I Tried 5 Ways To Resell Old Clothes & Here's Which One Made Me The Most Cash

The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.

As a thrifty shopper and general fan of the circular economy, I'm no stranger to second-hand stores and digital marketplaces. I've bought furniture off of Facebook, felt the rush of unearthing a gem at Value Village, and sold my old perfume at Plato's Closet.

From Poshmark to Grailed, I've been around, and these are the reselling venues where I've had the most success — ranked from best to worst.

Grailed

Grailed is a community marketplace that, in my experience, predominantly features men's fashion, but the people on here are generally more willing to spend more money on a good piece. This community pays attention to labels, dates and brands, so if you're trying to sell something that you know is valuable, this is likely the marketplace for you.

Other places may not recognize the value of the item, which usually means you'll get shortchanged. For example, I had a vintage Palace beanie that I brought to sell at a consignment shop, where I was offered $2 for it. I knew it was worth more than this, so I listed it on Grailed, where it eventually sold for $79 USD, or about $105 CAD.

Plato's Closet

With locations across the country, Plato's Closet is a North American chain where you can buy and sell second-hand goodies. In my experience, they usually won't give you a lot of money per item, but if you have a big bag of clothes that you just want to get rid of, they'll usually take a big chunk of it off your hands.

I recently brought a big Lululemon bag full of stuff and ended up getting $40 for it. Whichever pieces they don't take, I usually donate or bring back another day — they might take it next time! It all depends on the item and the employee who looks through your stuff.

Plato's has a whole page on their website that details what they want to buy right now; my advice would be to check that out beforehand so you don't waste your own time.

Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is a cornucopia of whacky crap that people have accumulated over the course of their lives, and in that way, it's a bit like a living document of human history.

Whether you're a buyer in search of novelty goods (perhaps a potato chip that sorta-kinda looks like Elvis) or you're hosting a moving sale, there just might be someone with a complementary objective browsing the bowels of Facebook Marketplace.

As a seller, my experiences have varied drastically. Some items sit there for a long time with no bites, others have been claimed in a matter of minutes at asking price. Its fickle nature is what leaves Facebook smack-dab in the middle of my rankings list.

Poshmark

Another hit-or-miss option, Poshmark is an app whose users tend to heavily favour certain brands (namely any brands that Aritzia carries) while others are destined for failure, in my experience.

A lot of time and energy goes into each Poshmark listing, so I've started to limit what I put up there to pieces that match what Poshmark users seem to want. On average, my pieces tend to go for about $30. The item I sold for the most money was a pair of Nike Air Force 1 Mids for $99. The app also takes a commission, so I never really bother selling anything under $20.

Depop

While Poshmark has over one million users in Canada, Zensurance reports that Depop has about 250,000. It's perhaps due to this limited pool of users that I've had no success on Depop — I've never sold a thing, and it's not for a lack of trying.

Whatever you do, remember to consider the ethical and environmental implications of your thrift hauls and resell game. My advice is to not buy excessively from second-hand stores, and don't resell at an exorbitant price — it pushes out low-income buyers.