“This green is so pretty, but it looks terrible on me! Oh well, I’ll probably need it for St. Patrick’s Day or something.”

“Aw, I got this t-shirt from the kids I worked with in Chicago. Too bad it’s so big! Oh well, I’ll probably wear it to the gym at some point.”

“I love these pants. They are so tight, but will fit me when I start working out more. I’ll save them!”

“This dress was such a good deal – why don’t I ever wear it?”

“I’ve had this sweatshirt forever! I never want to part with it!”

Can you relate to any of this? I know I can.

I am SUCH a clothes hoarder it’s unbelievable – I could literally make an excuse for every piece of clothing I own. Whether I hold on to something real tight (I’m talking death grip here, people) because I say I’ll wear something during a specific month, on a specific day, a couple of years down the line, or because I convince myself that having hundreds of t-shirts is actually a good thing (I need them all for the gym, duh!), or for sentimental reasons like the basketball sweatshirt I have from when we won the CYO championship in 5th grade, or things I keep for pure bragging rights on scoring great deals (I know no one cares about the $50 BCBG heels I got at a sample sale in the Hamptons but I just can’t bear the thought of getting rid of them). My list of excuses could go on and on. I’ve been lost in a sea of clothes I forget I even have, shoes I never wear and bags that don’t stand a chance – for years. And now Colin has to put up with it – the poor guy needs more room, I get it!

…..Buffalo Exchange to the rescue!

I’ve heard about Buffalo Exchange before and it sounded really cool, but I never visited. A couple of weekends ago, Colin was up in Vermont and I was home alone for the weekend. I could do whatever I wanted, because I was a free woman! So, what did I decide to do? Well, since I really like to live my life on the edge…I cleaned out my closet, went through my dressers and then debated internally with myself for a couple of hours (what to keep/what to get rid of…what to keep/what to get rid of) before heading to Davis Square (there are two MA locations – Allston and Davis Square) to try out BE.

Davis Square location

Inside Davis Square location

Upon arrival, I was greeted by a super-friendly, very cool looking girl (I totally forget her name now unfortunately, but she was really great!) and she asked me, “Are you selling today?” (She didn’t mean drugs, she meant my clothes, FYI). “Yes, I am. It’s my first time!” (She smiled, but secretly probably thought I was a wacko). “Great, there’s just one person in front of you but I’ll be with you as soon as possible.” I was glad someone was in front of me.

I was glad because, for one – I wasn’t in a rush at all. Secondly – it gave me a chance to watch the process with two seasoned pro’s (the buyer – the super-friendly, cool looking girl, and the seller – she looked like she had sold clothes there before). Lastly, it let me see what type of clothes they would take (I was nervous of ‘clothes judging’ – I didn’t want them to think all of my clothes were lame!).

After the seller-pro in front of me was all set, it was my turn! The super-friendly, cool looking buyer looked through my big bag of clothes examining each piece and deciding if they would work for their shop or not. If they worked she would put a tag on the item, enter it into their system and toss it into a bin. If it didn’t work she quietly placed them aside and then I put them back into my bag. Turns out, they wanted most of the stuff I brought with me which meant that I could get either $45 bucks or $90 in store credit. I shopped around for a bit and decided to take the store credit! (Come on, I need more shit!) Actually, I proudly walked away with only two valuable investments (won’t crowd the closet too bad) – a nice wrap sweater from Banana Republic and a beautiful, black dress from Anne Klein (with the tags still on!) that I’m hoping to wear around the holidays. Not too shabby!

I liked my experience at the Buffalo Exchange so much, I went back the next day with more stuff – and brought Meg (and her excess crap) with me! The incentive of getting money back for good quality clothes I don’t want anymore, or just don’t have room for anymore really motivated me to clean out my closet (who doesn’t need a little extra cash around the holidays?). Plus, the fact that I could leave things there to be donated was such a great added bonus! I highly suggest giving the Buffalo Exchange a try – it was very interesting (and helpful). I will definitely be back.

Find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Things I learned:

• Your clothes don’t have to have a designer label – I sold some Forever 21, Old Navy, Target (etc.) stuff so don’t be scared about that (what do you have to lose?)
• You can sell clothes, shoes, jewelry, bags, etc. – feel free to give the shop a call before you go in to see if they are looking for anything specific at the moment
• You can leave your stuff at the store that they don’t want and you don’t want – and then will donate them
• You can receive cash (a lower percentage) or store credit (a higher percentage) for your items on the spot
• Once you sell for your first time and register, the next time you go in all you have to do is give them your phone number and show your ID and you’re good to go
• They are mostly looking for things that are in season (that people are looking to buy), so since it’s almost December, you can keep your fabulous, fancy flip flops at home until the weather warms up
• They buy and sell both men and women’s clothing (and accessories)
• It’s really fun! Plus you get money, or store credit for new things so it’s also quite exciting!