Looking for the best app to sell clothes after doing some spring cleaning? If you’ve recently decluttered and find yourself with a pile of clothes you no longer need, you’re in luck. This stash can be transformed into a lucrative money-making opportunity.
The demand for vintage clothing, shoes, and accessories is immense, and tapping into this market can be incredibly profitable. Thanks to the internet and efficient delivery services, you can easily sell and ship your clothing items to fashion enthusiasts worldwide
It’s a Huge Market to Sell Clothes Online
It should be no surprise there’s a huge market for reselling clothing. The online world has undeniably reshaped numerous industries, and fashion resale is at the forefront of this revolution.
Take a moment to digest these revealing statistics from thredUP, one of the industry’s top resale platforms: The resale fashion market claims a noteworthy $20 billion in sales, making it the most prominent resale niche in the US.
Moreover, the pace at which clothes are being resold is growing a staggering 24 times faster than traditional retail fashion. What’s intriguing is the absence of major retailers in this resale space.
This presents an expansive opportunity for individual sellers like you. Leveraging modern selling apps, starting an online thrift store becomes a feasible venture with minimal initial investment.
Our Methodology: How We Chose the Best Apps to Sell Clothes
Fashion and apparel businesses operate in a vibrant, ever-evolving market. The right technological tools can make a significant difference, allowing a clothing business to manage operations efficiently, differentiate its brand, and enhance customer experiences.
Given the many apps designed for retail, here’s how we determined the best for clothing businesses:
Inventory Management (10/10)
For businesses selling clothes, an efficient inventory management system is indispensable. We prioritize apps that provide real-time stock updates, size/color variations, and restocking alerts.
User Experience and Interface (9/10)
An intuitive user journey ensures that business operations run smoothly and customers have a seamless shopping experience. We focus on apps known for their user-friendly design and navigation.
E-commerce Integration (9/10)
As online shopping dominates, apps that effortlessly integrate with popular e-commerce platforms are valuable. We emphasize those that synchronize with platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, or Magento.
Visual Presentation Features (8/10)
Fashion thrives on presentation. We value apps that offer compelling visual merchandising tools, from high-quality image uploads to 360-degree product views or augmented reality fitting rooms.
Mobile Responsiveness (8/10)
A significant portion of shopping happens on mobile devices. Apps that offer a consistent and optimized experience on smartphones and tablets rank high on our list.
Sales and Promotion Tools (8/10)
Driving sales can hinge on effective promotions. We appreciate apps that facilitate discount codes, flash sales, or bundling options tailored for clothing items.
Pricing and Value Proposition (7/10)
While features are crucial, the app’s pricing should offer good ROI. We weigh the costs against the potential benefits and growth they can drive for clothing businesses.
Customer Interaction and Feedback (7/10)
Engaging with shoppers and gathering their feedback can refine offerings. We favor apps that incorporate review sections, chat features, or feedback surveys.
Analytics and Reporting (7/10)
Understanding sales trends, popular items, or customer preferences can be game-changing. We lean towards apps that provide in-depth analytics and actionable insights.
Integration with Payment Gateways (7/10)
Smooth transactions are at the heart of e-commerce. We underscore apps that integrate seamlessly with a variety of payment processors and gateways.
Support and Updates (6/10)
The fashion industry evolves rapidly, and so should the apps. We emphasize those backed by responsive support and regular feature updates, keeping businesses on the cutting edge.
Navigating the world of fashion retail requires agility, insights, and a keen sense of evolving trends. With our meticulous methodology, businesses selling clothes can equip themselves with apps that not only simplify operations but also elevate the shopping experience for their customers.
Best App to Sell Clothes Online? Consider These
If you are looking into how to open a thrift store in a brick-and-mortar location, trying an online version first could be a great learning opportunity. Check out this current list of apps to sell clothes and pick the top apps you’d like to sell clothes online. Which one fits your needs best?
ASOS Marketplace
Being home to the “Best independent brands and vintage boutiques,” if you want to sell vintage clothing, the ASOS Marketplace app can be a great place to list and sell pretty items. ASOS Marketplace users tend to love clothing that’s retro, vintage and edgy.
