Tag: quick money

If you’re hoping to sell some gently used womenswear online or in-store, you might immediately think of laundry list of retailers. But when we’re talking about menswear, the answer is not so obvious. Where are the best places to sell your mens cast-offs, your unused suits or your lightly-worn ties?

Well, fret not, because there are options. Some of them are geared specifically toward men, while others are sites where you can sell your entire family’s clothes. We recommend starting with men’s consignment stores, but you’ll find a whole host of resellers on this list, both online and brick-and-mortar. For men, we suggest dividing your items into two categories: commonly worn pieces, like jeans or T-shirts; or designer items by luxury brands.

Read on to find out the best places to sell your vintage and used menswear.

5 Online Men’s Consignment Stores

Not having to carry your clothes around to a physical location will make your life easier. Some of these stores have both physical shops, while all of them have online options.

1. Grailed

Grailed’s name is a nod to the slang term “grail,” meaning an item that is hard to find and, therefore, in demand,, and it bills itself as a “one-stop destination for buying, selling and exploring menswear and womenswear.” The site claims to be the largest men’s fashion marketplace, and it’s a place where you can find brands like Alexander McQueen and Dries Van Noten as well as Adidas and Supreme.

If that feels a little out of your price range, don’t worry — Grailed has other categories, where you can shop and sell items like sweatpants and joggers, slip-on shoes and polos.

What makes Grailed popular with buyers is that it’s free. For sellers, the benefit is its low 9% commission fee. There’s no barrier to entry, but you set the price for your items, so they may take longer to sell than they would on a site that sets the price for you. There is also a payment processing fee for transactions conducted with Grailed Payments or PayPal.

Grailed offers buyer and seller protection through its own system, Grailed Payments, meaning that any disputed charge can warrant a full refund. PayPal has its own buyer and seller protection. There are two kinds of offers, binding and non-binding. A binding offer means that the payment must be completed immediately if the seller accepts, whereas a non-binding offer means the buyer does not have to purchase the item even if the seller agrees to their offer. With PayPal, all offers are binding, but if buyers choose to use Grailed Payments, all offers are currently non-binding.

2. The RealReal

As its name implies, The RealReal prides itself on authenticity. While all of the sites on this list forbid replicas and knockoffs of brand-name items, The RealReal takes it one step further by employing trained professionals — from gemologists to brand experts — to ensure every item it offers is the real thing. Your item must pass a rigorous inspection before the site will list it.

The RealReal has a fairly hands-off selling process for the seller. Just send in your items, schedule a pick-up or drop them off. Once the site gets your clothing (or anything else you’ve sent), they’ll authenticate, photograph and price everything for you. Anything that doesn’t work—whether it’s deemed inauthentic or unsellable—will be sent back to you.

The RealReal’s structure works by rewarding sellers the more that they sell and the higher the price. The percentage a seller earns is broken down by item and price of item sold. Here is a full list — the highest percentage earned by the seller is 85%.

Some examples include:

• If you sell men’s sneakers worth between $200 and $299, sellers earn 55% of the price.
• If you sell clothing between $300 and $749, you earn 60% of the sales price.
• All items under $149 are tiered by commission. Items from $0 to $99 earn the seller 20% of the price, while items between $100 and $149 earn sellers 30% of the price.

There is also a tiered system that allows sellers to earn VIP status. Here’s how that works.

• A Trendsetter, or someone with net sales under $1,499, earns standard commission.
• An Influencer, with net sales between $1,500 and $4,999, can add 1% to the standard commission.
• A Tastemaker, with net sales between $5,000 and $9,999,, can add 2% to standard commission.
• A VIP, with net sales above $10,000, can add 5% to standard commission.

3. Menswear Market

Menswear Market touts itself as taking some of the guesswork (and legwork) out of reselling your items by offering personalized services like shipping, customer service and all of the sales work. .

Menswear Market may sell your pieces on its own website, through its selling account on eBay or at in-person sale events. To get started, sellers must contact Menswear Market and see if their clothes are eligible. If so, they can ship them at no charge. Each month, the seller will get 60% of the total money their items net.

