Purging your closet is a great feeling, but have you ever wondered where all of the clothing you “donate” goes to? Goodwill is a common place to donate, and I think that’s great, but with the recent Marie Kondo craze there’s been an influx of unwanted items. These are accumulating at a rapid rate, so here is what I suggest to do with items that you don’t want anymore!
What To Do With Old Clothing After a Closet Purge
01. Sell them on Poshmark.
I’ve made a lot of money on Poshmark! Literally from items that sat in my closet unworn for years or that I bought and never wore. It’s easy to sell on there, and although they take a fee, you’re backed by their seller protection (which is excellent) and they figure out shipping for you. All you have to do is print a label, package it up, and drop it off. It’s my preferred way to sell clothing.
02. Sell them on eBay.
eBay has been around for a long time. If you have an item that a thrifter (like me) may be after, they’re going to check eBay. It’s another easy seller’s marketplace because of the seller + buyer protection. I believe shipping is connected to Paypal, so that is fairly easy too.
03. Sell them on your own.
If I don’t sell something on Poshmark, this is my third choice. My second is to consign locally (which you can read more about below). But selling clothing on my own is great because there are no fees associated with it other than shipping. I usually list them on my Instagram “shop” account and then delete the item once it’s shipped + received by the buyer. I use Paypal for the transactions. However, this requires an immense amount of organization, so I usually only do this for baby clothes. My clothes (which I sell in larger quantities usually stay more organized on Poshmark!)
04. Consign it locally.
I love consigning clothing locally. Here’s why: I don’t have to mess with shipping things. It takes time and resources. I also don’t have to stay super organized with it. I can package the things up, drop them off to be evaluated and come back to either cash or credit. Some places give you cash. (I’ve gotten over $100 before for random items I never wore!) Other’s give you consignment credit. This is great too because you can just use your old clothing to shop for new (to you) clothing. It’s a win-win. For you, and for the environment!
05. Consign online.
thredUP is a great option if you want to consign online! You basically do what I wrote out above for local consignment, but it’s all online. thredUP sends you a bag, then you send back the clothing in the bag. They send you back whatever they don’t need or can’t sell, but the others are sold and you receive cash or credit for those!
06. Donate it to a domestic violence shelter or other similar organizations.
If you have items that won’t sell in a local consignment shop or online, but maybe can go to use through donation then try that out. I always start with women’s shelters, or domestic violence programs, then branch out from there to Goodwill if I can’t find anywhere else.
07. Recycle or repurpose it.
During my closet purge, if I found clothing with stains or holes in them that couldn’t be sold or donated, I would cut them up for cleaning rags, make-up remover rounds, or other purposes around the house.
But if I had too many things to repurpose, I would take them to a small clothing recycling center near me. We had one by our local grocery store. But this is a total last resort. I try to sell, donate, or repurpose first! This pile should be small.
I hope this post about what to do with old clothing after a closet purge was helpful to you! Thank you so much for reading!
