Selling to Crossroads Trading Co

Summer Buying Guide via crossroadstrading.com

I sold and had $80 of trade (store credit) to spend. I got a pair of shorts, a maxi skirt, a pink chiffon top, a blazer, red dress (that I used for my save the dates), and a pair of flats... I had to pay a balance of $3!

Working at Crossroads was a great learning experience in the fashion and re-sell worlds. Imagine, seeing the shoes, clothes and handbags as they came in- I would place stuff I loved on hold, try it on during my lunch break and bring in a bag of clothes in the next day to sell and make a trade. I probably traded three to four times a month and would resort to buying it when I had nothing I wanted to trade. I absorbed all of that knowledge up and wanted to share to encourage you to sell to CTC!

CTC's goal is to keep clothes out of a landfill and provide a place for fashionistas to revolve their clothing without breaking the bank. With that in mind- CTC is not a place to make a living selling clothes. People shop here because clothes and accessories are so budget friendly. Um Louboutins for $150?! Rebecca Minkoff large crossbody for $180?! Kate Spade wallet for $47.50?! YES PLEASE!

via @crossroads_socal

I've told all of my friends to sell to CTC, because many of them have never done it, but their response is usually filled with reluctance. It can be awkward, I get it, for someone to look through your things, and then pass on them. But the problem is- taking it personally. Judging from the Yelp reviews of multiple CTC stores, many customers are uneducated on the selling process, take it personally, and take their aggressions out online. (Read for yourself & share your own positive review via Yelp: Silverlake, Los Feliz, Melrose, Irvine, Costa Mesa)

Crossroads buyers are looking at a multitude of things: condition, style, season, and label. The goal of the buyer is to buy something that is in season, on trend and will sell quickly. If you've shopped at Crossroads, you have noticed the half-off items. If something doesn't sell, in a secret amount of Crossroads time, it goes half off and if it doesn't sell after an even longer undisclosed amount of time, it is written off and sent to the Crossroads Outlet. You heard right, an Outlet, where the already cheap things get even cheaper. (And no I haven't been, but I'm dying to go.) It's in Stockton and it's not like any of its other stores because they don't buy from customers and the prices start at $6.00!

That is why a Crossroads buyer can be so critical when it comes to standards like season, because clothes aren't in the store long enough to cross over seasons. Or condition because if something is too worn, has holes or busted seams- it is more than likely that it will be sent to the Outlet.

Label, though is a whole other thing. The price that the buyer gives your piece of clothing is related to all of those things: season, condition, style and label. Something that retails pretty low (Forever 21, H&M, Gap, Target brands) is hard to resell because the resell price is very low and easily available brand new.

Style is also very important, just because an item is designer, doesn't mean it is in style at that given time. Remember, the buyer's main goal is "SELLability", which is subjective. Trends in denim for example are always changing, skinny jeans sell better than flare and high waisted are trending as are overalls. Style is also regional, so take that into consideration if you live near multiple CTCs. I took 2 large bags in to the Los Feliz location as a drop off and was disappointed at my $35 trade value, but I took the same bags to the Silverlake location and they bought EVERYTHING!

Selling to Crossroads is ideal if you are hoping to get $80 for your Kate Spade purse. If it were priced at $80 outright, you would take $28 cash or $40 in trade. So if you're looking to make a profit on your items, sell them on eBay or even a strictly consignment shop.

You may be thinking- what about Buffalo Exchange? The main differences between BE and CTC are that Buffalo does not stick to buying by season, they buy vintage and they buy all jewelry (which Crossroads does not unless it's designer because they have corporate jewelry buyers). Speaking of vintage, Crossroads buys current trends, which restricts vintage, as huge of a market as vintage is, Crossroads leaves that for vintage and thrift shops.

I didn't even get into consignment. But please if you have never sold or *gasp* gone to Crossroads, DO SO NOW! Intrigued and planning to sell? Visit the CTC site to watch videos of how to sell, visit the online store of new, affordable fashions, keep up to date for what they are looking for, detailed tips for selling and catch up on the latest trends on their blog.


Beth Jones via interview: b. jones

If you don't already follow and love fashion blogger Beth Jones, do so now, she is a huge fan of Crossroads (and they're a huge fan of her), she's on the Crossroads Style Council, and is local to SoCal! (Orange County)