As more shoppers are turning to second hand stores to refresh their wardrobe, clothing exchanges are desperate to buy awesome stuff to fill their shelves. Enter, you, those expensive jeans that just don’t quite fit, the gorgeous dress you used to be in love with but now just doesn’t do it for you, and anything else that doesn’t make the starting line up. Here are the best, minimum effort in-person clothing exchanges that are dying to buy your pre-loved clothes.
1. Buffalo Exchange
Locations in: 20 States, primarily metropolitan areas
They’ll pay you: 50% store credit or 30% cash of what they sell your item for
Sell here if your style is: bold, quirky, unique, trendy, minimalist, athleisure, boho
Try somewhere else if your stuff is: high-end, designer
Only bring clothes that are: stain-free, on-trend
Top tips:
- Be prepared to wait, Buffalo is one of the most popular clothing exchange joints in the biz and you could find yourself in line to be seen by a buyer for up to an hour.
- Bring all your unwanted clothes, you might be surprised what is in high demand.
- Check out the Buffalo exchange blog for posts highlighting locations with special offers and calls for specific items.
2. Crossroads
Locations in: 9 States, primarily metropolitan areas
They’ll pay you: 50% store credit or 30% cash of what they sell your item for
Sell here if your style is: timeless, trendy, minimalist, cozy, boho
Try somewhere else if your stuff is: vintage
Only bring clothes that are: stain-free, well-known brands, current season
Top tips:
- Many stores offer a drop off service where you can leave your clothing with them and within 24 hours they will have sorted through and decided what to keep. I love this because it eliminates the awkwardness of the buyer telling you why they’re passing on your items. But call ahead as not every Crossroads does this.
- Crossroads are one of the only clothing exchanges that offer a sell-by-consignment option. For items priced at $199 and above, you could make up to 70% of the sale, cash.
- Check out the Crossroads selling guide to see what items the buyers are looking for. Especially handy for those unable to lug 18 trash bags of clothes on the bus!
3. Plato’s Closet
Locations in: 46 States, primarily suburban areas
They’ll pay you: around 30% (some stores will offer more in store credit)
Sell here if you shop at: young adult stores (think zara, h&m, hollister, forever21, charlotte russe, urban outfitters)
Try somewhere else if your stuff is: high-end, designer, vintage
Only bring clothes that are: stain-free, young adult
Top tips:
- Plato’s Closet buys accessories, so remember that belt that doesn’t fit or the handbag you used to use for clubbing? Bring them in!
- Don’t expect to be putting a down payment on a house when you come out of Plato’s Closet after selling. Their low price points mean that a large bag of clothing may not fetch as much per kilo as other clothing exchanges.
4. Style Encore
Locations in: 24 States, primarily suburban areas
They’ll pay you: Varies from item to item
Sell here if you shop at: mid-luxury high street stores (think lululemon, banana republic, ann taylor, j crew)
Try somewhere else if your stuff is: high-end, designer, vintage
Only bring clothes that are: stain-free, mature
Top tips:
- Style Encore is aimed at a more mature clientele, so leave the crop tops and uber trendy pieces at home.
5. Clothes Mentor
Locations in: 30 States, primarily suburban areas
They’ll pay you: between 25-30% of what they sell your item for
Sell here if you shop at: mid-luxury high street stores (think macy’s, nordstrom, anthropologie, banana republic, j. crew, LOFT)
Try somewhere else if your stuff is: high-end designer, un-branded, vintage
Only bring clothes that are: stain-free, more mature, name brand
Top tips:
- Unlike all of the above resellers, who give you the exact percentage of what they sell your items for, Clothes Mentor give you “roughly” 25-30% of that price. This could mean that you’re getting less than the other resellers.
6. Uptown Cheapskate
Locations in: 21 States, primarily suburban areas
They’ll pay you: varies store by store, usually 30% cash and +25% for store credit
Sell here if your style is: trendy, boho, minimalist, athleisure
Try somewhere else if your stuff is: high-end, un-branded, vintage
Only bring clothes that are: stain-free, current trend
Top tips:
- Uptown Cheapskate is a franchise so policies around selling times may vary. Avoid disappointment by calling ahead to make sure they’re buying at the time you plan to go.
- If you’re paid in store credit for your clothes, you can only use the store credit at the store it was issued at.
7. 2nd Street
Locations in: California, Oregon and New York
They’ll pay you: varies by item but it’s cash only, no trades
Sell here if your style is: quirky, edgy, athleisure, (think Supreme and Nike)
Try somewhere else if your stuff is: basic, minimalist, super high-end clothing (they have a list of brands they don’t accept on their site – accessories are accepted)
Only bring items that are: damage-free, not on the list of brands and items they don’t accept
Top tips:
- Bare in mind that you cannot sell in exchange for store credit like other clothing exchanges, this will reduce your payout amount.
- Their aesthetic is a bit more focussed than other stores, take a look and their online store to check that your style matches what they sell.
8. Local Vintage Stores
Locations in: practically every city in the country
They’ll pay you: varies store by store
Sell here if your style is: strictly vintage
Try somewhere else if your stuff is: newer than 10 years old
Only bring clothes that are: vintage
Top tips:
- Knowing the decade that your items are from can help the buying process, you can get more money for older items