7 ways to make extra cash selling your old clothes online

Reselling your old clothing is an easy ways to make money. So easy, in fact, that it's now a $16 billion industry.

And there are more ways to do it than ever.

Here's how to get the most out of those clothing items taking up space in the back of your closet.

IF YOU'RE A BRAND CONSCIOUS "LABEL LOVER"

If your closet is filled with high-end, brand-name items you're looking to sell, The RealReal will send a pre-paid shipping label to your house. Just make sure all the items you ship are a part of its Designer Directory, and then The RealReal team will photograph, price, and sell your items (so you don't have to). Depending on how much it sells for, you'll earn 70% of the sale.

Another good option is the website Tradesy, which is filled with higher quality brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Hermes (though they also sell brands like Zara). It's also recently expanded into a bridal section for any brides looking to make money off of their wedding accessories or dresses.

Once your item sells, Tradesy sends a free box in which to ship your item and takes a 9% commission.

IF YOU'RE SOCIAL

If you're a social shopper, Poshmark is likely a good fit for you. Founded in 2011, it's been described as a cross between Pinterest and eBay for women's clothes. Sellers interact with customers, answering questions, showing different angles of the clothes, and negotiating on price. After your item sells, Poshmark sends you the postage to ship your items and takes a 20% cut.

The app is super popular - one 23-year-old made $5,000 a month selling her clothes while a mom sold over 10,000 items and raked in more than $500,000.

And if you're a big Instagram fan, the hashtag #shopmycloset is filled with sellers who are advertising everything from accessories to jeans. Because of the social nature of Instagram, naturally you need to be on top of managing the comments and auction prices. Other hashtags to browse include #lessismore, #auction, and #instagramsale.

While Instagram doesn't officially ban selling items on it's platform, it doesn't necessarily encourage that either. Still, unlike other platforms on this list, Instagram doesn't take a cut of the sale. If you're interested in how to sell things on Instagram, Susanna Hindman on her blog Revisionary Life explains how she does it.

IF YOU'RE TOO BUSY TO SELL YOUR CLOTHES

ThredUp sends customers a "clean out kit" where they can throw in up to 30 items of clothes they want to get rid of - no taking pictures of everything or interacting with customers necessary.

This is especially useful for parents, whose kids are likely growing out of their clothes faster than they can believe. That's how the swapping site originally started - the company was founded in Cambridge to let parents swap boxes of still good children's clothes.

Depending on how much your clothes sell for, you'll earn between 10% and 80% of the selling price.

IF YOU WANT SELLING YOUR CLOTHES TO BECOME A BUSINESS

For anyone thinking they might be able to turn selling their old clothes or vintage finds into a business, look into the classic online seller eBay.

Not only is eBay good for first time sellers - the website is pretty simple to navigate and there's a massive audience for your stuff - but if you're dedicated, you can grow your listing page into an eBay store to make a neat profit. This is how Nasty Gal, a well-known women's clothing brand, got its start.

However, just like most of these companies, eBay takes a cut - around 9% of the selling price to a max of $50.

FOR STYLISH GUYS

Many reselling websites are marketed towards women, but Grailed is only for men. It sells designer clothing and accessories like sneakers, hoodies, and tees, as well as more basic brands and vintage items. Common designers include Allan Edmonds, Helmut Lang, and Alexander Wang.

After the sale, Grailed takes a 6% commission from your sale and then Paypal takes around 3%. What's left will appear in your Paypal account.

Ultimately, no matter how you choose to do it, one thing is clear: Reselling your clothes is big business. So if there's anything you don't love currently hanging in your closet, you may want to cash in.

Antonia Farzan originally contributed to an earlier version of this story.

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