What to Do With Outgrown Kids' Clothes

Published August 4, 2026 by Ryan Young, founder of ParentKind

You've got five real options: free porch pickup that funds your kid's school, donating it elsewhere, giving it away yourself, consigning items for cash, or selling them yourself online. Below, they're ordered from least to most effort, along with what you get out of each one.

Free porch pickup that funds your kid's school

Low effort

ParentKind picks up bags of outgrown clothes right from your porch anywhere in SE Portland, free of charge. No sorting in advance, no appointment, and no risk of anything getting turned away. It's as easy as setting bags on your porch. We clean, photograph, and sell the clothes online, and a meaningful percentage of every sale goes to the school you choose. If you don't have much time or energy to spare, this is the option that asks the least of you.

Donate it elsewhere

Some effort

If ParentKind's porch pickup boundary doesn't work for you, or you'd simply rather donate somewhere else, a few good options exist. Portland organizations like the PPS Clothing Center, Northwest Children's Outreach, With Love Oregon, and Rose Haven put clothing directly into the hands of families who need it, no resale step involved. Goodwill is another familiar option, though it's worth knowing how it compares before you go. Most of these mean dropping items off in person during posted hours.

Give them away yourself

Some effort

Buy Nothing groups, neighborhood Facebook groups, and friends with younger kids are all ways to pass clothes on directly, with nothing routed through an organization at all. There's no cost and no rejection, but you're the one finding a recipient and coordinating the handoff, which can take longer than it sounds once you factor in messages back and forth and timing a pickup.

Consign items for cash

More effort

Portland has several dedicated kids' consignment shops that will pay you cash or store credit for items they choose to accept. Some require an appointment, and most are selective about condition, brand, and season, so it's worth knowing your items could be turned away on the spot. This is the option to reach for if getting some money back matters more to you than convenience.

Sell them yourself online

Most effort

Apps like Poshmark and ThredUp, or a local marketplace like Facebook Marketplace, let you sell directly to buyers and keep the full sale price. It's also the most hands-on option: photographing, listing, and pricing each item, answering buyer messages, and handling shipping or a local handoff. Worth it if you have the time and want to maximize what you get back, less so if you're trying to clear out a closet by the weekend.