Clothing
Clothes are one of those things that many people seem to want new ones of on a frequent basis, whether or not they actually need them. The result is that many people end up with far too many clothes, including quite a number of garments they hardly wear. The rise of cheap manufacturing has led to a lowering in the quality of garments. There is also a certain amount of controversy over the shipping of garments to developing world countries. Nevertheless one can still try and dispose of clothing one no longer wants, or that no longer fits as best one can. Ebay, Charity Shops, Jumble Sales, Freegle, Freecycle, Give-and-Take days, and textile recycling all have their parts to play. Door to door collections of clothing are best treated with caution, since some of the organisations doing this are quite controversial, and may claim to be charities, but are not in fact registered charities. When giving cast off clothing to charity, it is perhaps advisable to check you are giving it to a charity with a registered charity number clearly stated. If you have a lot of items to get rid of, some charity shops, such as Oxfam or The British Heart Foundation may be willing to arrange a special collection. However when giving to charity shops, it should be noted they can only sell items in very good condition, if damaged (even when repaired) or stained they cannot sell it and will therefore dispose of it. The Red Cross, and, Oxfam should be highlighted for always disposing of clothing as ethically as they can If an item cannot be sold in their shops (and if something doesn’t sell in a shop one area they may try it in a different area) it may go to people in need, or if too far gone to textile recycling.
When it comes to more valuable clothing, if selling on Ebay you don’t necessarily have to do the selling yourself, there are firms who will do that on your behalf (such as Stuff U Sell, and, Auctioning4U); and they can also advise you on whether a given set of items is likely to sell on Ebay. However the are probably only really worth using for items that are moderately valuable. It should also be noted that Ebay often does not permit underwear to be sold on it.
Before trying any of the places suggested in the directory, however, perhaps anyone’s first port of call when disposing of wearable garments is ones own family. Family members, after all are often of similar build; and a younger family member might actually appreciate an older family member’s cast-offs.
Categories
Vintage Clothes – Designer items from the 1950s and 60s, those with labels such as Biba, and, Busstop, tend to be referred to as vintage. If in an undamaged condition, these can be worth money. Designer brands such as Prada, Versace, and, Jean Muir can also be valueble in good condition. Try selling them to a vintage clothing shop, or on Ebay. You can do the latter via an intermediary if you prefer. If Vintage Clothing items are damaged then they are not valuable. However, it still may be worth trying to sell them on Ebay, as long as you make it clear they are damaged. One might also consider giving them to an Amateur Dramatics company for use as costumes.
Children’s Clothing – A traditional possibility is to pass on clothing your child has outgrown to friends, family and neighbours with slightly younger children. Charity Shops are also possibilities, although a clothing stall at a school fair may be more appropriate, other possibilities include Freegle, Freecycle, and Give-And-Take Days.
Children’s Uniform – For School Uniform it may be worth seeing if your child’s school still operates a second-hand uniform scheme, to help parents who would otherwise have difficulty in affording the school uniform. Of course that does not help if the school decides to change its uniform. Similarly for Boy Scouts and Girl Guides and other such organisations, it may be worth seeing if the local branch of the organisation operates a system for second hand uniform. Similarly for dancing school practise clothes, and similar, see if the institution has scheme for second hand clothes, otherwise, Freegle, or Freecycle may be a possibility, as indeed may charity shops (though the advantage of Freecyle is that you do know who you are giving it to).
Grown Up Uniform-style clothing – It is unlikely an adult would have actual uniform from a job (since a lot of this tends to be the property of their employer). Nevertheless there are fancy dress uniforms; then there are garments bought as uniform style (for example boiler suit, Greesetop cap, and railway workers bib& braces and jacket or similar for working on a heritage railway). There are also garments one may buy for a very specific purpose such as: dancing clothes & shoes, or riding clothes). This is a very broad category. One might consider selling some items on Ebay (for example tap shoes or riding boots), Charity shops may be considered, but work clothes often are not in particularly good condition (so it may not be advisable). As will children’s uniform, try contacting an organisation that works in the relevant field to see if they would be interested. For items more suited to use as costumes, an amateur dramatics group might like them; as might background artistes in the film industry; if you do not know anyone involved with these areas, then Freecycle, and Give-and-Take days are also possibilities. However, one should note that with some safety clothing (such as riding hats) over the years the standard have changed, so if getting rid of safety clothing items (eg on Freegle or Ebay) make sure you state the approximate age of the item, so that people should be aware which set of safety standards it falls under.
General Clothing, Good Condition – If in good condition, with no stains, clothing can be given to charity shops to sell. Oxfam and The Red Cross were the pioneers. Some people, such as a followers of the Grunge Look (very late 1980s early 1990s style) would consider this sort of clothing a fashion statement. However charity shops can be quite choosy about condition and the stuff must not be stained. Some reputable charity shops such as British Heart Foundation, Mind, Help The Aged, and, PDSA will in some areas send round a collection door to door. However, do make sure the bags are clearly labelled with the name of a reputable charity (that you recognise), and give it’s charity registration number. Clothing can also be deposited in Clothing Banks at community recycling points, these usually go to Oxfam.
General Purpose Clothing, Poor Condition – If clothing is stained then the charity shops won’t take it to sell. However, if decently clean (even though stained) Freegle, Freecyle or a Give-And-Take day may be a possibility. Also some reputable charity shops, such as The Red Cross and Oxfam, will send clothing to the developing world. Of course there is some controversy surrounding sending clothing to the developing world, so if you are concerned about that issue, then you might want to consider only doing it through a reputable charity such as The Red Cross (where it goes to people who genuinely need it, rather than undercutting local textile industries). For clothing in too poor a condition for even that, try recycling as textiles.
Underwear – This is prohibited on some auction sites, such as Ebay, even when clean and in good condition. Charity Shops also do not accept underwear (because they are not allowed to sell that which is termed “personal clothing”). However if in good condition it is acceptable on Freegle or Freecycle. If in poor condition, but otherwise clean (i.e. recently washed) then it can be got rid of in textile recycling.
Directory
Auctioning4U: collections@auctioning4u.co.uk
The Besom: 020 7223 6544
Charity choice: Tel 020 7566 8218
Ebay: 
Ebid: http://uk.ebid.net/
Flogit4u:
020 7424 0761
Freegle: http://www.ilovefreegle.org/
Freecycle: http://uk.freecycle.org/
Gumtree: http://www.gumtree.com/
Recyle4Free: clothahump@recycle4free.com
Stuff U Sell: Tel 0800
075 0015
See Also
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