Menswear Market is a great option for the seller with no time and access to “high-quality designer and upscale brands.”

4. Linda’s Stuff

Don’t let the name fool you — Linda’s Stuff isn’t just for women’s clothing and accessories. It also has a sizable men’s section with everything from jeans to shoes to swimwear.

This company strives to sell your luxury items at a price that will net you the most money and interest the most buyers. The team does most of the work itself, from photography, to research, to pricing, to authenticating.

The team increases demand for an item by listing it at first for auction on eBay. If it doesn’t sell in seven days, they then choose a fixed price—with a best offer option—and create a listing. The fact that all items have free shipping is particularly enticing for buyers. (To offset this, the company adds $10 to the listing price, which they will take out when calculating your commission.) The company lists items for one year, but if they don’t sell in that time, it is the consignor’s responsibility to initiate the return process.

Like many online consignment stores, Linda’s Stuff pays sellers based on how much they sell and how much money they make for the site. For items at $999 or less, sellers receive 60% of the sale. For items that go for $1,000 or above, sellers get 75% of the sale. If you hit $5,000 or more, sellers get 80% of the sale price. It’s important to note that Linda’s Stuff wants items with a resale value of more than $49 to qualify.

5. Poshmark

You may have heard of Poshmark — it’s one of the most popular sites for secondhand resellers and buyers. But did you know they have a men’s section?

Listing an item on the platform is easy. It just involves making an account, uploading a photo of your item with a description and listing it. You set the price.

Poshmark takes a commission in a sliding scale form, much like other platforms. For sales below $15, Poshmark takes a commission of $2.95 per sale. For sales of $15 or more, Poshmark takes 20% commission.

A site like Poshmark is good for a seller who doesn’t have high-end designer items, is willing to put in a little bit of work and wants to keep the bulk of their earnings.

Brick-and-Mortar Men’s Consignment Stores

If you want to sell your clothes in-person, then we have the options for you. Well Suited and Crossroads Trading operate online, too.

6. Well Suited

From the same people who brought you women’s consignment site My Sister’s Closet and home furnishings consignment site My Sister’s Attic, Well Suited has retail stores in Arizona. It also allows shoppers to browse and purchase items online.

You can stop by a store with items you’d like to sell or follow these instructions to ship them to the company.

To qualify for resale, your items should meet the “three C’s” My Sister’s Closet originally set forth:

1. Cute (or, one could argue, “handsome” in this case): brand-name designer items, whether classic or trendy, that retail for at least $75
2. Clean: in like-new, ready-to-wear condition
3. Current: stylish and no more than four to five years old

You can receive 45% of the item’s sale price in cash or 55% in store credit. Designer bags and jewelry, or anything that goes for more than $4,995, can net up to 70% in commission.

7. Plato’s Closet

Plato’s Closet focuses on teen and young adult clothing and accessories — for guys, this includes athletic shoes, coats, jeans, shorts and tanks in brands including Levi’s, PacSun, Sperry, Converse and Under Armour.

Check here to see if there are any locations in your area. If there are, you can stop by with your items and an ID, and a sales associate will review your stuff while you browse the store’s racks.

Unlike other consignment stores that pay you when your items sell and take a cut as commission, Plato’s Closet buys your items outright and stocks them for resale — so once you receive and accept its quote, you walk out with cash.

The price per item will likely not be as high as luxury consignment stores. But if you’re looking for a quick, easy way to unload your unwanted stuff and get a few bucks, Plato’s Closet is worth checking out.

8. Buffalo Exchange

Like Plato’s Closet, Buffalo Exchange buys acceptable items upfront and pays you 25% of the selling price in cash or 50% in store credit. You can drop your items off at one of its physical locations — stores no longer allow selling by mail.

Buffalo Exchange lists what each location is looking for here, but in general, stores are almost always seeking everyday staples, plus sizes and any menswear. That means guys are in luck!

9. Crossroads Trading

Crossroads Trading offers flexible options for the most flexible of customers — sellers can sell in-store, drop off their goods in store, sell by consignment or sell by mail. The deal is simple: if you trade for credit, you get 50% of the sales price of your clothes. If you want cash right away, you get 30% of the sales price.

