thirteenth Aug 2025
Studying Time: 11 minutes
Classic clothes is in. An increasing number of individuals are shopping for it, subsequently it’s simpler than ever to earn money from promoting retro vogue. It’s official: second-hand is horny!
Endorsement from vogue icons, corresponding to supermodel Kate Moss and stylist Bay Garnett, has helped charity store vogue take maintain on the excessive road. That’s nice information in the event you love vogue and want to decide up some more money discovering classic clothes.
Money in on this sudden wave of thrift store stylish by rifling by the again of your wardrobe, trudging right down to your native charity store and searching for hidden gems wherever you go. Then all it’s a must to do is locate the best purchaser to make a tidy revenue!
What’s Classic Clothes?
It’s maybe barely miserable, however ‘classic’ means something older than about twenty years, relating to garments. So, in the event you nonetheless have a Pierce the Veil authentic t-shirt from 2005, it’d promote for a small fortune.
Gadgets that at all times promote effectively relating to classic are:
- Band t-shirts
- Leather-based jackets
- Coats of all types
- Distinctive trendy shapes, like bell bottoms
- Designer labels
- Equipment like costume jewelry, sun shades, and purses
However so long as one thing is in nice situation, you may get a reasonably penny for it. When you’ve rummaged by your personal wardrobe, it’s time to increase your horizons and take a look at thrift retailers for some bargains to flip for further money.
Step 1: What to search for in classic clothes
Everyone seems to be at all times on the lookout for nice bargains. If you wish to make revenue from classic clothes, commonly examine your native classic put on goldmine to see if any new inventory has are available that would doubtlessly make you a mint. It’ll require a little bit endurance and numerous rummaging, nevertheless it would possibly simply repay!
Have a rummage
The primary rule when visiting charity retailers is: don’t be afraid to rummage. Essentially the most collectable objects are inclined to lurk on the backside of the pile so roll up your sleeves and get to work.
One other necessary factor to recollect is to maintain going again to any store you assume might need hidden treasures. The good things goes quick and popping to the shop twice every week isn’t extreme for an enthusiastic collector. You would possibly even wish to examine with the store assistant to search out out once they get deliveries so that you’re there when new inventory arrives.
Select the best materials
Don’t simply purchase something. There’re sure materials that’ll be simpler to promote.
Lena Weber, editor of classic vogue tribute web site QueensofVintage and self-confessed classic clothes addict, says:
“Positively keep away from very synthetic materials as they’re a nightmare to maintain clear. Ideally search for objects which might be made of top of the range materials corresponding to wool or cotton. I wouldn’t be too anxious if an merchandise has a small gap, is lacking a button or must be hemmed up, this could all be simply fastened. You will discover recommendations on how you can rework ill-fitting classic in a couple of fast steps on QueensofVintage.”
Don’t overspend
There aren’t any objects of clothes specifically that take advantage of revenue. All of it relies on how a lot you paid for it, the situation of the merchandise, what label it carries and the way restricted its availability is. It’d take a little analysis to get a good suggestion of what sure items of clothes are price.
In the event you’re simply beginning out, attempt to not pay greater than £20-£30 for anyone merchandise. However, with a bit of information and a dollop of excellent luck, discovering a pair of £5 classic sneakers in a charity store and promoting them on for £40-£50 is unquestionably doable.
Step 2: The place to search for classic clothes
Earlier than you go trawling by each thrift retailer on the town, look a little bit nearer to dwelling. Most of us have baggage of garments in our attics and wardrobes simply ready to return again into model. These dishevelled ‘mum denims’ you chucked when skinny trousers turned all the trend? Dig them out – they’re again in and promoting like sizzling muffins!
Money within the attic
Take a look by. Maybe you have already got one thing in good situation which may make you a revenue.
Keep in mind, even in the event you assume an merchandise is completely hideous, it’d effectively be in vogue proper now. Or – with a little bit creativity and a pair of sharp scissors – you can also make it trendy. Upcycled garments can fetch greater than the unique, when carried out effectively!
Preserve an open thoughts about types, colors and materials. Except you’re already an knowledgeable, you’ll be able to by no means be too certain in the event you’ve come throughout the holy grail of stilettos.
Swap it
Strive having a swap store with pals (or strangers) to see in the event you can decide something out from their junk that may very well be price one thing.
Try Swishing.com and Eventbrite to search out your nearest garments swap occasion, or arrange your personal and create an invitation on Fb native teams to show it into a giant occasion.
Hit the excessive road
After you’ve turned your own home the wrong way up and hassled all your folks, attempt wanting a little bit additional away from dwelling. Most excessive streets have a charity store or two. These are perfect for discovering forgotten clothes handed down by generations. The trick is to examine every part you discover after which belief your instincts.
