Cash for clothes isn't money for old rope

“The cash-for-clothes operations that have sprung up all over the island , of course, affecting the level of stock donations we are receiving,” notes Trevor Anderson, Oxfam Ireland’s director of retail.

While the charity “fully supports the right of the consumer to choose between selling and donating the clothing they no longer need”, its Make Space for Oxfam campaign hopes to diminish the impact of this trend by encouraging people to think of Oxfam first.

You can still use the cash for clothes outlets for a charitable purpose by organising a clothes drive involving a school or other community group and then selling the clothes collected.

Another option you might consider if you’re keen to monetise your wardrobe is to look to online markets such as eBay.ieor done deal.ie. However, to achieve sales on these platforms your unwanted goods will need to be in good condition and desirable.

With Done Deal, you can place an advert in its fashion section for €1. With Ebay, while you might be able to access a global market, you can expect to pay more, and the costs can add up.

For example, a listing or insertion fee starts from 25 cent up to €3, while the website also takes 10 per cent of the value of goods that sell. In addition, if you opt for additional features such as a reserve price – that below which you will not sell – you can expect to pay 2 per cent of that reserve.

It’s important when using eBay to sell high-value goods to indicate a reserve price. Otherwise you could find yourself having to sell that too-small pair of Tory Burch flats bought in the Brown Thomas sale for a bid of just €20.

Key to effective selling online is the inclusion of attractive photos of products along with as much information on them as possible.

If you’re using eBay, any attempt to oversell your goods might come back to hurt you. Also, given that buyers can review each seller after a sale, any bad comments can quickly end your online selling career.

If you would prefer to sell in person, another option is to offload your clothes at a local car boot sale or flea market.

Dublin’s Flea Market runs on the last Sunday of every month in The Co-op on Newmarket Square, Dublin 8.

It costs €40 to take a stall for the day, and 40 of these stalls are allocated on a rotating basis.

After that initial outlay, how much you earn will be up to your sales skills.

Cash for clothes: What you can sell

* Clothes

* Curtains

* Bedding (except duvets & pillows)

* Towels

* Handbags

* Belts

* Soft toys

* Hats, caps, ties and scarves

* Paired shoes and trainers

* Baby clothes

* Pyjamas