How to beat the cash crunch by selling your clothes. Who gives the best price?

Selling your pre-loved clothes and accessories can pay off depending on fees and commission. Herald Graphic

As the cost of living bites, more New Zealanders are rummaging through wardrobes to sell clothes and accessories for cash. Whether it’s best done through a store, app or website depends on if it’s a designer handbag or a load of fast fashion. Kirsty Wynn looks at the best ways to get in on the second-hand side hustle and get cash for your pre-loved clothing, shoes and accessories

Recycle Boutique

Gone are the days when you could drop off a bag of fashion faux pas and walk out with cash. Most stores are by consignment now, which means they sell on behalf and take a cut of the sale price. At Recycle Boutique you get 50 per cent - minus GST. All accepted clothing has a seven-week cycle with four weeks at full price, two weeks at 25 per cent off and if it’s still there after seven weeks, it gets discounted to half price.

If you make less than $100, it can be collected in-store via Eftpos refund, while payments of more than $100 can be transferred straight to your bank account.

Recycle Boutique has 12 stores nationwide and sells on behalf, taking a 50 per cent cut of profits. Photo / Alex Burton

There are 12 stores nationwide making it one of the most popular and easy-to-find stores. They tend to be well-presented and organised.

Top items are placed on the store’s social pages for added exposure and selected items sell online.

Upside: Great option for mid-range labelled clothing and accessories you are not too attached to.

Downside: Racks are sometimes overloaded, meaning items can be missed. If your piece doesn’t sell and gets the dreaded 50 per cent sticker you might only get $10 for something you thought was worth $50.

Tatty’s

Like Recycle Boutique, Tatty’s and Little Tatty’s sell on behalf. There is an additional $5 fee for each drop-off and a $48 annual fee for active sellers. If an item sells you get 45 per cent - minus GST.

These guys don’t muck around: Items languishing on racks after four weeks are stickered with 50 per cent off.

The three Tatty’s stores are all in Auckland and the locations on Ponsonby Rd and High St are hard to beat, with high foot traffic.

There is also an easy-to-use website with online sales and layby is an option for buyers, helping you secure that higher price.

Tatty's has three stores in Auckland and sells on behalf taking a 55 per cent cut of profits. Photo / Alex Burton

Tatty’s is discerning with what they accept - so it’s a good idea to look online or head in-store to get a feel for what they sell to avoid wasting your time.

They suggest new sellers collect unwanted items after they’re assessed to see what the store won’t accept.

Payments go directly into your bank account.

Upside: Great for better-quality items and you can drop off as many or as few as you like.

Downside: The fees can chew through your profits depending on the success of your sales.

Trade Me

If you want more control over price and profit and don’t mind putting in the time and effort, Trade Me could be for you. You can sell bulk lots for “buy now” prices or run auctions. You can also list single special items for the higher prices you want.

Designer and sought-after items do well on Trade Me. When sold, you pay a commission of 7.9 per cent - quite a contrast to the roughly 50 per cent consignment stores take.

Buyers make payments directly via bank transfer or cash and Trade Me takes its fee from your account.

Presenting and photographing items well can be time-consuming but it works wonders.

Upside: You have more control. You name your own fixed price or auction reserve. And you can do it all from the comfort of home.

Downside: It’s time-consuming and items can take a while to sell. You also have to make time for goods to be collected or posted.

Designer Wardrobe

If you have a special or designer item or accessory and want to set the price yourself, the app and web-based site Designer Wardrobe is a great option.

Local and international designer clothing and accessories, especially sweatshirts and handbags, do well on the site.

For sales under $40, Designer Wardrobe takes a flat fee of $4.95. For sales above $40, Designer Wardrobe’s commission is 12.95 per cent. No sale, no fee.

Buyers can search by designer so if they want your Karen Walker sunglasses, they will find them.

Once your item sells, the buyer pays into a holding account and once it is received the money is released to your DW wallet so you can spend it on the app or withdraw it. This system gives buyers an extra layer of security. Designer Wardrobe fees are taken from your account.

Upside: You set the price and you’re only charged when an item sells.

Downside: It’s time-consuming to create listings, answer questions and post sold items.

Depop

Like Designer Wardrobe, there is no fee to list an item to sell on Depop and you only pay if it sells. It’s marketed toward the younger seller so perfect for teens to get involved and on-sell the once on-trend clothing they’ve moved on from. Streetwear, Y2K fashion and vintage are also big sellers on the site.

Depop takes a 10 per cent fee from the total sale (including shipping costs) once an item sells.

Upside: Great for young sellers - you set the price.

Downside: Items can take a while to sell and it takes time to list and post items.

City Flea Market

If you have a lot of items to sell and don’t want the fuss of setting up accounts, taking photos and managing listings, a car boot sale or market table is another option. Markets such as City Flea Market in Balmoral, Auckland are popular at the weekend for people looking for a bargain. Plus the vibes are great with plenty of coffee and food to be had.

A table at Central Flea Market will cost you $40 but the day's takings are all yours. Photo / Central Flea Market Facebook

Stalls are around $40 for a 4m by 4m space and most include a table set up.

Present your goods well and you can make a tidy profit pretty quickly.

Downside: There’s nothing more humbling than someone right in front of you critiquing your once-prized possessions.

Upside: Go in with a friend to halve the cost and make it a fun morning out.

SPCA Boutique

When you’ve exhausted all avenues of sale and you’ve still got bags of great stuff - or you feel moved to do a good deed - give some stuff away. There are plenty of great charities like SPCA Boutique in Ponsonby which sell donated designer goods and give the profits to the pets.

If you want to donate instead of sell the SPCA Boutique in Ponsonby Rd accepts clothing and assessories with all proceeds going to help the animals. Photo / Alex Burton

The store is upmarket and on par with other designer digs so you know they are going to get the best price they can for your pre-loved stuff.

Upside: Decluttering feels great and so does doing a good deed for others.

Downside: No sale, no cash.