For about three years, a woman has been giving her younger sister bags of clothes she no longer wears. Her sister always says she loves her style and wears the clothes all the time.
Then a resale app suggested her sister’s online shop, and she found dozens of her own clothes listed for sale. One was a camel coat she’d given her sister last month, now priced at $180.
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Three Years of Hand-Me-Downs
Most of the clothes she passes along are barely worn. Some still look almost new.
Her sister has always seemed grateful. She often says she loves the clothes and wears them constantly.
Helping After Her Hours Were Cut
In the spring, her sister’s work hours were reduced. Since then, the woman assumed the clothes were helping her sister save money.
Not having to buy new clothes can make a real difference when money is tight. Even a few new pieces can easily cost hundreds of dollars.
A Resale Shop Suggestion
Last week, the resale app she uses suggested her sister’s shop because they follow each other. Curious, she clicked on it.
That’s when she discovered her sister had been selling the clothes she’d given her. Many of the items were already marked sold.
Forty Listings From Her Closet
Her sister has more than 40 items listed. Most of them came from the woman’s closet.
Some of the listing photos are the same pictures she texted her sister when asking if she wanted the clothes. Seeing them online felt jarring.
A $260 Coat Listed for $180
One listing showed the camel coat she gave her sister just last month. She originally paid $260 for it and had worn it only twice.
She gave it away because her sister often said she was cold at work. Now the coat is listed for $180 with a description saying it’s barely worn and from her sister’s closet.
A Request for More
Yesterday, her sister texted asking whether she had anything else from her fall clean-out. The message ended with a smiley face.
The woman isn’t upset that her sister sold some of the clothes. What bothers her is that her sister kept saying she was wearing them all.
Saving for a Car
Right now, she’s saving to buy a car. Every dollar she can put toward that goal matters.
If she’d sold the clothes herself, she could have made hundreds or even thousands of dollars over the past few years. That money could have gone straight into her car fund.
Selling Her Own Clothes From Now On
She’s thinking about telling her sister she’s done giving clothes away and plans to sell them herself from now on. She doesn’t plan to mention finding the online shop.
At the same time, she knows money is tight for her sister. She doesn’t want her sister to feel cut off, so she’s left trying to decide how to protect her own savings without damaging their relationship.
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