How to Sell Clothes Online (and the Brands that Sell Best)

By Stacy Garrels

You’ve spied your closet bursting at the seams, and the time has come to tackle it. Selling clothing online can be rewarding, especially if you are someone with an eye for fashion.

Top Ten Ways To Sell Clothes Online

Making money by selling clothes online can be a simple way to bag the excess in your life. To optimize your sales, be selective about what you sell. Choose items that are still in good condition, a vintage piece that has aged well, or quality designer clothes that you only wore a few times. Everything else can go to charity.

1. Know the Brands that Sell

Some clothing items sell better than others. Some brands have great re-sale value, some don’t. And some brands have particular items (i.e. Rockstar Jeans) that sell well while other goods sell for pennies on the dollar.

It’s always great to try and recoup some costs when clearing out your closet, but it can be frustrating to spend several hours listing multiple garments that don’t sell at all, or that go for garage sale prices (i.e. a quarter).

50 Brands to Resell for Top Dollar

adidas
Alice + Olivia
Anne Taylor
Anthropologie
Athleta
BCBG
Bebe
Burberry
Canada Goose
Coach
Columbia
Crocs
Dale of Norway
Diane Von Furstenberg
Eileen Fisher
Elvenses
Everlane
Field and Flower
FLAX
Free People
Frye
H&M
J. Crew
Kate Spade
L:ily Pulitzer
Levi’s (vintage)
lululemon
Madewell
Michael Kors
Moschino
MOTHER
Nike
Old Navy (Rockstar Jeans)
Patagonia
Pendleton
PINK Victoria Secret
Polo (golf shirts)
Rag & Bone
Reformation
St. John
Spyder
Tahari
The North Face
Theory
Tom Ford
Top Shop
Tracy Reese
UGG
Under Armour
Zara

There are plenty more brands that sell well, but these ones do extremely well on re-sell sites like eBay, Poshmark, and Mercari.

Kids Brands Are a Different Beast

Children’s brands are a different beast. Just because the brand has good resale value for adult sizes, don’t expect the same for baby and kid’s sizes. And many children’s brands (i.e. Carter’s) are always on sale, making it tough to determine what a good purchase price is and what a good resale price is. Unless you have kids you regularly shop for, this can be a harder market to get a feel for.

Some kids brands that do resell well are Hanna Andersson, Alice + Ames, Childhoods Clothing, Remie Girl, Mini Boden Kids, Jamie Kay, ZARA Kids, and Rylee + Cru. With a Hanna Andersson promo code and end-of-season clearances, it’s common to see used merchandise selling for more than brand new merchandise online. Familiarity with the brand and coveted styles and patterns is key. Other brands, like Alice and Ames, don’t have as many sales and setting re-sale prices can be more straightforward. Although, savvy shoppers can commonly save up to 30% upfront with an Alice and Ames promo code.

2. Use An App

It’s as simple as taking a photo and sharing it online. There are numerous Apps that you can sign up for and use to sell clothing for extra cash. To make the best impression, iron your dress, remove lint, polish those shoes, and present it in a way that would appeal to buyers and online stores.

Tradesy celebrates women of every size. Download their App to list your items.
Poshmark brings together a community of buyers and sellers. Download their free App and sell your items online. They even provide you with packaging and make postage super simple.
Depop is a global marketplace where you can sell items, but also see what others (including your celebrity crush) are buying and wearing. It’s a combination of eBay and Instagram.

And while it’s not a dedicated selling app, Facebook Buy/Sell/Trade groups are an explosion of activity for re-selling clothing – especially for luxury brands, uber-popular brands, and more niche brands with cult followings. Purge style sales in resale groups are hot.

Keep in mind that your photos will either make buyers stop or keep scrolling. Use natural lighting, a neat hanger, and a clean backdrop. Take multiple photos to show labels, flaws, and texture. Make it your goal to improve your listing and take pictures that are attractive and uncluttered. If selling clothing online becomes your new favorite hobby, then setting up a make-shift studio and buying a good DSLR camera could be worth considering.

3. Send Your Clothes to a Large Online Store for Upfront Cash

Some online stores will do all the hard work for you. This is a good option if you are doing an annual cleanout and don’t want to monitor a page or store listing.

Buffalo Exchange is more than your favorite local thrift store. You can also sell high-quality secondhand items with their Sell by Mail Programme and receive in-store credit, PayPal payout, or a check.
Material World pays you upfront via PayPal for any acceptable items that you send them. If their offer isn’t enough, then you can request to have your items returned to you.

4. Sell Quality Items on Consignment

Happy to wait for your payment, sell items on consignment.

Thredup sends you a cleanout kit on request that includes a shipping label and bags to pack your old clothes. You can receive credit or cash once your items are sold.
The Real Real: sell your item at the highest possible sale price and receive a commission on your brand name pieces.
Mercari’s process for sellers is convenient and straightforward.

5. Auction Sites

There is nothing more exciting than seeing people bid over your rare Louis Vuitton belt or Chanel handbag. If you aren’t sure what to charge, and you’re willing to take the risk of not getting the full value, then auction sites can be a fun alternative to a shop listing. A good description and title will streamline unnecessary queries and potentially sell your item quicker than others.

eBay
InValuable
Listia allows you to earn its unique currency. You won’t be earning dollars in your account, but for every item “sold,” you’ll make Ink, which you can use to buy other things on their website.

6. Sell Locally

Shipping costs can vary and get confusing. Selling your items on Facebook Marketplace or on Craigslist can be an easy way to clean out your closet and make cash quickly. Hosting a yard sale with friends is a fun way to spend a weekend clearing out items. Always meet your buyer in a public place to hand over their purchase.

7. Flip Charity Store Treasures

If you have an eye for fashion and you know a collectible when you see one, then take some inspiration from the GirlBoss series. Shop sales and dig in dollar bins, then flip the item online for some profit. You need to know what’s on-trend and even predict fashion movements to get this right.

8. Add Your Artwork

Hungry artist? Share your art and sell clothing with these stores:

RedBubble allows you to upload your pieces to your profile, and then shoppers can take your artwork and put it on any RedBubble products. You get a commission on each piece sold, and your art can go out into the world.
CafePress lets artists, designers, and photographers sell customized items. If your designs sell, CafePress will look after all the billing, shipping, and general customer care for you, and you’ll receive a commission.

9. Host a Virtual Pop-up Store

Create an event on Facebook or in a WhatsApp group, invite your friends and get them excited for a virtual pop up store. Everyone loves a little race to ‘like’ and ‘buy.’ And it’s even better if they can do it from the comfort of their couch. Make it fun by saying that the first person to comment on an item with “bag it,” will have the first choice.

10. Have Fun! Or Find A New Side-Hustle

If you’re not having fun (or making money), then perhaps it’s time to bundle those clothes for charity and try something else. With Swagbucks, you can make money conveniently and in your spare time. Simply sit at your computer or kick back with your phone and share your opinion by filling in surveys, or by shopping online at your favorite store. Earn points, shop with coupons, receive gift cards, or get money back.

So whether your online clothing sales kick-off or not, Swagbucks has got your back and will reward you for the tiniest bit of effort. It’s never been so simple.