect their items.
Don’t count on getting a great response for high-quality vintage or niche items, but if you’ve got a large bundle of clothing you want rid of, this might be a good way of selling it quickly and without charges.
Etsy
Best for: Selling homemade and vintage items
Charges: $0.20 listing fee, 5% transaction fee, 4% + £0.20 payment processing fee.
You might normally associate Etsy with selling homemade craft items, not second-hand clothes.
But if you make your own or upcycle clothing, then this could be a great way of standing out from the crowd.
Printed t-shirts or hand embroidered vintage clothing, for example, are great for selling on Etsy. Homemade jewellery or badges are also great for this site too.
Etsy does have strict rules on what you’re allowed to sell, however, so make sure you check the small print first.
Rebelle
Best for: Designer clothes and bags
Charges: 17% – 33%, or €20, commission depending on the price of your item.
If you’re lucky enough to own some designer clothes (that you no longer want) then Rebelle is one of the best platforms for selling them online – and getting a decent price.
Unlike the sites listed above, you list your item and then send it to Rebelle. They will verify the quality and authenticity of the item, essentially preventing any fraudsters from ripping anyone off.
Once the item is sold, they’ll post it off to the buyer and transfer the money to you.
There’s also the option to have Rebelle handle the selling process for you, but at £15 per item sold, we’d only recommend this if you’re selling a large number of expensive clothes.
So if you’ve got any Louis Vuitton or Prada handbags tucked away somewhere, you could really make some money selling them on Rebelle.
Tips for selling clothes online
- Take lots of clear photos of your items – Help the buyer envision themselves wearing the clothes you’re listing by taking photos with a good quality camera and lots of natural light. If possible, try and take a photo of someone wearing the item – it’s much easier for buyers to visualise what the item will actually look like that way.
- Try and find a niche – Do you have a particular style such as retro or vintage, or large quantities of a certain item like trainers or jewellery? If you can give your page a theme, you’ll attract loyal customers who’ll keep coming back for more.
- Maintain a good reputation – Be honest about the quality of the item you’re trying to sell, including if there are any stains or tears! Always respond to messages and feedback, and maybe throw in a little handwritten note thanking the buyer for shopping with you.
- Make your clothes presentable – It goes without saying, but give your items a good wash and an iron before you sell them. No one is going to want to buy a creased shirt!
- Ensure your descriptions are accurate – Make sure the sizes you’re advertising are spot on, and if something’s labelled as a size 12 but feels more like a 10, let shoppers know! Nobody likes buying clothes online that turn out to be the completely wrong size.
- Keep up with fashion trends – Certain things will come in and out of style, so jump on top of trends and make some cash from them.
- Think seasonally – Festival wear will sell better in summer, while people are more likely to be shopping for woolly coats in the winter. But if you’re selling to an international audience, keep their seasons and climates in mind too!
- Be realistic about pricing – Just because you bought it for £30, doesn’t mean you’ll get that when you resell it. In many cases, people aren’t prepared to pay as much for something second-hand as they would brand new from a shop, so don’t scare customers off with high prices.
- Don’t lose money on the postage – Check postage prices in advance and add that on top of the advertised selling price (most sites will have a separate section for this). You can splash out on tracked or signed for delivery, but as a minimum, you need to keep a hold of the proof of postage in case something goes wrong and your parcel doesn’t arrive.
Don’t forget that charity shops are always on the hunt for old clothes, so if you can’t sell some items or are feeling generous, consider donating your pre-loved garments to a worthy cause instead.
There are loads of ways you can make money from the comfort of your bedroom – here’s how to make money on social media.
Website: 24baze
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