Massive Apparel Sale :: Check Out Clothes Swapping!

So it seems that another option has emerged from the fashion frontier for all you bargain shopping fashionistas :: clothes swapping.  Although eBay has been around forever if you want to score a great deal on a pair of Jimmy Choos, many of the clothes swapping websites that are emerging do not require you to pay when listing your clothes, AND, many offer the option of buy/sell or swap,meaning no money exchanges hands.

There are several of these out there, including SunshineCompany, Swap Style, Whats Mine Is Yours, and My Girlfriends Closet; out of all of them, I really like My Girlfriends Closet the best.  Overall, it seems they have a larger selection of high-quality clothing and the layout is very user friendly.  The only thing about this site is that the majority of the clothing is for sale, as opposed to a swap; I counter that by saying, truly, you get what you pay for. 

The concept, in and of itself, is very good. Many of you have probably participated in a swap party among your friends - all piled in to a living room with a few bottles of wine and loads of clothing. This just makes the idea global.  But with it, there also comes risks.  Swap Style has a whole conversation thread devoted to "shady swappers." As with anything else you do online, you must be careful. Don't let it scare you from finding some great deals though!

In time, I do believe that this concept will only grow.  Especially with the push to recycle and repurpose clothing. And with groups like CheapCycle vowing to "not buy anything new for 1 year," popping up all over the globe, the  idea of barter and exchange is going from grassroots to mainstream; it certainly won't be long before clothes swapping takes off!