Did you know you don’t have to have access to high-end brands or the latest styles to make money from selling clothing? Here’s how you can make money selling clothes that are unique, modest, or just plain ugly!
In this article, you will learn:
- Why I don’t just sell “cute” clothes.
- What to look for.
- 17 of my recent sales of unique, modest, or just plain ugly clothes, including how much they sold for.
Flipping For Profit
Did you know there are countless “resellers” who make a living (even full-time income) from reselling pre-owned, used items?
While I’m not a full-time seller (I am a stay-at-home mom), I have been able to make a steady, reliable income from reselling (mostly) clothes.
Just last year I was able to make almost $20,000 from flipping thrift store items for profit.
Reseller Bootcamp
If reselling online sounds like something you would be interested in, you’re in luck!
I’ve put together a FREE 5-Day Course called “Reseller Bootcamp.”
You can sign up and get the course delivered straight to your inbox! In it you’ll learn:
- What kinds of items you can flip.
- The best places to sell to maximize your profits.
- 6 keys to taking professional looking photos.
- The 5 components to get your items sold.
- How to turn flipping into a steady and reliable income.
Make Money Selling Clothes That Are Unique, Modest, Or Just Plain Ugly?
I love cute clothes. I always thought it was the latest styles and the top brands that sold best.
The problem was – where I live.
Walk in any thrift store around and those big-name brands just aren’t there.
Actually, I think it’s a problem a lot of people face across the country.
So I started thinking outside the proverbial box.
That’s how I stumbled upon this amazing secret: You do not have to have the trendiest, latest styles or even high-end brands to make money!
That realization opened up a whole new world of what it was possible to sell! Suddenly there was stuff all around me that I could make money from! And no one else wants it!
But can you make money selling clothes that are unique, modest, or just plain ugly? Why yes! I’m glad you asked!
Here is why these things are in demand.
(Affiliate link disclosure: this post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Affiliates, that I may make a small percentage from at no cost to you.)
Demand For Unique, Modest, Or Just Plain Ugly Clothes?
When you limit yourself to just “cute” clothes, you will find the market is SWAMPED. They are a dime a dozen.
If you can open yourself up to unique, modest, or just plain ugly clothes, you will find that the market is FAR FROM SWAMPED.
And surprisingly there is a market for these types of things!
Anything that is one of a kind will have someone out there who wants it! Just refer to some of my recent sales below to see what I mean.
“Modest” Clothing…
As far as modest clothing goes, it can be hard to find, so buyers resort to looking online.
Just think “Amish” and that is the style I’m referring to.
Long dresses or skirts made of heavy material perfect for wearing to split wood, slop the pigs, and bake bread, all in the same day. At least that’s what I picture.
So if you’re open to the idea of learning how to make money selling clothes that are unique, modest, or just plain ugly, here are some tips for you!
Tips To Make Money Selling Clothes That Are Unique, Modest, Or Just Plain Ugly
The great thing about being open to not just cute clothes is that there are a lot out there to be found!
You may find them at garage sales and rummage sales.
And they often do not even make it to the retail floor of thrift stores. So you may find these in “the bins” (thrift store outlets) if you have them in your area.
Here are a few tips:
- Is it unique? There is probably a buyer out there looking for just that.
- Does it fall into the “modest” category? Think long skirts and dress. Denim or heavyweight material.
- Is it vintage? And/or made in the USA? There is a market for those things. Be sure to include “vintage” and/or “Made in USA” in your title
- If there are stains, try soaking in OxiClean or using Fels Naptha. (Both can be found on my Must Have Reseller Supplies List.)
- If there are holes, staining, or wear don’t dismiss the item as “unsaleable.” Of course it depends on what it is. You will see some examples of this below.
So now that you are armed with tips to make money selling clothes that are unique, modest, or just plain ugly, it’s on to the fun part!
Some of my recent sales of unique, modest, or just plain ugly clothes! I hope you enjoy these!
Recent Sales of Unique, Modest, Or Just Plain Ugly Clothes
1. Vintage Diane Gilman Rainbow Blouse
This rainbow colored blouse was a no-brainer for me to pick up to resell.
Anything this unique will always have someone looking it.