- Best for: Vintage and retro clothing.
- Key feature: Houses independent brands and vintage boutiques.
Mercari
With the Mercari app, you can list women’s, men’s and kid’s clothing in minutes. You can also ship items via printable shipping labels directly to the seller and enjoy fast payments.
- Best for: Women’s, men’s, and kid’s clothing.
- Key feature: Offers printable shipping labels directly to the seller.
Poshmark
Poshmark is an app that enables people to sell items of clothing they no longer want. Items are listed by category, making it easy for them to be found by shoppers. One standout feature of Poshmark is the app’s virtual posh parties, whereby thousands of Poshmark users gather several times a day to create listings, share listings, and shop. When your old clothing sells, you’ll be sent a shipping label so you can drop the item off at a postal dropbox.
- Best for: General clothing resale.
- Key feature: Hosts virtual posh parties for increased visibility.
The RealReal
If you’re in the business of selling high-end, luxury clothing items, then The RealReal could be the right app for you as it specializes in listing pre-owned designer clothes. In addition, all designer items listed on The RealReal are checked for authenticity by the app’s in-house team of luxury clothing specialists.
- Best for: High-end, luxury clothing.
- Key feature: In-house authenticity checks.
Vinted
You can sell or swap your used clothes on the Vinted app. Simply add a description and a photo of the item alongside the price. Once the item sells and the buyer receives it, you print your shipping label and ship the package at the drop-off point within five days. After that, the funds are transferred directly into your bank account or via PayPal.
- Best for: Selling or swapping used clothes.
- Key feature: Direct transfers to bank or PayPal after sales.
eBay
With the eBay app, you can sell clothes faster and more efficiently than ever. All you have to do is create an eBay account, download the app, take photos of the clothes you want to sell, add descriptions, set your own price and wait for buyers to start bidding. Also, with eBay, you have the option of selling items for a ‘Buy It Now’ price or putting them in an auction.
- Best for: All types of clothing with auction options.
- Key feature: Flexibility in selling through ‘Buy It Now’ or auctions.
Grailed
If you sell men’s fashion and streetwear, you may want to use the Grailed app, the latest men’s fashion marketplace. Simply create a Grail account, take a photo of the item you wish to sell, add a description and wait for offers to come flooding in. Each transaction made on the Grail app is conducted through PayPal.
- Best for: Men’s fashion and streetwear.
- Key feature: Dedicated marketplace for male fashion.
LePrix
The LePrix app is an online consignment store that caters to high-end fashion brands. If you have designer clothing to sell, the LePrix app could be a great place for you to do so. The company has drop-offs at partner boutiques and schedules a free in-home pickup if you live in a major city. If that doesn’t work, LePrix can send a prepaid shipping label to you so that you can send in your designer items.
- Best for: High-end fashion brands.
- Key feature: Consignment with drop-offs at partner boutiques.
Kidizen
Kidizen is a consignment shop for children’s clothes, and it’s one of the leading apps to sell clothes in this category. Selling your gently-used children’s clothing through Kidizen is easy—all you have to do is snap a picture, list the item, print a shipping label and ship it out. You can also choose to donate your child’s outgrown items if you don’t want to sell them.
- Best for: Children’s clothes.
- Key feature: Option to donate outgrown items.
ThredUp
ThredUp is a fantastic app for buying & selling clothes online, with more than 30,000 fashion brands using the app to sell women’s, children’s and teen’s clothing. On ThredUp, you can request a “Clean Out Kit,” where you fill a bag with unwanted clothing, send it to ThredUp, where they categorize and list your items. ThredUp provides the shipping label, and you just drop your free shipping kit off with USPS or FedEx. USPS. When your items sell, you earn a percentage of the sale price, which varies, depending on your selling price.
- Best for: Vintage and designer items.
- Key feature: Community of fashion enthusiasts.
Depop
Sell old items of clothing and accessories from anywhere you want to with the Depop app. Depop refers to itself as a community of sellers and buyers and is the ideal place to sell streetwear and vintage clothing. The shipping process is easy, and either the seller or the buyer pays for the cost of shipping. The shipping labels are created by Depop, and shipping costs depend on the package’s weight and dimensions. Payout is through PayPal, direct deposit or store credit
- Best for: Vintage and handmade clothes.
