If you’re like me, you might not even be 100% what’s in your closet. Despite regular closet clean outs, six months later I always end up with a closet stuffed to the brim. When you start realizing that you’re wearing the same few things over-and-over, it’s time to clean out your closet.
There’s no better time than January to do so. You’re probably already cleaning up your life by making new year’s resolutions or setting goals like I do. These grey, dark days are a great time to get deep into your closet and get rid of all of the things you don’t need anymore.
The best part of taking time to clean out your closet isn’t just the peace of mind from knowing what’s in there. There’s also the added benefit of making some money.
Read below for several tips to help you clean out your closet and make money while you’re at it.
Xx, Kelsey
HOW TO CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSET
Shop your closet – If you’ve got some time and don’t need to clean out your closet today, I suggest taking a little time to shop your closet. That’s something I shared in this post. If you’ve fallen into a rut of wearing the same thing over-and-over, this is a great first step for falling in love with your clothes again.
Choose your method – If it’s been a while since you’ve done a closet cleanout, you may want to go ham by taking every. single. thing. out of your closet first. If you’ve done a closet cleanout in the past few months, you may want to just comb through what you have and pull out items that are maybe’s or definite no’s. Or if you’re like me, I pull everything out of my drawers and off my shelves but comb through what’s on hangers. Mostly because I hate having to hang things back up.
Assess your closet with a critical eye – Often, closet cleanouts go one of two ways, either you get rid of literally everything or you get rid of next to nothing and your closet looks the same. So be critical when you assess what you have. Ask yourself the following questions to avoid regretting your decision:
- Does it still fit?
- Has it been in need of repair for a long time?
- Can you make an outfit with the item and only the clothes currently in your closet?
- Does it still fit with your current style?
- Does it bring you joy?
- Has it been several months since you last wore it? (excluding season changes)
- Why are you considering getting rid of it?
Set everything aside – Sometimes it can be daunting to get rid of things. If you’re nervous about whether you’ll miss something, set it aside. But here’s the thing. You can’t set it aside forever or what’s the point of cleaning out your closet? Give yourself a time limit for that item (say two weeks). If you haven’t missed it during that time, get rid of it.
AND THEN MAKE MONEY
This is the fun part of cleaning out your closet – making some money off the things you don’t need. You can use those dollars (or euros!) to pick up something new or save for an upcoming trip.
There are a few different options for selling your clothes, some more labor-intensive than others. Below I’m laying out my favorite options. For anything that doesn’t sell, see if your friends want it or donate it.
Poshmark – This is my favorite resell option. For me, this option is the easiest one for me to make the most money. Poshmark takes 20%, but the ease of just printing a label and dropping it in the mail makes it totally worth it. Check out my page here.
The one unfortunate thing about Poshmark is that it only works in the US, since they send you US shipping labels. As an expat, I often list items a week before a trip back to the states and clearly let my buyers know what dates I’ll be shipping.
Depop – If you’re not in the states, Depop is the best option I’ve found. It allows you to ship worldwide, which is so great. Unfortunately, you are responsible for your own shipping. In the Netherlands, shipping outside the country is just too expensive for this option to be worth it to me.
Ebay – For the hardcore sellers, this is the best way to make the most money. Ebay only takes 10% and PayPal takes a small fee for each transaction.
Local Resell Shop – This is the easiest way to resell. Head to your local Buffalo Exchange or Relove Exchange here in Amsterdam. All you have to do is drop off your items and come back to pick up your money and items they don’t want. While this is the easiest method, you’ll usually only get 10% or 20% of what the shop will end up selling it for.
