10 Legit Ways to Get Free Clothes Online (T-Shirts, Shoes & More)

Few things annoy me more than having to go to the store to buy new clothes. I’d rather spend my time (and money) on just about anything else.

Apparently I’m in the minority when it comes to holding that opinion.

According to a U.S. Consumer Expenditures report, Americans spend an average of $1,833 a year on new clothes and the latest fashion._[1] An astonishing figure to someone who can’t even separate $40 from their wallet for a new pair of jeans.

Alas, I digress. Given my penchant for penny-pinching, settling for merely heavily discounted clothing seemed wrong. I wanted to see if one could get entirely free clothing. As it turns out, you can — and you don’t even have to work that hard to get them.

10 Ways to Get Free Clothes Online

If you’re feeling poor, and don’t want to break the bank on new designer clothing from expensive brands like Nike, check out this list of 10 legit places to get free clothes online.

1. Earn rewards points (and spend them on clothing)

Perhaps the most simple of ways to get free hoodies, t-shirts, jeans, and shoes alike is to sign up for a reward site (or sites) that allow you to earn points — points that you can redeem for cash, or in this case, clothes.

Several options exist online to earn points. Some programs let you redeem points for gift cards, but some give you cash. Either way, trading rewards points for clothes is a great way to fill your closet.

Where to complete online surveys:

Online surveys aren’t a new way to earn money online, but they do offer a chance to earn free clothes. There are a few different platforms to use and signing up for more than one can maximize the money you earn for free apparel. Better yet, some of the market research companies will actually send you test clothing for free by mail.

In some instances, they’ll even let you keep the item (in addition to any money you earn by completing the survey), as a thank you for your honest feedback.

The most popular online survey companies are:

1. Swagbucks: You earn Swagbucks (or SBs) for answering survey questions, playing games, watching videos, or shopping online.

2. Survey Junkie: You earn points on Survey Junkie for answering questions.

3. InboxDollars: Similar to Swagbucks, you earn points for taking surveys, playing games, shopping online, and by reading the emails InboxDollars sends you.

The process to earn money is similar for most of them. You’ll sign up for an account and earn points for completing various tasks. Your rewards points can be redeemed for cash or gift cards.

If you trade your points for cash, they’ll send the money via PayPal. Transfer the cash from PayPal to your bank account the next time you go shopping.

If you redeem points for gift cards, they’ll arrive in your inbox. Print the email to take with you when shopping in-store. When utilizing shopping apps, enter the gift card code during the checkout process to redeem for free clothes.

2. Redeem cashback rewards

Ibotta and Rakuten are cashback apps that let you spend your earnings at major retailers at steep discounts (think Amazon, Walmart, Nike, and more). The apps work slightly differently, but both get you closer to getting free clothes online.

Ibotta is a grocery shopping rewards app that allows you to redeem your rewards on a dizzying array of awesome products.

To earn cash [specifically for clothes] with Ibotta, you’ll need to:

Open the Ibotta app to find offers before you go to the store
Buy the products on your shopping list
Upload a photo of your receipt, and Ibotta will add the cash rewards to your balance

To cash out, Ibotta lets you transfer the money to a Venmo or PayPal account, or redeem your credits for gift cards to your favorite stores.

Similarly, Rakuten pays you between 1% and 40% cash-back on many everyday purchases if you do it through its website.

Here’s how it works:

Register and log in to your Rakuten account (instead of going to the store’s website)
Locate a store and click the link to start shopping
Shop the site and finalize your purchase using the store’s checkout process
Rakuten will credit your account after your purchase

It’ll cash out your balance by sending a paper check or through PayPal. You can use that cash on your next shopping trip.

3. Cash in your credit card reward points

Some credit cards provide rewards points when you shop at certain retailers, and how much you earn depends on the card you use. Some cards issue 1% cash-back on all categories while others provide 5% cash-back at department stores.

New card members can also earn lucrative sign-up bonuses when they spend above a certain threshold. You can redeem these points for gift cards to retailers or as a statement credit on your account to cancel out a recent clothing purchase.

4. Participate in Refer-a-Friend programs

Many retailers have referral programs that let you earn free clothes. The best part is both you and your friends can benefit when you refer them by word of mouth or sharing a link online.

Some of those programs include:

1. ThredUP

ThredUP is your ticket to scoring free used clothes online. This online marketplace sells quality secondhand clothing at a deep discount. The site features two ways to earn free clothes.

