Did you know that textile waste (yes, dirty underwear and clothing), makes up a large portion of most landfills and can take as long as 30 years to fully break down? If you want a more eco-friendly way to dispose of your old, tattered, and even stained underwear, you may be wondering if Goodwill and other thrift or used clothing stores accept these garments as donations.
Unfortunately, the answer is no. However, there are a few creative ways to donate your gently used undergarments or sell them for a profit.
Keep reading to learn more about the types of garments Goodwill DOES accept, plus the best places to get paid for your used underwear – including Sofia Gray!
In the United States alone, the textile industry creates over 17 million tons of waste annually. According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), as of 2018, only 2.5 million tons were recycled. To cut down on this abundant amount of trash, people are turning to organizations like Goodwill or The Salvation Army. Unfortunately, these outlets cannot accept underwear. In fact, Goodwill doesn’t even take bras or socks!
While there’s no clear-cut answer as to why Goodwill won’t accept used undergarments, we can venture to guess it’s a sanitary issue. People don’t always use good judgment when donating used clothing items. Goodwill and other non-profit organizations and thrift stores are tasked with sorting through tons of donated clothing every year – some of which are stained, torn, filled with holes, dirty, or simply unsalvageable. Can you imagine the condition of underwear that might find its way to your local Goodwill bin? This can create sanitary issues for the facility and may even contaminate other clothing it’s stored or bagged with. To avoid these headaches, Goodwill has a strict policy against accepting these types of items.
Goodwill is a non-profit 501 organization that provides job training, employment placement, and other community-based programs for those who have certain barriers to work. Goodwill also has stores across the country that provide gently used clothing, shoes, accessories, and other household items for a discount in an effort to help struggling individuals succeed and prepare for the job market.
Goodwill receives donations every single day, helping to keep their shelves stocked with fresh inventory, unique items, and a diverse variety of clothing and other items to fit most people’s needs and budgets.
So, we’ve already established that, sadly, Goodwill doesn’t accept used underwear (or bras or socks), but what exactly do they accept? Here’s a short list of items you can and can’t donate to Goodwill.
All items must be dropped off at the nearest Goodwill location. The organization doesn’t do at-home pick-ups.
No. Most used clothing retailers and organizations don’t accept used underwear as part of their donations. As mentioned above, this is mostly due to sanitary reasons. The same goes for bras, lingerie, and socks which may carry bacterial infections and other less-than-desirable germs.
Most donated items aren’t washed before being repurposed. Thrift stores, The Salvation Army, and Goodwill simply sort through donations, separate them into piles, and place them on the shelves for customers to browse and buy. And while there’s a very niche market of people interested in getting their hands (and noses) on someone’s used panties, these non-profit organizations and thrift stores aren’t one of them.
The good news is, you have other options. If you don’t want to trash your used undergarments and add to the growing pollution problem but your local used clothing store doesn’t accept them, what are you left to do? Besides listing and selling your used underwear on Sofia Gray for a profit (which we highly recommend), here are a few outlets that may accept your soiled hand-me-downs.
Located in New York City, this nonprofit organization works to reduce the amount of fabric waste produced in local landfills. Fab Scrap even picks up your scraps (including used underwear) directly from your house. From there, they’re brought to a recycling warehouse in Queens where employees sort and identify each piece. The garments are organized by material and all buttons and zippers are removed. Some materials are repurposed and used to create insulation while others end up as furniture lining or even carpet padding.
Another recycling company, USAgain accepts most types of clothing, including undergarments like underwear and bras and socks. You can find drop-off boxes throughout the United States, similar to Salvation Army donation boxes. Simply bag up your used clothing items (including your underwear) and place them in a nearby bin. USAgain will sort the materials and those in the best condition are resold while others are recycled before being upcycled.
