Capsule Wardrobe Diaries | Letting Go of Clothes
In the first installment of my 'Capsule Wardrobe Diaries' here, I mentioned that I used a selling app called Poshmark. I also mentioned that there was a new company, ThredUp, that I was giving a try. Now I've finally given the second one a go, I thought I'd give you a little update and let you know how I'll be letting go of clothes moving forward. Let's break down the two companies that I mentioned: Poshmark is more of an online thrift store where you're your own boss, while ThredUp limits the work and interaction and gives you more of a hands off way to make a little extra cash.
Poshmark, if you have the patience, is probably my best suggestion if you're slightly attached to your clothes or want to make a little more $$ off your clothes that you let go. I do wear clothes repeatedly when I first get them, but like most others I always want new things to mix things up. So Poshmark is most realistic for me as my clothes are in good condition, relatively recent styles, and give me the flexibility to get a price I want. Also, since they're still an updated style they're likely to be sold faster as others are probably looking for a similar style at a lesser price. Poshmark is pretty convenient as a pre-paid shipping label is emailed to you and all you need to do is package it up and send it off. Once the buyer receives the item, they'll confirm the item is as described, and Poshmark will release your funds. You can either opt to have the funds deposited directly to your bank account, sent via check, or be used as store credit to shop around in the app. Poshmark does keep 20% of your profits, although if your item is less than $10 I believe they do take a bigger cut than 20%
I gave ThredUp a try a few months back in July, and needless to say I was a tad disappointed. I ended up ordering 2 bags as I had wayyyy too many clothes that I just wanted to get rid of. If you're unfamiliar with ThredUp, the process works where you send a giant bag of clothes to processors who will examine each piece and decide which one they keep or return. Any unchosen items can either be returned to you for a flat fee ($12.99 - not $9.99 as advertised), or donated. I opted to have one bag of clothes returned if they were not selected, and one bag to be donated. The process actually took a while and while I sent the bags in together, I had one bag processed in about 3ish weeks, while the other took over a month. So although this is the easiest option, it isn't the fastest option. To redeem the credits you can either use it to purchase items through the site, have it deposited to PayPal for a small fee, or have a pre-paid Visa card sent to you. I chose the last option, and the card took about 1.5 weeks to arrive. (Partially why I waited so long to write this second installment.) Overall I probably made about $40 from both bags (after the return fee was subtracted). Seeing as though they kept 20+ items, this was an extremely low payout per item. I've been using Poshmark since I was in college (so a good 4+ years), and I've made a gooood amount from the site. Poshmark helps give statistics that show how much you've made overall, how many items you've sold, as well as your ratings. I've sold a good number of products here, and my average has balanced out to be about $20/item. So yeah, that's a significant difference compared to the ThredUp $/item. On Poshmark it is a balance as of course I sell some items for very little, while some nicer items sell for a larger amount. For example, one item that I got in my returned ThredUp bag sold on Poshmark about 2 weeks later, and the profit from that was about 1/4 of my total ThredUp earnings (lol).
If you're interested in signing up for Poshmark, use my code 'HEEQQ' and you can get $5 credit for shopping!
Now ThredUp is good for those that cannot be bothered to wait, and really just need the clothes gone asap or need the cash sooner rather than later. And in many cases, I do feel like I'd rather send it off to them and have them deal with it. I've included two shots of parts of my closet pre-clearout this past weekend - I have a lot of closet space..and a lot of clothes. You can probably tell from my closet that I wear a ton of neutrals. I went through all my tops and pulled out the ones I haven't worn in the last few months. They've been moved into a separate wardrobe compartment and are in the "soon to go" pile. I've snapped most of the tops in that area and placed them on Poshmark. Over the next few months I'll be giving myself a chance to wear them, for buyers to swipe them up on Poshmark, or off to ThredUp they will go. I'll probably do a ThredUp cleanse 2-3 times a year, as it'll help cut down on a lot of the bulk. As the seasons have changed, I'm moving a lot of my "summery" tops out and really debating if I want them or not. If I didn't reach for them once during the warm weather you can bet they're getting the boot.
Being left with a closet full of items that you love and like wearing makes getting ready in the morning so much more fun. I've mentioned before that I've been in such a rut with my wardrobe. But with all these clearouts and decluttering, I'm finally enjoying dressing up again. I'd like to say my outfits have been a lot cuter as of late. My boyfriend told me my outfit was cute the other day - extra boyfriend points for him for noticing (LOL). It also helps that since I've started purchasing a lot less makeup/skincare items, I've been investing in some new wardrobe pieces that I've been eyeing up for a while. I'm thinking of starting up some fashion posts so stay tuned :) [Lmk if you have any suggestions/input for this!]
I think my next Capsule Wardrobe Diary will be on shoes because this girl has way too many shoes. And honestly, I don't wear a lot of them. Orrrr they're just so worn, battered, and loved that I should throw them out. But I don't, because I'm a sentimental baby and a hoarder - the two do not go well together. But hey, it's all a process. And when you get rid of shoes, you just make space for some new ones.. right? ;)
What are some ways you clear out your unused/unloved clothes/shoes/accessories? Share your tips plz.