Necessity is the mother of invention, they say, and innovation often arises from a need. When Jonathan Elias tried to sell his clothes online and became frustrated by the choices available, SHOP MY CLOTHES came to life, an online marketplace providing a space for users to buy and sell second-hand designer clothes, shoes and accessories. What sets Shop My Clothes apart from eBay and Craigslist is its exclusive devotion to fashion and its branding as a destination for fashion-forward folks who know something about clothes, understand their value, and are not in the market for bargain basement cheapies.
The average price per item is $80 to $100 which represents a quarter to a third of the original retail price. Unlike eBay, which has driven away yours truly with its punishing fee schedule, Shop My Clothes charges no fees for either buyer or seller and rather than auction-style bidding, lets the seller set a firm price.
Currently, the vast majority of users are in Toronto, and as the site gains attention, fashion lovers are logging on from all over Canada and into the United States. The service sounds perfect for someone like me who enjoys the eco- and wallet-friendly nature of buying quality secondhand clothes. It’s a unique opportunity to purchase valuable designer items at a fraction of retail while also earning some money cleaning out your own closet. Recently featured in Chatelaine’s holiday shopping guide, Shop My Clothes features such luxury brands as Alexander Wang, 3.1 Philip Lim, Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Behnaz Sarafpour, and Chloe.
I’ll be checking out Shop My Clothes. Will you?
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I checked out shop my clothes after seeing a tweet about them. I love the idea of the site, but I wish it was a requirement for seller to indicate the measurements of clothing. It would make it much easier to contemplate purchases as sizes vary all the time. I’m also still a little weary of buying off a “stranger”. I know it sounds weird but I’m more comfortable buying from blog sales where I feel like I “know” the person since we interact all the time through blog comments or twitter so there is a certain amount of trust there.
Hi Elaine,
Thanks for your comment! I 100% understand your concerns and it is something both Kijiji and Craigslist have had to overcome as well. But what I can tell you is that our ‘users’ are definitely different than what you would normally see on other sites. Most of the people who use ShopMy are like minded individuals who share a love for fashion. So while they are for all intents and purposes ‘strangers’ we all share a small connection right off the bat with a common interest. We’ve always promoted the community aspect of ShopMyClothes and how important it is to maintain that feeling throughout the website as well as the interactions that take place off the site. This stems from the manual curation and constantly reviewing the site for anything improper we feel is taking place. Fortunately so far we have been blessed with an incredible community and fantastic product.
Also, to alleviate any worries I always recommend meeting in a public place or a coffee shop where you have a chance to try the item on. I can tell you that we have had 1000s of transactions on the site and still not one complaint
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As for indicating measurements…fantastic idea and one that in time will be an option on the site!
Sounds like a great idea. I agree the charges on ebay are a bit extortionate and anything that allows you to buy and sell for free is fantastic.
Yep it’s almost unheard of. Apparently, they get their money from advertising instead.