How Are Resale Women's Clothes Different Than New Clothes?
What is your wardrobe’s expected lifespan? Answer: Until you fall out of love with it. Sure, we could dive into the science of cotton versus synthetics or leather versus suede. But that’s not why we buy clothes and it’s definitely not why we wear them.
Used women’s clothing means items whose original buyers simply fell out of love for any number of reasons—and often not because something’s “worn out”. In fact, sometimes the opposite can be true.
Picture this: a beautifully designed window or perfectly posed influencer—you had to have it. But the fit feels off and the color isn’t your favorite. It doesn’t matter, though, because you convince yourself you’ll wear it…eventually. But you never do, and it sits in the closet month after month until you decide that maybe this piece wasn’t for you after all.
You might have felt an overwhelming infatuation while purchasing that quickly faded, so the lovely top or perfect handbag has gone unused. We’ve all been there. But what should we do with it?
At Clothes Mentor, we believe used designer clothes deserve a second chance because we know there is someone out there scouring the internet trying to find the perfect used women’s clothing online.
So what’s the difference between new clothing and resale women’s clothes? Often very little, and sometimes nothing. The piece just hasn’t found the right person—yet. Not to mention buying secondhand designer clothes is also easy on the pocketbook.
Is Clothes Mentor a Thrift Store?
No, we’re not a thrift store, but like at a thrift store, at Clothes Mentor, you will find excellent prices. Thrift stores are often donation based and non-profit.
We’re also not a consignment store, which sells items in cooperation with the original owner, meaning any profit would be shared on a percentage basis after the sale.
Resale is a bit different. We purchase clothing from individuals wanting to sell their gently-used women’s clothing. Then we resell women's clothing online and in physical stores around the country (find a Clothes Mentor location near you).
We’re also excited that the work we do helps the environment and our cost-conscious customers find their dream style.
How Does Clothes Mentor Decide Which Used Clothes to Buy?
We carefully curate the collection of used women's clothing and accessories we carry in our stores.
We accept brand names, and we take into consideration the condition and style of your items. We’re seeking clothing sizes 0-26, and fashion pieces that are clean, gently used, in style, and in demand. Just visit a location near you and bring the items you think would shine on the right person.
If your clothing items aren’t accepted, we’ll even help you find a nearby donation facility.
How Much Can I Save With Used Designer Clothes?
We use a special system based on the original retail price along with the item’s condition and style to determine the price our customers will pay. Usually, shoppers will only pay about 1/3 of the original price.
You might be attending a lovely beach wedding this spring and feel certain a colorful Lilly Pulitzer dress would be perfect. It’s casual and bright, but also special—just like the occasion.
For a new dress, you might expect to pay on average anywhere from $100-250. But, when you purchase used women’s clothing from Clothes Mentor, you can find exactly what you’re looking for at a fraction of the cost (for a Lilly Pulitzer dress, it might be $20-80).
The same is true for your everyday wardrobe.
Maybe you’ve landed a new job, but you lack clothing options that’ll make you feel confident in the office. You can find used designer clothes and used women’s shoes that’ll fit any budget or style. You might find some H&M slacks for $11, match it with a colorful Chico’s top for $12, and a neutral blazer from J. Crew for $20. Suddenly, it’s a lot easier and cheaper to look and feel professional in any workplace environment.
Does Clothes Mentor Only Sell Secondhand Women's Clothing Online?
You’ll find our latest inventory both online and in-store at one of our over 120 locations. Find a location near you.
Benefits of Shopping Resale Clothing Online
Finding something special in a store near you is always exciting. But, the benefit of shopping for secondhand designer clothes online is that you get access to our full inventory. That means in one afternoon you can order a stylish dress in Florida and a used designer handbag in Ohio.
And there are many other benefits to buying used clothing online:
- You can curate a style that’s unique to you (not just the newest styles to hit the stores).
- You will be confident you’re finding styles that can stand the test of time.
- You leave the store (or shopping cart) feeling like you just completed a successful treasure hunt.
- You save hard-earned money for other adventures (or more outfits).
- You support local businesses and, consequently, the communities where they operate.
- You help support a healthier climate.
Browse a Giant Collection to Find the Right Outfit
Are you looking for athletic clothes? We definitely have them in stock. Handbags? Check. Used women’s shoes? Absolutely. Maternity clothes? We’ve got them.
When you shop at Clothes Mentor, you can browse an enormous collection of gently used women’s clothing—we’re talking thousands of items on thousands of pages.
Resale Is Sustainable
Lower your carbon footprint by shopping for used women’s clothing at Clothing Mentor. You’ll look stylish and preserve water, reduce chemical pollution, and keep clothing out of landfills. The same is true if you buy new and are no longer wearing that wonderful dress or using that designer handbag—sell it to us and we’ll look long and hard to find the right person for the piece.
We love fashion, but the reality is the fashion industry is the second-largest polluter in the world. We’re talking 1.5 trillion liters of water being used and 70 million trees being cut down each year to make the clothes we all want to wear.
