While there are plenty of places to shop vintage and secondhand in Toronto, it can be harder to track down shops that will also buy your used garments. Whether you’re a trend chaser, harbouring barely worn pieces that no longer suit your taste, a guardian of preserved vintage, or a collector of rare designer labels, there is a place for you to rehome your clothes in Toronto and cash in or shop highly-curated racks for a special designer find.
When consigning, you want to have a good sense of what a shop will buy, transparency about the resale process and ideally a short distance to haul your pieces to. And if you’re opting for store credit over cash, you probably want a range of styles to shop as well. These consignment stores hit all the marks.
Second Nature Boutique
Originally opened by Ruth Silverberg 49 years ago, Second Nature is one of Toronto’s original consignment stores. Now run by Ruth’s daughter Kary Dick, a fashion designer-turned-entrepreneur, the shop sells a classy, up-scale curation of wardrobe staples and unique stand alone pieces for women. There are two locations, in Bayview Village and Mount Pleasant, though consignment appointments are booked online. Living up to it’s pristine aesthetic, the shop requires all consigned items to be dry-cleaned and brought in on hangers.
Rewind Couture
Midtown consignment shop Rewind Couture is a longtime favourite in the neighbourhood for a reason. Shoppers will enjoy an eclectic mix of high-end designer and more experimental fashion finds, lovingly curated by the owner who clearly knows a thing or two about fashion. If you’re looking to sell, prepare to be paid 30 per cent of the in-store price on the spot for designer pieces. Rewind pays a premium for handbags — 60 per cent of the in-store price for bags priced at $1,000 or les, 70 per cent for bags priced over $1,000 and a whopping 80 per cent for Chanel and Hermes.
VSP
If you’re looking for something secondhand that you can wear to a wedding or a fashion show, VSP Consignment has a stunning collection of designer, mall brand and vintage pieces, priced at a fraction of their original retail value. The vibe is similar to a Saks Fifth Avenue, or an elevated Common Sort. Owner Britt Rawlinson has been quoted calling it the Toronto spin-off of Vespucci, a massive consignment department store in Calgary. Depending on what you’re buying, the price tags range from affordable ($50 for a Reformation top) to splurge-worthy ($400+ for a Chanel jacket).
Mine & Yours
This Vancouver-based luxury designer consignment recently opened a location in the former Free People storefront in Yorkville. The bright, modern shop has two upper levels and a lower level lounge where customers can sell their designer garments to the retailer. The main floor houses a designer handbag wall that is nothing short of jaw-dropping, while shoes and the majority of women’s and men’s clothing can be found upstairs. The brand says it gets over 250 new arrivals every week, including designer labels like Chanel, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada and Tiffany & Co.
Shop Boketto
Located at Spadina and Bloor, this by-appointment shop exudes coolness. The curation of designer vintage is handled by experienced buyers who carefully select garments that complement the occurring season and current brand selection, pulling inspiration from world-class fashion houses like Prada, Nepenthes and Comme des Garcons. Shop Boketto also boasts the lowest commission rate in the city at 40 per cent, and you don’t even have to haul your clothes in-store. Instead, you can send pictures of the items you’d like to consign to the shop’s Instagram, and they’ll confirm acceptance before arranging a time for you to drop them off.
Garb
An upscale designer consignment boutique on Queen Street West with a shop dog, “#garbdog” is often seen modeling accessories on the shop’s Instagram page. The brand specializes in luxury apparel for men and women, and buys via appointment. On the Garb website, you’ll find an exhaustive, ever-changing list of the brands the shop favours. Present names include designers like Balmain, Issey Miyake, Ellie Saab and Canadian brands Comrags and Philippe Dubuc. Most items are priced at approximately 50 per cent to 75 per cent off the original retail price.
Vintage Outlaw
The small Kensington shop at the bottom of Augusta is packed full of fun, gen Z-style vintage pieces. At a lower price point, much of the stock is suited for everyday wear and more experimental going out looks. Owner Danni styles plenty of outfit inspiration on the shop’s Instagram page, and when you drop in (whether to buy or sell) you might even get a visit form Danni’s chihuahua, Scully.
Rchive
Toronto’s first and only fashion club on King Street offers an incredibly diverse collection of designer streetwear including pieces on consignment. It’s also a hub for fashion enthusiasts and adjacent creatives, including photographers, models and artists, to come together to collaborate and create. Surrounded by white walls and mirrors, the long room is set up to host fashion shows, making it the perfect place to have fun trying on some new clothes. The owners refer to it as “your closet away from home.”
I Miss You Vintage (and I Miss You Man)
Right next door to each other on Ossington, you’ll find two shops under the same brand name, dedicated to men and women’s garments. I Miss You has been reselling contemporary designer consignment in Toronto for over 15 years, and proudly offers prices up to 70 per cent off the original retail price. The shops accept on-trend designer labels (not unbranded or mall brand) all year round, and donates pieces that are passed on or do not sell after a period of time to charitable organizations such as New Circles. Consignments are accepted by walk-in without appointment and are likely to sell within 30 days once accepted because of the high foot traffic on Ossington.
Fashionably Yours
Located on Queen Street West near Bathurst, Fashionably Yours is another high-end shop that is very Toronto in aesthetic (website categories include “hype” and “outerwear,” which pretty much sums up Toronto streetwear). The boutique specializes in contemporary, luxury men’s and women’s apparel, bags, shoes and accessories, as well as kids’ apparel and accessories. To start selling, you can DM, email or fill out a form on the brand’s website to get a quote. Depending on whether you choose a direct buyout, consignment commission or credit, you can earn up to 70 per cent of your item’s resale value.
Common Sort
Common Sort is arguably the most reliable secondhand store in the city, with three locations triangulated in such a way (Parkdale, Annex and Riverside) so that no matter where you live in Toronto, there’s a Common Sort relatively nearby. This shop shares a buying guide for each season so sellers know exactly what to bring in — in exchange for cash (25 per cent of the value of the items) or store credit (50 per cent). The staff members are inspirationally fashionable and curate a great assortment of basic staples and trendy pieces, ranging from mall brand to designer labels, the vast majority of which is priced under $50. There’s also a small men’s section, a discount bin and an assortment of new home decor and accessories for sale by the cash.
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