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Swap it like it's hot

Posted: Thursday, June 04, 2009 5:16 PM by Rina Raphael
Filed Under:

What’s better than a shopping spree? A free spree!

TODAY Style Editor Bobbie Thomas recently hosted a clothing swap party – the latest trend for ladies looking to save some cash (this is the painless, delightful preventative step that comes just before Suze Orman confiscates your Saks card).

The rules were easy: For every item you brought, you were handed a colored ticket which corresponded to three sections – low (Wet Seal, GAP, etc.), middle (Bebe, J. Crew), high (Michael Kors, DVF) and “deal or no deal” (items you’re willing to exchange/barter). You wrote your name on the tickets, which were then thrown in a bowl. The host picked out three at a time for the lucky ladies to “shop” the collection. Whoever snagged the Chloe bag first won (no, not really... but kinda!).

Surprisingly, what was great about the event (besides the champagne) was seeing other people coo about your long-ignored clothing. Intellectually, I knew the items I donated (except maybe the skintight orange dress I wore when as I dressed up as a Fanta girl for Halloween) were great, but I was just bored of them. And now, after years of sitting in the back of my closet, they’ll be used again in a happy new home. Like when the Brave Little Toaster finally meets his master.

Apart from being fun (and again – free!), a swap party is a great way to freshen up your wardrobe and bond with fellow recessionistas. Be sure to tune in to TODAY June 11 for our segment on how to throw your own bash. And keep a lookout for the girl devouring the cheese plate (that’s me).

Related: Did you attend a swap party? Send Bobbie your photos! 

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Comments

my daughter in law in michigan does something similar,but they are called mom to mom sales and are all about kids clothing. the sales are on saturdays once a month and are held at churches or schools in different areas. if you bring 4 pairs of pants to trade and 6 shirt and 2 pairs of shoes you leave there with the same just maybe in the next size up or down for the same child that grew or a younger child you have everybody goes home happy and there are no left over peices so no clean up and no money to exchange hands. I think this is an idea women could also use since the mom to mom sale also allows the women to bring maternity clothes too    

teribeth, glendale ,arizona (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 8:41 AM)

My friends and I do this! It's a fun way to spend an afternoon and get rid of old clothes while getting new ones! No cost and it's eco-friendly because no new materials are being used to create new clothes!

Alice, Silver Spring, MD (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 9:09 AM)

We've been doing clothes swaps on St. Croix US Virgin Islands for over 5 years.   It's a girl's night out with wine and appetizers.  We keep it simple with piling all the clothes on the bed and then it's a free for all.  The best part is that you can try something you might not normally wear because it's free.   We always have leftovers and those get donated to our local Women's Shelter flea market.   We have very limited shopping on the island and with this economy right now, "new clothes" are a great way to feel good again.

Kim Zehender St. Croix US Virgin Islands (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 9:11 AM)

My neighbor hosted on of these parties in February and we had so much fun we are doing it again in the Fall.  We bought at least 5 items each (but could bring more)which could be clothing, unused make up/cosmetics/lotions, jewelry or home decor items. We had a brunch with Bloody Mary's and Mimosas. We drew numbers then went around 5 times. Then the last round was a "free for all" take anything left over.  We then donated the rest to a local woman's shelter. I got a jacket I had wanted to buy in a favorite store but couldn't justify the money at the time.  The lady that brought it to the party said it just never looked good on her.  I get so many compliments each tiem I wear the clothing I picked out.

Debbie Buckingham, Hot Springs Village, Arkansas (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 9:13 AM)

This concept also works really well for other items...Book Swaps, DVD swaps, CD's...I even held a party swapping all the little kitchen appliances that only come out of the cupboard about twice a year.  All the cooks in my neighborhood attended and were very happy to walk away with "new" rice cookers, bread makers, Foreman grills & other items that had become simple clutter to their previous owners.

Valerie (Columbus, OH) (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 9:20 AM)

Great idea!  Folks are learning how to cut corners and keep hard earned money where it belongs....in their pockets, especially during these hard economic times.

Lightfoot, belleville, il (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 9:21 AM)

This concept also works really well for other items...Book Swaps, DVD swaps, CD's...I even held a party swapping all the little kitchen appliances that only come out of the cupboard about twice a year.  All the cooks in my neighborhood attended and were very happy to walk away with "new" rice cookers, bread makers, Foreman grills & other items that had become simple clutter to their previous owners.

Valerie (Columbus, OH) (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 9:23 AM)

I save my "gently worn" clothes for family reunions. Sisters and co-workers "shop" through the things that no longer fit me or I'm tired of wearing.  I love to hear about those compliments from admirers who ask them, "where did you get that....." and the reply is "I shop at Martha's Closet."

Martha Jones, Buffalo, Tx. (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 9:23 AM)

freecycle.org , meetup.com (search under "swap"), and craigslist "free" section are great for this.

e (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 9:30 AM)

We just did this for kids clothing at our military base. But, we did it so that those who donated got first pick for a certain amount of time and then we opened it up for general admission. Anything not "adopted" was given to charity. It was a huge success. Military families got to exchange clothes and those who were pregnant could get clothes they could use. We did kids clothes & shoes, maternity clothes, toys, baby items, snow suits, coats and costumes. It was a great experience for all involved.

