Should we start a clothing exchange?

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NurseBarb
NurseBarb Posts: 183 Member
in Motivation and Support
debuckl's query about what to do about clothes has me thinking. I bet there's hundreds of us on here. We could start some kind of clothing exchange for everyone that's shifting so many sizes. THe same pair of jeans might travel to 10 different people over a period of a couple of years!

How would we do it though? Is there a flat rate box through the postal system that's big enough to put a good amount of clothes in? If so then the receiver could jusy paypal the giver like $5 or wahtever the flat rate was and TADA, clothes that fit!

Am I crazy? Tell me if so..... I tend to be a little too optimistic sometimes.

Replies

  • NurseBarb
    NurseBarb Posts: 183 Member
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    debuckl's query about what to do about clothes has me thinking. I bet there's hundreds of us on here. We could start some kind of clothing exchange for everyone that's shifting so many sizes. THe same pair of jeans might travel to 10 different people over a period of a couple of years!

    How would we do it though? Is there a flat rate box through the postal system that's big enough to put a good amount of clothes in? If so then the receiver could jusy paypal the giver like $5 or wahtever the flat rate was and TADA, clothes that fit!

    Am I crazy? Tell me if so..... I tend to be a little too optimistic sometimes.
  • rheston
    rheston Posts: 638
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    Now that's entrepreneurial thinking if I've ever heard of one.

    You'll probably need a separate website to log in clothing with pictures and sizes and then set up a PayPal account to manage the transfers. Certainly something to think about.
  • deanea
    deanea Posts: 1,437
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    That's a neat idea!
  • MIDGEKIN
    MIDGEKIN Posts: 113
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    I think its a great idea, I agree with rheston about another site, Keep us updated and let me know if you need any help!!
  • Jillian
    Jillian Posts: 88
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    Very creative idea. Go for it!!
  • Erica92627
    Erica92627 Posts: 576
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    I think there was a movie about a pair of jeans. How best friends of different sizes was able to wear the exact pair of pants. They would form to their body and fit perfectly.

    That sounds like a great idea of swaping clothing though.
  • Healthier_Me
    Healthier_Me Posts: 5,600 Member
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    The buyer can pay for the shipping.
    I used to sell things on ebay and that's how it went.
    You can always have the post office weigh the box with the clothing for you and give you the price for the shipping.
    The payment can be made through paypal but can also be paid by money order(seller ships the items out when the money order is received)



    **Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants(or something like that lol)
  • debuckl
    debuckl Posts: 360 Member
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    I think it is a great idea!

    I would try to keep it very simple though. I think there should be another category on the message boards on this site maybe titled "clothing exchange" where you could post wants and offers of clothing. I would make pictures optional and mostly describe the clothes by sizes. The shipper should pay the shipping and the borrower should accept all the clothes the shipper wants to get rid of in the appropriate size. That way you don't have to worry about money changing hands and the shipper only has to ship to one place. If the borrower doesn't want some of the clothes they get, then they can just repost them. To participate one would only have to be willing to pay shipping on boxes going out and agree to keep the clothes moving when they are no longer needed.

    What do you think?
  • debuckl
    debuckl Posts: 360 Member
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    I think if the borrower had to pay shipping, it would be just as easy for them to go to a local thrift store. It would be nice not to have to worry about money until you were "gifting" to someone else.
  • deanea
    deanea Posts: 1,437
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    I think if the borrower had to pay shipping, it would be just as easy for them to go to a local thrift store. It would be nice not to have to worry about money until you were "gifting" to someone else.

    Yep, I don't mind sending them as a gift, maybe Australia would cost more than it's worth but in North America. You could take pictures and put them in your profile, but what if you had more than one person interested?
  • NurseBarb
    NurseBarb Posts: 183 Member
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    The only problem I see with that is that some people would take advantage and then you have shippers paying all the time and not receving, so I think the receiver should go ahead and handle the shipping. I see what you mean about the thrift store but even they couldn't beat it if the shipping was only $5 and you could get say $100 worth of clothing.

    I totally agree about having a permanent thread though. I couldn't handle running a seperate website I'm to involved with getting a degree and working and being Mom and being twenty other things.
    We could establish some primary rules and then just let people start exchanging.
  • Erica92627
    Erica92627 Posts: 576
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    I like that idea better. Where the shipper pays, because then when the clothes are shipped out again then that person will deal with the shipping cost.

    Very true that if the buyer has to pay for shipping "they might as well go to the local thrift shop"
  • angyltears
    angyltears Posts: 57
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    Great idea, I know that the USPS has a flat rate box for $10 (about that) that can go anywhere mainland USA (or even UPO) and you can fit a lot of weight in it, but I'm not sure how clothing would be to get stuffed in...
  • jessneill
    jessneill Posts: 380 Member
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    I think this is a great idea! I'm a clothes hog, as my boyfriend can attest since I get 1 1/2 closets and he only has 1/2, so as I've gone down in sizes I've had lots of clothes to get rid of. I usually just donate to goodwill but this would be better.

    I agree with having the shipper pay though.

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