Not only does it have a tie-dye look to it, but there is glitter paisley printed on top!
Yes, definitely unique.
It sold in just a couple of days.
Paid: $1
2. Adidas Track Jacket
Some people might not think this is too ugly. But I did.
I actually debated quite a while over this one. Whether I should even get it or not.
My final decision came down to it having the trefoil in the logo.
It sold after sitting for about a month and a half with no watchers and no offers.
It sold while on sale for $33 plus shipping.
(You will also find this made my Top 15 Monthly Sales).
Paid: $1.50
3. Vintage Floral Shorts
So I didn’t make the most money on these. But I did get two of these shorts in similar print at the same time.
Anytime you are able to get multiple quantity of an item it is a huge time saver as far as getting them listed goes.
Both sold for around the same price, including this one that went to Slovakia!
I’ve sold to a lot of countries, but that was a first for me. You can read about why you should do your own international shipping here.
Paid: $1
4. Cat/Mouse Bowling Sweatshirt
This has to be one of the ugliest sweatshirts I’ve sold.
It has a cat bowling and the pins are mice! When I found it, I figured “How more niche can you get?” Bowling and cats.
I’d just love to know who it went to. Any guesses?
My guess is a crazy cat lady who loves to bowl.
The reason I decided to get it was because I figured it was a “niche” item.
And also because it was vintage and made in the USA.
It sold in almost exactly one month.
Paid: $1
5. Modest Skirt
This is one of my favorite styles to resell.
I like to look for skirts this length that are made of a heavy weight material.
There seems to be a real market for these types of clothes. I guess because modest clothes can be hard to find in stores today.
Time to sell: 5 days!
Paid: $2
6. Women’s Novelty Blouse
As a reseller, you quickly learn that anything unique sells.
But sometimes you have to wait quite a while for the right buyer to come along.
I probably could have done a better job with the keywords in the title. But I was just so confused on what to narrow it down to.
But either way, it sold.
Sometimes just getting items listed is better than getting them perfect.
Time to sell: several months
Paid: $0.75
7. Duck Animal Print Cardigan
This was another very unique item.
These are often the kinds of items that make my Top Sales list. You can find this jacket on the Top Sales list here.
The brand does make some very unique items , so be sure to be on the look out for it.
It sold in exactly one month by best offer.
Update: The buyer liked this so much, she ended up being another unique jacket from me!
Paid: $2
8. Denim Dress
I actual think this one is kind of cute. But not a lot of other people might not think of selling this style.
My conclusion after a few years of reselling is that basically any type of denim style dresses will sell.
Especially if they are a jumper style (which is coming up on this list).
Time to sell is about 2 months.
Paid: $1
8. Vintage Nordstrom Sweatshirt
This was an accidental purchase.
I had thrown it in my cart, then realized it was terribly stained (as well as worn).
But I forgot to put it back before checking out. (My cart got piled super high on this trip!)
I only realized I had purchased this once I got out to the parking lot and was loading everything up.
Once I got home, it went straight from my car to the top of my garbage can. Ugh..
“How could I have waisted money on this purchase,” I thought.
A few days went by of it sitting on top of my garbage can.
Until I suddenly though “Why not list it and see what happens?”
I gave it a good soak in Oxiclean and it cleaned up pretty well for the most part. You can read here about my favorite cleaning/prep items in Reseller Supplies I Use.
Boy am I glad I saved it from the garbage can!
Time to sell was 12 days.
And the best part….the buyer was SO EXCITED when they got it!
Paid: $2
9. Jean Jacket With Holes
This was from another trip when I bought too many items (always a good problem in my book!).
As hard as you double check items, you will always get home with an item or two that has some sort of flaw you missed. It’s just part of the business.
This was one of those items.
It was brand new with tags so I didn’t check it that well.
But alas, there were two holes right at the front.
I included a couple close up pictures of the defect.
I listed it for $19 and hoped for the best.
A month later, I received and accepted an offer of $14.
You can read here about why I allow best offer on almost all my listings.
Paid: $2
10. Tiered Denim Skirt
This is one that would fall under the “modest” category. As I’ve mentioned before, anything denim seems to do really well.
I’ve also had really good luck with these tiered-style skirts in pretty much any type of material or print.
