Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Recycle Clothes - And Make Money at It!

Hi!

I know it's been FO-EV-ER since I've posted, but I am so overwhelmed with topics to write about that I can't seem to settle one one. Also, I realize that I don't know a lot about most of these topics and researching each one will take more time than I have in a week - or month! I have yet to branch into the scary realm of food, though I promise that I will try soon!  However, last week, I made an awesome discovery: Ebay! Some of you have probably already heard of this crazy site, and I'm sure even more of you check it on a weekly (or even daily?) basis. Let me also admit, that I have used ebay before for stuff like kitchen supplies or certain household brands that I like.  And it did occur to me once to look for toys on ebay for the Z-girl to save on plastic packaging.   But last week, oh the humanity!, last week I discovered CLOTHES on ebay. LOTS of clothes for CHEAP!

And that got me to thinking, why not buy 20 pieces of girls clothing online for $90? There are so many pros to this method that I just can't stand it! 

First of all, they looked like they were in good condition, the right size, and also cute! And whatever we didn't like, we could turn around and sell again on Ebay.  I mean think about it, how long does a little kid wear something before she gets too big for it? 3 months? 4 months? 6? I guess some stuff could be used for up to a year, but that's still not long in the scheme of things. And if you are like Z-girl, you have 2 grandmas, 4 great-grandmas, a mom, a step-mom and a step-grandma who all want to buy you the cutest things EVAR! Which means you have a lot of clothes. You have your favorites, Papa has his favorites etc., but a lot of the stuff gets pushed to the wayside.

Second, you are giving money back to a PERSON rather than a company. This appeals to me quite a bit because it seems more real and personal.  Sure, some of these people may be ladies with consignment shops who make a business out of selling, but they're still not a large company or a chain. Also, people who do this for a business manage to put together the CUTEST outfits into lots so you are making sure you get stuff that matches. Also, dealing with real people, it's easier to negotiate, combine shipping and get someone to actually respond to your questions and comments. So...yay for people.

Lastly, think about where those clothes go when you're done with them? Some people may have friends or other children who could take the hand-me-downs, but a lot of us don't. We usually just take them to the Salvation Army (which I hear is a big, richish corporation too now) or Goodwill or other thrift store for MAYBE a tax write-off (but if you're as broke as me, you don't make enough for even that to be worth it). I know these places do charity and good work too, but if you've ever been into one of them you can see that they are practically exploding with stuff. It has always made me wonder where all that stuff goes if noone buys it ever. Though that's a mystery for another day. So selling stuff on Ebay in lots lets you know that your stuff is actually wanted and will be appreciated. Also, you make money from it. It may not be a lot of money but it 100% more than you'd get from a thrift store and probably 90% than you'd get from a consignment shop like Plato's Closet (who'll give you $3 on a pair of Ann Taylor Jeans and then insult your taste of clothes for the rest!).

And, if you're like me and my mom, you've been keeping your nice stuff in storage because it's just "too good" to go to a thrift store but you're utterly sick of wearing it. That means that we at least, will have A LOT of fun putting outfits together to sell.  I'll post again once I've done it to let everyone know how it went.

Girl clothes from Gymboree on Ebay, starting bid $9.99!

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