- Key feature: Social shopping platform, resembling Instagram.
OfferUp
If you are wanting to sell items of clothing locally, you can do so with ease and efficiency with the OfferUp app. People looking for specific clothes in your area use OfferUp to find products, meaning costly shipping fees are eliminated.
- Best for: Local sales of all types of items including clothes.
- Key feature: Geolocation features to connect with nearby buyers.
Etsy
Favorite seller Etsy has been hailed as the “World’s most imaginative marketplace.” Therefore, if you make and sell home decor or beautiful, unique handmade vintage clothing, the Etsy selling app could be the top app to sell clothes online.
- Best for: Handmade, vintage, and unique clothing.
- Key feature: Dedicated platform for crafters and vintage sellers.
letgo
You can sell used clothes and fashion accessories with the simple-to-use and intuitively-designed letgo app. With over 100 million downloads and hundreds of millions of listings, letgo claims to be the “biggest and fastest-growing app for buying and selling locally.”
- Best for: General second-hand items including clothes.
- Key feature: Simple listing process with image recognition.
Facebook Marketplace
The Facebook Marketplace app is a go-to for people looking to buy and sell clothes online. They cater mostly to the local community, but they also allow for nationwide shipping. The steps to create listings on the Facebook Marketplace is easy, and it’s a great way to get your clothes seen by many. Oh, did we mention there are no seller fees for listing or selling items? That’s right. However, there is a 5% service fee if you ship an item.
- Best for: Local and general clothing sales.
- Key feature: Utilizes the vast Facebook user network.
Bonanza
Like eBay, Bonanza is an auction-based e-commerce site that allows you to sell items of clothing on your own “webstore.” You only pay when items sell and with the Bonanza app you can manage your “webstore”, transactions and “b-mails” with greater efficiency and when you are on the move.
- Best for: A wide variety of items, including fashion.
- Key feature: Known as a seller-friendly marketplace.
Rebelle
If you’re in the market of selling designer labels, clothes, bags, shoes, accessories or jewelry, then you may want to use the Rebelle app. Rebelle makes selling used items of clothing and accessories a luxury by offering a 48-hour guaranteed delivery service and chic mint green packaging – what more could you ask for!
- Best for: Designer and luxury second-hand fashion.
- Key feature: In-house quality and authenticity check.
Tradesy
Fashion lovers rejoice! If you’re looking to unload your Louis Vuitton, Chanel or Prada luxury handbag in a safe, secure and friendly environment, Tradesy is what you need. The app for selling designer handbags offers an easy selling process and free shipping through FedEx when the item sells.
- Best for: Designer fashion resale.
- Key feature: Simple returns and selling process.
Flyp
Flyp enables users to sell their clothes and earn money, and the resale value is stellar on this app. That means you can make anywhere between 50 to 70% of the sales price. It’s a really simple process where you input the item name, resale price, and description and then take and upload photos of your product. The only catch to Flyp is the brands these professional sellers are willing to accept. Many mall brands, such as Nine West and Banana Republic don’t make the cut.
- Best for: Hiring pros to sell for you.
- Key feature: Connects sellers with professional resellers.
Vestiaire Collective
The Vestiaire Collective app allows you to sell vintage clothing, men’s clothing, women’s clothing and designer labels when you are on the go. You’ll also get up to 80% of the selling price for your old clothes, and that’s not bad. Vestiaire Collective proudly asserts to be the “World’s largest collection of pre-owned luxury fashion,” so if you’re not yet using this app for selling your used designer clothing, start using it!
- Best for: Pre-owned luxury clothing.
- Key feature: Quality control and authentication process.
Rebag
Rebag is an online marketplace application that specializes in luxury handbags, accessories and jewelry. What makes Rebag one of the more interesting selling apps of designer brands is Clair, their artificial intelligence software that gives you a price estimate based on the photo scan provided through the app. Sellers can list their items online in minutes and market to a growing community of shoppers looking to buy new items at up to 50% off retail prices.
- Best for: Luxury handbags.
- Key feature: Quick payment after item’s approval.
