Best places to sell clothes online
Selling clothes online can be a great way to clear up your crammed wardrobe, get rid of last season's fashion and make some extra cash while you're at it.
You're staring at a wardrobe filled with clothes. Yet, somehow, you still have absolutely nothing to wear. If you find yourself hoarding piles of clothes you never use, it's time to clean out your closet and make some cash in the process.
Selling clothes online is easier than ever. There are apps and services that have streamlined the process so even if you're new to the game, you can start making cash instantly.
We've put together a list of some of the top places to sell clothes online. On top of that, we've got some helpful tips to help you make the most of your wardrobe.
Top sites for selling your old clothes
These are the best places to sell clothes online:
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Vinted
- Best for – Everything, but upmarket high street brands (think Zara, Mango and even H&M) often do well
- Charges – Free to sell (buyers are charged a fee though).
Vinted is a huge online marketplace for selling clothes, with millions of users. To sell, you upload your items, set the price and ship the items when they're sold.
However, in comparison to Depop, Vinted has a more varied target audience. There's a good number of students and young people on the app, but also some older groups too. You shouldn't have too much trouble making a sale, no matter your fashion style.
As with most platforms for second-hand clothes, if you've got anything that you've bought recently but doesn't fit, it's more likely to sell than something from a few years ago.
Check out our Vinted selling tips for more info and advice, and start making your mini fortune.
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Depop
- Best for – Pretty much everything, but vintage and quirky items sell best
- Charges – Depop charges 10% of each sale plus a transaction fee of around 2.9% + £0.30 for PayPal and Depop Payments. For UK-EU transactions, you may also be charged 1.29% as a seller service fee.
When it comes to finding the best sites and apps to sell (and buy) clothes online, Depop is a popular choice.
The app is designed in a similar way to Instagram. You upload a picture of your item in the usual square format (you can upload a series if you want) and add a caption underneath. It's best to include information like the condition and description of the clothes you're selling.
Depop also gives you the option to set prices and select the item size. For newbie sellers, the process of uploading images of your clothes and making your first sale is super easy.
You can sell pretty much anything that's in your wardrobe here. However, vintage items are often popular, as are high-street clothes that have sold out in-store.
It's possible to sell shoes, jewellery and even lifestyle items like posters, old books and records. You can also make arrangements with other sellers to swap items if you can agree on a deal.
Find your niche, build a mini-brand and expand your followers. Believe us, selling on Depop is even more addictive than scrolling on Instagram.
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eBay
- Best for – Selling a wide variety of things
- Charges – 12.8% charge on all sales plus a fixed charge of 30p per order (plus a 35p listing fee for any listings over the free monthly allowance of 1,000).
You might think the eBay boom is over. But the website still attracts millions of visitors every day, making it a great option for selling clothes online.
The great thing about eBay is that you can sell anything there. However, that can also be your downfall. The key to good business is trying to find out what people are searching for. Find niche markets or demands, and create listings that target key search terms.
There are two selling options to go for. 'Buy It Now' lets you set a non-negotiable price, but if you opt for an auction, buyers can place bids. This could mean your clothes sell for a lot more than you'd imagined. Plus, you can set a starting bid, which means the item won't be sold for a price you're unhappy with.
Try to schedule your bidding to close on a Sunday, which has previously been reported to be the busiest day of the week for the site.
Check out our eBay selling tips to maximise your profits.
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ASOS Marketplace
- Best for – Clothing entrepreneurs
- Charges – 20%.
ASOS Marketplace isn't for newbies or those looking to make an extra few quid by selling their last season cast-offs. Instead, it's for dedicated clothes sellers looking to establish their own businesses (or those who already have one).
For example, you need to have at least 15 items listed in your boutique at all times, which can be a big ask.
To get started, you need to apply for a boutique. They'll only consider you if you make your own unique clothing, have a large selection of high-quality vintage garments or you've already established yourself as an independent fashion label.
Compared to other options listed here, it's quite pricey (and, as a buyer, your TOTUM card won't work in the Marketplace either). But if you're determined to have a career in high-end or retail fashion, having access to ASOS' huge audience is a major plus.
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Preloved
- Best for – Selling your clothes online locally
- Charges – Free.
A bit like Gumtree, Preloved is a free classified ads site that lets you list things to sell in your local area. It's also one of the largest classified sites in the UK, with an audience of millions.
