Are you searching for places to sell your old stuff? Here are 11 consignment shops worth exploring!
Are you looking for a way to get rid of some of your unwanted stuff and make some extra money? While having a garage sale may be a reasonable idea, you can’t really influence who stops by your home, and they may not be interested in the items you have.
The best solution is to consider selling your stuff at consignment shops that actually have a demand for your specific items. Many consignment shops buy and sell a wide range of products, including clothes, accessories, furniture, and even electronics.
If you’re wondering where to start, here are some of the best consignment shops for selling stuff online and in person.
1. Depop
With Depop, sellers in the US and the UK can sell their items online with zero listing fees! Depop is on a mission to keep clothing out of landfills and make it easier for sellers to sell their items online. Instead of charging sellers a fee, Depop has a marketplace fee that is paid by the buyer. To get started with this online consignment shop, download the app (available for both iOS and Android devices), create your account, take some photos of your item, and name your selling price. Once your item sells, you’ll print a shipping label (customers pay a flat rate shipping cost) and mail the package to the customer. To get your payment from Depop, you’ll need a Depop Payments and PayPal account.
2. Poshmark
Poshmark is a popular online platform for selling gently-used clothing and accessories. The site offers a simple process to list and sell your items. You can create your listing by uploading photos of your item(s). Poshmark also allows you to set your own pricing and share your listing with other followers to help shoppers find your items.
When an item sells, Poshmark provides a prepaid label to ship the item to the customer. Then, you’ll receive payment as soon as the order is complete. Poshmark takes a 20% commission on sales of $15 or more and a flat rate of $2.95 for sales under $15. Poshmark is ideal for selling trendy, high-end, or vintage items.
3. The RealReal
If you want to sell high-end items such as designer clothing, bags, and jewelry, The RealReal is a great option. The Real Real is an online consignment store focusing on luxury items from designer brands such as Cartier, Kate Spade, Gucci, Tiffany, Prada, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Tory Burch.
To start selling your items, you’ll need to create an account, list your items, and send them to the company for an authenticity check and photography. The Real Real is picky about the items they accept, but the payoff can be substantial.
4. Vestiaire Collective (Tradesy)
Vestiaire Collective, formerly Tradesy, is an online consignment shop that resells luxury brands and designer items for men’s and women’s clothing, children’s clothing, and accessories like bags and jewelry. Here, you can find brands like Christian Louboutin, Hermès, Burberry, Chanel, and Coach.
The Vestiaire Collective has no fees (with eligible brands) and free payouts. They also help you sell your items faster by finding targeted buyers. To start selling your items, sign up for the platform and create a listing for your item with images. You’ll receive a free and insured prepaid label to ship your item when it sells. Sellers earn up to 85% of the list price.
5. Plato’s Closet
Plato’s Closet is a popular chain of consignment shops that specialize in gently-used clothing. You will need to see if there’s a Plato’s Closet store near you. If there is, you can take your clothing to the store, and they will offer you cash on the spot. Plato’s Closet may not accept all your items, and each store has its own quality requirements, but it’s an easy way to make money on clothing you’re no longer wearing.
The store focuses on trendy items popular with teens and young adults. To make the most of Plato’s Closet, you need to follow their guidelines, such as bringing in clothing that is in style and season-appropriate. For example, if you live in an area with harsh winters, you may not want to bring all your shorts and tank tops in for consideration. Instead, the best time to bring those items in would be early spring, so the store has a better chance of reselling them quickly.
6. Facebook Marketplace
If you’re looking to sell your items locally, Facebook Marketplace is a solid option for buying and selling in your local community. It is great for selling bulky or large items like furniture, bikes, toys, jewelry, home decor, and electronics.
You can list your items for free, set your own prices, and arrange a meet-up with the buyer. You can message buyers through the Facebook app to share additional details and negotiate pricing. However, if you wish to sell your items as soon as possible, it’s best to write a specific listing description, including the color, brand, and dimensions. If you don’t want to disclose your address, you can always meet the buyer in a public location.
7. Chairish
Chairish is an online consignment store where you can sell your vintage furniture, antiques, and well-maintained home décor. The site allows you to easily upload your images, and you can keep up to 70% of your sale price after the 48-hour return window. You can opt for payment through PayPal or credit.
Chairish is very particular about the items accepted and will carefully review your listing to ensure it meets its standards. The company also organizes shipping details for you, or you can arrange local pickup and delivery with buyers. You also can expand your customer base by offering discounts to interior designers.
8. Crossroads Trading
Crossroads Trading is a brick-and-mortar consignment shop that buys and sells clothing and accessories. This store is an excellent choice for selling a wide variety of items, from designer purses to well-maintained vintage styles.
To sell your items, you can make an appointment to bring things in, and the Crossroads Trading team will review your haul to see if they want to buy anything. If your items are approved, you can choose from payment through PayPal or store credit. Or, you can donate your earnings.
For trades or in-store credit, you’ll receive 50% of the price your items will sell for in the store. However, if you opt to receive cash for your items, Crossroads Trading only pays 30% of what they will price your items to sell in the store.
9. Buffalo Exchange
Buffalo Exchange is a nationwide brick-and-mortar thrift store where you can buy, sell, and trade your old clothing. Just stop by one of their many locations; no appointment is needed. They’ll give you 25% of their selling price in cash or 50% in-store credit. Buffalo Exchanges accepts both current men’s and women’s clothing that’s in good shape and vintage items. You will need a valid ID to sell your clothing.
10. Clothes Mentor
If you need cash ASAP, see if there is a Clothes Mentor near you. Clothes Mentor is an in-person thrift store that purchases brand-name women’s clothing, shoes, and accessories sizes 0-26. Just bring your freshly washed, gently-used clothing into one of their retail locations, and they will assess your items while you wait. Clothes Mentor purchases items for approximately one-third of the original price and gives you approximately 25% to 30% of that price. You can choose to take your earnings in cash or store credit.
11. thredUP
thredUP is an online consignment shop for women’s and kids’ clothing, shoes, and accessories. To sell items, you’ll need to create an account and order a “Clean Out Kit” bag ($2.99), or you can print out a prepaid label and use your own box to ship your clothing to them.
thredUP performs a 12-point inspection to ensure the clothing meets its quality standards. Then, they photograph and list the items for sale on their website. Once your items sell, you’ll earn a percentage (3%-80%) of the sale price. The site offers a payout calculator to show you how much you could make.
To use their service, thredUP deducts a $14.99 service fee from your earnings. To get an idea of what you can earn using this consignment shop, check out Holly’s thredUP review, where she chronicles her experience using the platform.
Final Thoughts on Using Consignment Shops
There are so many ways to make money selling your unwanted items through consignment shops. Whether you choose in-person or online consignment shops, earning some extra cash from your old stuff is very simple.
Consider which consignment shops may be the best choice for what you’re looking to sell, and realize you don’t need to have high-end brands to make money. Also, be sure to check the consignment shop’s guidelines and seasonal needs to increase your chances of selling your stuff quickly.
Do you know of other consignment shops to use for selling stuff? Drop us a note; we’d love to hear from you!
Originally published August 14, 2023. Content updated October 2024.
