When it comes to making extra cash fast one of the first places you should look is your own wardrobe.
We all have a dress we haven’t worn in years or a coat that was once a favourite but has been replaced by something else.
If your clothes are clean and in a good state of wear then you can make cash right away from selling them online.
Selling your clothes for extra cash is a super easy way to generate some instant income.
We’re going to look at the various places where you can sell clothes online in the UK plus a few retailers that will let you recycle your old clothes in exchange for money.
Where to sell clothes online
There’s lots of choice when it comes to online marketplaces where you can sell your clothes in the UK.
They’re quick and easy to get set-up with and connect you with potential buyers for your clothes all around the country.
The best clothes selling sites in the UK for you really depends on what your needs are. There are online clothes marketplaces for high end designer goods and sites where you can sell items for just a few pounds.
When pricing your clothes for any of these online marketplaces try to spend a bit of time researching similar products on the site. If you are charging too much amidst a crowded marketplace of very similar clothing then its unlikely yours will sell.
Clothes selling sites UK
Shpock
This easy-to-use app is quick and does not charge you any fees for a basic listing. You can pay to boost your listing to a premium spot.
You can sell a range of things on Shpock – from car parts to toys – and the site boasts millions of users across the country so you have a decent market for your items.
You can either use the app on your phone to upload your listings or do it via the website on your computer.
PreLoved
PreLoved has been around since 1998. There are no listing or selling fees, but you can pay £5 annually to get more perks on your account.
The extras included in a paid-for account include adding more photos to your listing and as a buyer having access to the latest items for sale.
This blog post explains how the different memberships at PreLoved work.
ASOS Marketplace
The Marketplace launched in 2010. It features independent sellers offering vintage and unique clothing.
This type of selling platform may not be for everyone. You need to have 15 items on your online shop at all times. ASOS takes 20 per cent commission for anything you sell, so its one of the more expensive places to sell your clothes.
You can find out more about opening a boutique on ASOS Marketplace here.
eBay
Probably the best-known of all the online marketplaces and eBay is still a great place to sell your clothes.
Setting up an account and listing items is totally free. You get a monthly allocation of 1,000 free listings on your eBay account and after this you will be charged 35p for each new listing.
Once your item has sold you pay 10% of the transaction fee, including postage.
EBay is a solid choice for where to sell your clothes for cash because it commands an enormous amount of traffic. You get a lot of eyeballs on your listing – there are 182million buyers worldwide!
Depop
This is where the cool kids go to buy their second-hand clothes!
Depop is inspired by Instagram, in that sellers set up their own shop on the site and gain followers.
Listing your stuff on Depop is free but they take 10 per cent commission when it sells.
It works great whether you want to sell just a few items or want a store front where you regularly sell off your unwanted clothes.
Vinted
Founded in Lithuania in 2008, this online marketplace lets you sell, buy and swap secondhand stuff including clothes.
You can list your items for free and its a very similar selling process to eBay. Vinted also do not take a commission on your sale.
Rebelle
This online fashion marketplace is geared up for luxury and designer brands, so if your wardrobe is full of Prada and Louis Vuitton then this may be the place for you!
Rebelle is has a unique service that is perfect if you’re too busy to manage online sales of multiple items. You can pass all of your items over to Rebelle and they will sell them for you under their Concierge service.
To use the Concierge service you need to pay 15 Euros extra but it saves you having to do photos and descriptions for your items.
If you want to sell the items yourself, you can! The site takes commission on a tiered basis. If your item is less than 40Euros they will take 20Euros. Once the prices get more expensive the commission drops.
It’s the perfect place for fashionistas to sell their second-hand clothing.
Facebook Marketplace
Selling on Facebook Marketplace is very easy. It also gives you the opportunity to save money on postage for things you want to sell.
If you sell your old clothes and shoes in local Facebook seller groups (all local areas have them, just use the search bar to find one relevant for your area) then you request collection only.
This means the buyer must come to you to collect, and you don’t need to head out to a post box box up the clothes. Simply fold and pop into a clean bag. Then you just arrange with the buyer when they can collect the clothes and they either pay by cash or you can arrange a PayPal payment.
You can also decide to offer a postal option if you are prepared to post your clothes to the buyer.
You can sell absolutely anything on Facebook Marketplace, and all you need to get started is your own Facebook account.
I’ve had great success with selling old children’s clothes on Facebook Marketplace. You can create a bundle of old clothes organised by size and sell them all in one go, which saves a whole lot of time if you’re having a clear out.
Recycling your old clothes for cash
The above sites will let you sell your clothes to specific buyers for cash. These ideas involve recycling your old clothes with the help of a retailer.
Just one word of warning before we get to the best places where you can recycle your clothes. Some companies will pay you based on the weight of the clothes you give to them.
There are some firms that have a poor reputation for not paying for goods they have collected. Its worth double checking the online feedback and reviews for any site or organisation that you decide to use. If lots of people say they have not been paid, then avoid it at all costs.
Marks & Spencer
You can support charity and get a little money off your next M&S purchase with this scheme, which is rather cleverly called Shwopping!
M&S has partnered with Oxfam for this clothes exchange offer. You receive a £5 voucher for every donation you make to an Oxfam store which contains one item of M&S clothing.
The clothing that qualifies for the offer includes shoes, handbags, belts, hats and scarves. There is a full list of Ts and Cs over on the M&S site.
