Decluttering your closet this new year? Here's where to donate, sell pre-loved items
While the world is still in the honeymoon phase of 2026, the time is ripe for some essential decluttering. You don't want to face this new year bogged down with clothes and shoes that no longer give you joy.
Fortunately, several non-profit organizations accept in-kind donations year-round. The more entrepreneurial Filipinos may also sell their pre-loved items on public sites.
To help you with your new year cleanout, PhilSTAR L!fe has rounded up some organizations and platforms you can tap as you make space in your home.
Donate
Really Really Free Market Manila
This is a platform for people wanting to offload practically anything they own, including high school textbooks, expired but unused planners, and even a thermal compound to cool PCs.
Members of this Facebook group post what they want to give away; the first one to comment "Mine" on the post is first in line to claim it.
You can join the group here.
The Little Vintage Shop
A social enterprise that supports survivors of abuse, the Little Vintage Shop accepts donations year-round. Send your clothing (gowns and Filipiniana are especially welcome), accessories, furniture, and home decor by coordinating with them via direct message. Drop-offs and pick-ups are possible.
The shop sells the donations they receive to fund therapy programs for abused girls.
Learn more through their Instagram page.
The Learning Lab
Members of displaced communities are the main beneficiaries of The Learning Lab's advocacy: They train individuals to become skilled sewers and empower them to either put up their own micro-businesses or find sustainable employment. Last October, for example, the group donated 40 sewing machines to the Pasig City Jail.
If you're looking to declutter your sewing corner, this group is eager to receive hand-sewing tools, including fabric, needles, fabric scissors, pins, measuring tapes, pattern papers, and storage bins.
Check out their Facebook page for more info.
Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines
The Philippine arm of the international humanitarian organization Buddhist Tzu Chi Charity Foundation regularly accepts recyclable donations to help with its mission to provide disaster and poverty relief in the country.
Aside from clean and wearable pre-loved clothes, they also accept all kinds of appliances, kitchen utensils, electrical wires, and similar items. Avoid dropping off bags, wooden home furniture, old tires, and anything made of glass. For a full list of what and what not to donate, go here.
Volunteers use the donated recycled materials to either teach communities how to recycle or transform the items into sellable goods. All proceeds go toward the foundation's humanitarian efforts.
Call 0922-8640640 or 8714-1188 for more information. The foundation accepts donations only from Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. at its Campus located at 1000 Lubiran St., Sta. Mesa, Manila.
Goodwill Philippines
Founded in 1976, Goodwill Philippines accepts all sorts of donations—from clothes and shoes, household items, office and gym equipment, appliances, toys, even electronic devices with minimal issues.
Drop off donations at the Goodwill Office, G/F Rosario Arcade, Ortigas Extension, Pasig City. Open hours: Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you'd like to coordinate a pick-up, call 0910-8439956 or 0992-9321864, or reach out via Facebook.
Segunda Mana
Caritas Manila's donations-in-kind program has bins at select Catholic parishes in Metro Manila where you can drop off items. The list of locations may change; it would be best to contact Segunda Mana for an updated list when you are ready to bring your donations over.
Segunda Mana sorts through the donations they receive and sells them at low prices. The proceeds fund scholars nationwide through Caritas Manila's Youth Servant Leadership & Education Program, as well as support the livelihood of micro entrepreneurs from sectors such as BASECO and Payatas.
RE.UNIQLO
Got more Uniqlo clothes than you can use? Bring your used Uniqlo clothing to the brand's RE.UNIQLO donation boxes in all their stores nationwide.
Take note, the store won't accept any underwear and innerwear unless they are HEATTECH innerwear tops. Neither will they accept shoes, bags, or accessories.
Since the store will donate the clothing they receive to their partner communities nationwide, make sure what you drop off in their boxes is clean and still fit for wear.
Sell
Facebook Marketplace
Everyone's last-minute "discount" online store, Facebook Marketplace is a haggler's haven, where both brand-new and pre-loved items are offered at low prices. From gently used Buwan ng Wika costumes and hiking boots to air fryers and condominium units, this marketplace has almost everything anyone needs.
But as with all markets, both buyers and sellers must do their due diligence before finalizing a transaction.
Carousell
It's your digital ukay-ukay. A curated online marketplace, Carousell can be your go-to platform for selling pre-loved items, from clothes and luxury goods to second-hand cars.
Find more buyers for your things by getting into the platform's Certified Luxury program, where items are verified for authenticity and quality; experts check serial numbers, authentic craftsmanship, etc.
LookingFour
Similar to Carousell's set-up, LookingFour provides sellers and buyers with a platform to meet. Increasing its trustworthiness, LookingFour ranks its sellers from newcomers to silver- and gold-certified. The latter two have successfully verified their seller profiles.
