Sunday I went to Williamsburg with a load of clothes that I was not quite ready to drop off at the Salvation Army, but did not want to keep either. These usually fall into the category of something I wore a lot at a certain time, or something I have barely worn, designer or quality items, things I spent a lot on or something with some sort of emotional attachment. I think psychologically, if we can resell these items it makes getting rid of them easier.

I decided to give Buffalo Exchange and Beacon's Closet a try. These places buy your clothes and give you a small percentage in cash or a larger percentage in trade. This is the second time I've done this and it will probably be the last. For me, the money is not worth the effort and it is easier to just donate. I did do quite well reselling some items on ebay once, but it is time consuming. I did feel a little better, however, personally finding new homes for my items. I mailed my goods off to farflung places and imagined the buyers running about in them. I also feel the process of dealing with my own personal excess helps curb my appetite to accumulate more.

My recommendations...

...consider reworking or altering some items to update them. If you don't sew a tailor can often do the desired alterations.

...consider hosting a clothing swap with friends or take your stash to an existing swap. The NY Times recently wrote about these increasingly popular events.

...if you don't have some fairly good items, just donate them. Try to be objective because the trendy, young things picking through your pile choosing what the store will buy most definitely will be.

...if you have some fairly good items, some designer stuff, go to a consignment store, you will probably fare better. In NYC you can try INA or Tokio 7.

...if you have more time than money, try selling on ebay. The site is fairly easy to use and self-explanatory. Take good pictures and be descriptive, size medium or 6 doesn't mean much to someone who isn't trying on the merchandise. Check out the ebaybes for ideas of what sells.

...if you decide to go to a "trader" store, such as the ones mentioned above, my personal recommendations are:
DO NOT watch them sift through your cast offs. You don't need the play by play of why they aren't buying your stuff or why they are. You don't want to hear about the $10 they'll give you for those pants you maxed out your credit card for and then never wore. And you don't need any last minute opportunity to have a change of heart.
DO NOT shop while you wait. Which leads to...
TAKE THE CASH (not the trade) and DONATE THE TRASH. (Many of these places allow you to leave whatever is left over for donation.)