Like Buffalo Exchange and Plato’s Closet, Crossroads is a good option for a buyer who wants to leave the store with cash right away. The store has locations in various parts of the country.

Writer Elizabeth Djinis is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder, often writing about selling goods online through social platforms. Kelly Gurnett is a former contributor to The Penny Hoarder.

Why toss things in the trash when you can recycle them — and make a little money in return?

By diverting certain items from the waste stream and keeping them out of landfills, you can also make extra money or help out worthy causes. From scrap metal to ink cartridges, bottle caps to construction materials, you can recycle a huge variety of items in exchange for cash. We’ve also included information on how to recycle items for the sake of good will.

Businesses should also look at the recycling market for some extra cash. Restaurants can sell used or rancid cooking oil. Old cars and vans can be scrapped for money, as well as large appliances

Ready to see all the different things you can recycle for money?

How to Recycle Household Items for Cash

First, you’ll need to find a recycling center or collection point that is looking for what you want to get rid of. While the goal is to make money, you might settle for a donation — which could be tax deductible — if it means clearing out the garage. The collection center will also let you know how to prepare items to their specifications.

Find a Collection Point

To find a recycling center near you, head to Earth911.com and plug in the item you’re looking to recycle along with your location. The site lists collection locations for materials as diverse as antifreeze and ammunition, computers and clothes.

Prepare Items for Recycling

Of course, not everything pays, and it’s important to prepare recyclables according to the organization’s specifications. This is especially important if you are recycling hazardous materials. Metal scrappers pay more for clean metal, sometimes almost twice as much.

Recycling centers may require you to remove bottle caps, rinse and bag bottles in certain increments, or sort and tie together cardboard. Checking the rules before you go will save you time later.

Be sure to properly bag items that may make a bit of a mess. Even if you thoroughly rinse all your bottles and cans, there might be water and other residue on them, so be sure to transport them in bins or bags to protect the interior of your car.

If you’re donating a cell phone or other electronic item, be sure to clear your personal information from it, including contact lists, voice mails, text messages, photos, passwords, downloads and anything else that you wouldn’t want random strangers to access. Backup your information on your new phone, your computer or a cloud-based service, then restore your old phone to factory settings before recycling it.

Items You Can Recycle for Money

There are a lot of recyclable items around the house (maybe in the garage) that can bring in some money. Depending on where you live, you can get paid to recycle:

• Scrap metal
• Bottles and cans
• Car batteries
• Ink cartridges
• Cell phones and other electronics
• Junk cars
• Wine corks
• Cardboard boxes
• Cooking Oil

1. Scrap Metal

Scrap metal is one of the more profitable materials to recycle.

Copper, steel and aluminum are just a few of the scrap metals that you can recycle for money. Google your local area and “scrap yard” to find a facility that takes whatever metals you have and learn their procedures for drop off.

Scrap metal prices were rising because of the pandemic caused shipping woes. Some forecasters think prices will start to sink later this year. Now is a good time to get rid of that junk metal.

Once you have rounded up your metal, find out if it is ferrous or non-ferrous by seeing if a magnet sticks to it. If it does, the metal is ferrous and likely a common metal like steel or iron. These items typically aren’t worth much, but it’s still worthwhile to recycle them. If the magnet does not stick, you likely have copper, aluminum, brass, bronze or stainless steel on your hands. These metals are more valuable.

Copper is one of the more profitable metals: Copper wire and tubing yields between $2 and $3.40 per pound, depending on the quality and thickness of the wire. Aluminum typically earns between 40 and 70 cents a pound, yellow brass can yield about $1.65 per pound.

Die-cast metal, which is usually made from zinc, aluminum, and other non-ferrous metals, goes in the 20-to-30-cents-a-pound range, though local prices vary. Zinc is worth more than aluminum.

2. Bottles and Cans

One Penny Hoarder writer made $1,500 cashing in soda cans he collected at work. You, too, can make money by rounding up bottles and cans, whether from work, friends and family, at events, or just the recyclables you use at home.

The World Economic Forum estimates that even though most aluminum is recycled, there’s still seven million tons not recycled every year. That’s a lot of money left on the table.