Mary C. Ft. Dix- McGuire AFB, NJ (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 9:35 AM)

I now live in a community with an HOA and am going to suggest that we have a "swap day" with anything left over to go to a charitable thrift store.  Not only clothing, but other items, too.  

AZrebel, Fort Mohave, AZ (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 9:56 AM)

We recently did this at our church.  We did not have many rules but were able to get just about anything we wanted with no limitations.  We had initially said 6 items but that did not work.  This was our first and the ladies had a blast.  After our church members swapped we opened it up to the public.  We barely had anything left and that we did we donated it to Goodwill.  It went so well for summer items that we are going to do it again this fall.

Janet, Austin TX (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 9:59 AM)

I have two words. Bed bugs

Timmy, New York, NY (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 10:08 AM)

I've never attended or even know of anything like a swap-party in my area but I will definitely be the 1st(maybe??)to host one! However, my girlfriends and I have recently been swapping our clothes out quite a bit. Some of us have lost weight while some of us have gained so it has really worked out quite well. (They would kill me if I told who had gained..wasn't me! lol)

Leigh, Gulf Shores, AL (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 10:09 AM)

We host clothing Exchanges. About every six months we clean out our closets.  Then we meet at someones house, put them all in a pile on a sheet in the middle of the room, and we all go through the pile, everyone takes what they like.  We are all women, so people just try stuff on right there.  We donate the remainder. We do potlucks, sometimes we do board games and soclialize afterwards.  I did one recently that was mixed gender and we simply had changing rooms for those that wanted one.  We had 15 or so people, everyone walked away happy with new clothes and we donataed about 12 bags of clothes to good will.

Donna, Seattle WA (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 10:11 AM)

In Portland, Oregon there is a group of women who have swaps every month or so.  You can sign up for notices about these swaps at PDXSwap.com

Edith Alben (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 10:18 AM)

My group of friends has been on this for years- and we learned some bumps along the way: invite friends of varied sizes, but invite more than one! Nothing sucks worse than being the one person nothing fits. Let people bring a range of stuff, but ban anything they'd use to cut up & wash the car with (your old free t-shirts can go to bicycle & auto shops for use as rags, FYI). Also, arrange the layout so it's devided by the progression of new things arriving, clockwise across the room for example, ratehr than by items- otherwise people are going through the same stuff over & over & lurking like mad dogs around a kill when someone new arrives. On the other hand- the ticket thing is a bit confusing- we have it more of a free for all and i've never seen fur fly or claws drawn. Usually, it's first finder keeps, but if there's 2 takers for one item, it's decided among a few people who looks best in it. (But one person usually concedes before that happens anyhow.) It's all very sisterly & kind of village politics. It's great to see it in action!
It's fun for a room full of ladies to cocktail, get down to their skivvies and ask total strangers for their brutal opinions. Plus, what's left over goes directly to charity so you get to unburden your closet, make out like a bandit with some sweet finds, & see some of your old threads go to a loving home.

michelle, chitown, il (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 10:29 AM)

I know one online free swap site where you can buy or swap... I think www.riostyles.com..

Mitchell, Fort Lee, NJ (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 10:32 AM)

I've done the same thing as Donna, and a variation that I first heard of as a Naked Lady Party, in which someone acts as Vanna White and shows off each item.  Whoever has the best reason to have it or looks best in the item gets it.  We donate the unwanted items afterward.  It's so nice to have new free clothes!

Elizabeth, St. Louis, MO (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 10:34 AM)

My friends and I have been doing this for about 2 years now. We call it "Girls' Nite" and pair the clothing swap with other fun stuff, like makeovers and games. It's so fun. We don't have any sort of numbering system. We hold up a piece of clothing, and whoever wants it (and thinks they can fit into it) holds up her hand. We have a "Girls' Nite" about once every 4 months or so, and I estimate that more than half of the clothes in my closet are from "Girls' Nite."

Jessica, Wichita, KS (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 10:39 AM)

rehashclothes.com and swapstyle.com are 2 sites I use to swap my ignored clothing. I also host a co-op swap with my girlfriends. we bring at least 4 items each.(if someone doesn't have 4 items, she brings what she has). then we seperate into value categories. $, $$, and $$$. names on back of each item ticket of who brought what and the value.

we take turns drawing names from a hat one at a time and sort through value-value.

if something is left and seems to fit or look really good on a girl who didn't match value-value, we usually let her have it.

it's fair, it's economically smart, prevents nonsense trash, and we all feel really proud of our new finds.  whatever is left/unwanted can get swapped online... then charity. we each donate often to charity on our own already.

I like to set up three fabric wardrobe closets to separate the items by value. a table with smart boxes to separate cosmetics, etc.

this is how we do it. it works, it's a lot fo fun, it's social, and it's smart.

