A Guide for Clearing the Beautiful Shoes from your Closet

I began a major clean-up up of our Primary Bedroom. A task overdue by about six years.  

Throughout my professional career, I accumulated a collection of beautiful shoes and accessories that I swore I'd treasure forever. Fast forward 15 years--they are obsolete. They hurt my feet. My foot seems to have grown a half size over the last ten years, and I can no longer wear my beautiful pointy toes and heels. I hate to give up these shoes; they are too beautiful to give away.

Sound familiar? What do you do with your beautiful shoes when they just sit in your closet, no longer comfortable, and no longer worn. Do you give them to charity? Do you have daughters that want to take a few pairs for their own closet? Do you hope that someday you may wear them again? Have you tried to consign or resell your shoes?

Though it’s not a new concept, I’ve been slow to make the leap to resale some of my prized possessions. If you’re in the same conundrum, I’ve done a little research. Rest easy, as your beautiful shoes may once again find a loving home….

Online Consignment

My friend opened his own eBay store last year, selling items from his own wardrobe after a tremendous weight loss. With $45,000 in sales, he cleaned up his closet and made others happy to add these coveted finds to their own closet.

Poshmark

According to their website, “Poshmark connects you to people whose style you adore, allowing you to easily shop closets and boutiques. With over 80 million community members across the U.S., Canada, and Australia and 200 million items for sale, we know you'll find something you love.”  Because you snap a photo, set the price and list, then ship your items directly to the buyer, this is an easy way to sell previously loved garments, shoes and handbags of any brand at any pricepoint. Poshmark takes 20% of the total sale price.

The Real Real

Estate Sales

“Our clients are always pleasantly surprised how much money we get for their used designer clothes, shoes, and handbags. When you are done - let someone else enjoy them!” -Tracy Tango, Owner Tango Estate Sales

Local Consignment

There is likely a luxury resale shop in your neighborhood. Call First!  If you are not already on your resale shop’s seller list, get on their list. The shop near me is happy to take many of my shoes, as well as clothes from many popular, but not designer brands, including vintage Diane von Furstenburg, J. McGauglin, and Anthropologie. Additionally, most of these shops take care of authenticating items before sale and can garner a nice price for luxury shoes and bags. The payout to you may be anywhere from 60-80% depending on a range of factors.

We believe that women should wear shoes that feel good and last a long time. We want you to be able to consumer smarter and have less in your closet. Now that I have the shoes that I love, I'm okay to give up the ones that I no longer wear. Over the weekend I dropped a small load to my local consignment store. I’m so curious to see if some of my old favorites will soon be someone else’s to love. In the meantime, I’ve been reunited with some favorites that had been hiding in my closet. I encourage you to do a nice clean-out; it feels great and can be so productive for you and for others.

If you have any great strategies to share, please let me know. I'd love to learn more.