Buyer's Remorse vs. Purchase Guilt

[holmes10]

Like many readers of Dappered and other sites, I have slowly been overhauling my wardrobe over the past year or so with an emphasis on fit, timelessness, and minimalism. I'd rather have a pared-down wardrobe of stuff I actually like and wear regularly than a large wardrobe of stuff I regret buying. That said, getting rid of stuff can be tough for those of us raised to not waste money. (In fact, saving money has also resulted in my buying shit I really shouldn't have because it was "on sale." I've been tricked into that more than once.) It can be frustrating to see a purchase get wasted, and it's tempting to try to hold on to stuff and wear it "to get my money's worth," even if the fit, style, or quality is off, or even though my taste and style has evolved.

Lately I've been better about purging the closet of ill-fitting or poorly designed stuff. Donating clothes to charity helps with not wanting to waste stuff, since the clothes will go to someone who needs them, but I have a few things I bought even a few months ago that I regret, and it seems early to give them away. Maybe I'm just being overly cheap or OCD haha. What about you guys? Do you ever find yourself torn between purging the wardrobe and not wanting to waste money?

[Crims]

I used to think like this... but I realized I'd have clothes sitting around for months, even over a year at a time without ever being worn. Before I trash/donate something I'll give it a good look and see if it can be tailored for a better fit, but if not, it's just the way things go.

[zxu426]

You can always try to recover some of your losses with eBay.

[holmes10]

You can always try to recover some of your losses with eBay.

That's an interesting idea. I've never actually sold anything through eBay. It is a hassle, or is it pretty easy? Also, is there any kind of price/brand/quality threshold for what people are willing to buy?

[zxu426]

One thing with eBay is that they take some percentage off your sales. Usually around 9%, but you can read all about it on the website. Payment is almost exclusively handled by PayPal, which also takes a small percentage, which I can't recall since it's so small. Getting paid is pretty easy as long as you ship quickly and with tracking information (i.e. USPS Priority Mail). I've sold more than a few items and have good feedback, so I get the money within 2-3 days after my item has delivered to the buyer's address. You can use PayPal for future purchase on eBay or from retailers that accept eBay (e.g. J.Crew, L.L. Bean among others), or you can transfer your funds to your bank account for some fee that I'm not familiar about.

As for brands, I've only sold J.Crew. I imagine "higher quality" brands will sell better. Don't expect to recover your losses in full.