Plato’s Closet is a popular secondhand fashion store. Their business model runs off of customers bringing in items to sell and giving cash on the spot.
Plato’s Closet is well known for selling clothing items, but does Plato’s Closet take shoes? As someone who worked at Plato’s Closet for over four years, I have the answers to all of your burning questions like this one.
In this post, we’ll answer the question: does Plato’s Closet take shoes? Plus, learn insider tips ranging from how to get Plato’s Closet to buy your items, to learning exactly how much you’ll make from selling at Plato’s.
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Does Plato’s Closet Take Shoes?
Yes, Plato’s Closet does take shoes! Although Plato’s Closet is mainly thought of for its color-coordinated clothing racks, shoes are also accepted.
Plato’s Closet accepts shoes, both men’s and women’s, in new and used condition. Every single pair of shoes that you see in Plato’s Closet is actually brought in and sold by customers.
As a disclaimer, all Plato’s Closet franchises are individually owned. That means each location may have different guidelines and regulations, so be sure to check with your specific location for further details.
What Kinds Of Shoes Does Plato’s Closet Take?
As mentioned earlier, Plato’s Closet accepts shoes from both men and women. However, not all types of shoes are accepted. See our list below to determine if Plato’s Closet will take your shoes.
Women’s Shoes That Are Accepted
- Casual sneakers
- Running shoes
- Flats
- Loafers
- Pumps
- Wedges
- Sandals
- Flip Flops
- Espadrilles
- Boat shoes
- Slippers
- Moccasins
- Boots
- Rain boots
- Cowgirl boots
- Casual boots
Women’s Shoes That Are NOT Accepted
- Water shoes
- Ballet flats
- Winter boots
- Snowshoes
- Golf shoes
- Soccer shoes
- Track shoes
- Any other specific sporting-related or workwear-type shoe
Men’s Shoes That Are Accepted
- Casual sneakers
- Running shoes
- Loafers
- Sandals or slides
- Flip Flops
- Boat shoes
- Slippers
- Moccasins
- Boots
- Cowboy boots
- Casual boots
Men’s Shoes That Are NOT Accepted
- Dress shoes
- Steel toed boots
- Water shoes
- Winter boots
- Snowshoes
- Golf shoes
- Soccer shoes
- Track shoes
- Football shoes
- Any other specific sporting-related or workwear-type shoe
As you can see, Plato’s Closet takes mostly casual, everyday shoes. The one caveat is Plato’s Closet accepting heels and more dressy shoes for women.
On the other hand, men’s dress shoes are typically not accepted. The same goes for any workwear or sport-specific type of shoes, both genders included.
If you’re looking to sell your high-end or designer shoes, I suggest avoiding Plato’s Closet and either selling online or taking them to a more targeted luxury resale store like Clothes Mentor.
How To Get Plato’s Closet To Buy Your Shoes
Now that we’ve gone over if Plato’s Closet takes shoes and the type of shoes they buy, it’s time to discuss the selling process with tips for success.
Inspect The Shoes
The first step is to take a close look at the shoes that you are wanting to sell at Plato’s Closet. The shoes do not have to be new, but they will need to be in good used condition at the very least.
Look over the shoes to see if you find any rips, holes, stains, or discoloration. Make sure the shoe laces and insoles are intact, if applicable.
Plato's Closet does not accept athletic shoes without shoelaces or insoles.
Additionally, make sure to also assess the bottom of the shoes, checking for excessive wear on the outsole. Plato’s will likely not accept your item if it has excessive or uneven wear.
Clean The Shoes
Plato’s Closet will not buy shoes that have imperfections like tears, stains, bad odors, missing insoles, or missing shoelaces. If you do find a stain or discoloration, try to see if you are able to clean it.
Again, look at the outsole of the shoe for any gum or other items stuck to the bottom of the shoe. Try to remove this, if possible.
In general, it is a good idea to give the shoes a good wash, plus a possible stain treatment and odor eliminator spray. This will only increase the amount of money you can make if your shoes are in an even better condition.
Plus, Plato’s Closet does not wash the shoes for you. If the shoes don’t pass the test for being in good condition, you may want to consider donating them to a thrift store instead.
Assess The Style
If you’ve determined your shoes are a type of shoe that Plato’s Closet accepts, and they are in good condition, the next step is to assess the style.
In general, Plato’s Closet is a lot less picky when it comes to shoes. They are much more strict on clothing item styles.
Pretty much any type of athletic or running shoes, like Nike’s, will be a sure bet to sell at Plato’s Closet. As long as they are in good condition, the style or manufacturer date generally does not matter.
However, when it comes to other items like heels, pumps, flats, boots, and sandals, Plato’s Closet buyers get more picky. That is because the type of toe, heel, and material go in and out of style.
Plato’s Closet suggests bringing in items that resemble ones currently being sold in stores at the mall. For example, the square-toe heel and sandal is in right now. As many of us know, that wasn’t the case 5 years ago.
However, the style aspect can be much more subjective on a person-by-person basis, so if the pair of shoes is in good condition, it is likely worth it to bring it in to have Plato’s look at it.
Know The Buying Process
Lastly, it is important to know how the buying process works. Now that you’ve determined if Plato’s Closet will buy your type of shoe, collect all of the shoes you’d like to sell at Plato’s.
Take a trip to your local Plato’s Closet and go to the buy counter. You have to fill out a sheet of paper with your personal information, including your driver's license number.
Make sure you bring your physical driver’s license, too, because they check it each time you sell. The Plato’s Closet worker will tell you how long the expected wait is. After this, either shop around or tell them you’re leaving and will be back.
How Much Does Plato’s Closet Pay For Shoes?
In general, Plato’s Closet will pay around 30% of their listed sale price. With their already significantly affordable prices, this doesn’t leave a whole lot for the seller. But let’s go over some scenarios.
For example, Nike shoes are typically priced for sale by Plato’s Closet at around $22-$40, depending on the condition of the shoes. This means you, the seller, will make around $6-$12 for selling your Nike’s at Plato’s Closet.
That price range is just for your run-of-the-mill Nike running shoe. For Jordans, you can expect to make a little more, from around $18 to $30 at most.
For other shoes that are not a high-end name brand, like casual heels, flats, and sandals, expect to make $2-$4. With boots, you can usually expect to make a little more, around $3-$5.
As stated earlier, these payout prices are incredibly low. However, consider the ease and convenience of being able to sell your shoes at Plato’s Closet.
Plus, you get the instant gratification of cash back on the spot while clearing out items you no longer use or wear. If you’re wanting to make more off of your used shoes, consider listing them online.
You can use a secondhand resale platform like Poshmark, eBay, or Mercari. All you have to do is snap a couple of pictures, write a description, and wait for the sales to come in.
However, running an online reselling business does not interest everyone. It does take more time and effort on your part to list the item, provide customer service, ship the item, and wait for the payout.
Conclusion
And with that, we’ve answered the question: does Plato’s Closet take shoes? As we found out, the answer is yes!
So now, go through your shoe collection, clean and bag up the pairs you don’t wear anymore, and take them to your local Plato’s Closet.
And if you're looking for more Plato's Closet content, be sure to read our Plato's Closet review!
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