Best Apps for Running a Successful Clothing Store

Looking for the best app to sell clothes after doing some spring cleaning? If you’ve recently decluttered and find yourself with a pile of clothes you no longer need, you’re in luck. This stash can be transformed into a lucrative money-making opportunity.

The demand for vintage clothing, shoes, and accessories is immense, and tapping into this market can be incredibly profitable. Thanks to the internet and efficient delivery services, you can easily sell and ship your clothing items to fashion enthusiasts worldwide

It’s a Huge Market to Sell Clothes Online

It’s no surprise that there is a huge market for reselling clothing. The online landscape has significantly transformed various industries, with fashion resale leading this change.

Consider these insightful statistics from thredUP, a leading platform in the resale industry: The resale fashion market boasts an impressive $20 billion in sales, establishing it as the most significant resale niche in the US.

Furthermore, the speed at which clothes are being resold is increasing at an astonishing rate—24 times faster than traditional retail fashion. What’s particularly interesting is the lack of significant retailers in this resale market.

This presents an expansive opportunity for individual sellers like you. Leveraging modern selling apps, starting an online thrift store becomes a feasible venture with minimal initial investment.

Our Methodology: How We Chose the Best Apps to Sell Clothes

Fashion and apparel businesses operate in a vibrant, ever-evolving market. The right technological tools can make a significant difference, allowing a clothing business to manage operations efficiently, differentiate its brand, and enhance customer experiences.

To assist our readers in choosing the best app for selling clothes, we use the following criteria, rated on a scale from 1 to 10, where 10 indicates the highest level of importance and 1 is the lowest.

1. User Interface and Ease of Use
   • Importance Scale: 9/10
   • Rationale: A user-friendly interface is crucial for efficiently listing and managing clothing sales, especially for users who are not tech-savvy.
2. Fees and Commission Structure
   • Importance Scale: 8/10
   • Rationale: Apps with lower fees and transparent commission structures are preferred, as they allow sellers to retain more profits.
3. Market Reach and User Base
   • Importance Scale: 8/10
   • Rationale: Apps with a large user base and wide market reach provide better chances for sales and a diverse range of buyers.
4. Payment Processing and Security
   • Importance Scale: 9/10
   • Rationale: Secure and reliable payment processing is essential for the trust and safety of both buyers and sellers.
5. Shipping and Logistics Support
   • Importance Scale: 7/10
   • Rationale: Apps that offer shipping solutions or partnerships make the process more convenient and can attract more users.
6. Customer Support and Dispute Resolution
   • Importance Scale: 8/10
   • Rationale: Effective customer support and fair dispute resolution mechanisms are important for handling any issues that arise.
7. Niche Market Focus (if applicable)
   • Importance Scale: 6/10
   • Rationale: Some apps cater to specific niches (like vintage or designer clothes), which can be beneficial for targeted selling.
8. Mobile and Web Accessibility
   • Importance Scale: 7/10
   • Rationale: Apps that are accessible both on mobile devices and via web browsers offer greater flexibility to users.
9. Social Media Integration and Marketing Tools
   • Importance Scale: 6/10
   • Rationale: Features that allow for easy sharing on social media and marketing of items can enhance sales opportunities.
10. Sustainability and Ethical Practices
    • Importance Scale: 5/10
    • Rationale: Apps that promote sustainable and ethical practices in fashion can appeal to environmentally conscious users.

By using these criteria, we intend to help our readers choose the best app to sell clothes that effectively supports their clothing sales while also meeting their individual and business requirements.

Best App to Sell Clothes Online? Consider These

If you are looking into how to open a thrift store in a brick-and-mortar location, trying an online version first could be a great learning opportunity. Check out this current list of apps to sell clothes and pick the top apps you’d like to sell clothes online. Which one fits your needs best?

ASOS Marketplace

Renowned for featuring the “best independent brands and vintage boutiques,” the ASOS Marketplace app is an excellent option for selling vintage clothing. Users of ASOS Marketplace are particularly drawn to retro, vintage, and edgy styles. The app is available on multiple platforms and offers a wide market reach for shoppers within this niche.

• Best for: Vintage and retro clothing.
• Key feature: Houses, independent brands, and vintage boutiques.

Mercari

With the Mercari app, you can list women’s, men’s and kid’s clothing in minutes thanks to its easy-to-use interface. You can also ship items via printable shipping labels directly to the seller and enjoy fast payments.

• Best for: Women’s, men’s, and kid’s clothing.
• Key feature: Offers printable shipping labels directly to the seller.

Poshmark

Poshmark is an app that enables people to sell clothing items they no longer want. Items are listed by category, making it easy for shoppers to find them. One standout feature of Poshmark is the app’s virtual posh parties, whereby thousands of Poshmark users gather several times a day to create listings, share listings, and shop. This app boasts tons of market reach and is easy to use. When your old clothing sells, you’ll be sent a shipping label so you can drop the item off at a postal dropbox.

• Best for: General clothing resale.
• Key feature: Hosts virtual posh parties for increased visibility.

