How to Give Your Clothes a New Home

And earn some cash!

If you’re like me and have recently had an Autumn wardrobe clear out, here are the best ways I’ve found to give those items you’re no longer wearing a good home.

Repair

Firstly, are there some items that you still enjoy wearing but are looking a little worn? Can you repair the item or give it some love? Here are my favourite ways to do that:

• Debobbler /fabric shaver: This is a great tool to get rid of those bobbly bits on jumpers, coats, or even gym leggings and bags. I have this one but you can find them in Home Bargains and other places. You’d be surprised at how often I use this. Also is it sad to admit that I got mine as a Christmas present?

• Sewing kit: A button on one of my shirts fell off so my Mum showed me how to do it myself so I could stop asking her to do it. I have now repaired a few buttons and it’s saved me paying for a tailor to fix it.

• Polish: It sounds obvious but when was the last time you gave your shoes/boots a good polish?

• Silver cloth: If your silver jewellery is looking a bit dull, give it a polish with a silver cloth and it will look good as new.

Selling

I always feel a bit better selling items over giving them to charity as I know someone has actively sought out that item.

My current favourite place to sell clothes is Vinted. There are no selling or postage fees, unlike other platforms. You can also turn off certain delivery services. For example, I turned off Royal Mail because honestly, their opening hours are rubbish. I’ve sold 9 items since the end of September which I think is quite good going. Someone even bought something whilst I was writing this!

I have found that I had quite a lot of purchases when I uploaded a lot of items in one go at the start but I’ve had a lull recently. I think the key would be to upload little and often to make your profile look more active. I also offer a discount to anyone who favourites an item because I just want them gone. You could also message users to say that you could post the item that day to encourage them to purchase. If you’re nosy, here is my Vinted profile.

You could also sell on Depop or eBay but they charge you a fee for selling and the postage options are limited. Also, I found the eBay bidding methods quite confusing even as a self-professed tech-savvy person.

Charity Recommendations

Charity shops are my least preferred choice for giving clothes a new home as I know that a lot of charity shops are overwhelmed with items. However, what’s good about them is you can Gift Aid your donations too so they can claim an extra 25% back - sometimes they even email you to tell you how much they’ve made from your items!

Here is an example of an email I got from Oxfam earlier this year. Also, make sure to check you’re eligible for Gift Aid.

Personally, I never get around to actually taking items to a physical charity shop but several of them allow you to send your donations to them which makes it a lot easier. Some even offer free postage and send you mailing bags. Here are some suggestions with links to where to get the postage bags:

Oxfam: I have tried and tested this one. Very easy to use.

Red Cross: I’ve not tested this one but it looks similar to Oxfam.

Re-fashion: I’ve also used this one and they sell your clothes on their website.

Recycling

And lastly, could you recycle your really worn-out clothes in one of those bins at the supermarket?

I hope this gives you a few ideas on how to say goodbye to your clothes in a nice way - you might even earn a bit of cash too! What are your favourite ways to donate or sell used clothes?

Thanks for reading!

Lily