California offers 5 cents for most plastic and glass bottles and aluminum cans smaller than 24 ounces, and 10 cents for 24-ounce or larger containers. It’s technically a bottle deposit, but many people don’t bother to collect their refunds, so it’s easy money for bottle and can collectors.

Michigan has a 10-cents per bottle recycling rate, which has prompted people to illegally smuggle in empty bottles purchased out of state to cash in. (This was even the plot of one Seinfeld episode!) Many states have similar deposit programs, so check what’s available where you live.

3. Car Batteries

Advance Auto Parts offers a $10 store gift card to customers who bring in their used car batteries (light-duty truck batteries are also accepted). If the company doesn’t have an outlet near you, call your local auto parts stores to see whether they offer similar deals.

4. Ink Cartridges

A number of office supply stores, including Staples and Office Depot accept used ink cartridges for recycling. Staples offers $2 back per cartridge, with a maximum of 20 returns per month, and you have to spend at least $50 on ink or toner within 180 days of recycling.

Office Depot also gives you $2 back in program rewards for each ink or toner cartridge you recycle, up to 10 cartridges per month. But you must also purchase ink from them the same month. There is no limit on the number of cartridges you can recycle, but you will only receive points on the first 10 per month. You can use your points toward a number of different perks and discounts.

5. Cell Phones

Eco-Cell is one of many companies that offers cash for old cell phones and other electronics. The company accepts working or broken phones, tablets, rechargeable batteries, circuit boards and a variety of other electronics. Even if an item is broken or was submerged in water and is unusable, Eco-Cell will accept it in order to divert electronics from landfills and properly dispose of their toxic components and metals.

Many cell phone providers, including Verizon and AT&T, have trade-in programs where you can receive a voucher, gift card or other reward for turning in your old phone. Amazon Trade-in is another way to earn gift cards.

A number of charities also accept cell phones, whether to re-purpose or sell and use the funds for a charitable purpose. Cell Phones for Soldiers refurbishes and sells your old phone to active-duty military members and veterans. If a phone is too old or broken, Cell Phones for Soldiers sells it to recyclers who strip it for parts and dispose of its metals responsibly. The proceeds from the sales go to purchase international calling cards for troops and provide emergency financial assistance to veterans.

Organizations that work with domestic abuse victims also accept used cell phones for their clients for emergency 911 calls.

And of course, you can always sell your old phone yourself.

6. Junk Cars

Your rusted old jalopy? You can recycle it for money. There are companies that pay cash for broken down cars. U-Pull-It has a helpful guide on the best way to scrap your car.

Junk Car Medics is  another company that will buy your vehicle.  You can sell your car to them online or over the phone. You enter details about your vehicle, such as condition and mileage, and quickly get an offer. If you accept it, you’ll have to provide proof of ownership and a few other details before you get paid. The company says most transactions are same-day, and they take the car away for you.

7. Wine Corks

You can let your wine pay a little bit for itself. Sites like Etsy and Ebay and others show listings for used wine corks. Selling on these sites isn’t difficult. When setting prices, keep in mind that the sites charge small fees for both listing and selling items.

You also want to make sure you know how much it will cost to mail an item so there are no unpleasant surprises during the transaction.

8. Used Boxes

Just moved and have a bunch of boxes? Or do you have a slight online shopping addiction and have piles of boxes in the garage? You can resell your boxes through Boxcycle and other similar sites. They take pretty much everything as long as they are still in decent shape and don’t smell.

9. Electronics

Old laptops, monitors, tablets, and other electronics can be sold through sites like Decluttr. But wait, there’s more! They also take dvds, cds, books, games, and cell phones. Decluttr has an app you can download to make selling easier.

A similar site is IWM, which stands for It’s Worth More. It covers similar electronics but also includes camera sales.

10. Cooking Oil

Used (or spoiled) cooking oil is used in biofuels, which is a growing market. While an individual household may not use a lot of oil, many restaurants do. Lots of companies will offer to give you containers and pick up your oil. Only a handful promise to pay. GF Commodities services most of the continental US and will pay for oil.

