So it’s finally the beginning of the new year, time to declutter your wardrobe and start the new year with a clear space and mind. You’ve probably already done that by now, and you’re wondering what to do with your old clothes.
A clothing swap comes to mind, but with all the restrictions and social distancing it is irresponsible to host a live swap party, I hope you agree!
So you turn to your old friend, the internet, to see what’s out there in terms of swapping options. I can assure you, there are some, it is possible to swap clothes online! Obviously, it’s going to be less fun and more lonely than organizing a swap party.
On the bright side, you are still able to something good for the environment, find new and happy owners for your old clothes, and get some new (second-hand) finds to refresh your wardrobe as well.
That doesn’t sound all that bad, does it? So here are your options!
Organize An Online Clothes Swap Party
Why not? There’s Zoom, there are our mobile phones to take pictures of the clothes, and, as opposed to in-person parties, you don’t have to clean your house first! Here’s how I would (and probably will) do it:
- Set the time and date. Choose a time that works best for a lot of people: Saturday and Sunday are probably the best, but a weekday evening could also work.
- Invite your friends. With online events, I find it more practical if everybody knows everybody or at least a couple of people. Otherwise, they might be too shy to speak up since there’s no place for one-on-one conversations. Also, pay attention to the sizes! You don’t want anyone to feel left out because they don’t have anyone to swap with! You should also keep the event local even though it’s online, because you’ll still have to exchange clothes some way or another, and shipping can be super expensive.
- Set a swap limit. How many clothes are people allowed to swap? You want a decent variety of clothes, but you don’t want to sort through someone’s entire wardrobe. I would say a range of 5-10 items per person is the sweet spot, but feel free to adjust as you wish.
- Choose the clothes you want to swap. Choose the clothes you want to swap and prepare them for the swapping event. Make sure they’re clean, ironed, and don’t have any damages!
- At the beginning of the event, take turns showing off the clothes you want to swap. You don’t have to put them on and model them yourself if you don’t want to, but you totally can if they still fit you! Take notes of the clothes you would like to get from other people!
- After you’ve seen all clothes, take turns picking out the items you would like to “take home”. You can decide the order with a random generator, or based on the number of clothes people brought (the more clothes you offered for swapping, the sooner you can choose). Not all clothes will find a new home, and that’s ok, you can try one of the apps and websites below to swap them with strangers or sell them online.
- Swap. After everybody chose their favorite items, it’s up to the participants to arrange the in-person swaps or send the clothes by post. Alternatively, you can offer them to drop off and pick up the clothes at your place one-by-one.
Clothes Swap Apps & Websites
If you aren’t in the mood for organizing an online clothing swap, there’s still the possibility of swapping via apps and websites. These are less personal than swapping with friends for sure, but they offer you a much wider range of clothes and accessories to choose from.
1. Big Sister Swap
Platform: website
Country: UK
Swapping method: mystery box
If you swap with Big Sister Swap you send them your unwanted clothes (3 items, 5 items, 1kg, or 2 kg) and you get back a mystery box (the same amount of clothes you sent in) based on a style questionnaire. Your old clothes will be added to other people’s mystery boxes. You have to pay a small amount for the styling service, but it sounds so exciting, it definitely worth a try.
2. Nuw
Platform: iPhone app, Android app
Country: Uk & Ireland
Swapping method: lend & borrow, or individual swap for tokens
Upload pictures of your high-quality, underloved clothes and accessories to Nuw. You can choose to lend them for a certain amount of time to people, or give them away and get tokens. You can then use your tokens to get clothes from other people. Or you can also borrow for free. With Nuw, you have to arrange the swap directly with the other person instead of sending the clothes to Nuw.
3. Swap Society
Platform: website
Country: US
Swapping method: swap for points consignment style
Swap Society works on a membership basis. You pay monthly, quarterly, or yearly to be a part of Swap Society. The membership includes a prepaid mailer per month in which you can send your items to the company to get points in return. Then you can spend your points on the clothes sent in by other people on the Swap Society website.
4. Popswap
Platform: iPhone app, Android app
Country: international
Swapping method: individual swaps
Popswap is like Tinder for your clothes. You upload your virtual wardrobe and you get to browse other people’s wardrobe. Swipe right to like, swipe left to pass. If there’s a match, you can arrange the swap details in chat.
5. Swopped
Platform: website
Country: Uk
Swapping method: swap for points consignment style
Swopped works similarly to Swap Society. You send them the clothes you don’t need anymore, you get points in exchange which you can spend on other’s clothes on the Swopped website.
6. Swap Chic
Platform: website
Country: France
Swapping method: individual swaps
Swap Chic is a clothes swap website based in France that lets you swap directly with other swappers in your area. Choose what you like, set up a rendez-vous, and exchange clothes. You can also sell and purchase clothes for money on Swap Chic.
Sell & Buy Second Hand Clothes Online
What if online swapping is not for you? To rehome your unused clothes responsibly, you can always stick to the good old reselling game. Sell your old clothes online on ThredUP, Depop, Vestiaire Collective, The RealReal, Poshmark, or whichever online second-hand platform you prefer and spend the money you earn on the same website to get some new old clothes.
Have you tried swapping clothes online? What was your experience?