As the name suggests, this organization’s main purpose is to prevent old, used, and discarded bras from ending up in America’s landfills. The woman-owned company takes donated bras and transforms them into completely new products. While they don’t currently accept underwear, B.R.A. is a great place to recycle and upcycle your bras. Simply visit the website, print a shipping label, and send them off.
This organization recycles shoes and clothing of any brand and in any condition. Items are donated to Soles4Souls who then redistributes and sells these donated items for a small profit. All participants receive a $10 reward toward their next $100 purchase at The North Face.
Knickey is a lingerie store that deals in recycled bras, underwear, tights, and socks. All of these materials are recycled as secondary textiles and used to produce mattress batting, insulation, and similar products. You can purchase a recycling label for $5 which will then be emailed to you. You’ll also receive 300 reward points for every package you send. This is equivalent to 15% off your next order and a free pair of underwear!
Planet Aid Boxes have drop-off bins in most major cities across the United States. If there isn’t one near you, you can also request a shipping label and mail your used clothing items (including underwear) up to a certain weight.
Prade is an underwear brand that recently partnered with TerraCycle to create a recycling program called “Second Life” which launched in January of 2022. This company encourages customers to donate their old but clean underwear in exchange for store credit or a 20% discount coupon.
Simply go to the company’s website and request a free, biodegradable bag with a prepaid shipping label. Once you receive the bag, simply fill it with as many pairs of underwear as you can (the brand doesn’t matter), and ship it back. These items are then recycled into things like furniture, insulation, bedding, mattresses, and more.
While it’s nice to get discounts, store credit, and a warm fuzzy feeling knowing that you’re giving back and saving the planet, it also feels good to make money. If you’re interested in getting rid of your underwear in a more unconventional way, why not sell it on a used panty marketplace like Sofia Gray?
While Goodwill might not want your used, soiled, or fragrant underwear, there are plenty of people out there that do. And are willing to pay A LOT of money for them!
Here’s the inside scoop on making money off your used panties instead of donating them, recycling or repurposing them, or tossing them in the trash.
The answer is, yes! And most people buying used underwear aren’t wearing it. There’s a huge market in the kink and fetish world for dirty drawers. Now, when we say “dirty” what we really mean is worn for a certain period of time or during a certain activity or covered in a specific scent or bodily fluid.
Buyers use these undergarments to fulfill their sexual fantasies, needs, or fetishes. The person wearing the panties plays an important part in the equation as well. Certain people are aroused knowing that a particular woman (or man) was wearing the garment and that it touched their most intimate areas and is now in their possession. Buying used panties lets customers share a unique and intimate experience with another person, even if it’s only online.
There’s really no limit to the types of underwear that people online are searching for. From lacy thongs worn during sexual intercourse to cotton briefs worn to the gym or even boyshorts that offered coverage and support during “that time of the month”, if you can think of it, people are searching for it.
There are two main things people are searching for when buying used panties online – who the seller is and the scent. There’s a direct correlation between the seller’s appearance and how rewarding and arousing the experience is for the buyer. For example, if someone had a major crush on a superstar like Kylie Jenner and was able to purchase a pair of her panties, they’d like to cherish them forever – smelling them, touching them, and using them for who knows what! It wouldn’t matter if they were white, red, or black or if it was a thong or a G-string. It would just matter that they once touched her body and still carried her scent.
Speaking of scent, that’s another main feature people look for. While some of the fragrances and categories are pretty basic, others get a bit more explicit and taboo. Here are some of the most popular categories for used panties.
In the kinky world of selling used panties, sometimes, the dirtier, the better. In many situations, customers will place custom requests for a very specific experience that includes photos, detailed descriptions of what you did while wearing the underwear, or even videos. It’s important, as a seller, that you only fulfill orders that you’re comfortable with and always deal with buyers in a professional manner.
Not everyone is comfortable donating their underwear. Some people may not have drop-off locations in their area or prefer not to donate their undergarments but still don’t want to add to the growing textile waste in the country. In these situations, what’s a girl to do?
