Did you know there are ways to get free clothes? It might sound like a scam, but it’s totally legitimate. With access to the internet, finding ways to get free clothes gets easier and easier. If you want to pay little or nothing for your clothes, here are some ideas for scoring free clothes to get you started.
1) Get clothes for free with thredUp
The idea behind thredUp for used clothing is that you purchase slightly clothes used online at a deep discount — especially designer name brands. If you like nice name brands but don’t like paying name brand prices, thredUp is for you.
For example, I’m a big fan of blazers because they are super cute and can give you a really polished look — even if you are wearing something casual like jeans. I’ve gotten really nice, inexpensive, high-quality blazers from thredUp and appreciate their well-curated, high-quality selection.
But getting nice, used clothing isn’t the big deal about ThredUp. It’s the ability to earn credit towards free clothes!
The clincher is that you can get $10 each time you refer a friend to ThredUp . If you build up enough credit, you can end up getting some pretty swanky things like name brand clothing, shoes, and designer purses FOR FREE.
You can also send your old clothing to thredUp and earn credits that way as well. Simply go to the thredUp cleanout page and take a look at their requirements:
- Clean, freshly washed
- From a name brand
- On trend and less than 5 years old
- Free of tears, stains, or rips
- In excellent condition
You can choose to get thredUP shopping credit, VISA Prepaid card, or cash out on PayPal if they accept the clothing you send in. Hello freebies!
2) Refer friends to Stitch Fix for credits towards your fixes
Clothing sites like Stitch Fix offer a $25 credit for friends you refer to use their styling and clothes shipping service. I’ve actually received credit for my clothes from Stitch Fix and it’s such a great feeling to get money off things you are going to buy anyway.
Getting clothes for free is always a good thing, right? I’m actually a proud user of Stitch Fix because I can set a clothing budget for the year and stick to it with just a few shipments from Stitch Fix.
You can also choose how expensive (or inexpensive) you fixes can be and how often you get them. The best part? You can skip the dressing room and try on different items of clothing that your personal stylists picks out for you and your body type in the comfort of your own home.
You can create your Stitch Fix profile here and get $25 off your first fix. Then, you can start referring friends to cover the cost of your shipments. Getting free clothes was never so fun, was it?
3) Get cash back and discounts with Ebates
Ebates is an online shopping portal that gives you cash back for using it. The cool part? You don’t even have to do anything other than create an Ebates account and start earning cash back as you shop. You can even install the Ebates extension in your browser to get reminders when you are on a site where you can earn cash back with Ebates.
In addition to getting discounts on items you purchase from places like Sears, Kohl’s, JC Penney, Home Depot, Lowe’s and others, you can earn real money by referring your friends to Ebates — $25 for each sign-up. You can then use your cash back plus referral cash to get your clothes for free!
You can sign up for an Ebates account here to get your first $10, FREE! Then, start referring friends to earn $25 for each sign-up.
4) Earn Swagbucks with surveys and referrals
Swagbucks is very similar to Ebates in that you can earn Swagbucks points for activities like taking surveys, referring friends and shopping at places you already shop at. Each Swagbuck is worth one cent and the points can add up quickly. These points can be used to get gift cards at tons of places like Starbucks, Amazon, Walmart, and PayPal (cash gift card.)
With Swagbucks you can also earn points by taking surveys, watching videos and purchasing from sites that give you cash back as a Swagbucks user. Like Ebates, you can also install a browser extension to activate your cash back as you shop on different sites.
Plus, you’ll get 10% of your referral’s earnings over the life of their account as well. As you start to accumulate points, you can turn them into gift cards for free clothes!
You can sign up for Swagbucks here to get your first $10 worth of points and start referring friends so you can get a referral fee payout and they can earn Swagbucks as well.
5) Earn cash back with Ibotta
Ibotta is another free app that allows you to earn cash back in a few different ways. The app is updated, daily, with new items offering cash back. If you buy those items from a participating store and upload your receipt for verification, you can get cash back paid out via PayPal.
Though the app rarely features clothing, there are still many things you can buy once you start accumulating cash in PayPal from Ibotta. Of course, there’s a referral fee of $5 for your friends that sign up, too. As you can see, this is another way to earn cash that could cover free clothing for your or your family.
Sign up for your free Ibotta account to start earning cash back and referral bonuses.
6) Rent the Runway
Rent the Runway is an online clothing rental outlet that allows you to rent designer clothing. Let me tell you — the selection is SUPER CHIC! This option doesn’t start out free, but has the potential to be. You can create an account with Rent the Runway, and use your referral code to earn $30 for every person you refer that uses the service.
Click here to create your Rent the Runway account.
7) Use a rewards credit card with cash back
There are tons of credits cards that offer points and cash back rewards which you can redeem for free clothes. If you use credit cards, be sure to pay them off at the end of each month so you do not pay interest. Any interest you pay on a high credit card balance offsets the rewards you would get by far.
If you are going to enter the credit card game, do so with extreme prudence and caution. Done properly, your credit card rewards can help you get free clothes, so it can be worth a try if you think you’ll be responsible as you use your credit card.
Have a business? One of my favorite rewards cards is Chase Ink. You get 2x and 3x points on many categories business owners would use anyway. For example, you can get 3x points on your social media advertising spending! Click here to apply for a Chase Ink cards for your business.
8) Start a fashion blog and get free samples
Fashion blogs can be a profitable business and can help you score free clothing. Many times, designers and manufacturers will give influencers free clothing to test and model in exchange for exposure and the prospect of increasing their client base. To get started, you just need a strong web presence. You can start a blog for as little as $3.95 per month with BlueHost.
