Plato's Closet Suggests How To Get The Most Money For Your Old Clothes

TEMECULA, CA — We had a closet purge this weekend to start the summer. Before donating the piles of unneeded clothes, we first stopped at our local resale store: Plato's Closet. Recently, TikTok users have shared videos of successful sales, and we loaded up to see how well we might fare with our closet cast-offs.

Temecula's Plato's Closet, located at 41377 Margarita Rd #102 inside Promenade Temcula's Ring Road, is a well-organized store.

When you enter, one counter is set up to review used clothes and proof of ID is needed before drop-off. Sellers are encouraged to hunt the racks for vintage and current styles while waiting. Clothes are arranged by type and size, and all for decent prices, about 70% off retail, according to the website.

In June, the Temecula shop was looking for men's clothes, athleisure wear, summer tops, shorts, women's long dresses, hats, swimwear, pool or beachwear, bags, and shoes.

"We buy clothes daily and will pay you cash on the spot, no appointment needed," they say.

After about two hours, we received $24 for two crates full of men's summer clothes, shoes, shorts, shirts, bathing suits, and dresses. That was about right, according to recent TikTok videos. One seller shared her experiences at the store after shoving her car full of trash bags, earning about $100 for eight bags of clothing. "It's such a guessing game every time," Sammy K. wrote of her experience.

Though she still left with a car full of bags, she was happy with her money. So why didn't everything sell?

"Facts, I worked at a Plato's and HATED trash bags, definitely skipped over a ton just to get through it faster," one commenter said. Another shared that on a busy day, they have to be "a lot pickier, unfortunately."

Still, another commenter shared that she earned $324.11 with four bags of clothes.

So can you get more money for your gently used clothing? According to Plato's Closet's online tips:

1. Bring in your gently used current clothing and accessories. Items must be clean and in good condition, neatly foldither a bin or a bag.
2. Plato's will review your items while you check out the latest styles in the store.
3. Staff will calculate what we can offer you based on the style, condition, and brand of your items*
4. Once you accept the offer, you'll be on your way with extra cash and good vibes from recycling.
5. Your items go onto the racks instead of into landfills, helping continue the circle of sustainable fashion!

Clothes should always be freshly laundered, a staff member told us. Also, while Plato's Closet buys clothes every day, they only buy what they need based on inventory levels, what sells best, and other factors.

Call ahead to determine your local shop's most wanted items for that day.

Plato's Closet also has locations in Corona, San Diego, El Cajon, Escondido, Long Beach, Westminster and Santa Ana. See a full list of locations here.

What's the best item you've purchased at Plato's? Let us know in the comments.