The best thing about Preloved is there are no fees whatsoever and there's a strong emphasis on location. This means you might be able to sell clothes to people in your area and save money on postage.
Make sure you fill in your profile so people know you're a reliable (and real!) person. You also get a limited number of free pictures per ad, so use them wisely.
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Facebook Marketplace
- Best for – Selling locally
- Charges – Free.
While Facebook Marketplace isn't known for being the most successful platform for selling clothes online, it is mostly free.
We say "mostly" because there's a potential standard selling fee if you use Commerce Manager to sell things on Facebook or Instagram. Find out more in our full guide to selling on Facebook Marketplace.
The Marketplace lets you upload items in the traditional way, but it's also been merged with Facebook selling groups.
These groups are usually specific to certain locations, like towns or boroughs. This means you can potentially cut out postage costs by selling to people who live close enough to collect their items.
Don't count on getting a great response for high-quality vintage or niche items. But if you have a large bundle of clothing you want to sell, this might be a good way of doing so quickly and without charges.
Facebook Marketplace is also one of our favourite places to find cheap shoes and trainers. -
Etsy
- Best for – Selling homemade and vintage items
- Charges – £0.16 listing fee, 6.5% transaction fee and 4% + £0.20 as a payment processing fee.
You might normally associate Etsy with selling homemade craft items, not second-hand clothes. But if you make your own or upcycle clothing, then this could be a great way of standing out from the crowd.
Printed t-shirts or hand-embroidered vintage clothing, for example, are great for selling on Etsy. Homemade jewellery or badges are also great for this site.
Etsy does have strict rules on what you're allowed to sell, so check the small print first.
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Rebelle
- Best for – Selling designer clothes and bags
- Charges – 17% – 33% (or €20) commission depending on the price of your item.
If you're lucky enough to own some designer clothes (that you no longer want), Rebelle is one of the best platforms for selling them online.
So, if you've got any Louis Vuitton or Prada handbags tucked away somewhere, you could make some good money selling them on Rebelle.
Unlike the sites listed above, you list your item and then send it to Rebelle. They will verify the quality and authenticity of the item to prevent fraudsters from ripping people off.
Once the item is sold, they'll post it to the buyer and transfer the money to you.
There's also sometimes the option of having Rebelle handle the selling process for you as a concierge service (for an added fee). However, this is unavailable at the time of writing.
Tips for selling clothes online
Here is how to make the most of selling your clothes online:
- Take lots of clear photos of your items – Help the buyer envision themselves wearing the clothes you're listing by taking photos with a good quality camera and lots of natural light. If possible, try and take a photo of someone wearing the item. It's much easier for buyers to visualise what the item will actually look like that way.
- Try to find a niche – Do you have a particular style such as retro or vintage, or large quantities of a certain item like trainers or jewellery? If you can give your page a theme, you'll attract loyal customers who'll keep coming back for more.
- Maintain a good reputation – Be honest about the quality of the item you're trying to sell, including if there are any stains or tears. Always respond to messages and feedback. You could even throw in a little handwritten note thanking the buyer for shopping with you.
- Make your clothes presentable – It goes without saying, but give your items a good wash and an iron before you sell them.
- Ensure your descriptions are accurate – Make sure the sizes you're advertising are spot on, and if something's labelled as a size 12 but feels more like a 10, let shoppers know. Nobody likes buying clothes online that turn out to be the completely wrong size.
- Keep up with fashion trends – Certain things will come in and out of style, so jump on top of trends and make some cash from them.
- Think seasonally – Festival wear will sell better in summer, while people are more likely to shop for woolly coats in the winter. But if you're selling to an international audience, keep their seasons and climates in mind too.
- Be realistic about pricing – Just because you bought it for £30, doesn't mean you'll get that when you resell it. In many cases, people aren't prepared to pay as much for something second-hand as they would brand new from a shop. Don't scare customers off with high prices.
- Don't lose money on the postage – Check postage prices in advance and add that on top of the advertised selling price (most sites will have a separate section for this). You can splash out on tracked or signed for delivery, but as a minimum, keep hold of the proof of postage in case something goes wrong and your parcel doesn't arrive.
Don't forget that charity shops are always looking for old clothes. If you can't sell some items or are feeling generous, consider donating your pre-loved garments to a worthy cause instead.
There are loads of ways you can make money from the comfort of your bedroom. Find out how to make money on social media.