Of course, we don’t advocate wearing burlap sacks, but there are simple things we can change about the way we shop that can make a big difference. One of those things is selling and buying used women’s clothing.
We’re pretty proud of this fact: In the last five years, Clothes Mentor has kept 35 million items out of landfills.
Secondhand Clothes and Accessories Are More Affordable
We’ve said it once, and we’ll keep saying it because it’s a big deal: Buying secondhand clothes will help you fund your fashion habit on a reasonable budget.
Used women’s clothing is often about 50-65% less than the original cost of the item—that’s massive savings. This helps you repurpose your clothing budget for other important life expenses (or more shoes—we won’t judge).
Buy and Sell Used Women’s Clothing at Clothes Mentor
So, how do you sell your gently used items at Clothes Mentor?
Step 1: Visit a store near you and a trained staff member will review your items. We’re looking for clean, quality, stylish, and in-demand clothing, shoes, accessories, and handbags.
Step 2: We’ll price each item using our specialized system that helps us process the items efficiently.
Step 3: Once we’ve reviewed and entered all the items we can purchase from you, we’ll present an offer.
Step 4: If you accept the offer, you will be paid in cash, or you can choose to take an in-store credit.
If you take in-store credit, you can use the money from the styles you no longer want to buy the styles you love.
FAQs
How much does clothes mentor pay for designer purses? ›
We price items at about 1/3 of the original retail and then we will offer you roughly around 25-30% of that. Once we have reviewed and entered in all of the items we are able to purchase from you, we will present you with an offer. The time to process your items depends on the number of buys ahead of you.
How do I find good outfits online? ›- Know Your Personal Style.
- Know Your Body Measurements.
- Check The Retailer Size Guide.
- Buy Two Sizes and Return One.
- Shipping and Returns.
- Read The Customer Reviews.
- Consider The Fabrics.
- Reliable Retailers vs. Retailers To Avoid.
Clothes Mentor® is the creation of Lynn and Dennis Blum of Columbus, OH. Lynn and Dennis have a very successful history of founding high-value, high-margin retail businesses.
How much does clothes mentor give for shoes? ›We price items at about 1/3 of the original retail and then we will offer you roughly around 25-30% of that. Once we have reviewed and entered in all of the items we are able to purchase from you, we will present you with an offer. The time to process your items depends on the number of buys ahead of you.
What percentage does Rebag pay? ›Carry any Rebag item for up to 12 months, and exchange it for credit worth 60-75% of its purchase price. So, start collecting your infinite closet now with Rebag, and refresh it when you need to. We offer the following Infinity Exchange time periods (from initial purchase date):
What is the number one online clothing store? ›| # | Name | Growth eCommerce net sales growth refers to 2022/2021 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (2) | jd.com JD.com, Inc. | 12.0% |
| 2 (7) | shein.com Shein US Services, LLC | 53.2% |
| 3 (9) | coupang.com Coupang, Inc. | 11.2% |
| 4 (11) | vip.com Guangzhou VIP Information Technology Co., Ltd. | -6.9% |
By outsourcing labor, clothing retailers can cut costs and boost profits by paying workers less. And, when labor costs are cut, product costs can be cut, too, leading to super affordable clothing. In short, Shein produces its clothes in generic wholesale factories to keep its costs at a minimum.
Is clothes mentor owned by Plato's? ›FAQs. Are both stores the same? No, while there are some similarities between Plato's Closet and clothes mentor, their differences in the process make them two different unique stores.
Who is the first person to make clothes? ›The first known humans to make clothing, Neanderthal man, survived from about 200,000 B.C.E. to about 30,000 B.C.E. During this time the earth's temperature rose and fell dramatically, creating a series of ice ages throughout the northern areas of Europe and Asia where the Neanderthal man lived.
When was clothes mentor founded? ›Brand Growth
That's part of our history, and we take great pride in the resilience and success of Clothes Mentor since its humble beginning in 2007.
Who sells clothes to you? ›
/ˌhæbərˈdæʃər/ A haberdasher is someone who sells clothes and accessories.
Does Nike give clothes to employees? ›The dress code at Nike is casual.
All employees of Nike retail stores must wear Nike clothing and shoes to work. The company provides these clothes. Nike allows employees to have visible tattoos, facial piercings, and unnaturally dyed hair. Managers have to deem these accessories to be tasteful and inoffensive, though.
If you accept our offer, you'll receive upfront payment within 2-3 business days after your bag passes our in-person vetting process. For in store submissions, receive both your offer and payment in less than 60 minutes.
How can you tell if a luxury bag is real? ›- Check the quality of the material the bag is made from. ...
- Take a close look at the hardware. ...
- The stitch work is another area to pay careful attention to. ...
- A cheap lining is another clue to look out for. ...
- The logo is another easy slip-up area for counterfeiters. ...
- Check the pockets.