Schuh
You can get £5 off your next pair of shoes under the Schuh Sell your Soles scheme!
Bring your old shoes to a store and you will receive £5 off your next pair of Schuh shoes. There is a minimum £25 spend and it only includes full price shoes.
There are more details over on the Schuh site.
H&M
The H&M recycling scheme began in 2013 as a way to tackle the impact of unwanted textiles being thrown into landfill.
Donated clothes are either reused, the fabric is remade into something else or the textiles shredded and used to make other products such as insulation.
Take a bag of unwanted clothes or textiles in to your nearest H&M store and you will receive a £5 voucher to spend in store when you spend £25 or more.
More details over on the H&M Close the Loop page.
Joules
This lovely clothing brand has a Reskinned service.
They will take back your clothing, footwear and accessories. In exchange you get up to £25 off your next Joules purchase.
It’s also worth noting Joules has a pre-loved section on its website, so you can shop for lovely secondhand clothes at discount prices.
Selling your wedding dress
If you’re looking to make some quick cash then one of the biggest ticket items you can sell from your wardrobe is your wedding dress.
There are several bridal specific marketplace sites where you can sell your dress.
It will need to be in good condition and you’ll need to keep in mind that shipping something as large as a wedding dress can be a bit of a hassle, and expensive.
For this reason you may want to see if any local bridal boutiques will take a second-hand wedding dress. Many have a second-hand offering alongside their new wedding dresses.
If you’re happy to give online sales a try, you could try eBay, Vinted or Shpock as outlined above, or one of these wedding dress sale sites:
- Still White
- Hitched
- Bridal Reloved
- Bride2Bride
There’s a great guide to selling your wedding dress over on One Fab Day.
Tips for selling clothes online
As you can see from all of the options listed above selling your clothes online is very easy.
But there are a few things you can do to make the process easier and help you net a bit more cash for your items.
Make sure they are clean
It goes without saying, but no one wants to buy clothing that’s stained, creased or torn.
Take care of your clothes and give them a wash before you sell them. Iron and fold them neatly for packaging to be posted.
Set a sensible price
Take a look at other similar items for sale and use those as a guide for your price point.
Once someone has been brought home from the shop, even if you have never even worn it, it does lose some of its value. There are of course exceptions to this rule such as items that have sold out and gain a big hype around them – such as clothing that has been worn by someone in the public eye leading the item to sell out from the official seller.
Sell at the right time of year
You won’t get much interest in a winter coat in the middle of summer.
Be tactical with when you sell your items and try to sell seasonal clothing as close to the start of the season as you can. You will get more interested buyers this way.
Take great photos
Buying clothing online takes away the buyer’s ability to touch and feel the fabric, to get a sense of the texture and colours.
So you need to show them the clothes as clearly as you can through their screen.
No one wants to buy an item of clothing without seeing them, so show them the item for every possible angle.
Take pictures of the front and back, pictures of you wearing the item (you don’t have to include your face in the picture), close-ups of details such as embroidery or pockets and any other features.
Be sure that you take your photos in good lighting (natural daylight is best so choose a room in your home that has great light). Take your pictures outside if your home is very dark indoors.
Use the best camera you have to take your photos. Smartphones can be great, but if you do have a DSLR camera then use that.
Be sure the item of clothing is framed in the centre of the shot and that you take pictures of it against a plain background.
Give a super detailed description
A skirt is so much more than just a skirt! There’s a whole ton of detail you need to include about your item, and the more detail you give the greater chance you have of convincing a seller to part with their cash.
Try to include the following information in your description:
- The condition of the item. Include detail of any issues with the item.
- Colour.
- Type of fabric.
- Size. Include detail on whether it is true to size, as some clothing brands can really vary. Advise the buyer if you think they should size up or down.
- How it does up. Does it have a hidden zip? Does it have a button at the back of the next? Does it have poppers? Include all the details of how you fasten the garment when wearing it.
- Extra features. Include details such as pockets, and does the clothing feature an pleats or is there any embroidery detail on there?
Parcel the clothing up neatly
Do not screw the garment up into a ball at the bottom of a postal bag.
Find a packaging type that fits what you are selling. Think about making sure the clothing will be safe from things like water in case it gets caught in any rain. If you are packaging it up in a cardboard box then be sure to wrap the garment in some kind of plastic inside the box so it’s safe.
Stuff you may find useful for packaging up your clothing to sell online:
- Postal envelopes
- Postal box for larger items such as shoes or handbags
- Bubble wrap
- Brown postal paper
How to package clothes to sell online
Give yourself plenty of space, in a clean spot, to wrap up your item of clothing.
Follow this process for packaging up your clothing to sell:
- Fold the clothes neatly.
- Wrap in tissue paper or bubble wrap to keep it clean. Use tape or bright stickers to hold the paper in place.
- Place it in a box or envelope that seals securely. What type of box or envelope you need depends on the size of the item. Try the following guide for what packaging to use for selling clothes online:
- Tops – medium envelope
- Jumpers – large envelope
- Dresses – large envelope or small box
- Shoes – medium to large box
- Handbag – Medium to large box
When it comes to posting your clothing then you could use a courier service although this is obviously more expensive. I tend to just use a Royal Mail Post Office.
I usually choose Second Class postage for these type of items as it still arrives within a matter of days.
Royal Mail Special Delivery includes compensation if your item gets lost.
At the other end of the scale the UK standard delivery option is best for non-valuable items.