First, thredUP pays $10 every time you refer a friend to its site. Refer five people and you’ll have $50 to buy new clothes. The second option is to sell your unwanted clothing on the website. It sends you a “Clean Out Bag” to ship your stuff.

To get paid for your clothes, choose thredUP shopping credit, a prepaid Discover gift card, or PayPal.

2. Swap.com

Swap.com is an online thrift store that sells items on consignment. You earn $10 for every person you refer to the company’s site with its Share & Earn program. It only pays you in Swap.com credit instead of cash.

You earn more credit by selling used clothing. You’ll have to submit an application to become a Premier Seller and wait for Swap.com to approve you.

3. Stitch Fix

Stitch Fix provides a personal styling program with clothes delivered to your door. You can earn Stitch Fix credit if you participate in its refer-a-friend program.

Sign up for an account to get your unique referral link. Then, share that link on social media, by text, or email to invite friends to sign up for Stitch Fix.

You earn a credit each time someone signs up through your link, and that credit goes toward the $20 styling fee the company charges for each order.

If you buy an item from your Stitch fix cox, the $20 will go toward the final cost. You receive five items in each box and you can request certain trends or products when you request a new box.

4. Rent the Runway

Rent the Runway’s referral program pays you $30 when you refer someone, and they get $30 off their first order.

You can rent dresses for special occasions or a nice suit for a job interview. Rent the Runway also has accessories you can rent to match your new outfit.

5. Start a fashion blog

Starting a fashion blog can be a good way to get free clothing from companies. Once you set up your blog and attract readers, companies may send you free clothing by mail to review on your site.

You can also use affiliate links to promote your favorite products and earn a referral fee. If you have a favorite pair of jeans, you can promote the brand on your blog and earn enough money to buy a new pair.

This is more of a long-term approach, so don’t expect to be able to test clothes for free until your blog has a steady stream of fans.

6. Set up a clothing swap

A clothing swap is a fun event to set up with your neighbors, friends, or local mom’s group. You decide ahead of time how many items of clothing and accessories to bring, and each person shows up to trade clothes with everyone else.

Clothing swaps work best when invitees wear similar sizes and styles. Set up tables or clothing racks to display the items and sort by clothing type or occasion.

7. Check for free online clothing giveaways

Sweepstakes Fanatic is an online site that has free clothes giveaways. The company has a five-star rating on Trustpilot with 98% “Excellent” ratings from reviewers. The limit on sweepstakes entries varies from product to product. Some let you enter once, while others have daily or weekly entry options.

Get free clothing online for children, women, and men in need from Community Clothes Closet. The company helps students, seniors, disabled persons, the homeless, and those with low or limited income. A human service organization, school, or church must refer you to qualify for this option, and you can get free clothing for up to a year.

8. Look on Facebook groups

Check your local yard sale groups on Facebook for free or low cost used clothes.

You won’t believe the clothing some people sell or give away because they’re too busy to have a yard sale. When you find something you like, arrange a time to meet and pick up the item with the item’s owner.

9. Don’t forget to check Craigslist

Craigslist is a massive online classified marketplace. Sellers list homes, cars, electronics, RVs, and more on the site.

For free clothing, navigate to the “free” link in the “for sale” section. You could get a great top or a pair of jeans. Or you might find entire boxes and huge bags full of free clothing. This is especially handy if you have kids who are constantly outgrowing their clothes.

10. Check out Freecycle.org

Freecycle.org is an online network with local chapters set up in communities around the world. Everything listed on the site must be given away for free, so you don’t pay for anything.

If you’re looking for free clothes, check Freecycle.org to see what’s available for adults, teens, children, and babies. If you look regularly, you’re bound to find great free clothes.

Sometimes Free Clothes Cost Only Your Time and Effort

Annual amount of textile waste — Source: The True Cost

If you’re dead broke and have no money coming in till your next paycheck, there are a number of ways to get free clothes online but be prepared for a little bit of a time investment on your part.

If you don’t have the luxury of time, remember that Facebook, yard sale groups, and Craigslist are the still quickest ways to get your hands on used free clothes. They won’t necessarily be new, but there are still ways to mimic the latest fashion on the cheap (it’s time to get creative).

And lastly, be aware that online surveys, apps like Ibotta, and referral programs, are not going to result in overnight wins. That said, they’re fairly easy to participate in, and once you accumulate enough rewards to cash in, you’ll have even more options for free clothing.