Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Discover how to make money on second-hand clothes in Canada. Learn the tips and tricks to turn clutter into cash!
Yes, you can get cash for second-hand clothes, and I have a few simple money-making strategies to help you get from clutter to cash.
These days, your options span from selling second-hand clothes online to having customers come to your home for a garage sale to visiting a consignment store.
There was a time a couple of years ago when we shopped at second-hand clothing stores because it was cheaper to buy used clothes rather than new ones.
The problem is that so many people are now frequenting these shops that prices have increased exponentially to the point where you must justify a purchase price.
My new motto is “Just because it’s used doesn’t mean it’s a bargain price,” it’s true if you know your prices when you shop in second-hand shops.
You will be shocked at some of the prices these days, although if you go to the right places, you can still save some money.
Going into Value Village was a fun trip for us because we would try to see if we could find good quality items that were expensive for dirt cheap.
We were successful on many occasions, even finding brand-new clothing items with the tags still on them for prices you couldn’t pass up.
There’s certainly money to be made in the second-hand clothing industry.
We get phone calls from local donation centers asking if they can come by the house and pick up clothing donations.
Garage sales used to have the best deals on used clothing and other items, but it’s best to shop second-hand during the off-season.
Second-Hand Fashion Is In Style
Consignment stores are nothing new and were shops people knew about, but not many people shopped in them.
Nowadays, it’s the other way around, and everyone knows what a consignment store is and loves to shop at them.
Clothing resale is a massive business, whether a business or personal venture because people can’t afford to buy new.
For a fraction of the price, you can easily find vintage clothing at consignment and second-hand clothing stores.
People make money from their used clothes, so cash for clothes is now exploding from homes to businesses across Canada.
Donate Second-Hand Clothes
Why donate when you can get cash for used clothes?
Giving your clothes away for free when you can get cash for them sounds silly.
Not everyone cares to make money by selling their used clothing, but not everyone has money in the bank waiting for someone to spend it.
Donating is a great way to give back to those in need, but why wouldn’t you if you have financial problems and can get cash for clothes?
The big fashion these days is finding fashionable used clothes for a great deal.
It’s not just the people struggling to make ends meet who will scope out thrift stores.
All walks of life and bank accounts want in on the savings.
Plus, many drop-off locations for second-hand clothes offer discounts on your next purchase, so you can still reap the rewards while donating.
Second-Hand Clothes For Sale
If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Where can I sell second-hand clothes?” there are a few popular options for you that I will talk about today.
The above question is what one fan emailed me about because she says she has 3 children and a basement full of baby and toddler clothing.
Some of the clothing she purchased was used, and other items were full-price at fashion clothing stores for kids.
She said if she could get cash for clothes rather than giving them away, she could put that money to good use, maybe into the kid’s college fund.
Good point.
Why not recycle the money that she spent by making someone else rich?
I’m not joking, either.
Once Upon A Child
My wife thinks opening a second-hand clothing store business might be intelligent.
She was shopping with her friend for second-hand baby clothes at a consignment baby store and saw dollar signs from the moment she entered.
When she entered the store, it was a floor-to-ceiling shop full of children’s clothing and anything you would need for a baby.
She immediately noticed the pricing of the items in the store, which was a bit shocking.
However, these stores are making a fortune and are willing to pay peanuts to make dollars.
While looking through the used shoes, a few pairs from the dollar store stood out.
She said she had seen them for $1 at the Dollar store, which is not uncommon to see.
When she flipped the shoe over, the second-hand store sold them for $6.50 a pair.
As she brought this to the attention of a staff member, she shrugged it off and said pricing is all computer generated.
So, if you don’t know what you are buying, you could be spending more money than you need.
Not only did Mrs. CBB find that doozy of a deal, but she also listened and watched.
Cash For Second-Hand Clothing
This particular store accepts children’s clothing and offers you straight-up cash.
The women and men were piling through the door with boxes of items.
Take a ticket number and wait until they call your number at the counter.
A staff member will check to ensure everything is in good shape and tell you how much they will give you per item.
Don’t be shocked if they only give you $0.50 for tops and $0.75 for name-brand jeans.
Sure, it’s money you wouldn’t have had, but if they turn around and sell that top, you get $0.50, and they resell it for $5.50.
The profit on the clothing and baby items in this shop is enormous.
Baby baths sell used online for $3-$5 for a standard tub, but some beat-up tubs sell for $12 in second-hand shops.
They are trying to profit after paying the rent, bills, and employees, just like any other business.
