For many highschoolers, Prom is the culmination of four years of study and a fun, exciting chance to celebrate and reflect on the previous years.
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But once prom is over, it's pretty unlikely you'll ever wear that shiny prom dress again. And if you've already graduated, there's a good chance you have an old prom dress collecting dust in your attic or garage right now.
Thankfully, there are plenty of places to sell prom dresses that you can turn to if you need quick money.
After all, the average prom dress can range from $100 to $600 or more. This is a big investment for something you only wear for a few hours, so you might as well recoup some of your investment.
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The Best Places To Sell Prom Dresses
Selling a used prom dress has never been easier. With online marketplaces, consignment shops, and designer goods retailers, there are many different options when you want to sell a prom dress.
And as long as your prom dress is in good condition and is still trendy, you can probably find plenty of buyers since many families want to save more money by going secondhand.
1. Facebook Marketplace
One of the best ways to sell prom dresses for cash is to post your dress for sale on the Facebook Marketplace.
This social media platform is great for staying in touch. But it's also one of the best local selling marketplaces for things like general apparel, sneakers, and more unique pieces like prom dresses.
Posting is completely free, and buyers can contact you to ask questions or arrange for a meetup to buy your prom dress.
You can also search for buy and sell groups or garage sale groups with your city’s name. Most groups are free to join, although it may take a day or two to be admitted if the group manually approves new members.
People haggle quite a bit on Facebook Marketplace, so be prepared for it. But posting your dress a few months out from prom season could land you a fast sale as people start to shop.
2. Poshmark
Want the perfect place to sell a prom dress or other designer goods online? In this case, Poshmark could be one of your best options.
Poshmark is a high-end marketplace focused on all things fashion. Its members love all things stylish, and this fashion focused resale website is particularly good for selling well known brands.
Some of the most popular things to sell on Poshmark include:
However, people still sell prom dresses on Poshmark, so you can find buyers. And the advantage of selling online is that you reach a larger audience of potential buyers.
It's also free to post listings on Poshmark. But unlike sites like Facebook Marketplace, there's a variable seller fee depending on the total sale value.
For sales over $15, Poshmark takes 20%, which is pretty steep. But again, if Poshmark helps you find a buyer fast, it could be a worthwhile option to sell your prom dress online.
3. Depop
If you're still looking for places to sell prom dresses, you could always try listing it on Depop.
Depop is a fashion oriented app that offers an international marketplace of unique items. It's known for its unique and vintage finds, but people also sell party dresses, prom dresses, and other apparel on the platform.
As with apps like Poshmark, listing your prom dress for sale is completely free on Depop.
If your dress sells on Depop, you pay a 10% fee on the sale price which includes any related shipping costs. This fee is charged via PayPal or your attached credit card. Paypal may also have a transaction fee as well, so keep this in mind.
4. eBay
Another obvious choice for selling prom dresses for cash is eBay. As one of the largest online marketplaces in the world, it's really a trusted marketplace for selling almost anything and everything.
eBay also has a large number of prom dress listings at the time of writing, and it's an excellent way to reach as many online buyers as possible.
Creating your listing is also free. And I like eBay since you can make the listing local for pickup only in your area, or you can list it nationwide if you're willing to ship.
Just note that eBay charges seller fees that depend on the category of item you're selling.
For apparel and most categories, eBay charges 12.9% on the total sale amount up to $7,500. This is still way less than selling on Poshmark, but factor in potential seller and shipping fees when pricing your prom dress.
5. Nextdoor
Want to sell your prom dress locally? In this case, Nextdoor is an excellent website you can use, especially if you're not finding buyers on a platform like Facebook Marketplace.
This localized app lets you post things for sale or to give away to people in your community. And you can even find side hustle opportunities or quick cash gigs on the app as well.
So, when prom season is approaching, consider posting in your Nextdoor community to see if anyone wants to buy or trade you for the dress.
6. OfferUp
Another excellent option to sell a prom dress for cash or online is to sell through OfferUp.
This local selling app is very similar to Facebook Marketplace and lets you post almost anything for sale to people in your area. It's free to list, and you can manage everything right from your smartphone.
Popular things to sell on OfferUp include apparel, electronics, and toys. But people still sell prom dresses on the platform, especially if they live in a large city.
I also like OfferUp since it has pre-approved meeting places for buyers and sellers that are near police stations and busy public areas. This helps increase safety when meeting people to transact.
You can still sell online with OfferUp if you prefer. However, there's a 12.9% online sales fee, so local selling is where this app shines.
Check out our post on the best OfferUp hacks for more tips on how to use this popular selling app.