The RealReal

If you specialize in selling high-end luxury clothing, The RealReal might be the best app to sell clothes for you. This app focuses on listing pre-owned designer items, and it ensures that every designer piece is verified for authenticity by its in-house team of luxury clothing experts.

• Best for: High-end, luxury clothing.
• Key feature: In-house authenticity checks.

Vinted

You can sell or swap your used clothes on the Vinted app. Simply add a description and a photo of the item alongside the price. Once the item sells and the buyer receives it, you print your shipping label and ship the package at the drop-off point within five days. After that, the funds are transferred directly into your bank account or via PayPal.

• Best for: Selling or swapping used clothes.
• Key feature: Direct transfers to bank or PayPal after sales.

eBay

With the eBay app, selling clothes is now faster and more efficient than ever. Simply create an eBay account, download the app, take photos of the clothes you wish to sell, add descriptions, set your price, and wait for buyers to begin bidding. Additionally, eBay allows you to choose between selling items at a ‘Buy It Now’ price or placing them in an auction. This platform also boasts one of the largest market reaches of any online marketplace, making it the best app to sell clothes.

• Best for: All types of clothing with auction options.
• Key feature: Flexibility in selling through ‘Buy It Now’ or auctions.

Grailed

If you sell men’s fashion and streetwear, you may want to use the Grailed app, the latest men’s fashion marketplace. Simply create a Grail account, take a photo of the item you wish to sell, add a description, and wait for offers to come flooding in. Each transaction made on the Grail app is conducted through PayPal.

• Best for: Men’s fashion and streetwear.
• Key feature: Dedicated marketplace for male fashion.

LePrix

The LePrix app is an online consignment store that caters to high-end fashion brands. If you have designer clothing to sell, the LePrix app could be a great place for you to do so. The company has drop-offs at partner boutiques and schedules a free in-home pickup if you live in a major city. If that doesn’t work, LePrix can send a prepaid shipping label to you so that you can send in your designer items.

• Best for: High-end fashion brands.
• Key feature: Consignment with drop-offs at partner boutiques.

Kidizen

Kidizen is a consignment shop for children’s clothes, and it’s one of the leading apps to sell clothes in this category. Selling your gently used children’s clothing through Kidizen is easy—all you have to do is snap a picture, list the item, print a shipping label, and ship it out. You can also choose to donate your child’s outgrown items if you don’t want to sell them.

• Best for: Children’s clothes.
• Key feature: Option to donate outgrown items.

ThredUp

ThredUp is a fantastic app for buying & selling clothes online, with more than 30,000 fashion brands using the app to sell women’s, children’s, and teen’s clothing. On ThredUp, you can request a “Clean Out Kit,” where you fill a bag with unwanted clothing and send it to ThredUp, where they categorize and list your items. ThredUp provides the shipping label, and you can just drop off your free shipping kit with USPS or FedEx. USPS. When your items sell, you earn a percentage of the sale price, which varies depending on your selling price.

• Best for: Vintage and designer items.
• Key feature: Community of fashion enthusiasts.

Depop

Sell old clothing items and accessories from anywhere you want with the Depop app. Depop refers to itself as a community of sellers and buyers and is the ideal place to sell streetwear and vintage clothing. The shipping process is easy, and either the seller or the buyer pays for the cost of shipping. The shipping labels are created by Depop, and shipping costs depend on the package’s weight and dimensions. Payout is made through PayPal, direct deposit, or store credit.

• Best for: Vintage and handmade clothes.
• Key feature: Social shopping platform resembling Instagram.

OfferUp

If you are wanting to sell items of clothing locally, you can do so with ease and efficiency with the OfferUp app. People looking for specific clothes in your area use OfferUp to find products, meaning costly shipping fees are eliminated.

• Best for: Local sales of all types of items, including clothes.
• Key feature: Geolocation features to connect with nearby buyers.

Etsy

Favorite seller Etsy has been hailed as the “World’s most imaginative marketplace.” Therefore, if you make and sell home decor or beautiful, unique handmade vintage clothing, the Etsy selling app could be the top app to sell clothes online. There are tons of shoppers and support for payments, shipping, marketing, and more.

• Best for: Handmade, vintage, and unique clothing.
• Key feature: Dedicated platform for crafters and vintage sellers.

letgo

You can sell used clothes and fashion accessories with the simple-to-use and intuitively-designed letgo app. With over 100 million downloads and hundreds of millions of listings, letgo claims to be the “biggest and fastest-growing app for buying and selling locally.”

• Best for: General second-hand items, including clothes.
• Key feature: Simple listing process with image recognition.

Facebook Marketplace

The Facebook Marketplace app is a go-to for people looking to buy and sell clothes online. They cater mostly to the local community, but they also allow for nationwide shipping. The steps to create listings on the Facebook Marketplace are easy, and it’s a great way to get your clothes seen by many, thanks to its extensive market reach and popularity. Oh, did we mention there are no seller fees for listing or selling items? That’s right. However, there is a 5% service fee if you ship an item.

