BLOG: Get More $$ For Your Clothes At The Secondhand Shop

Is your closet full of gently used clothing that no longer sees the light of day? Have you contemplated bringing your inventory of oldies-but-goodies to the local vintage shop?

After Lemondrop readers shared their thrift store horror stories, we swore we’d never put ourselves at the mercy of a disgruntled Buffalo Exchange employee again.

But several shop owners wrote in defense of the clothing resale biz and convinced us to give it another shot, while helpfully providing their best advice on making a successful secondhand sale. Here, seven insider tips on turning your fashion castoffs into cold, hard cash:

1. Be choosy. Secondhand and consignment stores can only buy merchandise that they genuinely believe they will be able to mark up and sell, so pick and choose accordingly. Only bring items that are in good condition and still in style.

2. Find a shop that suits you. Secondhand shops vary in the merchandise that they carry. You’ll have better luck if you browse the racks at shops you’re interested in before selling to figure out if your clothing looks like something they’d buy. (Don’t, for example, offer your old ball gown to a store that doesn’t sell formal wear.)

3. Call ahead: After you’ve decided on a shop, call ahead to find out what the store is looking for. Is there an item limit? Do you need to bring your items on hangers? What seasons’ clothing are they currently buying? What are they not interested in? “Many times there’s nothing wrong with what you’re bringing in,” says Barb, a plus-size consignment shop owner. “We just have too much of the same thing at that time.”

4. Pretty them up. Yes, it’s kind of like cleaning for the cleaning lady, but you should wash and clean the clothes before selling them. It’s a matter of presentation. Also, know that you’ll have a more challenging time trying to sell shrunken, faded or outdated clothing. Anything with stains, holes or questionable odors is probably a no-go.

5. Trash the trash bags. “Throwing items into large trash bags gives the impression that even you think of it as trash,” says Creeve. “When items are nicely folded, clean and organized, it means that you’ve taken the time to go through them and present them for sale.” Bottom line: Present the clothes as if you’re a boutique owner, and you could profit like one.

6. Take them one bag at a time. The larger the volume of articles to sort through, the greater the likelihood the store will turn more items down. Says Carmen, “You will have better luck taking less quantity more often, than huge quantities less often.”

7. Try online. “Since we sell higher-end pieces that people want to have in their closets, if you have items older than three years old that you think of are value, try selling them on eBay or Craigslist,” says Rachel. In order to make the most money, put yourself in a potential buyer’s shoes: They’re more likely to click on an item with high-quality, color photos and clear, accurate descriptions.