Thrift stores are always a hit or miss, but I have found so many great finds here at Buffalo Exchange for the fraction of the price. I only speak as a person who purchases pieces from here, not as a seller. The store is on the smaller size and can get crowded especially on the weekends. The staff is extremely friendly and very welcoming when you come in. They have a wide variety of brands ranging from Target, Zara, Patagonia, Asos, H&M. I have purchased a lot of winter and work clothes that I absolutely love. The dressing rooms are spacious and if there is ever a long line, the employees just write down your name so you can keep shopping around. When you purchase your items, you get to donate to a nonprofit, which is pretty cool! This Buffalo Exchange is on a busy part of Ballard so it is tricky to find parking. You might have to park a few blocks up and walk. read more

Don't expect a whole lot, in any/all ways! So, not the best. I brought a big bag and a box of various items. All clean things, some tags-on new and the others being mostly new. My things began all tidied up and folded. After wandering around for all of 10min, I ended up receiving the vast majority of my things back (ie; Madewell, Anthro, Nordstroms & Rack, Macy's, etc.) and was offered a whopping ~$40 for the things they determined would be a "yes". Uhhh.... Nope! Around $40 for 8 things, breaking down to $5/piece, when I'd noticed (for example) an average t-shirt would be priced at around $20. So, I smiled and passed entirely. Ready to leave and seeking out all of my clothes, all of my things deemed "yes" were spotted on top of a cart, all piled up like I'd already agreed! Damn, what a sad scam. My last complaint is ... all (every single item!) of my things were just haphazardly tossed back into the bag and box, not a single item was re-folded nor any care taken whatsoever after rooting through them. Yuck. The young folks working there were friendly, but..... really?! The treatment of my clothing entirely negates any friendliness from the young folks. So, Buffalo Exchange.... THIS is how you encourage or secure repeat customers? Piling things up, willy-nilly, no care taken after a truly meager sum has been offered?! Nahhhh. Sadly, once again I'll opt to stick to the impersonal online route. Sorry, real live humans! read more

It's an "okay" consignment store that is willing to buy and resell your clothes if and only if you have what they're looking for (often times you have no clue what they'd want): sometimes mens clothes, sometimes designer brands, or maybe clothes that are still new with a tag on. Since they're based in Ballard, they're catering to the rich folks so you better have high end or close to new (less worn down) things to sell for them to resell. They do offer cash out or store credits, if they have a nice inventory, I'd prefer the store credits but often times, it's pretty hard for me to find what I love from their reselled items. I'd prefer a cash out if they even take any of my stuff. And you're always welcome to have them donate the rest. read more

Buffalo Exchange - Clothes to sell - Women's Clothing Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

I've always enjoyed shopping at Buffalo. This shop has a really nice curated selection of shirts and hats. If there was an older thrift store sibling then this would be it. I remember the Buffalo Exchange on the Ave and the location was massive. The buyers have a good eye for clothing and quality. I remember buying some vintage Reebok pumps and hard to find European brands. Ballard is unique and this shop reflect the non fratty clothing I often see at Crossroads. There is always a line of people selling and it's fun to sometimes find vintage. Good value and service. read more

I came here to sell and ended up waiting about an hour and 15 minutes on a Saturday, even though I queued online beforehand. Others who walked in waited even longer. The setup feels really awkward bc the staff sift through your items right in front of you and everyone else that is waiting/watching. During the process, they talked amongst themselves, laughed, and even made faces, which came across as unprofessional and rude. I think it really depends on who you get that day but the girl I got was giving off highschool mean girl vibes. If you're comfortable with that kind of experience, and want to be transported back to highschool, this place might work for you. But if not, I'd strongly recommend selling online instead. I've had much luck (and respect) using Depop. read more

I have loved this place for years, it's kind of a shame the quality of clothes and the quantity of clothes has gone down. The dresses is completely for older generation women. It seems like they just accept any donations or all donations. The shoe selection isn't hitting the same either. The staff is always such a light though no hate to them. Im just disappointed because when I looked around it was just the worst clothing selection. read more

If you have patience to sift this is the place for you! I didn't find anything that was for me but I appreciated how many items are in here if you have the time. It was really hot inside as they didn't have the AC running read more