Carla, Williamsburg, Virginia (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 11:05 AM)

Last fall I hosted a Diva Swap N Shop-- it was great!  We had a massage therapist, got mini manicures with reflexogy and served hor d vours.  Anything that didn't get "swapped" was donated to the area Melwood Clothing Center.  Lots of the ladies are looking to do it again.

LaKeysha B Moore Waldorf, MD (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 11:05 AM)

The so-called Old Money crowd have been doing this for generations. Aldrich, in his book titled, OLD MONEY, tells of how many rich pass clothes on to their relatives and sons. Think about it. The seller of clothes DO NOT touch the money which, for example, a shirt would cost. Most of the time, clothes are of excellent quality so why not pass them on, especially if "business" never touches the money.

Michael Boyd (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 11:07 AM)

We have tried this several times with little success, I guess the girls in our area just dont need anything new. Plus the downside is sizes,unless everyone is the same size there may not be something for everyone. So we went for more non sizing objects, household items, books, cds, jewelry but still not attracting traders....:(

Edith Ann, Hesperia, Ca (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 11:08 AM)

GREAT ARTICLE. This is the 1st time everyone has a positive outlook or contribution regarding an article. America is a great country but we all need to live smarter, positive, and use less of those credit cards frivolously.

Morris Tony (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 11:23 AM)

e -- Freecycle is *not* "great for this", if you're talking about getting a bunch of stuff for free. If you're talking about giving stuff away and seeing what someone else is willing to give up great. The "freebie" mentality has ruined Freecycle. I just quit again because of people treating it as a way to get swimming pools, cars, houses, game systems, computers, etc. Hint: Some of those things are never available, and some are rare as hens' teeth. Asking for new furniture for your entire house in successive posts will result in people asking for you to be removed.

Former Freecycler (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 11:43 AM)

How do you determine the syles each person brings to prevent 1 person from getting most of the goods.
size requirement
Need more Rules
Undesirable items , costly items, in-expensive items and  jewelry.  

Renee Atlanta Georgia (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 11:45 AM)

I have been throwing clothes swap parties annually for my girlfriends for three years now! We pile all the clothes on the bed, strip down to our underwear, and start trying things on! After a couple of martinis, it gets crazy...everyone leaves with a new wardrobe.  As they walk out the door, they always say, "This is the best party I ever attended! When can we do it again?"

April Hebert (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 11:52 AM)

It really makes sense, especially for younger childrens clothing, they grow so fast. We have been trading items and services for as long as I can remember.  Try posting on iWannaTrade.com, this site offers free classifieds and reasonable priced trades.

Becky Varley, Apple Valley, California (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 11:59 AM)

I would love to do this.  I think it would be a lot of fun, and get something new (new to me), and get rid of some clothes that I don't wear anymore.

Elaine Randall, Canyon Country, CA (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 12:02 PM)

I own a clothing resale and consignment store and i really hope this doesn't take off too much since the store is my living! However, instead of swapping clothing, ladies like to bring their nicer items to the store and at least try to recoup some of their cost and have some extra spending money to boot!

Debbie, Alvin, Texas (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 12:10 PM)

do you know if there is something like this in Tulsa Oklahoma?

annamaria combs tulsa oklahoma (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 12:21 PM)

I LOVE the idea behind this story and the one the Ann Curry had on the Nightly News (Making A Difference) - not only for the cost-savings, but for the reusable nature behind this concept. The TODAY show ran a story about "garage sales" or "yard sales" the other day, and I have to admit that I get slightly sickened every time I see a garage sale filled with old clothes and junk that people are trying to SELL. Why not donate these items to a charity or attend a clothes swap?? Thanks for sharing THIS story.

N DAWN (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 9:42 PM)

I have happily hosted a variety of Clothing Swap events for 15 years and have ClothingSwaps.com as a resource.  Clothings Swaps bring so much joy to so many people! Not only is it fun way to exchange wardrobe items you'll NEVER wear for clothing, shoes and accessories that you WILL wear, our events benefit the community as all unclaimed items are donated to a local charity.

Suzanne Agasi (Sent Friday, June 05, 2009 10:07 PM)

I marked my calendar for June 11. I've been looking into the how to of clothing swap events. Glad I found this post on time. Just launched the site www.toolzdo.com, that enables local swap to help neighbors conserve more cash and the environment and reconnect to strengthen community life. You can post your items and swap with people in your town. Swap events are a great way to connect locally to help each other out and create new friendships.

Carline, Ft Lauderdale, FL (Sent Saturday, June 06, 2009 9:56 AM)

I just wanted to thank everyone for the feedback! Warmest, Bobbie Thomas

Bobbie Thomas NY, NY (Sent Sunday, June 07, 2009 10:43 AM)

Hi, I am a student at USC and just got a web site ( http://www.dressshare.com ) started to help me and my friends swap clothes and accessories for events and parties.  It is like using a social networking site to create your community of friends you want to share with and then you post the items you want to share. It is fun.  Once there you can give me feedback. Let me know what you think.    

Roza, Los Angeles, CA (Sent Sunday, June 07, 2009 12:54 PM)



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