One of the best ways to avoid fast fashion is to shop secondhand, though depending on where you live, that’s easier said than done. We’ll look at 6 websites you can use to buy and sell secondhand clothes online.
While thrifting has become somewhat trendy, it hasn’t always been that way. For many, it was and still is a necessity. Buying and selling secondhand or used clothes online benefits both your wallet and the environment, but those aren’t the only reasons to buy used clothes. Buying secondhand allows you to:
- Save and earn money
- Avoid fast fashion
- Find unique items that enable self-expression
- Refresh your wardrobe without overconsumption
- Create a sustainable wardrobe by saving clothing from the landfills
- Purchase higher quality goods: vintage items were made to stand the test of time
Before shopping online, whether secondhand or not, ask yourself: Do I Even Need This?
Websites for Buying and Selling Used Clothes Online
1. ThredUP
This online consignment/thrift store is committed to saving the planet from fashion waste by inspiring a new generation to think secondhand first. Their inventory consists of 35,000 women and children’s brands ranging from economic to luxury.
If you’re selling, simply order a “Clean Out Kit” and send them your gently used items. The process for buyers is much like any other online shopping experience. However, you are able to return goods you don’t want to keep, which is always an added bonus when buying secondhand clothes online.
The ThredUP website offers lots of information about what they’re doing to combat fashion waste. They have processed 100 million garments so far, displacing 1 billion pounds of C02 emissions. You can even calculate your own Fashion Footprint using their quiz.
2. Poshmark
Poshmark is a social marketplace selling secondhand clothes online. Shop or sell used clothes online for men, women, children, and even pets! They even have what they call Posh Parties, which are real-time virtual shopping events to help keep the social aspect of shopping.
Selling with Poshmark is a breeze: simply upload pictures and a small description of the item you want to sell. When someone purchases it, all you have to do is print out the prepaid/pre-addressed shipping label, attach it to the package, and drop it off at the post office.
While it’s worth noting that all sales on Poshmark are final, there’s nothing stopping you from turning around and reselling an item that didn’t fit or that you didn’t like.
3. Swap.com
The mission at Swap.com is to keep things out of landfills and providing affordable secondhand clothes online for all.
If you’re looking to sell, Swap.com does all the heavy lifting. You send your items in and they photograph, post, and ship them on your behalf. On the website you’ll find very clear guidelines for the type of items you can sell, making it easier to determine what to send. If you’re looking to sell used clothing online with the least possible effort, Swap.com is for you.
Two noteworthy categories on their website are New With Tags and Premium Finds. Instead of sorting through countless pages, they’ve made it easy to access what most thrifters consider the jackpot. They also have an amazing referral program: give 40% and get 40%.
4. Tradesy
If designer goods are more your style, Tradesy is a great way to both buy and sell your secondhand clothes online. They sell only 100% authentic designer fashion and have a team of authentication experts to ensure their standards are met. The hope is to reduce the demand for new products while giving older ones longer life.
The goal is to help make designer goods accessible and sustainable by making it easy to resell your used clothing online. If you’re looking to sell: photograph your item, make your listing, choose your price (or use their auto-generated one), and ship it once sold.
Tradesy has some cool features like hassle-free returns, which many online secondhand stores don’t have. They also have a great referral program, which helps you and your friends save money.
5. Worn Wear:
Worn Wear is an off-shoot of Patagonia that sells repaired, repurposed, and secondhand clothing online. Part of their ethos is creating high-quality and long-lasting products, which is why both their new and used products come with an ironclad guarantee.
This 1% for the Planet member is working towards zero waste, reduced carbon emissions and circular product lifecycle. You can send in your old and worn Patagonia gear for repairs, or trade gently used gear in for credit.
In addition to selling used clothing online, they have two separate collections on the website: ReCrafted and Seconds. The Seconds collection is comprised of items that had some sort of factory flaw and couldn’t be sold new. The ReCrafted collection consists of clothes made from other clothes, making each product one-of-a-kind.
6. Goodwill Online
Most of us know Goodwill stores as a brick and mortar shops, but did you know you can also buy their secondhand clothes and goods online? The way it works is auction-style — similar to eBay, and if you’ve ever been inside a Goodwill store, you know there are plenty of hidden gems just waiting to be discovered.
While you can’t sell any of your own items this way, it’s still a great platform to buy used clothing online. The website enables you to narrow down your search using several categories with the added bonus of being able to shop for men, women and children all in one spot.
In addition, you’ll be supporting a non-profit that puts money earned towards community programs including job training, placement services, and classes for those who are challenged in finding traditional employment.
** Links to retailers marked with ** or underlined orange are partially partner links: If you buy here, you actively support Utopia.org, because we will receive a small part of the sales proceeds. More info.Do you like this post?