DO NOT SELL OR BUY HERE. OVERPRICED and they don't accept hardly anything!!! THREAD HUNTER is close and better to buy! I have visited this establishment three times in the last three years and every time I go in there, I am absolutely disgusted. They say they buy clothes. I brought in four bags of clothes they bought one single item and then offered me to donate the rest of it. They are so much BS take your stuff elsewhere. You'll get more money elsewhere and they'll sell your stuff that you donate.!!! You can tell by the clothes that you look at that they're full of BS. The clothes I have are way better looking than the clothes they ever have. There are other places to buy good secondhand clothes, including Thread Hunter!!!! Horrible shop!!!! DO NOT SHOP OR BUY HERE!!! Never going back!!! Other secondhand stores in Ballard that are better!!!! read more

Close this store :-) No more snooty young staff who sneer and provide negligent service. Stop taking out their frustrations at customers. So, to update, I went in with clothes, in which they were all denied. A week later, they were successfully sold in Portland, with more pleasant service. It was as if they were arguing with me to justify not buying out of spite. When I went in, I asked how long the lines were, in which in a DEFENSIVE tone, one person replied, "We don't know." Unhelpful right off the bat. I mentioned a man returning the store later because security takes were still on the clothes... Another reviewer mentioned discrimination, and I wouldn't doubt it. read more

A friend suggested selling unwanted jewelry and clothing to them. The whole process was seamless and the staff was so great I went back and sold more stuff. They are fair and there is no pressure. You can settle for a cash payout, store credit or mix the two. It was definitely worth my time. read more

I purchased this Northface jacket here for my daughter for her birthday and we live over a hour away in Olympia. Got home and noticed this SENSOR TAG ON IT! Called them and they said they don't put security tags on their jackets and their isn't anything they can do for me!!!! So here is a DAMN $50 jacket they sold me and --- SO THEY PURCHASED FROM SOMEONE WITH THE SENSOR AND PUT IT ON THEIR RACKS AND SOLD IT AND SAID THEY CANT HELP ME. So either they are stealing merchandise and reselling it at their store or they don't pay attention to their customers that sell them items. THEY WERE MAD THAT WE DIDN'T NOTICE BEFORE LEAVING THE STORE INSTEAD OF APOLOGIZING THAT IT WAS "their mistake"!! I have never ever been to a Buffalo Exchange with such disrespect customer service. We spent $200 the day we bought this jacket. Don't support this thrift store because obviously they are stealing or buying from customers that are stealing. Do a better job " Store OWNER". Seems like your mad because your selling stollen merchandise because you were so extremely rude to me when I called. read more

Buffalo Exchange - They sold me a jacket w/sensor and didn't let me exchange it!!! - Women's Clothing Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Buyers at this store only want designer clothing to resell for pretentious people who purposefully go thrifting and will later brag about finding it at this store on social media. None of the buyers have any eye for the latest fashion trends based upon the countless numbers of similar styles hanging on the racks. Buyers will take cheap knock offs from Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, and other fly-by-night stores while overlooking good quality clothing. This is a Whites Only store where the buyers and management only buy clothing from and provide service to whites. Managers and staff do not accept clothing from non whites and will use excuses such as "This will not sell based upon our inventory", "We're not buying these clothes at this time", "Sorry we do not have enough space". Often times they will not even look up the resale value or claim they have never heard of brands the person brings in. If a buyer has never heard of Jessica Simpson or Kenneth Cole, then they need to find another line of work. read more

Way to pricey there are a few better places to shop than this, I don't know how much I trusted the people who helped me. I got VERY little for my trade probably should just have Said NO WAY! I had two vintage items and one expensive pair of nice overalls. read more

