What Is My Cut? How Much Do You Make When You Resell Clothes?

Where did the promise of up to 80 percent of the sale price come from?

The figure comes from a 2014 commission chart used by the resale marketplace Threadflip for its full-service consignment. The seller’s share depended on the item’s list price. Items listed at $10 to $29 earned 30%, $30 to $74 earned 60%, and $75 and up earned 80%. That structure covered full-service kits or labels ordered on or after July 20, 2014.

The rates had changed more than once that summer. Kits ordered between July 7 and July 19, 2014, ran on four tiers: 30% for $10 to $20, 50% for $20 to $50, 60% for $50 to $200, and 70% above $200. Kits ordered before July 7, 2014, earned a flat 60%. Even then, the marketplace called the 80% top tier a limited-time rate.

How is a seller’s cut worked out now?

The same basic logic still applies. A consignment fee is usually a percentage of the final sale price, and the seller gets the rest. With a 35% fee, a bag that sells for $6,000 pays the seller $3,900, and the platform keeps $2,100. The percentage is applied to what the piece actually sells for, not to the price you hoped for.

Full-service consignment still uses price tiers, and the seller’s share grows as the sale price rises. A low-value item might pay the seller only 40%, while a bag selling for several thousand dollars can pay 80% to 85%. In one current luxury consignment schedule, items under $100 pay the seller 20%, and clothing that sells for $750 to $4,999 pays 65%. Payment arrives on the 15th of the month after the sale.

Do resale apps take less than consignment?

Usually, because on a resale app you photograph, list and ship the item yourself. Fees on these apps vary widely. According to CNBC Select, one major clothing app charges 20% on sales above $15, and another general app charges 10% per sale plus a 2.9% + $0.50 processing fee. A handmade-and-vintage marketplace charges a 6.5% transaction fee plus 3% + $0.25 for payment processing on US sales.

Some apps have dropped commission altogether. One clothing app cut its seller commission to zero in July 2024 and now charges only a payments fee of 3.3% plus $0.45. A large European secondhand clothing app arrived in the US in January 2026 with no listing fee, commission or processing charge for sellers.

What else comes out of the payout?

Getting your money out can cost extra. According to CNBC Select, cashing out can carry a $2 instant-transfer fee or a $0.35 fee to send money to a PayPal or Venmo account. Shipping is the other big cost on apps where the seller pays postage. USPS Priority flat-rate boxes start at $9.85 in 2026, which takes a real share of a $30 sale.

Luxury consignment can also add an authentication fee, sometimes around 3%. Local consignment shops typically keep 40% to 50% of the sale. Consignment auctions charge sellers 15% to 35% commission, and buyers pay a 15% to 25% premium on top. Settlement often comes 14 to 30 days after the hammer falls.

Which option pays a seller more?

Compare the dollars you’d actually take home, not the headline percentage. At a 20% fee, a $40 top pays $32 before shipping and cash-out costs. At 0% commission, the same $40 sale leaves $38.23 after the payments fee. On a $1,000 designer piece, consignment commissions of 15% to 60% leave the seller anywhere from $400 to $850.

Before choosing, run three numbers for each piece: the likely sale price, the full fee (commission, processing, authentication and shipping), and how long you’ll wait to be paid. Look up recently sold prices for the same brand and item, because a piece that sells for more after a higher fee can still beat a low-fee sale. Under the old 2014 chart, an $80 listing earned 80%, while a $25 one earned 30%.