Be sure to use the keyword “Tiered” in your title.
Being made in the USA is always a plus as well.
Time to sell was one month.
Paid: $1.50
11. Boeing AWACS Pullover
Every once in a while I come across Boeing clothing items.
I’ve had pretty good luck with them, so I didn’t even bother to look up comps for this.
It even had some yellowing around the neck
I have no idea what AWACS is, but my husband saw it and said “Oh…AWACS!”
Still not sure what it is, but it sold in one week so I don’t really care.
Definitely another “niche” item someone was looking for.
Time to sell: 7 days
Paid: $1.50
12. Denim Jumper Dress
This is probably my best-selling style of “modest” dresses. The classic denim jumper.
It doesn’t really even matter the brand. They all sell.
You will do especially well if you can find large sizes like this one (a 3X).
Time to sell: 1 day
Paid: $1.50
13. Faded Disney Splash Mountain T-Shirt
I’ve really gotten in to these graphic tees recently. I never knew they could sell for so much.
Disney is always a good bet, but I’ve sold other random t-shirts as well. Like I say, anything unique will sell.
This one made the list only because it was pretty worn and faded. Don’t let that keep you away!
Just use the keywords “Faded,” “Grunge,” or “Streetwear.”
And be sure to include some close-up pictures and an accurate description of the condition.
Time to sell was 3 days!
Paid: $1
14. Copa Cabana Dress
This is one that falls into the “just plain ugly” category.
I didn’t make the most money on it, but when you don’t limit yourself to just brands like Anthro and J. Crew, you open yourself up to a world of possibilities.
If I limited myself to only high end brands, I’d probably be only selling like 2 items a month. (I consistently sell around 200 per month).
And yes, time is money….but I figure…even with low profit like this I still make around $30/hour.
You can check out my Latest Monthly Income Reports here.
Time to sell: 4 months
Paid: $1.50
15. Carhartt Coat With Stains, Fading And Fraying
I love Carhartt coats, but most of the time if you are buying them used the condition may not be the greatest.
You may often see these coats with stains, holes, heavy wear and fraying around cuffs, and/or heavy wear and pilling on the lining.
I’ve sold them in pretty much every type of condition.
And what I’ve found is, they always do best on auction. This is actually one of the few times I use auction-style listings.
If you’re confused about when to use auctions and when to use fixed price, you are not alone!
I know it’s a stumbling block for a lot of sellers new to the eBay platform.
So I’ve written this article about auctions and fixed price listings here and when to use which.
Time to sell is 7 days – the time it took for the auction to end.
Paid: $3
16. Jumper/Overall Dress
And another denim dress for the list! Like I mentioned before, denim sells.
I got a really nice message from the woman who bought this thanking me and explaining she was going to be wearing it for after surgery.
It’s notes like these from customers that keep me going.
That and having goals like paying off my house by flipping thrift store items.
Time to sell was 4 days.
Paid: $1.25
17. Denim Tiered Skirt
Yes, another denim item. And yes, it’s tiered.
Not much else to say about this one other than it was a vintage Montgomery Ward item.
(I have fond memories of going to pick out my bedroom furniture set there as a kid!)
Time to sell: 3 months
Paid: $1.25
Make Money Selling Clothes That Are Unique, Modest, Or Just Plain Ugly Wrap Up
-Lee
If You're Wondering What Else You Can Resell Online...
If you’d like to see what other kinds of things you can resell online, here are some other posts featuring some of my sales:
- See my Top Sales for each month
- See my Top Sales of 2019 (top 20 out of 2000+ items sold – ranges up to $250!)
- 27 Non-Clothing Items Recent Sales
- 6 Kid Things To Declutter Today For Money
- 3 Things Around Your House You Can Sell For Money Today
Where You Can Sell Online, How To Ship, And How Much You Can Make Reselling
If you’re new to reselling I’ve have an in-depth page geared to helping you get started on your reselling journey. It covers everything you want to know including:
- The best places to sell your things online
- How to ship when selling online
- How much you can make reselling
It includes links to tons of helpful articles to get you started making money from home through reselling.
If You Are Looking For More Product Reviews And Tips…
If you are looking for more product reviews, you can find them here:
