Consignment, buy-sell-trade or thrift: where to take clothes you want money for

A thrift store gives you a receipt; a consignment shop pays you a share when your item sells; a buy-sell store pays cash or store credit on the spot. Which is which, and what each expects from what you bring.

Thrift: you donate

The store takes what you bring, sells it, and keeps the revenue for its mission or its owner. What you get is a receipt for a possible tax deduction and an empty closet. It is the right choice for everyday clothing, household goods and anything you simply want gone today.

Consignment: you split the sale later

A consignment shop displays your item under its roof and pays you an agreed share — commonly somewhere between a third and a half of the selling price — after it sells, usually within a fixed window of 60 to 90 days. Unsold items are returned to you or donated, depending on the contract. Shops are selective: current styles, good brands, clean and pressed, often by appointment. It suits pieces worth more than a few dollars where you are willing to wait.

Buy-sell-trade: you are paid at the counter

Plato's Closet, Buffalo Exchange, Crossroads Trading and similar stores look through what you bring, buy what they can resell and hand you cash or a larger amount in store credit on the spot. Offers are a fraction of resale price and the buyers are choosy about season and style, but there is no waiting and no follow-up. What they decline you take home.

Choosing

Bring the best pieces to consignment or a buy-sell store, and everything else to thrift in the same trip — most people end up using all three. Whichever you choose, clean, folded and in season gets a better answer than a bag from the back of the closet.

Published 2026-09-19 · reviewed with each rebuild, last September 2026.