11. The Rest of Your Unwanted Stuff

You can “recycle” belongings you no longer want on a variety of apps and platforms and get a little something back for them. ThredUp, Swap, and Poshmark are popular apps where you can sell clothes online.

ThredUp will send you a free shipping label and apply credits for anything that sells to your own account, but it’s often not a lot of money. Poshmark offers bigger potential payouts, but you have to put in more work to make your items move.

OfferUp is a second-hand site where you can buy or sell just about anything you no longer use.

Ziffit is another site for selling CDs, dvds, books, and games.

Someone has to provide all of those tennis balls to the pups. There are several sites accepting used balls, including Rebouncing and Tennis Ball Recycling.

If you have a bunch of gift cards that you haven’t (and probably won’t) used, you can sell them online for cash. It won’t be for the full amount of the card, but better than them just sitting in the junk drawer. Cardcash lets you post your card and sell it directly. On the other hand, you post what you have on Clipkard and the site directly makes you an offer.

Bartering

Cash is nice, but sometimes trading is better. There are bartering sites for almost anything. Trade for houses, books, clothing and more. Some sites charge a fee for participating or individual transactions.

Some of the general purpose sites are Swap Thing and Barter Only.

Donating

You might hear public radio stations asking you to donate your old vehicles for a tax donation. If you don’t mind doing little detail in your tax return, you can get significant deductions by donating larger, unwanted items.

Many nonprofits work with companies collecting and selling cars, boats, motorcycles, golf carts, and other vehicles. The vehicle gets picked up and is sold at auction. Once it is sold, you get a notice of the amount sold for your taxes. While it isn’t direct cash, if you need a big deduction one year, this could help.

Contributor JoEllen Schilke writes on money-saving strategies and lifestyle topics and Kristen Pope is a former Penny Hoarder contributor.

Cash from national contests can help you pay off debt, finance that dream vacation around the world or send you on a shopping spree in style. But you can’t win the money unless you enter the contests. The odds may be tough but it’s easy to enter online. And, someone has to win, right? Why not good people like you?

The contests listed here represent about $130,000 in cash prizes and that excludes the Publishers Clearing House SuperPrize. The uber lucky person who scores in that contest brings in $5,000 a week for life — not a bad haul for the few minutes it takes to enter.

The Time to Enter Cash Money Contests Is Now

Don’t delay in entering contests to win cash — the more you enter, the greater your chances of walking away with a big fat check!.

1. HGTV Dream Home 2023

If you’ve ever watched a young couple with an unbelievable budget searching for their new home on HGTV, chances are you’ve heard of the HGTV Dream Home.

Every year, the home-focused channel builds a breathtaking home using the biggest names in home design, and then gives it away to one lucky winner. This year’s home is a stunning mountain escape in Morrison, Colorado, less than 20 miles southwest of Denver..

But it’s not just a one-of-a-kind home you could win. The winner of the HGTV Dream Home 2023 sweepstakes will also win $100,000 from Ally and a brand-new Jeep Grand Cherokee. Sounds fantastic, right?

You can enter up to twice daily — once on HGTV.com and once on FoodNetwork.com. Simply enter your email address, name, home address, date of birth, and cable service provider into the online form and click “enter.” The winner must be at least 21 years old and live in one of the 50 United States or Washington, D.C.

The 2023 HGTV Dream Home sweepstakes runs through Feb. 16, 2023.

2. Fingerhut Sweepstakes

Fingerhut provides credit to help people buy things they need without dealing with large monthly payments or annual fees. And it also holds an annual sweepstake that awards several cash prizes throughout the year.

Fingerhut gave away a $25,000 cash prize in June and December and a $10,000 prize in October, and for the remainder of the 2022-2023 contest period, the Fingerhut Sweepstakes is giving away another cash prize in 2023. The entry date is April 30, 2023, to win $10,000.

To get started, go to www.fingerhut.com and enter your email address. If you don’t have a Fingerhut account, you will be asked to provide some basic information like your name, address and birthday. There are four ways to enter.