Know Retail Prices and Sale Prices
While visiting different stores, I would check the prices of baby items at second-hand stores.
Baby onesies from the Carter brand with a zipper were on sale brand new for $6.99 at Sears reg $12.99, or you could buy them second-hand for $6.00+ at the second-hand store.
It makes you wonder if they hope you don’t shop retail, believing the prices are too high.
No wonder more of these shops are turning up around town, but are they the best place to shop for second-hand clothes?
I doubt it’s because parents are fighting against high prices at second-hand shops.
I am starting online Facebook groups to buy and sell used baby items and still using traditional garage sales.
If you want to buy second-hand clothes, go where the prices are reasonable.
You may find items at the second-hand store that are cheaper, in retrospect.
However, if most of what you buy is close to retail when on sale, are you saving much?
Since this shopping trip, my wife and I have been closely watching online sites to see where you can get cash for clothes.
We’ve also been mindful of whether prices are lower outside thrift stores.
Facebook and garage sales are the top two places to score the best deals if buying and selling your second-hand clothes for cash.
Scoop Up Cash Selling Clothing
Below are a few places to get cash for second-hand clothes to sell for profit or earn some money back.
Second-Hand Shop
Not all second-hand shops will offer cash for clothes; however, some will offer discount coupons for your next purchase.
If you regularly shop at a second-hand store, the discount is just as good as money in your pocket.
Ideally, I’d try a different selling source if you want to earn cash for second-hand clothes.
Facebook Marketplace
Are you looking to eliminate clothing and any other clutter in your home?
Look no further than the social network giant, Facebook.
So many groups have been started for each city by people like you who want to sell items, and now Facebook Marketplace.
Facebook Marketplace is an area where you can buy and sell without joining buy-and-sell or auction groups on the platform.
If you have kids who have outgrown these and you want to get cash for second-hand clothes, get involved with these Facebook auction pages and see the money start to pile up.
You may even score more cash doing it this way rather than spending your time and gas going to a second-hand shop that offers you a small cut of the sale like above.
Remember that not all second-hand shops may be like that, but it’s best to ring them up first to ask questions.
I didn’t explore further if other social media outlets like Twitter or Instagram have groups where you can get cash for clothes, although it wouldn’t surprise me.
Consignment Store
A consignment store is similar to the second-hand store above, although I’ve seen more consignment stores accept adult and youth clothing over baby clothing and items.
You may also find different consignment stores such as clothing or furniture.
These shops will review the items you bring in, but the original price, and offer you a cut. They turn around and sell the item for profit.
A family friend had a wedding dress for which she had paid over $2000, and a wedding consignment store offered her 150 dollars.
Since they are in the wedding dress business, they could quickly sell it for three times as much.
Garage Sale
It’s that time of year when garage sales are popping up every weekend.
I often have CBB blog searches from people looking for more information on how to price items for a garage sale, which tells me it’s no easy task.
In this blog, I share tips on buying and selling at a garage sale, but honestly, it’s not that hard as long as you are open-minded about prices.
Garage sales weren’t meant to make you rich, but if you sell your items for a reasonable price, people will buy them.
We have seen on many occasions tables and racks filled with adult and kids’ clothing and prices that you just can’t beat.
The best part is you can haggle with the seller because they want cash for clothes, and you want to pay the least amount.
You don’t get negotiation in second-hand shops or consignment stores, but you can haggle on Facebook.
The only thing to consider with Facebook groups is that each group you join will have different rules to follow, so reading them before posting is essential.
We learned over the past month that if you want cash for second-hand clothes, you can easily make money, but you won’t be sailing off to the Caribbean with the profits.
Explore your options first, and knowing your prices are the key factors to take away from this post.
Stores, Websites, Apps – Second-Hand Clothes For Cash
Discussion: What other tips can you share about getting cash for second-hand clothes?
Please leave your comment below. Thanks for stopping by CBB to read my blog post.
Mr. CBB
Another great option I’ve just learned about recently is Trend Trunk! You can list your items for sale, people can purchase right through the site, and they actually will provide you with a printable pre-paid Canada Post shipping label once you’ve sold to ship it off to the new owner!
We have an ongoing promo running with them where you can get a free gift credit when you sign up if you wanted to check it out!
http://www.savebiglivebetter.com/2013/12/freebie-instant-win-trend-trunk-gift-card-giveaway.html
Thanks for sharing that Julia I was not aware of that.
