Updated March 8, 2016..
I wrote this a couple of years ago and decided it needed updated after seeing an online children’s consignment shop who sells in lots. The news did an interesting piece on their business model. I updated each listing that was previously posted with the original write up. Only one shop offered an explanation as to why they closed… which I find interesting. They were able to find a buyer for a business that quickly grew out of control. I believe this happens more often than not… a good problem to have in my opinion. You can see for yourself if the domain name for the closed stores are available again for registration… you may be able to milk some traffic, brand awareness and possibly SEO from the ones that are closed.
The two below were added on 3-8-16.
ShopLindasStuff.com One of the oldest online consignment shops at 15 years. It was started by a lawyer who used to consign on Ebay. She now has a mega warehouse with over a hundred employees. Check out the video below explaining how she got started.
Loteda.com Online consignment shop specializing in infant clothing by the lot. Buy AND sell. They send you shipping materials to get your merchandise to them.
Below is the original post from 2014.
Everyone is looking for extra money. Ebay is not your only option anymore. Online consignment shops are an excellent way to make the whole selling online process much easier and straight forward. Many of them will send you a prepaid mailing piece, so all you do is send them your items. No more taking pictures, listing your items, it’s all done for you. I had a thrift store at one time and wish I would have thought of some of the ways these companies do business. I am going to give you my findings on each one, the good and the bad.
TheRealReal.com This is an upscale consignment shop only accepting high quality merchandise for both men and women. They send you a free consignment kit with a prepaid Federal Express shipping label. They claim that the items you send them sell within 3 days. Not bad and you get 70% of the items selling price. Keep in mind, this site sells exclusively very high end merchandise. North Face, A&F, Express do not make the cut. Check out their site before you get excited. One idea to earn some extra cash, head to the big cities thrift shops or Goodwills. You may be able to do some market arbitrage, definitely worth a shot, especially if you have the patience for such an endeavor.
ThreadUp.com (Closed) No explanation given. Unfortunately guys, this sites only for the ladies and children. Again, they send you a prepaid “bag” where you put the digs you want to sell. They even have a pricing calculator so you can see what you’ll get for your merchandise in advance. The good thing about this site is they buy your items upfront, so you don’t have to wait to get paid. Again, some market arbitrage could work here, just remember, you don’t get back the items you send them. They donate everything they won’t buy, so you’d be wise to do your homework on their calculator before sending anything. They take everything from Gap, American Eagle and other popular mainstream brands. Definitely worth a look.
Swap.com (Closed) No explanation given. This is a kids consignment shop. So mothers, this is an awesome way to unload some of your baby clothes, or even buy some. On this website, you list your own products, similiar to Ebay. This is a more hands on website. They allow you to sell any brand that you would sell on Ebay.
Poshmark.com Again, sorry guys, this is for women only. Unless you are into wearing women’s clothes that is, which is fine with me. On Poshmark, you sell your items on their website, similar to Ebay. They have an online app you use to list your high end items.
ThreadFlip.com (Closed) Gives an interesting explanation for the closing. There aren’t too many options for the guys, are there? Hmmm… maybe an opportunity exists. Anyway, as you probably guessed, Threadflip is for women only. They give you two options. You can list items yourself or send them away and all the work is done for you. They do not buy your items like some of the others, they simply list them for you. This is the perfect choice for busy moms on the go. As you can see, there are a range of options for the busy mom to earn some extra cash. These choices are a better fit since you simply gather your items and send them away.
That’s it! I’ve never actually sold on any of these websites, but have analyzed the hell out of them. You can learn so much by just being a little nosey…. but that’s a topic for another time!
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