What do you do with unused or out of style clothes?

[jwest]

i'm not talking Prada level stuff here, but off the rack stuff (suits, button ups, pants) in excellent condition. Ex. 3 button suit with pleated pants, double breasted boxy suit, et.. what do you all do with stuff you no longer want that isn't the most current style but still nice stuff?


ebay (do these sorts of things actually sell)?


consignment store?


donate?


burn?


thanks!

[kenneth]

I'm frowning intently at you for considering 3 button pleated suit an "out of style" item. But I acknowledge that not all of us have proper taste in clothing .


To respond to the question, I donate, but only because I'm too lazy to sell and am too cheap to buy quality items that aren't timeless anyway (and thus would never be "out of style" and placed into this quandary in the first place).

[BB]

I'm not sure ebay would be worth your time. A local consignment shop may be easier, but I just donate things like that, primarily because the proceeds then go to charity.

[Vicious49]

I just donated a bunch of clothes in the last few months - suits, button down shirts, polos, pants, etc. I figure they wouldn't go for much on Ebay, not enough to offset the hassle anyways, and this way it's going to a good cause.

[trash]

Donate if it's in wearable shape. Unless it's a collector's item or a higher value item, eBaying isn't worth the hassle in my opinion. Even an old suit in great shape won't get much unless it's a high-end brand. It's worth checking eBay for previous sales to see if similar items have sold for a decent price.

[Cause Moe]

If you go for classic styles, it's less likely you'll have stuff that's out of fashion. The skin-tight flood pants of today will join the huge lapels and ties of the late 1970's.


But when I don't have any more used for clothing that's still wearable, I donate it to charity. There are numerous options, so you can pick one that you'd like to support. My local hardware store parking lot has six different organizations' drop boxes, and five of them are non-profit charities. I figure I've gotten my money's worth, and these clothes don't owe me anything more, so I don't spend extra time, effort, and storage space to try to get some value back. The closet space and streamlining of my lifestyle is worth it.


At least once a year, the entire wardrobe is evaluated for a purge. Anything useful is donated. Everything else either turns to shop rags (my own in-house recycling effort) or is discarded as trash. I used to donate worn towels etc. to the local animal shelter, but they no longer want them.


If it's worth it to you to sell at a consignment store or the like, go for it, but consider the cost in your own time and effort, and the space the stuff takes up. It's really liberating to clear out and be done with it!

[jwest]

thanks for the opinion, looks like donate is the clear winner (and the right thing to do).


@Kenneth didn't mean to offend the 3 button! i have no problem with them for sure. But combined with heavy shoulder padding, long long length, and boxy fit, well... The suits i'm referencing here just don't fit me right and would require cost prohibitive tailoring...