I've always heard the name Buffalo Exchange but never saw or been to one until recently so I thought I'd give it a try and tell you all about it. Buffalo Exchange sells and purchases vintage and used clothes. I visited the Chelsea, NYC location as a buyer and a seller. Here's my review.
BUYER
Upon walking into the store, there are styled mannequins in the window. Women's wear is mainly on the left side of the store, while the men's are on the right. The clothes are divided by blouses, sweaters, pants, skirts and so on. I found some wonderful pieces like a leather skirt for $30, a gorgeous golden knit sweater for $18 and many authentic, usually expensive name brand items for a fraction of the price. I'll definitely be doing a haul soon. The items were near new and very well taken care of but of course, I gravitated towards my favorite section in any women's store, SHOES! My name is Luxe and I am addicted to shoes. The shoe section is separated by size and has a variety of flats, pumps, boots and more. I found some Coach ($24) and Cole Haans ($35) mixed in with Aldo ($40) and Forever 21 ($12) but nothing was over $50.
My Buffalo Exchange review as a buyer is a 4 out of 5. If you're not afraid to dedicate some time to search for your treasure, I'd recommend shopping here. Particularly for items you know you can wear with anything or something totally unique. If you're new to the work force or your industry has changed and you need to look the part quickly, Buffalo Exchange won't break the bank and you will absolutely get your money's worth. I gave it a 4 out of 5 because though the shoes were in size order, there wasn't much in my shoe size. Bummer for a shoe lover! I also wasn't too intrigued by their bag collection this time around. Hopefully it gets better when I go back.
SELLER
It was MLK Day and I figured I'd head to Buffalo Exchange to sell a bag of clothes that I took off of my client's hands after a closet clean out/ wardrobe enhancement. Everything was in pretty new condition, some even had tags on from when they'd been bought years prior. The items were mostly from Express; youthful and wearable. I walked into the store to find a line that ended by the door. Oh no! "Is this the line for sellers?" I asked the last person, and she replied "yes" with a sigh. I kept hopeful and optimistic, thinking, I wonder how much I'll get for these clothes? There were about 20 people ahead of me with shopping bags and I kid you not, mini carry-ons of clothes. I had no idea what I was in for until the couple in front of me got to the counter an hour later, only to leave with majority of what they came with. I gasped realizing that I waited an hour to have my clothes "reviewed and considered" for purchase.
I dreaded walking up to that counter. I didn't want to leave after waiting in line one whole hour so I went for it. The sales rep sorted through the clothes I'd brought one by one, making two piles. For a moment I though they were a yes and a no pile but she rejected them ALL. Oh…Em…Gee. Then I reached down in the bottom of the bag and took out two brand new shoes, a nude and a black pump, originally $30 each, tag and all. I thought, okay, at least I'll get like $10 per pair. NOPE. After printing Buffalo tags for the shoes, she told me that I was getting all of six dollars and ninety cents for both or I could opt for $11 and change in store credit. I was so numb with shock that I chose the money with intentions of walking straight out of the door. Unfortunately, I was directed to go to another counter to collect my cash. After about a minute of mentally reviewing all that had happened, I walked back and asked if what she calculated was right, for $60 worth of shoes, I'd get $7? She said yes, because Buffalo Exchange would be selling them for about $12 each. She offered them back to me but I thought my efforts would've been wasted and I didn't want to be stuck selling them online. I took the L. Horrible experience. I wish I knew more prior to dragging that gigantic bag on the train just to go back home with it .
My Buffalo Exchange review as a seller gets a 1 out of 5. I've donated my clothes to various organizations before and felt a hundred times better than this. If you have clothes that you're considering selling at Buffalo Exchange, go to the store first to see what they're looking for. Ask someone who works at the store and check their bulletin board (I noticed it while I was in line) in the seating area for specific requests. If your clothes are fashionably timeless, unique vintage or trendy, you might make a small profit. Otherwise, don't waste your time or energy without doing research. It makes sense that the store doesn't pay much for your items because they sell things at such a greatly discounted price, however, I still thought that two brand new shoes at $60 was worth more than ten percent.
Overall, my Buffalo Exchange review is to utilize this more so for purchases than selling. Of course, we need someone's trendy or vintage clothes to pick from so kudos to those who get their pieces in. After all, one man's trash is another man's treasure!
All the best,
Luxe