In the event you fall in love with an merchandise at first look – until you’ve bought a very quirky model – chances are high another person would possibly too.
Though large names typically promote for more cash, it’s far more tough to search out them for only a few quid. To start with, persist with lower-priced objects.
Classic outfitters are additionally an amazing place to search out some authentic and quirky items. The one bother is you’re rather a lot much less prone to make any revenue on objects you discover there. Why? The store homeowners are typically specialists of their discipline. They’ll know which objects are extra precious and might subsequently be taken to public sale or offered for extra.
Having stated that, retailers providing classic clothes are sometimes prepared to haggle, so give it a go. It’s actually price taking a look each from time to time. You by no means know what is perhaps hiding beneath a pile of polka dot attire.
Lena says: “Charity retailers are an amazing place for classic bargains. The identical goes for giant classic retailers in non-trendy areas; steer clear of Camden Market or Brick Lane, for instance. There are additionally some unbelievable on-line retailers corresponding to somelikeitvintage which have wonderful cut price objects.“
Proper now, originality is the important thing to being fashionable. Shopping for classic clothes just about ensures that you simply’re not going to show as much as a celebration carrying the identical gown as another person.
Common celebs like Alexa Chung swear by classic. This has given the marketplace for second-hand clothes a critical enhance and for you – a good way to earn some further money.
Learn the way to earn money accumulating classic sneakers.
Step 3: Who to promote your classic clothes to
There’re actually 1000’s of collectors on the market looking for sure objects. In the event you bump into a real gem, promoting received’t be an issue. These into vogue are prepared to pay large bucks for the much-coveted classic designer shoe, as an example.
Memorable footwear additionally does very effectively in public sale. The well-known ruby-red slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz made $666,000 (then round £412,000) when offered at public sale in 2000.
Simply do not forget that the possibilities of you stumbling upon a moneymaker like which might be one in 1,000,000!
There’re a couple of completely different locations you’ll be able to promote your newly-purchased classic clothes and footwear.
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eBay
In fact, the primary place it’s possible you’ll consider is eBay. And sure, folks usually make a tidy sum from shopping for and promoting there.
Nonetheless, collectors and vogue addicts are getting smart to the scammers and time wasters populating eBay and sometimes search alternate options. It’s one thing price eager about. In the event you do select to promote with eBay, there’s a couple of issues to recollect.
Put in a bit of additional time once you checklist an merchandise and it’ll repay. A very good rule of thumb is to explain the belongings you’re promoting as if there weren’t any pictures accessible. Specify the kind of cloth, clarify the garment care directions and at all times embody the measurements as sizes fluctuate relying on the period and nation. For instance, a classic measurement 14 gown could also be nearer to a contemporary measurement 10. Checklist the age, authentic retail value and place of preliminary buy if you realize it. Don’t overlook to say any injury corresponding to stains, tears or lacking buttons.
An image actually is price a thousand phrases, so at all times embody good high quality, well-lit pictures together with your itemizing. On eBay, you’ll be able to put up as much as 12 footage – make every one rely. In the event you personal a model, use it to show the merchandise. Go for a white background and make sure you present any injury.
eBay listings are free, so be sure you make the most of this. To spice up visibility or embody your merchandise in a number of classes, you’ll must pay small charges.
Check out these 20 helpful tricks to earn money on eBay immediately.
ETSY
Etsy is one other good place to flog your vogue finds – and notably classic clothes. The wonderful thing about it’s that it’s not restricted to garments solely. It’s also possible to promote classic prints and paintings.
Judging from the location, you would possibly get the impression that this enterprise is primarily in the USA, however don’t let that put you off. A 3rd of gross sales comes from worldwide consumers.
And the variety of these is staggering. There’re 39.4 million energetic consumers on Etsy, and solely 2.1 million sellers. Meaning there’re greater than sufficient clients to go round.
Getting began as a vendor on Etsy is straightforward – the very first thing to do is register for a purchaser account. Watch out when selecting your username because it’ll additionally pop up as your store title. It’ll present up as .
Take a couple of minutes and skim {the marketplace}’s Newbie’s Information to make sure that you get off on the best foot.
Similar to another web site the place you promote classic clothes, photos are key. Having good high quality pictures is essential to promote efficiently on Etsy. You’re allowed 5 pics per merchandise, which isn’t a lot, so make sure that they’re actually displaying off the merchandise you’re buying and selling. You’ll be able to hone your snapping abilities with the location’s helpful information to perfecting your product pictures.
