How To Prepare Your Clothes For Selling Online

So your wardrobe is getting full and you’re thinking it’s time to cull some of those old clothes you haven’t worn for a while.

A number of options have emerged for doing just that. You can recycle using clothes bins, drop them off at your local charity shop, or sell them on used clothes market places.

If you’re planning to sell them on a used-clothes marketplace, you really need to make sure they’re in good condition, clean and, importantly, free of bobbles or pilling. In fact, in order to achieve the best possible price and maximise your opportunities for great reviews, it’s worth investing a bit of time to prepare them before photographing and adding to any pre-owned website. In this guide, we show you how to prepare clothing for selling online by removing these annoying bobbles. 

Prepare your clothes for selling online

Where can I sell my clothes online?

Firstly, it’s worth looking at where you can sell your clothes online. There are a number of options open to you now and there are plenty of people supplementing their income in this way, particularly as it’s estimated that around 50% of clothes we buy are never worn; that’s an astonishing number! Used clothes market places include:

What do you need to consider before selling your clothes?

Before starting the process of listing your used clothes on one of the marketplace websites you need to ask yourself some basic questions”

  • Are they in a saleable condition? If not, perhaps it’s worth considering donating to a clothing bank. 
  • Do they have stains on them? If so, make sure you try and remove these before selling.
  • Do they have bobbles or pilling on them? Bobbling should be removed before posting for sale online.
  • If nothing else, remember to run them through the washing machine to freshen them up.

The area we are going to focus on is dealing with the annoying and all too often problem of bobbling. With a little bit of time and effort, you can easily revitalise garments that are looking worn and old. There are a number of ways to remove pilling from clothes, including:

  • Your hands. Not the most time-efficient method but it does work. 
  • A disposable razor. A cheap, quick and easy way to remove bobbles, but take extra care not to damage the fabric. 
  • A velcro roller. Another cheap and efficient way to remove those pesky bobbles. 
  • Sticky tape. Cheap, but time-consuming, particularly for larger or heavily bobbled garments. 
  • Scissors. Great if your garment is in good condition and only has a few bobbles. 
  • An electric fabric shaver. A relatively inexpensive device that makes removing bobbles super easy.

We have a detailed guide on how to remove bobbles from clothes if you’re interested in finding out more.

What is an Electric Fabric Shaver?

In our view, an electric fabric shaver is by far the best option, but for those that haven’t seen them before a fabric shaver is a small electric device, similar in size to an electric toothbrush or razor, that uses a small motor and covered blades to efficiently and carefully remove bobbles from clothes. They work on most fabric types and can even be used on sofas and upholstery. For a small investment a fabric shaver is absolutely a cost-effective way of making your clothes look like new again and can really help you prepare your clothes for selling online. Take a look at our detailed guide to fabric shavers for more information.

How do Fabric Shavers Work?

Fabric shavers are made up of four basic parts:

  • The body, which includes the electric motor (and sometimes the batteries)
  • The shaver head, which contains the blades that cut the pills from the fabric
  • The blade cover, which ensures that the blades are safe and secure
  • The lint catcher. In most shavers, there’s a small plastic “well” that collects the pills for removal

When in use the device’s fine blades slice off the fabric pills and exposed lint while the blade cover prevents the blades from making contact with the garment itself, preventing any damage. Importantly, the blade cover is also an important safety device that stops the user from cutting themselves.

The cut-off pills then gather in the lint catcher which can be emptied when it gets full.

So, which fabric savers would be recommended to help prepare clothing for selling online. 


Philips GCO26 Fabric Shaver

One of the most popular and highly related fabric shavers on the market with over 60,000 5-star reviews on Amazon, this particular model is a great all rounder and super-easy to use. Recommended for those looking for a well-known brand to help keep that favourite jumper looking great!

What we like

  • Really easy to set-up and use
  • Large surface area to cater for all types of clothes and blankets
  • Range of 3 colours gives plenty of options for the more image conscious
  • Strong brand that most people will recognise


We have a more detailed Philips GC026 fabric shaver review if you’re interested in more a more detailed look.

philips GCO26 Fabric Shaver

Beautural Portable Fabric Shaver

The Beautural Portable Fabric Shaver is a handy, light and easy-to-use fabric shaver with several useful features to quickly and effectively remove lint from your clothing. This device will cut up 85% of bobbles on any type material in one pass - leaving your clothes looking nearly brand new in just minutes!

What we like:

  • Value for money
  • Not too noisy
  • Changeable shaver heads
  • Ease of use
  • Dual speed

We have a detailed Beautural Fabric Shaver Review if you're interested in finding out more.

Beuatural Portable Fabric Shaver

Conair Battery Operated Fabric Shaver

The Conair Battery Operated Commercial Fabric Shaver is one of the most popular, powerful and effective options out there on market. It's a battery-powered shaver that safely and quickly removes fuzz from fabric without causing any harm or damage to your clothing items such as sweaters, clothing, etc. With its large shaving head it makes quick work even over difficult fabrics like upholstery where some other fabric shavers struggle to efficiently shave.

What we like:

  • Available in 5 different colours
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Ability to deal with all types of fabric

We have a detailed Conair CLS1X Fabric Shaver review if you're interested in finding out more.

Conair Battery Operated Fabric Shaver


Be sure to check out our guide on the Best Fabric Shavers of 2022 for even more options. 


If you're happy to invest a little bit of time and money into getting removing bobbles with a fabric you can definitely make your clothes look almost new again - and you can make a little but of money along the way. We hope this guide has helped you prepare clothing for selling online and good luck. 


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Our editors have independently selected and reviewed all of the products you see here. The reviews can contain links from affiliates, which means we may receive a small commission on editorially chosen products purchased through our links.

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