Consider selling unwanted clothes

A few years ago, I made the rounds of local resale and consignment stores. I didn’t make a lot of money selling for cash ($25 for 11 items of mall brand clothing). Consigning earned about $200, but that was over a period of six months.

I checked in with two experts in the resale industry to compile a list of tips for anyone considering selling clothing as we approach spring. Bonnie Kallenberg, owner of Finders Keepers Consignment stores and president of the National Association of Resale and Thrift shops has been in the business for 30 years. Kerstin Block, president and co-founder of Buffalo Exchange, is celebrating 40 years in the resale business this year with a vintage Airstream pop-up shop touring the country. Buffalo Exchange opened its first Atlanta shop about a year ago. (The tour comes through town on March 31.)

Things have changed in the world of resale, they both say. “We have gone from being a pariah, to being a huge fashion statement,” Block says. Here are some tips to help you determine if selling or consigning may work for you.

Get the season right. For consigning or selling, you will make more money if your items are in season, Kallenberg says. "If you are just now cleaning out winter merchandise, it is way too late," she says.

Would you buy it? Ask yourself if your items are still current, Kallenberg says. As a rule of thumb anything more than two years old will be harder to sell on consignment. Trendy items up to five years old may still be purchased at cash for clothing stores. "A store like ours that is more alternative will take vintage items from the 1970's and back," Block says. Stores that pay cash for clothing may also be willing to take handcrafted and ethnic clothing, she says.

Edit yourself. Check your items for stains, pulls, tears and other flaws. Do not bring in clothing covered in cat hair. If even one of these items turns up in an otherwise acceptable batch of clothing, it can send the wrong impression to the buyer. Cash for clothing buyers will buy as little as one or two items, but consignment shops often require a minimum number of saleable items to open an account. Make sure all of your offerings are up to snuff.

Know the crowd. You can sell mall merchandise from stores such as Banana Republic, J. Crew or J. Jill for cash or on consignment, but know that many of the cash for clothing stores have younger shoppers and want brands that appeal to them. Still, don't assume consignment stores are only for high-end brands, Kallenberg says. Both types of stores spend time studying which brand names and styles will sell and they train staff members on how to buy for those needs.

Designer bags are golden. Most resale stores can't get enough of these. Buffalo Exchange may even make exceptions and take a high-end bag on consignment, Block says. Kallenberg says they generally always take designer handbags and will keep them on the floor longer than other merchandise.

Know the ropes. In general, you get more money by selling on consignment versus selling for cash but you wait longer for the payment. Policies may vary by store, but at Buffalo Exchange when you sell an item you get 30 percent of the selling price in cash or 50 percent in store trade. First time consignors at Finders Keepers must have at least 10 items to create an account. If an item doesn't sell at the initial price, it is marked down over a 60 day period, then donated. The percentage the consignor receives from the items that sell depends on the actual selling price — you get a higher percentage (up to 60 percent) for items that sell for more money.