Online Consignment Shopping: Where To Go for the Best Clothes

photo by Santiago Cancinos

Finding clothes made in an environmentally sustainable way can be difficult. Buying previously owned clothing makes it easy.

 

photo by die.tine

I love to shop… for just about anything: clothes, furnishings, plants, garden decor, home decor, you name it. I like to window shop; I like to browse products online; I like to get stuff. But, when I first tried to shop for ethically made clothing, shopping became stressful; where was this product made and by whom? Is it organic, fair-trade? Was it made in an environmentally and socially responsible way? It was enough to make a girl tear her hair out.

While there are many companies making clothes from organic materials and using fair trade policies, consider buying used items first; as these pieces are by nature recycled, their environmental impact is minimal. Plus, you aren’t putting money into the pockets of chain retailers but instead into the hands of your fellow citizens; and while everyone knows about eBay and Craigslist there are a few online consignment clothing stores I wouldn’t want to live without. These online stores all have pictures and descriptions and let you shop using filters like size, price, condition, color and style.

For clothes from chain retailers like The Gap and Anthropologie, Swap is the place to go. Their prices are fantastic and every now and then you find brands like Prada and Donna Karan for incredibly low prices. I found a Theory turtleneck sweater in good condition for $20 and a sleeveless Banana Republic top for $9.80 listed as “like new.”

photo by Matt Madd

For luxury items there are a few places I like. Vestiaire is a great place for medium to super high-end clothes. Here you can find an Hermès skirt under $200, a Versace gown for $36,000 and plenty of wonderful goodies in-between. My current favorite is a silk Valentino maxi dress for just under $6,000. They also sell jewelry from the likes of Tiffany’s and Henry Winston as well as some home decor items.

The RealReal is another high end online consignment store that offers luxury for less. Here, I found myself drooling over a pair of knee-high Prada boots for $100 in reportedly very good condition as well as a Rag & Bone rib-knit sweater in excellent condition for $65.

The next time you have the urge to buy ethically and save money check out these online stores and shop happily knowing you aren’t doing harm.