If you have any suits that look like they sell for more than $100, set them aside so that you can sell them privately and earn the most money possible. If you have more than 3-4 suits, keep a running list of what each suit is worth by writing it down. This way, you won’t have to keep looking prices up online.
Poshmark is a popular resale site for used clothing. After eBay, it’s probably the most popular option for used suits. If the suit was mass-produced, look at the bottom of the tag for a sequence of letters and numbers. This is usually a model number, and typing it in after the brand name will usually lead you to the exact suit.
Consider getting minor tears or rips repaired if you’re going to sell a suit for more money than the repair is worth. A small tear on the interior lining on the suit is not nearly as big a deal as a large stain on the backside of a suit jacket. You don’t need to determine a price if you’re taking the suits to a consignment store, but it helps to know what they’re worth before taking them in. This way, you can hold on to any items the clerk won’t list for a reasonable price.
There are many nonprofits that accept used suits and give them to low-income job seekers so that they can dress appropriately for an interview. These nonprofits are a great option when it comes to getting rid of suits.
Get your suits dry cleaned before you take photos if you’re selling them online as well. The suit will look much better in the photos if they’re pristine.
Don’t include any photos of you wearing the suit.
An example of a good headline is, “$95 – green Brioni suit 44R, pants 34x32. ” A solid description may read, “This suit was produced in 1995 and is no longer manufactured. I have worn it 2-3 times for weddings and job interviews. It has a small rip on the interior lining near the neckline, but it isn’t visible when you’re wearing it. ” It’s best to be straightforward in your description and headline. Buyers won’t read any elaborate descriptions about your clothing.
Craigslist is a great way get as close to market value as possible since you get to keep all of the money. However, it can take quite a while to find a buyer for your suits since you’re only selling it to people in your area.
You can list cheaper suits on eBay as well, but you’re more likely to find a buyer if you’re selling a rare or high-end suit since there will be fewer people with the same suit.
People often purchase bundles of clothing on Poshmark when they’re looking to completely revamp their wardrobe. If you choose to sell your suits as a bundle on Poshmark, include a description for each suit in the advertisement. For sales under $15, you must pay Poshmark a flat fee of $2. 95. For sales over $15, you must pay them 20% of the final selling price.
Leave the dry cleaning tags on your suits to let people know that they’re clean. People are unlikely to buy clothing items they think are dirty. Don’t expect to earn more than $5-10 a suit if you sell them at a yard sale.
The benefit of using a consignment shop is that you don’t actually need to put any effort into selling the suits since the shop will do that for you.
The shop may not want to take every suit you bring based on their current inventory or the overall condition of a suit. Use a different method to sell these leftover suits.
Some consignment shops won’t tell you what they’re going to sell the suits for. You’ll simply have to trust them to set a fair price. Expect to earn 40-60% of the profits from each suit the store sells.
The most popular online consignment shops are thredUP, The RealReal, and Vestiaire. You typically can’t send suits that are obviously worn down to an online consignment shop. Expect to earn 20-30% of a suit’s market value when you sell through an online consignment store.