Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Lindsay Hackney, owner of Cleere, an online consignment business.
Lindsay Hackney’s vision for her new business, Cleere, is that no piece of clothing should ever be sitting idle in someone’s closet.
“The idea for Cleere all started because I had clothes that I was not wearing in my own closet that I knew had some value, but there didn’t really seem to be a good option of someone selling them for me, so I started listing some of my own clothes online,” Hackney said. “I then started having people ask if I would be willing to sell some of their clothes, and it really morphed after that because it just started growing and growing based on word of mouth.”
In November 2023, Hackney officially started Cleere, a clothing resale business based out of Office Park in Mountain Brook. She takes customers’ clothing, resells it on online marketplaces and pays customers for the items that sell.
Cleere provides a “one-stop” shop for people to get rid of clothing items they are no longer using. She accepts men’s, women’s and children’s clothes, shoes and accessories.
The only requirement is that each item has a resale value of at least $10.
Any items that do not meet that requirement can be donated by Hackney or given back to the customer, if they choose.
“I think most people that come to me feel a sense of relief because they are clearing out space in their closets, they are making a little bit of money and they are making room for clothing they may want to purchase in the future,” Hackney said. “Interacting with people who are coming to me and recognizing that I am providing a service that they are needing has been a really fun side to the business so far. People just have to drop off any clothes they no longer want, and we take care of the rest.”
For those interested in reselling clothing items through Cleere, the steps are simple. Hackney and her team meet with customers by appointment at their office space; sort through the items and determine which ones have resale potential; take professional photos; create multiple listings online; and package and sell the items.
“I think what is a good reminder for everyone is there is a buyer out there somewhere for that little something that you have held in your closet you are no longer wearing,” Hackney said.
Employees at Cleere list merchandise for three months. During that time, they periodically refresh the listings to bump them back to the top of search results and drop the prices for items that have not sold.
“We have found that time period allows almost everything to sell that has value in the resale market,” Hackney said.
At the end of the three-month listing period, the customer gets paid a percentage of the selling price of each item, ranging from 50% to 70% depending on its value, minus a $3 inventory fee for each item sold.
Items that do not sell after three months will be donated, unless the customer specifies otherwise.
Hackney, who earned a master’s of business administration degree from Vanderbilt University and has professional experience in consulting and strategy, said it has been fun to apply her experience to build a data-driven and operationally efficient business from the ground up.
“Every day is different and the business has been growing rapidly so I am constantly faced with new challenges,” she said. “Working with numbers is my favorite, so I have particularly enjoyed developing my own proprietary inventory management solution, where I can not only easily track my inventory and sales but also conduct analyses to determine things like the best keywords to use in listing descriptions or the ideal frequency and size of price drops.”
While the majority of Hackney’s sales have no interpersonal interaction, since they are all done online, she said it is exciting each time a new customer drops off their clothing for her to sell.
“Each person’s style comes through in their clothing, and each person has their own story about why they have sought our service, whether it be because of weight loss, their daughter’s closet has gotten out of control or they just want to free up a little more closet space and make a little bit of money,” she said. “I noticed early on that, for almost every customer, I could figure out if they were an Alabama or Auburn fan, just by the prevalence of red or houndstooth or orange in their wardrobe.”
Cleere is located at 6 Office Park Circle, Suite 116, in Mountain Brook.
For more information about Cleere, go online to cleereselling.com or email info@cleereselling.com.
