5 Ways To Cash In On Kid’s Outgrown Clothes

When I only had one child, I easily sorted through the clothes that no longer fit and put them in air-tight bags.  My “keepers” went up to the attic for storage -just in case- and the “others” piled high till I found somewhere for them to go.  The “keepers” are the good, brand name, expensive or sentimental clothes that I cannot get rid of.   The “others” are broken down into recycle/resale or donate piles.

Add child number two, a boy.  Goodbye reusing her clothes and hello blue, red, orange and greens.  Fast forward a few years and my method has become madness. I continue to store the “keepers” for both kids upstairs but my “other” pile has grown ten fold.

Here is what I do twice a year to sort and clean out closets of the clothes I no longer want to keep but are in good condition.

1. Ebay: If you have an Ebay account and you have the time, I suggest you sell your kid’s clothes. Why not earn money to use for the next size up? Selling each individual item will take a lot of time. I suggest you make a LOT of the same size of 15-20pcs. Try to throw in some name brand items among the casual Target and Gerber brands.  This will bring your lot a boost.  I only suggest selling individual pieces if they are higher end and most desired: Gap, Gymboree… etc.  Another idea is to create an outfit.
2. Resale stores. Find a nearest resale shop and turn in the clothes for cash. remember that they usually sell the clothes at 50% of the price and they will pay you half of what they will sell it for.  They go through the items, take what they want to sell and give you back the rest.  To maximize your sell-able items, pair outfits together. It’s better than nothing!
3. Craigs List. This is an easy way to sell clothes in lots locally without having to go through Ebay -you avoid selling fees and having to ship the items out.  Pictures always help and and the more accurate description of the items included in the lot will help you sell them quicker.
4. Have a “swap” party. Get together 10-15 friends and have your own indoor garage/swap sale.  Hang everything in clothing racks with prices and have each person shop from another. You can also invite people who might not want to sell clothes to shop and get rid of them. Think of this as an indoor garage sale for clothes, toys, gear… and anything you might want to sell.
5. Donate. If you try all the above to get rid of your kid’s clothes and still have items left over; you have now reached the end of the selling pyramid to bring immediate money.  Still have some items left? The last thing left to do is to give/donate.  You can either find a friend, relative, of someone in need through a local church or organization and bless them with your outgrown stuff; or, you can donate them at the Good Will and get a tax write off!  In order to get a tax write off you must get a donation slip and write down how much you gave away, but every little bit helps!

Is it work? Yes.  Do it like doing it? No.  But it’s a necessity if I want to fit anything new in my kid’s closet.  I suggest you stay with the seasons.  In the spring, you can sell spring and summer clothes and in the fall you sell the cold weather items.  Another suggestion is to use your new earnings to purchase previous seasons clearance items for the following year in the next size up.  Good Luck!

Sofia, guarding her things so mommy doesn’t “sell” her stuff.

Do you have any ideas on how to make this a simpler process? How do you keep up with the items your kids outgrow?