For the last few days, I’ve had something on my mind. Nope, not whether or not I will wear white this Spring…thoughts like that have long since gone the way of my thirties. I’m pondering whether old clothes should be offered for sale or given away for free?
If we all decided to give away our old clothes for free, what a difference it would make. I would bet that there are enough clothes already in existence to put the fashion industry on pause for a good few years time. But more than that, where is the “good will” in selling everything? As a Christian I will tell you that it is admirable to be generous. Generosity doesn’t only have to be for the needy. It can be between sisters and friends, and run in families.
There used to be charities where you could donate clothes to help people. Whatever happened to non profits like Dress for Success? I tried to donate to them a year or so after COVID, and my local chapter was no longer accepting donations. Some cities have thrift shops that are tied to a local homeless shelter. There is one in my city. Nowadays, you can donate to your local thrift store, or an online thrift shop like ThredUP.
We all know where we can sell clothes, but when do you think it is justified to sell vs. flat out donate? Do you sell items if they are worth more money? Where do you draw the line at donating vs. selling? Selling your clothes isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you need money, you can sell them on Poshmark or Mercari, or even EBay or Etsy if the clothes are vintage. If you need money, don’t hesitate to sell your old clothes. You might not make much money off of them, but maybe sell what you can and donate what doesn’t sell. That way the clothes benefit yourself and others too.
Do you sell your old clothes? Or do you give them away for free? Neither path is actually wrong. Whichever path makes you feel good, do that thing. Bonus points if you help somebody else at the same time!