Clearing out your wardrobe has changed a lot in recent years. With online reselling apps like Vinted and Depop becoming hugely popular, many people are cashing in on old outfits instead of donating them. But while selling online can seem like the obvious choice, when you break it down, it’s not always as rewarding as it first appears.
At the same time, charity shops are feeling the impact, with fewer high-quality items being donated and rails more often being filled with cheaper fast fashion. Could there be a better way to give your pre-loved clothes a new life?
Totting up the costs
It’s tempting to reach for your phone or laptop when getting rid of unwanted clothing, especially when many platforms promise a quick and easy sale. Yet, things aren’t quite that simple.
Imagine you want to sell a dress for £10 but eventually accept an offer of £8 after it’s been online for two or three months. When you add up all the costs along the way, you’ve may have made far less than you think. Here’s a quick breakdown:
- 10 minutes to take photos and write a description. If you value your time at just £10 per hour (around minimum wage), that’s £1.66 gone already.
- The cost of tape, bags, or padded envelopes. A lightweight mailer could cost 40p each.
- Once the item sells, you’ll need to wrap it and take it to your local drop-off shop. If that’s a three mile drive each way, that’s around 30p per mile in fuel: £1.80 for a return journey. Add in the 15 minutes it takes to get there and queue, and that’s another £2.49 worth of time.
The total cost for just one item could be around £6.35 in time, fuel and packaging. That means selling that £8 dress might only leave you with £1.65 in actual “profit”.
Multiply that across a busy wardrobe clear-out and it all adds up!
Rethinking where your clothes go
Donating to a Shaw Trust charity shop (or any other charity shop) on the other hand, takes a fraction of the time. One trip, one bag of multiple items and the job is done. And this impact goes far beyond money in your pocket:
- Your £8 dress could help to fund a work placement for a student with special educational needs.
- Quality donations mean charity shops can rely less on fast fashion and offer shoppers a larger selection of items that will last longer.
- Donating extends the life of clothes without adding packaging waste or extra car journeys.
- In 2024 alone, Shaw Trust saved over 750,000 items from landfill. That’s nearly 9,500 tonnes of waste diverted.
The bottom line
It’s tempting trying to squeeze every pound out of old clothes online. But when you weigh up the time, effort and true costs, selling online can give you far less in return than you might expect.
Handing those clothes to a charity shop means you’re not only decluttering, but supporting people and causes that genuinely need it.
Ready to make space and make a difference?
Drop your clothes at your nearest Shaw Trust shop today and help someone take their next step towards work.
To find your nearest shop, visit our web page.