They have Buffalo Exchange back East and it's just about the same there as is here. The things you find range from pretty cool to average. An aim to be a more 'hip' thrift store rather than really score a deal. A heavy lean of women's clothes which is to be expected but seems even more so here. There are maybe 3 racks of men's things, including the pants so my visits aren't particularly long here. The huge draw to Buffalo is of course the ability to sell your clothes and accessories to the store. This is where things get dicey. The stuff you sell is at the discretion of the person reviewing your clothes. I understand they check the condition, and the season of the clothes would be worn in and depending on the season of course will lead to rejection if it's winter stuff for summer and so on. We brought in a bag of mostly 'hers' clothes, some of mine and only 1 thing was picked. out of the entire bag. She said the same thing I mentioned above. The added omph is the dour expression the young lady has about it. I get it. They deal with piles of this stuff and probably people selling their stuff and when it gets rejected the workers become targets but wow. It just seems like beyond what they look for, it's luck. One worker could think something is ugly and won't take it, and another could be like, "wow! That will sell!" Well at least I know to be ready if I want to bring anything to sell and know it won't be much on the buy end anyway. read more

I was just in there today. Horrible experience. The workers (especially the employee with a long curly mullet, didn't catch her name) were openly making fun of customers while I was there. A man brought in several bags of clothes to sell and this employee and one other were picking through the clothes and making fun of each one together. Then, I picked up a jacket and tried it on and they made fun of my choice with each other. They didn't think I noticed. It made me feel so bad about myself that I put it back and left the store. Rude and unprofessional. Also, why? Just be kind. If you feel the need to make fun of every single person you see, maybe that means you need to do some reflecting on yourself. Will not be coming back. read more

It's either gone downhill or I've gotten older or both. I remember this location being pretty good in 2011-2015, but recently I went again and it was mostly Shein and other such cheap synthetic clothes. There's enough duplicates that it seems like the company now buys inexpensive new stuff to resell, rather than just secondhand. That's sad, because the environmental benefits of buying secondhand was one of the main reasons to wade through the racks. I tried to find something for a wedding and didn't find anything near nice enough, but if you wanted cheap party clothes for something like Burning Man Buffalo Exchange might work. read more

I had a wonderful experience at this Buffalo Exchange today. Lily was the employee who purchased two of the three items I brought to sell and the woman helping me with the dressing room was super friendly as well. I ended up purchasing three pairs of pants that I will somehow fit into my carryon bag haha. The store was very clean and organized and all the employees were personable and happy to help. read more

The people who work in this shop are absolute sweethearts, so kind and engaging! Ryan the store manager was very helpful. Not trying to invalidate anyone's bad experiences in the past but I walked in here feeling intimidated based on the past reviews I read and it ended up being such a poster experience. 10/10 will sell here again :) read more

Was not impressed by the pricing and the quality of the used tees, sweaters and jackets. The used clothing priced $10-$15 usually included worn, stained, wrinkled, fast fashion brands. The used clothing priced $15-$30 ranged from J Crew to Brandy Melville type clothing; very pricey for worn clothing. Some unused jackets still had security tags on them, im not sure if that's removable upon purchase or not. The quality was lacking in the used tees, sweaters and jackets I sifted through. The pricing for them mirrored the quality. A plus is they do have a dressing room to try on clothes before purchase. Unfortunately we won't return to thrift here. read more

Buffalo Exchange - $16.99 for wrinkled, armpit worn, basic top. But hey - it's Madewell. - Women's Clothing Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I tried to sell here maybe two weeks ago.. and I brought brands like Urban, Abercombie, Zara, north face, etc what people actually wear these days. But stores like buffalo and crossroads have buyers that have no idea what style is and what people are wearing these days. They aim for hipster/grungy looking fits that only certain group of people wear and that's actually so lame. I saw a trader joe's shirt being sold at the store??? c'mon get with it. It's almost 2025. read more

My only problem with this place is the lack of items that get accepted when I've gone to sell to them. I once went in with a pair of never worn custom converse and they didn't accept them - the custom part was just different colors, nothing personalized. So selling to them is 100% not super fun. Buying from them is always fun though. I've always found super cute things at prices that are maybe pushing it a little, but not by a bunch. read more

the staff here is incredibly slow and rude. Huge line of people waiting for help, and the two ladies behind the counter were slowly processing clothing and chatting to each other with no acknowledgment of the line. no eye contact, no "be right with you", just straight ignoring everyone but each other. When they finally addressed the line, no apologies or attempting to move with urgency. read more

