My wardrobe is divided into “before child” and “after child.” The “before” side is full of Ann Taylor suits and business shirts that match them. None of them fit anymore. Don’t get me wrong: I lost every pound I gained while pregnant. But then I gained it back, so I can’t say that my current weight is leftover baby weight. I have come to grips with the fact that those clothes aren’t going to fit in the near future and I’m afraid they’ll be out of style by the time that they do.




Right around that time that I was coming to grips with finally getting rid of my “before” wardrobe, a friend sent me a link to Twice, an online consignment store that buys and sells high-end brand name women’s clothes. The site says that they only accept certain name brands that are under five years old. If I used her link to sign up and then either bought or sold clothes, I would also get a $10 store credit ($20 if I did both). Online consignment stores work for a variety of reasons, and the benefit to the person cleaning out her wardrobe is that she doesn’t have to do a lot of work to make a little cash for cleaning out.

This is my experience with Twice:

Step 1. I signed up with Twice and they sent me a pre-paid bag.

Step 2. I chose sixteen items that were clean and made by manufacturers on Twice’s list of acceptable labels. The items were all business casual shirts and a casual suit. Some tops were more than five years old, so I wanted to see whether Twice accepted them anyway.

Step 3.  I mailed the bag.

Step 4. I got my buyback offer … $28 for thirteen items. Three items were rejected, so I logged in to my account to find out why. One for pilling, one for staining, and one for overall wear (that one was a ten-year-old shirt, so I couldn’t blame them). They did accept a Michael Stars shirt that I wore on my first date with my husband, so it has to be at least eight years old. I was happy that they accepted so much and a little disappointed that I would get only $2 per item. I could have rejected the offer and paid a $5 fee to get the clothes back, but I accepted. Those clothes had sat in my closet for over 3 years, never quite fitting properly, and I had never made a move to get rid of them for cash. I knew I wouldn’t go out and try to consign them somewhere else, and it took me all of 20 minutes to do the consignment process with Twice. Once I accepted, I had $28 in my PayPal account by the end of the day.

Would I do it again? Yes. I have another set of clothes I’m still saying “goodbye” to, and when we’re ready to part, I’m sending them off to Twice. Saying goodbye usually involves me turning the hanger around and if I still haven’t worn the item in the next six months, I know I won’t miss them. Have you ever consigned online? Do you have some “before” clothes taking up precious closet or storage space?