1. Place an order with Fingerhut
2. Use your Fingerhut account to set up scheduled recurring payments through your WebBank/Fingerhut Fetti Credit Account
3. Use your WebBank/Fingerhut Fetti Credit Account to make on-time monthly payments
4. Enter by mail with no purchase necessary

To enter by mail, send your name, address, date of birth, phone number, and email address to 2022-2023 Fingerhut $70K Sweepstakes, P.O. Box 7748, Melville, NY 11775-7748. The email address must be associated with a Fingerhut account for the entry to be valid. The Fingerhut Sweepstakes are open to U.S. residents aged 18 and up.

3. Publishers Clearing House SuperPrize Event

Even if you’re not big into sweepstakes, chances are you have heard of Publishers Clearing House. Rather than just mailing you a check, they show up with a gigantic check and make a big spectacle of awarding it to you.

You might wonder if this is legit; while there are plenty of copycat scammers around, PCH really does give out giant checks to real people just like you.

The PCH SuperPrize Event is offering a phenomenal prize of $5,000 a week for life. To enter, simply fill out this form and submit. Winners are notified throughout the year.

In addition to the SuperPrize Event, PCH has several other sweepstakes, so keep checking the website to see how you can enter to win.

4. Nielsen $10,000 Monthly Sweepstakes

Nielsen is known for its audience research, but you might not know that the company also sponsors monthly sweepstakes where you can win a whopping $10,000!

To be eligible to win, you need to sign up for an account with Nielsen and provide information about your household and the devices you use. Then, you’ll need to download an app to your phone or tablet, or some software to your computer (don’t worry, it’s secure). Your info will be reported to Nielsen so they can see what products and services you use, and they can use your data (along with data from thousands of other participants) to improve these products and services.

In addition to the chance to win $10,000 every month, you can also earn points that translate into a maximum of $60 per year. You can redeem the points for gift cards to stores such as Amazon and Walmart.

The sweepstakes take place once per month, so get signed up today for the most chances to win!

5. Walmart August-October Sweepstakes

From now until Jan. 27, 2023, you can enter the Walmart Q4 sweepstakes for a chance to win one of five $1,000 Walmart gift cards for the grand prize, or one of 750 $100 Walmart gift cards for the first prize. That’s a total of $80,000 up for grabs in Walmart swag (and you can buy pretty much anything there, so it may as well be cash).

There are a few ways you can enter to win the sweepstakes:

• Shop at your local Walmart and complete the survey at the bottom of your receipt for one entry.
• Complete an online survey for another entry.
• Send a postcard containing your name, address, phone number and date of birth to 2022 Walmart Sweepstakes, PO Box 228, Macedon, NY 14502-0228. Write-in entries must be postmarked by Jan. 27, 2023, and received by Feb. 2, 2023.

6. Travel Channel’s New Year New Destination $10K Giveaway

Although the Travel Channel’s New Year New Destination $10K Giveaway is marketed as a vacation sweepstakes, the actual prize is a check for $10,000. Sure, you can spend it on the trip of a lifetime, but you’re not required to; you can spend it on whatever you want!

You can enter the sweepstakes twice a day — once at TravelChannel.com and once at InvestigationDiscovery.com — by entering your name and email address and answering a travel-related trivia question that changes daily. If you’re not sure of the answer, you can click for a “hint” and be taken to a Travel Channel article where you can find the correct response.

The sweepstakes runs until Feb. 7, 2023. Entrants must be at least 21 years old and a resident of one of the 50 United States or Washington, D.C.

7. T-Mobile Tuesdays

Every Tuesday, T-Mobile gives away prizes as a thank you to its customers. The prizes vary from week to week and often include free cash.

To enter via the app, you’ll need to be a customer of either T-Mobile, Sprint or Metro by T-Mobile with a qualifying rate plan. If you’re not a customer, you can still participate by entering your phone number on  this website, followed by your name, email and home address.

If you want to enter for a chance to win cash and other prizes, you’ll need to be 18 or older (that increases to 21 or older if you’re a Puerto Rico resident).

There are many more sweepstakes available for entry, with new ones added all the time, so it pays to keep on top of them to increase your chances of winning some of that sweet, sweet cash.

Ohio-based contributor Catherine Hiles writes about finance, cars, pet ownership and parenting for The Penny Hoarder.