This is an okay Buffalo exchange. On the small side and there was a lot of lower quality brands (universal thread from target, h&m, Zara, asos, etc.) Also seems like there's a lot of guys clothes. I did find two nice dresses after digging around, so there are some gems if you look for them! The staff were all pretty nice. read more

Don't waste your time! Came to sell some stuff and the person took a literal second to look through our ikea bag and took nothing! They said they couldn't take the stuff cause some was spring/summer and they are not taking that yet( even though they told the person before us they take ALL seasons AND all buffalo exchanges take ALL seasons year round!) we also had fall/winter stuff, in which they said they are no longer taking.. soo if not fall, winter, spring or summer..then what season?!! Ok we just moved here from Chicago (I lived here for a couple yrs pre pandemic,so I remember the U district buffalo exchange..R.I.P..so much better than this location) I know Chicago has a much different style than Seattle but seriously?!! We would sell monthly in Chicago and they ate it uuppp but here..lol We even spent the summer traveling before moving to the PNW and visited multiple Buffalo Exchanges during our trip, all the way from New Orleans throughout the SW and West Coast, bought AND sold at these other locations no problem! The clothes selection was as bad as their buying..everything was faded or had holes,or the price was so stupidly expensive! We ended up driving out to capitol hill and selling the majority of our clothes at crossroads! Would we ever go back to this location?! Ehhh maybe but most likely not.. read more

I used to love this particular location because it seemed to have a little bit for everyone. Was always super happy to come in and spend some money. Their plus size selection has considerably degraded over the last year, new buyers/management? read more

So sad. I used to have fun selling and buying here. Employees were gracious, you could find designer gems plus the random weird thing, just because. Jewelry was great. Now the selection is more trashy than not. Super cheap with dumb prices. I think you'd find better stuff at Goodwill. The vibe has followed suit. Ick. read more

I was surprised to see so many negative interactions and was pleasantly surprised when I had a great experience with multiple helpful staff. I was helped by Mary who is a Regional Manager (I hope I remembered her name and title correctly). She was very nice through the entire process of inspecting the giant bag of clothes I brought in. I spoke with two other staff who were also very pleasant. I wasn't going in expecting some crazy value knowing it's a second hand store that also has to make money and was surprised at how high my clothes were valued, though I had a low bar and was planning on donating the entire bag. Additionally, I recently dropped a size so I had a lot of barely worn brand name clothes, which helped. The store has a wide variety of clothing and shoes and great throwbacks, for men at least. This was my first time in, but I will definitely be going here before dropping at goodwill next time. I can at least gets some new gear or cash! read more

Has gone downhill so much. I have sold here multiple times and they take less and less. I watch them sit back there and go through people's orders talking about their own personal style. Such a joke. read more

I always find something here and everyone is so friendly at this location! I prefer it to the location on the Ave for many reasons. It just feels more welcoming? And I'm always able to find more of a variety here despite the store being significantly smaller. I love thrift stores and Buffalo Exchange is one of the best. It seems like the employees are treated fairly (and receive a living wage plus benefits) and I love that you can select a nonprofit to donate to upon making your purchase (ask for a token!) Be sure to grab one of their cute reusable bags to avoid paying a bag fee! Plus they make great shopping and grocery totes :) read more

It's a pretty small Buffalo Exchange, and the selection of clothing is okay compared to some of the vintage stores I've visited so far. But I found a fantastic cropped denim jacket during my visit. The changing room was spacious. And the employees were friendly, as well as good about covid cleaning and limiting the store capacity. read more

Staff and "manager"'at Ballard location are extremely rude to people they deem undesirables or POC. I drove all the way from Maple Valley to sell / look around for some new clothes and was denied and talked down to. They had purchased too many things (appt was at the end of the day) and said that I could reschedule online. Most condescending retail worker I've ever spoken to. I worked on retail for 10 years, I understand what they go through, so I was nothing but polite... which made it even worse. Left without looking at anything, although the store was small and cramped, so I figured I was missing much. Paid for parking for no reason. Please get new managers. Short, pretty girl - rude & lacks any customer service skills read more