Once your items have been Rebag-approved, we will proceed with payment. For ACH electronic transfers, payment takes 1 full business day to reflect in your account. Rebag Credit is available instantaneously at the completion of the order and can be used in store and online.
Which clothing brand is number 1? ›The top leading clothing brands in the world all have to work rigorously to maintain the position and compete to gain larger market share every year. The top 10 clothing brands in the world based on their brand value ranking in 2022 are Nike, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, Adidas, Hermès, Zara, H&M, Cartier and UNIQLO.
What is the most popular online shopping in US? ›U.S.: Top 10 online stores
Amazon.com is leading the U.S. e-commerce market, with e-commerce net sales of US$125,844 million in 2021 generated in the U.S., followed by walmart.com with US$46,446 million. Third place is taken by apple.com with revenues of US$25,862 million.
In my experience, clothes from Shein run small. While this isn't true across the board, 90% of the time I have found this to be the case. This is why checking the sizing is important. When you hover over a certain size on the page of the item you're interested in, measurements come up.
Where is Shein located in USA? ›If you are from the US and ordering through the app, Shein will automatically get your orders from their warehouse in the US. It is located in Los Angeles. The clothes from their warehouse in Foshan are shipped to their LA warehouse.
Who owns Shein clothing? ›
Chris Xu, the founder and billionaire behind the company, primarily owns SHEIN. SHEIN leverages a real-time retail business model, where fashion trends are created out of social media platforms like TikTok, which are quickly turned around as products available for shopping online.
Which online store is cheapest? ›- Amazon. Amazon is one of the largest online retailers and offers a vast selection of products at competitive prices. ...
- Walmart. ...
- AliExpress. ...
- eBay. ...
- Wish. ...
- Overstock. ...
- Jet. ...
- Rakuten.
In general, says Gall, “the best time to buy clothing for each season is always during major shopping holidays, when many retailers offer storewide sales or deep markdowns to entice shoppers.” FYI, this is similar to the best time to buy appliances and electronics, so you could have a busy shopping weekend ahead of you ...
Where is the cheapest place to shop for clothes in the world? ›- Hong Kong. While you may see dollar signs when you think of Hong Kong, believe it or not, you can find fantastic consumer deals there making it an amazing cheap shopping destination. ...
- Spain. Madrid, Spain – Photo courtesy of Flickr. ...
- Mexico. ...
- Thailand. ...
- Czech Republic. ...
- Vietnam.
How much can be actors be paid to wear a designer's dress? Teen Vogue reported in 2018, that actors can be paid anywhere between $50,000 and $250,000 for wearing a designer's dress at a major red carpet event.
How much do clothing brands pay? ›As of May 30, 2023, the average hourly pay for a Clothing Brand in the United States is $19.31 an hour.
What is the markup on luxury handbags? ›Upscale bags hold the highest markup in luxury fashion, selling for 12-20x the cost to make. These brands also regularly raise prices, some 15% over the past 15 years.
Do celebrities pay for the dresses they wear? ›Unsurprisingly, the stars are not expected to fork out for their gowns and baubles, with many designers happy to pay for their dresses to be put on show.
Do celebrities get to keep their clothes? ›BUT, that's usually hardly ever true. Even if they can afford it, mostly all celebrities and influencers have their clothes sourced by their stylists or styling team. Sourcing essentially means that they are given only for a particular event or appearance, not for keeping forever. They too, have to return it.
Do celebrities get free designer clothes? ›High-End Clothes
Stars are rarely paying for their designer duds themselves. As SheFinds explains, celebrities are often gifted free luxury goods by designers' public relations teams, knowing that if people see an A-lister wearing the brand's clothes, they are more likely to buy them.
What is the average number of handbags a woman owns? ›
According to Mintel Research the average woman owns 9 handbags. However, I'm a firm believer in investing in high quality handbags that will last a lifetime. Because of this belief there is often a steep price tag that is associated with a designer handbag.
How much does a LV bag cost? ›The price range of Louis Vuitton is from around $1,100 to about $6,000. Vintage purse prices vary depending on the condition of the purse and how popular a collector's item it is.
What is the average price of a handbag? ›If we are talking about the average price of a new handbag then the average price in the US comes out to be $313 which is the highest in the world followed by Japan where the average price is $268.80. In developing economies like India, the average price is as low as $7.22.
Who are clothes mentor competitors? ›Clothes Mentor top competitors include Children's Orchard Inc, Clothes Circuit, Plato's Closet, Thrift Box.
Does Plato's Closet take shein brand? ›Plato's Closet buys and sells gently used clothes and accessories; all the latest styles and trends for up to 70% off mall prices. The shop accepts over 1,000 different brands including Abercrombie, Shein, Zara and H&M.
Does Plato's Closet wash clothes before selling? ›How does it work? Step 1: Bring in your gently used, TEENAGE current styled name brand clothing, shoes and accessories. Step 2: A buyer will review your items while you shop the store. All items must be FRESHLY LAUNDERED, free of stains, all buttons and zippers in place and working order.