There’s Also Fashionpile Store Credit
If you’re looking to sell clothes online, but don’t want to deal with the hassle of shipping items or waiting for payments, store credit may be a good option for you. Apps like Fashionphile offer store credit as a payout option, which can be used on their website to buy new clothes. This eliminates the need to worry about shipping items or tracking payments.
- Best for: Selling luxury items for store credit.
- Key feature: Offer upfront payment in the form of store credit.
Is Selling Clothes Online Profitable?
Absolutely! There’s a flourishing market for secondhand clothing online. However, it’s essential to note that this avenue might not be the perfect fit for everyone. The success trajectory of budding professional sellers hinges on several variables:
- Type and Quality of Clothing: The appeal, brand, and condition of the clothing items play a pivotal role.
- Origin of the Item: Some brands or regions may have a higher resale value based on their reputation.
- Current Life Cycle Stage: Fashion trends come and go; hence, the item’s relevance in current fashion cycles matters.
Before diving in, it’s crucial to judiciously evaluate your strengths and gauge the latent potential of the secondhand marketplace. On a global scale, three predominant avenues exist for selling clothes:
- Consignment Stores: This model, ideal for those with an expansive clothing inventory, can be highly profitable. However, it demands significant effort, such as inventory management, delivery coordination, photo sessions, and listing creation. Essentially, it’s tailored more for professional sellers with abundant stock.
- Online Marketplaces: These platforms offer more flexibility compared to traditional consignment stores. Here, you can vend individual items directly to eager buyers. Advantages encompass not having to manage vast stock, oversee deliveries, handle payments, or actively search for customers—the platform brings its inherent audience. However, remember that this ease comes at a cost. Some marketplaces might charge commission fees, which, in some instances, could dent your overall profits.
- Local Classified Sites: This approach significantly slashes costs and potentially boosts your profit margins. However, it inherently has a geographic limitation, restricting your clientele primarily to your immediate vicinity.
Each selling model has its merits and challenges. To thrive, one must align their business approach with the model that resonates most with their goals and resources.
As we draw to the conclusion of our exploration into online platforms for selling clothes, let’s consolidate our findings. Below is a table summarizing the best use-cases and unique features of each platform. Use it as a quick reference guide to help you choose the most suitable platform for your selling needs.
| Platform | Best For | Unique Features |
|---|---|---|
| ASOS Marketplace | Vintage, retro, and edgy clothing | Focused on independent brands and vintage boutiques |
| Mercari | General clothing for all age groups | Printable shipping labels and fast payments |
| Poshmark | Various clothing categories | Virtual “posh parties” and category-based listings |
| The RealReal | Luxury items | In-house authenticity checks |
| Vinted | Selling or swapping used clothes | Simple listing and direct payments |
| eBay | All types of clothing | Auction or ‘Buy It Now’ options |
| Grailed | Men’s fashion and streetwear | Men’s fashion-focused marketplace |
| LePrix | High-end fashion | Online consignment with multiple drop-off options |
| Kidizen | Children’s clothes | Consignment shop for kids’ clothes with donation option |
| ThredUp | Various fashion brands | Clean Out Kit” for easy bulk selling |
| Depop | Streetwear and vintage clothing | Community-driven platform |
| OfferUp | Local clothing sales | Focus on local community sales |
| Etsy | Handmade and vintage clothing | Platform for unique and handcrafted items |
| letgo | Used clothes and fashion accessories | Local buying and selling |
| Facebook Marketplace | General clothing sales | Local community focus with nationwide shipping option |
| Bonanza | Various clothing items | Personal “webstore” and mobile management |
| Rebelle | Designer labels | Luxury focus with premium packaging and quick delivery |
| Tradesy | Luxury handbags | Safe and secure platform for high-end brands |
| Rebag | Luxury handbags, accessories, jewelry | AI-based price estimate tool “Clair” |
| Vestiaire Collective | Vintage, men’s, women’s, designer labels | High selling price percentage and vast luxury collection |
| Fashionpile Store Credit | Clothes for store credit | Provides store credit for selling clothes |
Image: Depositphotos
This article, “15 Best Apps for a Business Selling Clothes” was first published on Small Business Trends