If you get stuck setting your blog up you can order a gig on Fivver.com for as little as $5! You can start a blog even if you aren’t technical or don’t know a ton about the interwebs.
The good news is that there’s help on platforms like Fiverr.com or Upwork in case you get stuck with setup. Plus, Bluehost’s support team can help you get going with free technical support whenever you need it throughout your hosting contract.
Ready to get a steady supply of free clothes? Start your fashion blog now by signing up for web hosting with Bluehost.
9) Check the free section on Craigslist, Offer Up or Let Go
Though you might be used to paying for things on these platforms, there are plenty of chances to get things for free (or darn near close to free.) You can do a search for “free clothes” or “free clothing” to see if anything pops up.
You can even specify your search by size or type. For example, you can look for “free baby clothes” or “free women’s clothing size 6.” If nothing comes up, try again after a few days or weeks. You’ll have to check consistently, as things like free clothing can be claimed pretty quickly.
Remember, safety comes first. If you are meeting someone to get free (or paid items,) do so in a public place and bring someone with you. You should never wire anyone cash or accept offers for money orders/cashiers’ checks made out for outrageous amounts.
These are scams that can cause you to lose a lot of money. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Exercise caution and discernment when you are transacting business on these platforms.
10) Get free clothes through Sears Kidvantage Program
I worked at Sears more than twenty years ago and found this to be one of their neatest offerings. As a member of the Kidvantage Club, a free rewards program, you are entitled to get kids clothing for free.
How does it work?
Let’s say you purchased something from Sears for your child and it wears out before they grow out of it — maybe there are holes in it or the item is torn up in some way. You can take the clothes back to Sears and they will replace the item, in the same size, at no cost to you. This includes Levi’s and Toughskin brand clothing.
You should know that you have to go to a local Sears store to enroll in the Kidvantage Program. Not all Sears locations participate in the Kidvantage Program, so you should call your local Sears to find out if they are accepting enrollments. Also, You can only exchange your clothing in a store and not online.
11) Purchase clothing from companies with lifetime warranties
Similar to the Kidvantage Program, there are some places that offer lifetime warranties on products you purchase from them. The good news is that it’s not just vacuum cleaners and Keurig’s that offer these benefits.
There are clothing manufacturers that will replace your clothes for free if they become worn out or you are dissatisfied with them for some reason:
- Feetures running socks
- Eddie Bauer
- Land’s End
- Duluth Trading Company
- Darn Tough Socks
- L.L Bean
- Orvis
- Columbia
- Patagonia
- Nordstrom
- Northface
12) Participate in a clothing swap
These are popular in local parenting groups and girlfriends alike. Basically, you arrive at a place designated by the organizer to swap your old clothes for ones that are new-to-you. In these swaps, the hope is that someone has something another person needs and vice versa.
You can search Facebook for groups, events, and posts that announce clothing swaps in your area. Most of them are free, but some may add a small charge to cover space rental and administrative costs. You can also make it a party and organize a clothing swap among friends. Either way, this is a great way to get free clothes.
13) Look for free clothing on Freecycle.org
Freecycle.org a site where people post only free items. It’s organized by location and offers an easy way to search for free items by keyword. The site itself is a bit clunky and antiquated but works just fine to search for items like free clothes. You can also post a “want ad” in case you don’t see any free clothing offers at the time of your search.
14) Shop at yards sales, garage sales, and estate sales
You don’t have to pay for everything you pick up at these informal sales. Many times, sellers are willing to bargain for little or nothing just to get rid of their inventory. If it’s the last day of a sale, they are even more willing to make deals. Chances are, they had the sale to clean out their home rather than make tons of money anyway.
This makes a perfect situation to make an offer to carry away items, like clothes, for free. Haggle with sellers and ask for freebies. You never know what they’ll agree to, but you won’t know unless you try.
15) Start an estate cleaning business
This is a thing and people get paid really well to do it. Estate cleaners work with families of the deceased or even banks that foreclose on properties to clean out homes. Typically, the client will give the estate cleaner instructions on what to keep, sell or throw away.
More often than not the rules are just, “Clean this place out!” If that’s the case, you could have access to great clothes at no cost. If they aren’t your style or don’t fit you well, sell them and use the proceeds to cover threads that are more your speed.
16) Shop at stores with rewards programs
Clothing manufacturers and retailers reward loyal customers. They realize repeat customers are the least expensive to market to and please. This is why so many clothing retailers offer generous rewards programs. They want to make sure are always shopping with them and not a competitor.
With rewards programs, you can get benefits like discounts, free shipping, early sale notifications, cash back and points. If you combine all these rewards things effectively, you can get free clothes time and time again. Here are some examples of clothing manufacturers and retailers with rewards programs:
- REI: Co-op membership
17) Become an on-screen talent, include your wardrobe in your contract
Yeah, this sounds far-fetched but it’s not impossible! After Sarah Jessica Parker famously did this for her role on the cult classic, Sex in the City, fans everywhere thought it was the smartest move ever. If you are reading this and you have aspirations to be an actor, remember to have your agent negotiate a wardrobe clause in your contract.
Seriously though, becoming an actor isn’t so out there, it’s how my kids have made thousands of dollars over the past seven or so years. No one’s gotten free clothing yet but we’ve been able to invest thousands for college and have some fun in the process.
If you are interested in how I got my kids started in acting and entertainment, check out this free resource: Kids & Entertainment: How to Get Started.
Any more ideas on how to get free clothes? Share them in the comments below!
Want more ideas on saving, earning extra money and just getting your finances together in general? Check out my free guide, Money Hacks 101: 50+ Ways to Find, Save and Earn More Money.
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