• Best for: Local and general clothing sales.
• Key feature: Utilizes the vast Facebook user network.

Bonanza

Like eBay, Bonanza is an auction-based e-commerce site that allows you to sell items of clothing on your own “webstore.” You only pay when items sell, and with the Bonanza app, you can manage your “website” transactions, and “b-mails” with greater efficiency and when you are on the move.

• Best for: A wide variety of items, including fashion.
• Key feature: Known as a seller-friendly marketplace.

Rebelle

If you’re in the market of selling designer labels, clothes, bags, shoes, accessories or jewelry, then you may want to use the Rebelle app. Rebelle makes selling used items of clothing and accessories a luxury by offering a 48-hour guaranteed delivery service and chic mint green packaging – what more could you ask for!

• Best for: Designer and luxury second-hand fashion.
• Key feature: In-house quality and authenticity check.

Tradesy

Fashion lovers rejoice! If you’re looking to unload your Louis Vuitton, Chanel, or Prada luxury handbag in a safe, secure, and friendly environment, Tradesy is what you need. The app for selling designer handbags offers an easy selling process and free shipping through FedEx when the item sells.

• Best for: Designer fashion resale.
• Key feature: Simple returns and selling process.

Flyp

Flyp enables users to sell their clothes and earn money, and the resale value is stellar on this app. That means you can make anywhere between 50 to 70% of the sales price. It’s a really simple process where you input the item name, resale price, and description and then take and upload photos of your product. The only catch to Flyp is the brands these professional sellers are willing to accept. Many mall brands, such as Nine West and Banana Republic don’t make the cut.

• Best for: Hiring pros to sell for you.
• Key feature: Connects sellers with professional resellers.

Vestiaire Collective

The Vestiaire Collective app allows you to sell vintage clothing, men’s clothing, women’s clothing, and designer labels when you are on the go. You’ll also get up to 80% of the selling price for your old clothes, and that’s not bad. Vestiaire Collective proudly asserts to be the “World’s largest collection of pre-owned luxury fashion,” so if you’re not yet using this app to sell your used designer clothing, start using it!

• Best for: Pre-owned luxury clothing.
• Key feature: Quality control and authentication process.

Rebag

Rebag is an online marketplace application that specializes in luxury handbags, accessories and jewelry. What makes Rebag one of the more interesting selling apps of designer brands is Clair, their artificial intelligence software that gives you a price estimate based on the photo scan provided through the app. Sellers can list their items online in minutes and market to a growing community of shoppers looking to buy new items at up to 50% off retail prices.

• Best for: Luxury handbags.
• Key feature: Quick payment after the item’s approval.

There’s Also Fashionpile Store Credit

If you’re looking to sell clothes online but don’t want to deal with the hassle of shipping items or waiting for payments, store credit may be a good option for you. Apps like Fashionphile offer store credit as a payout option, which can be used on their website to buy new clothes. This eliminates the need to worry about shipping items or tracking payments.

• Best for: Selling luxury items for store credit.
• Key feature: Offer upfront payment in the form of store credit.

Is Selling Clothes Online Profitable?

Absolutely! There’s a flourishing market for secondhand clothing online. However, it’s essential to note that this avenue might not be the perfect fit for everyone. The success trajectory of budding professional sellers hinges on several variables:

• Type and Quality of Clothing: The appeal, brand, and condition of the clothing items play a pivotal role.
• Origin of the Item: Some brands or regions may have a higher resale value based on their reputation.
• Current Life Cycle Stage: Fashion trends come and go; hence, the item’s relevance in current fashion cycles matters.

Before diving in, it’s crucial to judiciously evaluate your strengths and gauge the latent potential of the secondhand marketplace. On a global scale, three predominant avenues exist for selling clothes:

• Consignment Stores: This model, ideal for those with an expansive clothing inventory, can be highly profitable. However, it demands significant effort, such as inventory management, delivery coordination, photo sessions, and listing creation. Essentially, it’s tailored more for professional sellers with abundant stock.
• Online Marketplaces: These platforms offer more flexibility compared to traditional consignment stores. Here, you can vend individual items directly to eager buyers. Advantages encompass not having to manage vast stock, oversee deliveries, handle payments, or actively search for customers—the platform brings its inherent audience. However, remember that this ease comes at a cost. Some marketplaces might charge commission fees, which, in some instances, could dent your overall profits.
• Local Classified Sites: This approach significantly slashes costs and potentially boosts your profit margins. However, it inherently has a geographic limitation, restricting your clientele primarily to your immediate vicinity.

Each selling model has its merits and challenges. To thrive, one must align their business approach with the model that resonates most with their goals and resources.

As we draw to the conclusion of our exploration into online platforms for selling clothes, let’s consolidate our findings. Below is a table summarizing the best use-cases and unique features of each platform. Use it as a quick reference guide to help you choose the most suitable platform for your selling needs.

Image: Depositphotos

This article, "Best Apps for Running a Successful Clothing Store" was first published on Small Business Trends