8 Places To Donate Clothes or Sell Them for Cash

Is your closet bursting at the seams, but you don’t want to just throw out the clothes you no longer wear? Do you have clothes that are in perfectly good condition, but you just never wear them? You can donate these clothes to a worthy charity or sell them for cash.

Here are eight places that will take your unwanted clothes, either as a charitable donation or to put a little extra money in your pocket.

Donate Clothing to Charity

Some of your clothes may not find a buyer on the resale market, or you may just want to donate them to someone who needs them. There are several charities that will take your used clothes and either give them to people in need or sell them and use the proceeds to fund their charitable activities.

When you donate clothes, you can take a tax deduction for the value of the clothes. You’ll need to estimate how much they are worth, which the charity may be able to help you determine, and you’ll need to get a receipt from the organization you donated them to.

Here are some organizations that will take clothes you no longer want and will help some people out at the same time.

Goodwill

Goodwill takes used clothing in good condition, as well as many other household items, from books and CDs to furniture. Goodwill resells these items in its stores and uses the money to provide job placement and employment training in the local community. There are over 3,300 Goodwill locations in the U.S. and Canada.

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army collects used clothing as well as other household goods and even cars, trucks and boats. It sells most items in its thrift stores and then uses the proceeds to help adults who are struggling with drug or alcohol addiction.

Volunteers of America

Volunteers of America is a nationwide organization made up of local chapters, some of which accept donations of clothing and household items that they sell at their thrift stores. The proceeds fund initiatives to help the homeless, provide affordable housing, assist with behavioral and mental health, and more.

Dress for Success

Dress for Success collects women’s professional attire and provides it free of charge to women who are trying to become financially independent. In addition to providing clothing women can wear to a job interview, Dress for Success also provides professional development tools and networking support. The local affiliates of Dress for Success host donation drives to collect clothing.

Becca’s Closet

Becca’s Closet collects prom dresses, which are typically worn just once, and provides them to girls who would not otherwise be able to afford to go to their prom. Becca’s Closet has chapters all across the U.S. that collect dresses and provide them to local schools.

Where Can I Donate Clothes Near Me?

To locate more places where you can donate clothes near you, use the map below to get started.

Get Cash for Your Unwanted Clothes

There are two types of stores that will give you money for your gently used clothes. One is a consignment shop, where you drop off your clothes and if they sell, you get a check. If not, you can get them back or they’ll donate them. The other is a resale shop, where they buy your clothes from you, so you drop them off and leave with a check.

Note that many consignment and resale shops have pretty high standards for the clothes they’ll take. Designer clothes are the most popular, and special occasion clothing will typically sell well. They usually won’t take anything with visible signs of wear, let alone rips or stains. And missing buttons or a broken zipper is usually enough for them to say, “No, thanks.”

Here are some shops that will give you money for your gently worn clothes.

ThredUp

ThredUp is an online consignment store that takes women’s clothing and accessories. To sell your clothes, request a Clean Out Kit on the ThredUp website. Fill it with the items you want to sell and send it to ThredUp.

ThredUp will price your items, and when they sell, you’ll get a payout. The amount of the payout depends on the brand and the selling price. Higher-end brands pay out a greater percentage of the selling price. For example, expensive items from premium brands like J.Crew and Gucci can pay out up to 80% of the selling price, while items from Gap and Zara can pay out up to 60% of the selling price. Fast fashion brands like Forever 21 and Old Navy are not eligible for a payout — if you send these brands in, you won’t get paid, even if they sell. You will, however, free up space in your closet without taking up space in a landfill.

ThredUp has a 14-day return window for items purchased on the site, so you won’t get paid until 14 days after your item is purchased. There is a time limit on consignments, so if your item doesn’t sell within 30 or 45 days (depending on the brand), you can reclaim it or it becomes the property of ThredUp.

Buffalo Exchange

This chain of used clothing stores has about 40 locations across the country. You can walk into a Buffalo Exchange location with your clothes — you don’t need an appointment, but you do need an ID. They’ll inspect your clothes and buy the ones they accept. They’ll tell you what they’ll sell the item for, and you get 25% of that price in cash or store credit for 50% of the selling price.

Crossroads

With locations in California, Colorado, Texas, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest and the East Coast, primarily in upscale areas, Crossroads offers both resale and consignment. You can bring your clothing into a Crossroads store, or you can mail in your clothes.

To sell by mail, request a bag online, put the clothes you want to sell into it, and send it to them. They’ll examine the clothes and determine which ones they want to buy. This takes about four weeks. Then they’ll pay you 30% of their selling price via Zelle or give you a store credit for 50% of the price.

If you bring in your clothes, you’ll have a third option as well, which is to consign your items. You get paid when they sell, but you’ll get up to 70% of the selling price of the item.

Crossroads specifies they are looking for clean, current items that are in excellent condition.

Information is accurate as of Sept. 29, 2022.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 8 Places To Donate Clothes or Sell Them for Cash