One person’s trash is another person’s treasure
Hi there!
Hope you’re having a great week! The days fly by here in San Diego and it's always fun
This week we are still talking about the five Rs of sustainable fashion! Specifically, reselling your goods – you know the saying: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The best way to clean up the planet (starting in our closets) is to keep (and wear) our garments for longer, thereby keeping them out of landfills and on our bodies.
The challenge of our consumerist society is that we are conditioned to want new! better! more! now! However, as a society, we are becoming more open to resale in general and the used clothing market is hot right now.
Two cautions around reselling include:
Consider your why – make sure that you’re not simply selling items so that you can buy more clothes. Selling and buying fuels the consumer flame so it is important to think of other ways to modify/tailor or style the garment before selling it.
Don’t expect to make money – unless you have a LOT of designer pieces or items with tags still on, you are unlikely to make much money from reselling your clothes. Think instead of the benefit to the planet by extending the garment’s life (and the extra coffee money in your pocket).
My favorite way to use reselling for sustainable wardrobe management? For those pieces that no longer serve a purpose in your life e.g. that bridesmaid dress that you wore once or the suit that you used to wear in your corporate job but are unlikely to wear again. These are pieces that don’t need to be replaced and are likely to be in great condition while serving a purpose in another person’s life.
Below are some of my favorite reselling apps and why I personally like them.
ThredUp - this is a great option for the closet clean out phase of creating a conscious wardrobe since they do most of the work for you. Order a bag, fill it up with the clothes you don’t want and are in good condition and mail it back. The ThredUp team takes care of the rest and you get a percentage of the sale price.
PoshMark - this is for those who have more time/patience. Photograph your unwanted items and post them to PoshMark. Set your own prices and negotiate with buyers. I love this option for a few things that you’re ready to let go. PoshMark provides the mailing label and sends you the money from the sale.
The RealReal - for those with designer items to purge. The RealReal will come to your house and take away your designer pieces and resell them for you, sharing a percentage of the profits with you. The site has a strict criteria and does a lot of the work for you (but don’t expect to recoup any of the expense of the original designer price).
Swap Society - this one is new to me but sounds great. Send in the pieces you don’t wear and receive SwapCoin to purchase new-to-you items from the site. Swap Society is focused on extending a garment’s life and keeping clothes out of landfill!
If you know of a resale site that I missed, let me know! Or if you have another tip to share with the rest of the Sustainable Style Club, send it my way and I’ll include it in an upcoming email.
Until next week,
Kevin xo