When he was working, hubby went to the SA thrift store for t shirts to wear under his uniform. He was in sanitation so there is a lot of chemicals being used, and this was really hard on the t-shirts. So getting them for a couple of dollars was good. Once he wore them to work a while the only thing the shirts were any good for was as rags. There is a second hand place beside the thrift store and he has picked up things there but anything from there goes straight to the laundry first as she burns a lot of incense in the store and the stuff stinks!!!
My sister-in-law loves kijiji for everything. I’ve never tried it myself. Now that the kids are all adult we don’t have the outgrown clothes to deal with… Our daughter trades off clothes with friends that also have kids so that’s how she clears out the grandson’s stuff and gets new for him. She’s not making money doing that but she isn’t spending much to keep him in clothes either…it works for her…
We always wash anything that comes home second-hand. I’ve found so much at the thrift store even clothes to do yard work instead of ruining my everyday clothes. Do you prefer the thrift store over value village? Do you have a bible for missions where you live?
We have the thrift store and a place called Pass It On…..but I don’t care to go in there. The smell of incense gives me a head ache… Those are the only 2 places in town here. I don’t know where the nearest Value Village is, likely London so I’ve never been. My late MIL used to love the place but that was back when the prices were more reasonable from what I’ve heard about it. Stratford has a thrift store, Goodwill and a re-store place that Habitat for Humanity has.
There are several consignment shops in my area that deal with high end clothing only (designer brands or boutique clothing). I love shopping there because I can typically find a great deal each time. I do sell my clothing as well. They do not offer money back though. They offer store credit, which I find nice. I can just recycle. When one of my items “sell,” I can replace it with a new item from that store. It works well.
You know if you are a regular shopper at the place then the in-store credit is great for them because they are still making the money where you get the clothes. Smart on them and you if that works for you. You can find some great pieces if you look but the prices need to be reasonable for used clothes.
Don’t forget Ebay! If ever I have some nice items that still have a lot of wear left in them, I list them on Ebay. I’ve had pretty good luck making money that way, but it’s a little more time-consuming to sell clothing that way. It can be worth it, though. Last month I made something like $55 selling 3-4 items on Ebay.
Excellent point Dee.. see this is why I love comments from the fans. I don’t really use EBAY and probably why I didn’t think of it. Do you pay for shipping on the clothes?
Wow, I must be old school. You’ve really opened my eyes. Although I don’t have a problem shopping for used clothes, I think I would feel funny about selling my own. It’s like I want to be frugal but charitable at the same time. Maybe I will see about doing some consignment selling for some good quality pieces. Baby steps.
There’s nothing wrong with being charitable but more and more people are realizing they can make money from selling their clothes so why give them away for free especially if they have bills to pay. I can see their point but ultimately it’s up to the seller.
Seems it’s definitely worth it sell old clothes these days, and a variety of ways to do it. Surely for families of several children this will prove a clever little earner in the long run, instead of simply disposing or donating old rags and baby grows etc.
And I found it hilarious that the worker in the at the second-hand store thought that prices are just randomly generated by computers. It’s the merchandisers and marketing teams that decide on the that.
Sounds like they had to justify the price BUT they didn’t give a rats about it because they shrugged it off like someone will pay the money for them. In all honesty, someone likely will. Sad but true.
Does Canada have “the bins”? The Goodwill bins are the last stop in the US for things from Goodwill. Everything is by the pound. There are a surprising amount of good things to be had there. I never hit the clothing (I’m somewhat of an odd size) but some of the people I know managed to pull out decent silk from there. Clothing, housewares, etc. are all sold by the pound, bringing the price down dramatically.
We have donation bins all around or you can simply drop off to the Goodwill or any other second-hand shop. 🙂
Thrift stores have become so expensive anymore. I’ve found that much of the used cloths are not much cheaper than what you would pay for new cloths on the discount rack in the stores themselves.
Great article and tips, though!
I agree with you Terry. We are very selective now with what we buy second-hand.
Does Canada have “the bins”? The Goodwill bins are the last stop in the US for things from Goodwill. Everything is by the pound. There are a surprising amount of good things to be had there. I never hit the clothing (I’m somewhat of an odd size) but some of the people I know managed to pull out decent silk from there. Clothing, housewares, etc. are all sold by the pound, bringing the price down dramatically.
We have Goodwill stores yes and we go in them almost monthly to look around. We find all sorts. I don’t mind finding tops but I buy my jeans new because I’m just picky about the way they feel. It’s on the odd occasion I find a t-shirt I like. My wife finds all sorts.
Changeroo Canada is a Canadian online store that buys and resells like-new children’s clothing at 75% off the new retail price. 😉