As far as trading in clothes, skip this place unless you have an hour+ to sit and watch as ONE employee sifts through bags of clothes until it's your turn. I really miss their appointment system but now it's back to their pre-pandemic first come, first served system which takes FOR-EV-ER. There are literally people waiting at the door when they open and people waiting throughout the day. If you have the time, go for it, but it's not somewhere you can just run to on a lunch break or complete with your other errands. read more

They offered to buy several items from me and asked me to come back with my ID (totally normal) After I made the effort to come back with identification they informed me that they changed their mind on several of my items! They then gave me everything back other than one shirt they gave me $5 for. Literally such a waste of time, and they acted like it was no big deal... Don't waste your time selling here. Also worth noting the shirt they bought from me for $5 I purchased from them (tags still attached) 6 months previous for $22.50. Such a joke read more

Looking for a crazy assortment of clothing to create your own unique style? Well, this is the place for you. Fashonistas on staff will help you find what you're looking for. Got a pile of thrifty threads after a closet cleaning binge? This is the place to ditch them and deal in dollars before donating. Speaking of which, anything the shop doesn't want to buy they will donate to charity for you. Reduce, reuse, recycle! read more

service for assessing resale items was fairly quickly, although 98% of my items were not accepted. I noticed that most of the other 'sellers' were denied purchases a well. It takes quite an effort to gather up, drive and find limited parking to meet with a denial of accepting items. It would be useful if Buffalo Exchange would put 'desired items' on their website and update 1x week. I will not go back there read more

Definitely a scam. I brought in a few higher end items and they only took one of them. When they asked if I would like for them to donate what was left over, I said no, and they suddenly changed their tune and bought three more items from me. This isn't the first time, back when I didn't know any better I said yes, and then went back two weeks later and the stuff I had "donated" was literally on the rack with a price tag on it! I know this for sure because it was handmade, by me! Don't waste your time here. read more

Disappointing experience. First & last time. Quick line, manager not friendly and became quit rude. (Plump gal, blond mullet with whispy curls.) Store selection was quantity over quality. Majority duplicate fast fashion, lack consistency, & overpriced considering the poor condition of the items. My Items evaluated, I declined offer, asked for items, manager became very rude! (I was not aware of any policy requiring me to sell after evaluation?!) She let out a big sigh, rolled eyes, & carelessly tossed items on top of someone else's things on counter. I thanked her twice for her time, but ignored while looking directly at me. Employee different than manager on far side cheerfully acknowledged. I went on my way. I happily donated all to Goodwill. Very gently (some NWT) fall/winter goods in classic styles, colors, and brands. Button-ups, sweaters, jackets, bottoms, snow clothing, down scarfs, in North Face, REI, Michael Kors, Burberry, Banana Republic, Armani etc.. Better overall value elsewhere and even buying NEW. read more

Considering this is the only Buffalo in the area now... I'm surprised (and bummed) by the discrepancy between items selected for sale vs the outdated, food-stained, fast fashiony offerings on the floor. I wish Buffalo would go back to being the place for fun finds, designer, and vintage. It seems as though they have pivoted to cater to a different demographic, or the buyers need a more comprehensive background/training in quality fashion. read more

This place suuucks. I brought some $1200 Balenciaga shoes to sell and some hipster Karen who manages the store thought I would leave them alone with her in their mint insisting. I know you're reading this, so here's some advice. If you tell someone to take a seat and they say no thanks, don't ask them again 3 more times. Anyway, this Karen took like 30 minutes to confirm they were legit but looking at the shoe tongue tag like 30 times (no joke) then straight up offered me like $120. LOL, after given my brown a-- the "I'm not sure you can afford these" and "who did you steal these from" look 2 times she finally said to me, but I can only offer you that much if you leave them with us today. We might have to offer you less next time. Wild. This store is a second hand store. I think these people forgot that. The clothes here also sucks and is overpriced but I am starting to realize that might just be a Seattle thing. Anyway, I definitely not take that deal that was apparently a bargin. Smh, don't shop here. This place sucks. read more

i came to Seattle with no clue where to get clothes. my aunt directed me to this place. not only did i snag a nice 49ers jacket (usually have a hard time finding stuff like that in washington), but they had a large selection of clothing that i enjoyed browsing through. read more