Selling clothes: why I think it's a ball-ache.

I remember getting my first sale on Ebay many, many moons ago. It filled me with this amazing sense of 'I did it!', as though I'd just launched a business and received my first paying customer. I looked around wondering what else I could sell. There's a fair few pieces I sold, including some vintage T-Shirts I now think I should have held onto. That said, I sold them for that very reason - I just held on, unnecessarily.

The thing that got me about the selling side of things, was that it really took work to do. I used to think it was a case of upload and go - and perhaps it is in the direct sense - but the admin that went into it made me realise why some people don't bother. Photos need to clearly show the item, and a good background is also a must.

There's the uploading of the photos and the descriptions - and Lord, don't fuck these up or you could get a refund on your hands (or in my recent case, I got a refund request because the buyer didn't bother to read the description carefully).

G-Star Raw suede chukka boots which I sold roughly in 2015

All-black, barely worn Adidas L.A. trainers, which got themselves a new start elsewhere

There's also the packing and taking to the post office or drop-off point, which is fine when you can steal the time away and a small, tick-tock of pressure when you can't (I want to send it off asap, not have a warning about not sending).

If you have a piece to sell here or there, the process is fine - albeit boring. But lots? Well, that's where I found - and still find - myself.

I have clothes I've tried to sell on Ebay and Depop that haven't sold, which linger sadly like that kid whose last to be picked. I've told myself to give these to charity, and some I have. But truth be told, I need some extra cash, so I've found myself storing away clothes that I could sell.

I do also give charity, but there are some pieces I might be able to get a few pounds here and there from. The problem is, I'm now swamped with all this stuff. And okay, I can attempt to sell on re-sell platforms (Depop isn't for me anymore I don't think), but what happens to the clothes I don't sell? How long do I keep them?

The holding of them just adds to the feeling of 'stuff'. The feeling is so overwhelming, that I want to be sick. Surely this feeling isn't worth a small bit of change? At what point do I simply go Fuck It and take the entire load to a charity shop. My anger wanting to scream: let these clothes be someone else's problem. Although, it's my own fault. No one asked me to bring in so many clothes.

I follow menswear blogger, Jordan Bunker on Instagram and he posts regularly about buying slow and even selling slow. Selling shouldn't be the sole answer to 'getting rid' is what he stands by. In my case, some of clothes I have aren't mine.

The majority of items that are my own and which I aim to sell equate to about 5%. The other 95% being quality clothes which otherwise might have gone to landfill. Most of them aren't for me/not part of any of the changing styles I go through, although they would have been my trend-hungry, 15 year old versions wet dream.

Jordan, I agree: selling shouldn't be a means to an end. Or the option to palm off clothes so you can get paid to refill with more. I genuinely do need the extra cash and I hope the clothes can find use elsewhere.

As much as I want to have someone come in and do the admin for me (taking photos, writing descriptions) because of how many items there are, I will sell slow. I'll try uploading a few at a time and in the meantime, focus on debulking the rest of my wardrobe, being deliberate about what I have and questioning if I truly ***need*** to bring anything else in.

I hope to be part of the sustainability conversation, although I am very early stage. The guilt I feel isn't enough. It's a start, but there's so much more to do.

You can read Jordan's article on sustainability for the fashion blogger here