Vinted
Vinted is a platform particularly for pre-loved or second-hand garments and equipment. Be ready for folks haggling! Set your costs a little bit increased than you’re ready to let objects go for, as folks anticipate to barter on this app.
There aren’t any charges or fee to pay with Vinted; they make their cash by the Purchaser Safety Charge which the customer pays.
Be sure to checklist every part as precisely as potential. Garments displayed on a model promote higher than objects laid flat, and it’s necessary to checklist the precise tape measurements of bust, hips, chest, and many others somewhat than the label measurement as sizing can fluctuate a lot between retailers – particularly classic objects.
SOCIAL NETWORKS
Fb promoting teams are giving eBay a run for its cash as the most effective place to earn money by promoting second-hand objects. Why? It’s free. Most individuals use Fb on daily basis and it’s straightforward to put up an merchandise to promote between updating your standing and testing what your folks have been as much as. You will discover promoting teams throughout the nation with 1000’s of members eager to purchase something classic. Merely seek for “UK classic promoting teams”. Providing objects on the market is simply as easy – all you want do is put up instantly in your group’s web page and add {a photograph}.
It’s price placing a transparent deadline in your advert, alongside the strains of ‘will supply to the subsequent individual down if assortment time not agreed inside 24 hours’.
In the event you’ve carried out a extremely large clear-out and have heaps to dump, checklist as many items as potential in a single batch. Decide a day once you’re on-line, so you’ll be able to reply questions promptly and don’t lose gross sales. This manner, you can even prepare one or two time slots for collections.
Keep in mind, teams are public. Preserve private particulars off posts and solely settle for funds by way of PayPal.
It’s additionally price taking a look at Instagram. Arrange an account and discover like-minded followers by looking hashtags corresponding to #vintagesellingpage and #vintagesale. Because it’s a photo-centric social media app, it’s key you could have beautiful pictures of your classic clothes.
Keep in mind to at all times maintain the sale below a separate account out of your private one. In any other case, you’ll be spamming your family and friends somewhat than reaching potential consumers. Create an account and put up all of the pictures of your objects with their descriptions earlier than you begin the sale. That approach you’ll be able to deal with making offers somewhat than importing footage.
With the sort of sale, you’ll want to be organised. Preserve a file – maybe a spreadsheet – with the main points of the offered value, any postage prices charged to the customer and delivery data. Having all the knowledge in a single place means you’ll be able to simply hold monitor of the place to ship objects and when funds come by.
Simply earlier than you begin the sale, at all times put up a listing of “sale guidelines”. This may minimize down the variety of complaints or points that pop up later. It is best to embody data corresponding to begin/finish time of the sale, how you can make bids (bid quantity with PayPal e mail is usually best) and checklist any postage restrictions (UK solely, as an example). It’s price stipulating that funds have to be obtained inside 24 hours of receiving the PayPal cash request. It is best to make clear that if the customer fails to conform, they’ll lose their merchandise and it’ll go to the subsequent highest bid.
Specialist websites and auctions
In the event you’ve bought your coronary heart set on auctioning your items off, attempt SpecialistAuctions. The location has a particular part devoted to classic put on.
It’s also possible to take a look at native public sale homes to see if they’ve any classic clothes auctions working within the close to future. In the event that they don’t, it most likely isn’t price your time.
A great way to achieve 1000’s amongst your goal market is by displaying your items on a specialist web site. In the meantime, an actual life public sale with out your particular viewers will appeal to a few bidders on the most.
In the event you’ve picked up something notably stylish in your travels, ship an e mail to [email protected] (from the web site CandySays) describing your objects. Embrace some footage if potential and he or she’ll let you realize whether or not or not she needs it for her on-line retailer and for what value.
In fact, to get an thought of worth on your objects, you may haul them alongside to your native classic retailer and simply ask them for recommendation.
You by no means know, they may even give you a pleasant wad of money for what you’ve bought.
Promoting garments for a residing might sound cool and simple however to make a stable revenue, you’ll want to take a position a while into it. Making a full-time residing by shopping for and promoting classic clothes and sneakers isn’t one thing it is best to take into consideration until you’re an knowledgeable within the discipline.
If it’s a approach to make some further money, you’ll be able to undoubtedly anticipate to earn a couple of quid by shopping for an merchandise for a few kilos and promoting it on for a double determine.
You might make large cash by shopping for designer put on and large names as an funding. Labels like Chanel, Givenchy and Dior, for instance, will solely enhance in worth as time goes by – if objects are in good situation. However you’ll be able to go smaller shopping for much less prestigious manufacturers and make classic clothes merely a further supply of earnings with out the dedication of counting on it full time.
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