Getting Rid of Unwanted Clothes

LHamlet on 15/07/2017 - 18:50
Last edited 15/07/2017 - 19:17

With fast fashion retailers like H&M, Uniqlo, Zara increasingly filling up our wardrobes these days, I find myself with a bunch of clothes that:

  • I barely wear
  • are there as 'just-in-case' clothes for occasions that never happen
  • are the wrong sizes (but which I bought because they were heavily discounted…)
  • that I no longer like
  • has deteriorated in quality

So I guess the question is how do you get rid of these unwanted clothes? Do you do different things depending on their original price/resell-ability/condition?

Do you sell them? Recycle them? Pass them to other relatives/friends? Donate them? Turn them into mops/towels?

Home & Garden

Comments

  • scrimshaw on 15/07/2017 - 19:06
    +5

    There are clothing bins that you might run into. There's probably even a map you can find if you google.

    There are lots of them in NSW, not sure about Victoria. try here or here

  • oscargamer on 15/07/2017 - 19:18
    +5

    op shop

    not rocket science

  • kale chips suck on 15/07/2017 - 19:27
    +12

    My first thought - don't buy them in the first place: solve the problem, not the symptom.

    2nd thought: I turn old clothes into rags. Good for working on the car, painting rags, etc. By the time I decide they're done for they're well past op shop stage, so that's really the only "useful" option. YMMV though.

    • Hamlet on 16/07/2017 - 08:16

      Yeah, I'm trying to shift my mindset — trying to get rid of some clothes and not replacing them. Minimalism + quality = less waste.

  • loulou1 on 15/07/2017 - 19:30
    +1

    War on waste tv show said charity places don't want 'fast fashion' donations. They are of poor quality and they spend too much of their time and money sending them off to land full.

    • Diji1 on 15/07/2017 - 21:18

      Indeed they are since they're made to last one season.

      People believe they're buying designer label clothes. For the past decade or so this has been false.

      There is one business, with a very obscure name, that charges a subscription to all luxury brands. This one business controls "fashion" at the consumer level because they produce a range of approximately 75,000 designs each year. Luxury brands then choose which designs they want, the item is produced by other third parties usually in sweatshops with the brands logo on it using low quality materials to last 1 season - which is 3 months.

      :)

    • bobbified on 15/07/2017 - 21:51
      +2

      charity places don't want 'fast fashion' donations

      The first thing that came to mind is "beggars can't be choosers".

      You may or may not know the answer, but why don't charities want "fast fashion"? I would've thought that any article of clothing (that fits within whatever their hygiene standards is) can be given to the people that need it. A homeless person who's freezing on the street isn't going to care whether a jumper or jacket is this season's or last season's.

      Or do charities only care about selling the donated clothing to get the money?

      • sparkles on 16/07/2017 - 04:02

        See my post further down, but ultimately for it to have any value you need people to want to buy that stuff. Out-of-fashion, cheaply produced clothing holds no value to the big charities. It's waste, pure and simple.

  • altomic on 15/07/2017 - 19:40
    +3

    Garage sale

  • bargainbeseecher on 15/07/2017 - 22:30
    +1

    I used to donate my clothes to the local Salvos until I went into their little store one day and saw that were actually selling my crap for much more than it was worth instead of literally giving it to people in crisis. Now I just bag it up for Savers as they sell them around the $4 mark.

    Otherwise, if the tags are still on something from an expensive brand, I might sell them on eBay.

    • sparkles on 16/07/2017 - 03:36

      Here's the thing, the Salvos only care about what monetary value they can get for your donations, not the idea of placing that jumper on a homeless person. They are ruthless and it's because the bulk of their op shop workers are actually paid staff, not volunteers, and they have budgets they must make daily set by the head office.

      If you can, donate your stuff to the little local op shops where the proceeds generally go to 1) paying the rent on the shop so they can function and add to community spirit, and then 2) directly back to local community projects like the local kindergarten or sports clubs. Your stuff will hardly ever be used to help genuine people in crisis unless it's deemed not "good enough" (which most fast fashion is) and is shipped off to Africa via organisations that accept clothing for that purpose. Smaller op shops may do this. Salvos, Vinnies etc probably dumpster this stuff, as it's not worth their time and doesn't generate revenue.

      Moral of the story: don't buy the disposable, cheap quality, fast fashion in the first place. In fact, try to avoid all places selling mass-produced cheap stuff designed not to last (because they want to sell it to you again next year) like Kmart.

      • Euphemistic on 16/07/2017 - 09:15

        But the money the salvos makes from selling that clothing goes towards helping people in need. They aren't a profit making organisation. Sure, they might sell clothes at a decent price for those that can afford it, but I'm sure they also hand out plenty to folks in real need.

        I'll happily put my old clothes in a salvos or vinnies bin, but watch out for the ones that don't state they are not for profit. There are businesses out there that do not offer charity with the money they make from on selling clothes.

    • Ughhh on 16/07/2017 - 19:35

      I just bag it up for Savers as they sell them around the $4 mark.

      How do you know the $4 clothing is being sold to someone in need and not an eBay reseller or someone who isn't in need?

      • Euphemistic on 16/07/2017 - 20:41

        And a quick search finds that Savers is a for-profit group. So despite them selling stuff cheaper you are lining someone's pockets, not providing profits that he'll someone in need.

  • cupcake on 16/07/2017 - 08:16

    I put them in a clothing bin.

  • kikiki on 16/07/2017 - 18:13
    +1

    I either use the fabric of clothes for making cosplays or other diy projects. Give to my family if they want it. Use them as rags for the floor or outdoors. Or use it as bedding for little chicks/pets.

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