Sunday, April 7, 2013

Selling/Donating Clothing

Selling or Donating Clothes

It's time for Spring Cleaning! Clothing that your child has outgrown and no longer needed clothing can be removed for more closet space to make way for spring and summer clothing. The question is how are you going to get rid of all the clothes?

First of all, when cleaning out your closet don't just get rid of clothes because they have long sleeves, you should still keep winter clothing that your child may be able to wear when it starts to get cold again.
Secondly, throw away any clothes that have been through enough play (stained, loose strings, etc.) and have your child try on the clothes and shoes that you are thinking of getting rid of to see if they might still fit.
Thirdly, wash and neatly fold your clothes and shoes in boxes or trash bags until you have figured out what you want to do with them. Keeping clothes in good condition by washing them helps you and/or the charity that you donate to sell your used clothing. No one wants to buy or be given clothing that is wrinkled and worn-looking, be considerate and keep that in mind.



Suggestions for getting rid of Clothes:
- Donate them
- Give them to a friend
- Re-purpose Tagged Items as gifts
- Re-purpose them for yourself or your child
- Store them somewhere cool and dry if you want to keep them for a second child
- Sell them at a Yard Sale
- Sell them In-Store
- Sell them Online





GETTING RID OF CLOTHING THE NON-PROFIT WAY
Donate them
By donating to a charity you can put your old clothing to good use. Making a donation can also be included as a tax write-off so make sure to get a receipt.

Some charities to donate to:
Goodwill
Salvation Army
The American Red Cross
Local Churches
Local Charities in your area



Give them to a friend
Clothing can be expensive and if you want to help out a friend or neighbor who has younger children then help them out by giving them clothing that your child no longer has any use for.



Re-purpose Tagged Items as gifts 
When cleaning out the closet you more than likely always find something that you’ve bought and completely forgot about, it's still cute and wearable with the tag and all still there, but now too small for your child. With these items since they have never been worn and they still have the tags, you can re-purpose this item as a gift for someone else’s child so that they can prosper from your forgetfulness. lol =)



Re-purpose Favorited Items for yourself or child

Sometimes it is hard to let go of an outfit that you love very dearly or has a certain significance to it. For theses items you may choose to re-purpose them to hold on to them longer even though they no longer fit.

Some examples for re-purposing:
Making a pillow case with patches of old shirts
Making a quilt with patches of old clothing
Making a headband with strips of old clothing
Making a bracelet with strips of old clothing
Making bean bags to play with from old clothing



Store them somewhere cool and dry if you want to keep them for a second child 
Like I said before, clothing your child ends up being expensive! So, instead of coming up with a whole new wardrobe give your child the good hand-me-downs and save your older child's clothing. The pro to this other than saving money is that the clothing you have previously bought is completely your taste and fashion sense and we all know that when your child grows out of that outfit you love them being in it is hard to think about getting rid of it.


MAKING A PROFIT FROM USED CLOTHING

The most valuable items are usually clothes that are still new with tags, and name-brand baby clothes. Top end designer brands will re-sell easily such as Ralph Lauren, Gap, Gymboree, and Abercrombie kids. But, even non-brand accessories and clothing can make money, especially if grouped together. Grouping clothing typically sells better online instead of trying to sell individually.

It is important to note that you may not get the exact price you want for clothing that you are trying to sell and that is when you have to come to the decision of letting your clothing go for a lower price or trying another method of selling.



Sell them at a Yard Sale
Yard sales seem to be a little bit more of a hassle since you have to price everything and then haggle with customers but you might actually get a better price out of a yard sale then selling your clothes to a store because you get to choose the price. Make sure to advertise your yard sale with large posted signs directing people to your house. You can even advertise about your yard sale in the paper, on Craigslist, or on websites like yardsalesearch.com



Sell them In-Store 
The good thing about selling your used clothing in-store is that all you have to do is drive to the store, hand over the boxes/bags, collect the money and be done with the entire process. The con to this method is that you might not get what you expect, the store expects to buy clothing from you at a very low price so that they can mark up the cost to make a profit. But, if you are trying to get rid of clothing fast, low hassle and want money right this second then this might be the best option. 


 
Some stores that will buy your gently used clothing:
Children’s Orchard
Local Consignment shops
Once Upon a Child



Sell them Online  
 Selling or trading clothing online is becoming the new way to get rid of old clothing. You have to keep in mind that more often then not the site you are selling on will take a portion of your profits, charge you a listing fee or buy the clothing from you for a low price before marking it up. Also, think about what your clothing will be worth to a potential buyer so take really good pictures and make sure to describe your product exactly including any areas of wear and tear (hopefully there are no signs or minimal signs of wear) and have patience, your clothing more than likely will not sell over night.

There are also sites that promote trading clothes for clothes. 


Some sites to consider:
Ebay
Make an account and list your item

 
Craigslist.com

For the locals - Put up an ad including pictures, a description of the product and a way to contact you

 
ThredUp.com
Order a bag and fill it with the clothes, send it back to the company and they will pay you for what they can resell.

 
KiddieoMall.com
Register for an account, list your item, upload pictures and a description. When the item sells you pay 6% of the sale to the website.

 
DiddleDumplings.com
 Create an account and sign up for the membership term you want. You pay for the membership fee only and can list as much as you want. Membership fees are as follows: 
Month to Month = $5
 3 Months = $12
One Year = $30

  


Loobalee.com



Tips for selling online:
  •  Choose the website that best suits your needs
  • Price your item reasonably
  • Take good quality pictures and lots of them
  • Give a very detailed description make sure to include any and all flaws, you want the buyer to be aware of everything, a happy buyer means they would buy from you again and less chance of negative feedback
  • Give the size and measurements of the clothing (various brands of clothing fits ages differently)
  • Make sure you have a way to be contacted (e-mail, phone number, etc.) and respond quickly to any questions or concerns
  • Know how you are going to get the buyer their merchandise and give an estimated shipping date


No comments:

Post a Comment