7. Vestiaire Collective (Formerly Tradesy)
Specifically focused on fashion, the Vestiaire Collective (formerly called Tradesy) can help you resell clothing and accessories you no longer need. And this includes party and special occasion dresses like prom dresses.
To get started, post images of your dress on Vestiaire Collective. The website then helps you enhance your images to attract the most buyers possible.
If your dress sells, you receive a shipping label that is pre-address and prepaid to make sending to your buyer as easy as possible. All you have to do is mail your prom dress to the buyer and your work is done.
Vestiaire Collective charges a 12% sales fee for items between $100 and $16,500. Sales under $100 have a fixed selling fee of $12.
Considering that Vestiaire Collective does almost all of the work, this is definitely one of the easiest ways to sell prom dresses online.
8. Craigslist
Another simple way to sell a prom dress for cash is to list it on Craigslist. This local classifieds website is a great place to sell just about anything to local buyers. And you can list for free in a matter of minutes.
People sell things like furniture, collectibles, and electronics on Craigslist all the time. But clothing and dresses are fair game.
And like Facebook Marketplace, buyers typically pay in cash, so you don't have to worry about any online sales fees.
Extra Reading – Craigslist vs Facebook Marketplace.
9. Mercari
Mercari is a leading selling app that makes it easy to sell almost anything right from your smartphone. This includes used prom dresses, and listing your dress for sale is free and simple.
All you have to do is take a few photos, write a description, and set your price. From there, buyers can contact you to ask questions or make an offer for your prom dress.
Once you make a sale, buyers generally pay for shipping. However, you pay Mercari seller fees, which include a 10% sale fee and a 2.9% + $0.50 payment processing fee.
This makes apps like Mercari more expensive than selling locally. But it could find buyers faster since people are actively searching for what they want to buy.
Extra Reading – The Best Things To Sell On Mercari.
10. Consignment Stores
Consignment stores are a great way to sell used items, especially if they're higher end or stylish. There are even consignment stores that specialize in upper end clothing including designer goods.
While selling your prom dress at a consignment store can definitely help you make extra cash, be aware that most stores take between 25% to 60% of the final sale. Some stores purchase your dress up front, but at most consignment stores, you need to wait until your dress sells to be paid.
This is a downside if you need money tomorrow. But if you can wait and want someone else to do the work, consignment stores are worth considering.
11. Yoogi’s Closet
One final option for selling prom dresses is to use Yoogi's Closet.
This luxury website is essentially an online consignment store. If you want to sell your prom dress without managing buyers and an active listing, it could be what you're looking for.
At Yoogi’s Closet, you ship your used prom dress after you receive a free quote. Yoogi's Closet then reviews your prom dress and makes you a final price quote following inspection.
If you accept the offer, you get paid and your work is done. Yoogi's Closet then resells your prom dress for a profit.
What's nice is you can always ask for your dress back if you're not happy with the final quote. And, Yoogi's Closet can be much faster than working with a brick-and-mortar consignment store.
Tips For Selling Your Prom Dress
Now that you know some of the best places to sell prom dresses, here are a few tips you can keep in mind to help you find more buyers and maximize your final sale price:
- Write Detailed Descriptions: Share the dress designer’s name, size, dimensions including length, fabric, and anything else that is pertinent. Include if the dress has been altered and be sure to mention if the dress has been damaged or has visible dirt or stains.
- Take Lots Of Photos: If you're selling a used prom dress online, you need to provide lots of images including some with the dress on. If you’re not comfortable showing your face in the images, crop or edit it out. Be sure to include photos of the dress tags to show the size and or dress maker.
- Mention Condition: Is your dress new and never worn? Mention it! Was it only worn once for a few hours? Mention that too. If the dress was ripped slightly while wearing or any other important facts be sure to share. It’s also important to mention if you have a smoke free or pet free home, since some buyers will consider exposure to one or both a deal breaker.
- Consider Offering Matching Accessories: Have some awesome costume jewelry or a handbag that matches the dress perfectly? Consider selling these as well since it might just help seal the deal.
And remember, you can always consider reusing your prom dress for another occasion or potentially donating it if you can't sell it.
Many communities have closing closets that will accept prom dress donations and help find someone who can use it. Plus size prom dresses are particularly in demand in these programs due to limited availability of larger sizes. I also love this program where you can donate dresses to military brides.
Extra Reading – How To Save Money On Student Loans.
Final Thoughts
When you’re looking for where to sell prom dresses, the good news is there are lots of options!
Local options like Facebook or Craigslist are excellent for cash sales. But you can also use online selling options like eBay or Mercari or any of the other sites on this list to find buyers.
Just make sure you take lots of photos, write a good description, and set a reasonable price. There's really no reason why you can't sell your prom dress to make extra cash while helping someone else enjoy the prom of their dreams.
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