When all else fails, why not make a few dollars off your used undergarments? It’s important to note, though, that you shouldn’t just raid your panty drawer and start listing every last pair of holy, ripped, or overworn underwear online. While you may find some buyers for these tattered garments, most customers are looking for a more personalized experience. This may involve purchasing new, inexpensive panties and wearing them to fill specific orders. But that doesn’t mean you can’t wear and sell some of your current pairs of panties as well if they’re in good enough condition.
Most people sell their used underwear to turn a profit. But this isn’t the only reason. The entire experience can do wonders for your confidence and sexuality. It’s also a great way to reduce your carbon footprint – now, you’re helping yourself and the environment!
Other reasons to consider selling your used underwear include
So, how much money can you really make selling used panties online and is it worth the trouble of listing them, chatting with buyers, and shipping them? Well, with one seller on Sofia Gray claiming she made $5,000 off a single pair of underwear she wore for 3 weeks, we’d say, yes – it can definitely be lucrative and well worth your time. Other sellers claim to make an average of $1,500 off their used underwear, with one person reporting their overall earnings exceed $60,000!
It’s important to note that selling a single pair of underwear for 5 grand is extremely rare and that not everyone will make thousands in this business, however, the potential is there. A lot comes down to how you price your panties. While there’s no set formula, most pairs sell for around $25. This includes the cost of the underwear, time, marketing, and shipping.
The average active seller on Sofia Gray sells 8 pairs of panties per month. Priced at $25 a piece, that’s $200. If you’re able to charge more – let’s say, $40 per pair – you’d bring in an extra $320 a month just being your sexy self! For most people, selling used panties is more of a side hustle than a full-time gig, however, it’s still worth a shot since Goodwill and other used clothing stores don’t accept used undergarments. Instead of tossing them in the trash and adding to the build-up of textile waste, why not turn your rags to riches?
Call us biased, but we think Sofia Gray is the best platform for selling your used underwear! Not only is Sofia Gray the largest used panty marketplace online, but sellers and buyers from around the world can meet, connect, chat, and form long-lasting working relationships. Plus, sellers can post a variety of items in addition to used underwear including bras, lingerie, socks, sex toys, and even messaging services.
With thousands of buyers visiting the site every single day, you’ll have plenty of eager customers dying to get their hands on your goods. According to statistics, over 95% of sellers generate a profit off their first sale on Sofia Gray! But this doesn’t just happen by chance. The most engaged and active sellers see the most sales and success. That means creating a beautiful, well-stocked panty shop, engaging with customers, setting reasonable prices, filling custom orders, and building a positive reputation as a reliable and responsive seller.
If you're worried about catching slack for selling your used underwear on Sofia Gray, don’t be! Sellers on the platform can remain anonymous and still make a hefty income. You also get to keep 100% of your sales, minus a small monthly listing fee. These fees range from $15.99 for one month of selling, $24.99 for three months, or $44.99 for six months. Sofia Gray uses these funds to help promote the website, keep all transactions safe and secure, and offer a positive experience for both buyers and sellers.
But Sofia Gray is by no means the ONLY site for marketing and selling your used undergarments. Other popular platforms include Panty.com, Snifffr, and Scented Pantsy. It all comes down to personal preference, exposure, and costs vs. income.
Who knew there were so many ways to reuse your old, worn panties? Whether you decide to donate them to the above mentioned organizations or sell them on Sofia Gray, you can do more with your used underwear than you originally thought. The only thing you can’t do with them is drop them off at your local thrift store or Goodwill. Unfortunately, these organizations can’t accept used undergarments. But, don’t fret! As you now know, there are plenty of other ways to reduce waste and even make money off your used underwear.
Looking for more ways to make money or tap into your sensual side? Check out the rest of our blog for more articles on the top-trending ways to make money from home and more information about the wild, wonderful, and lucrative world of legal sex work.
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