Are there clothing items in your closet that have never seen the light of day? Did that lime green silk blouse with the hot pink trim turn out to be a regrettable purchase you're stuck with? Well, the online world has just changed all that by giving you an inexpensive way to exchange those foolish impulse purchases for fashions you'll really wear. Although there are several online clothing swap sites, a site called Swango has made the process of swapping clothing online simple and hassle free.
How does it work? You gather the clothing you no longer wear, photograph it, and upload each piece to this online clothing swap site. Upon upload, you automatically receive credits for the items added to the Swango database. When someone purchases an item you've uploaded to the clothing swap, you receive additional credits. These credits can be applied towards the purchase of clothing and other fashion items listed on the site. With your credits, you can fill your shopping cart with fashions without having to contact the seller of the item directly as you would if you purchased from auction sites such as Ebay. You're also charged a transaction fee of ninety-nine cents when you make a purchase to offset the costs of using Paypal.
What happens if someone purchases one of the items you've listed? When a purchase is made, you would receive notification from Swango. You would then be required to ship the item to buyer. At the same time, you would receive additional credits good for the purchase of fashions of your choice from the site.
How's the selection? Since this online clothing swap is new, the selection of clothing is still rather limited. You can find brand names such as Abercrombie and Fitch, The Limited, Liz Claiborne, DKNY, Adidas, and Banana Republic although higher end designer names appear to be few in number at this point. In addition to clothing, there are listings for shoes, handbags, maternity wear, as well as men's and children's clothing.
Final Analysis
As an online clothing swap site, I think this site has potential. They've simplified the mechanics of swapping clothing and given the online user an inexpensive way to recycle fashions they no longer wear. Plus, they donate a percentage of the ninety-nine cent transaction fee to a charity that provides clothes to families in need. The downside would be the limited selection, although this is likely to change as the site becomes more established. If you have clothing in your closet that you no longer wear and you don't mind a few trips to the post office, this can be an interesting way to recycle your old, tired fashions and get some fun new clothes in the process.
