How to Sell Clothes Online, From Taking Photos to Shipping

Decluttering your closet can make you feel totally refreshed. But once you wind up with a big pile of clothes that no longer suit you, what are you supposed to do with all of those items?

Unfortunately, the majority of unwanted clothing

winds up in landfills or incinerators—both of which produce greenhouse gases that contribute to

global warming. Instead of tossing clothing out, there are

plenty of places you can donate used clothes. Or,

recycle textiles that aren't high-quality enough for use. You can also make money from your unwanted clothes by reselling them on thrifting apps.

Online thrift stores like

thredUP and Depop make it really easy to sell your clothes. But in order to get those sales, you have to know the tricks of the trade. Here's exactly how to sell clothes online, from taking great photos to crafting informative descriptions.

When taking photos of each piece of clothing, you want to bring each item to life! One way to do this is to model your own clothes and thoughtfully photograph. Whether you stand in front of a blank canvas or even just make the extra effort in laying your clothes out on the floor with accessories to make what you’re selling more engaging and eye-catching, presentation is key.

Choosing the option to model the article of clothing will give the audience a clearer picture of how it looks when worn. Keep in mind if you do decide to model your own clothes, it takes time and patience. Make sure that your lighting is just right and you have ample time, because this is where most of your effort will fall in order to kick off your reselling journey. 

Another popular option sellers use is neatly folding or placing the article of clothing in front of a neutral background so buyers can see it clearly. Note that most online apps offer the option to take photos within the app, but we recommend taking them separately from your own camera and uploading them to give the audience a better quality photo. Taking photos outside of the app will also give you the chance to edit them as you see fit. 

Once the perfect photo is taken, it’s time to put together a description. The description will help your audience understand the specific details of the piece of clothing and/or accessory. Whether it be the material it’s made of, the condition it’s in, or how it fits— descriptions matter.

An additional step to help buyers decide whether the item will fit them is to

take specific measurements. I've had experience online shopping where I would order a piece of clothing thinking my usual size would fit, only to find out that it doesn’t. It’s a huge bummer and I’m sure I’m not the only one this has happened to.

When reselling clothes online or through apps, you must take the season into consideration. For example, you don't want to begin selling flowy dresses or swimsuits once fall hits, or jackets and sweaters right before summer.

If you have a bunch of out-of-season clothing, simply put it in a box and hold onto it to sell later on. List these items a couple of months before the new season begins, as that's when shoppers will start searching for that clothing.

I don’t know about you, but when it comes to selling items I want to get rid of, I tend to be quick in responding to anyone’s inquiries. These buyers are likely looking at similar items, and a quick response could mean you get the sale over someone else. Plus, the faster you respond, the quicker you can ship it off and make that extra cash. It's a win-win!

While making extra cash online is exciting, it's important to keep the extra fees and shipping costs in mind that come along with it. For example, for all sales under $15,

Poshmark takes a flat commission rate of $2.95 and you keep the rest. For sales that are over $15, sellers keep 80% and Poshmark keeps 20%. Pricing and commission rates do vary across platforms, so do your research accordingly to the value of your item.

Along with commission fees, another thing to note is shipping. When I sold items on

Vinted, I had to keep in mind that $2-3 was automatically going to be deducted from the selling price—and I still had to deduct the cost of the shipping rate as well. Shipping rates on apps like Vinted will vary

based on size, but pricing may vary for other apps as well.

Selling your used clothes not only helps you make extra money, but also stops an extra item from heading to the landfill. Not to mention, that article of clothing will get used by someone who will appreciate it just as much as you did when it was first purchased it. So, who's ready to get started?