Kind Exchange

Do not shop here, I read similar negative reviews of the chain online but thought to give it a chance. Specifically, they keep your clothes for «donation» and then sell it for profit in the store. It is a dirty business with complete lack of transparency or any hint of customer service. They will lie and say anything as long as it’s to make a profit.

Each Kind Exchange reflects the neighborhood. This one did not have anything I was looking for. But as always there is lots to look through and the staff is nice.

First of all, I have to say that I love Kind Exchange and I’ve been shopping and trading clothes there for 2 – 3 years. I’ve found the people who work there to be intimidating at first, but then super awesome and nice after a little chatting. And they’ve been helpful and generous with prices and helping me find items in the past– a girl once dug through a garbage bag to find a denim skirt for me, and recently I found a dress at a store with the wrong tag on it for $ 6 and they honored that price. Great, right? I love Kind Exchange.
This location, ehhh… I’m not such a fan. In fact, I stopped going to this one. The selection is good– nice clothes, shoes, ect. The prices are alright; I know I find better deals at the other locations.
The reason I stopped going to this one is that I had bad experience with the people who work there now… the people who used to work there were actually really cool and nice! But the general attitude at this location has changed. Now the vibe is mostly condescending and indifferent, and instead of trying to help they… don’t care.
My story is: I came in with a bag of clothes to trade– probably for the 15^th time or so. For the first time EVER (in my history of trading at any location) they asked for my ID. I offered my OHIP and explained that that was all I had because I don’t drive and don’t carry my passport around. They said they wouldn’t take it. I let them know that I had an account there and I’d traded there many times without being asked for ID, and they clearly didn’t care about where I was coming from.
I know this probably doesn’t sound like a deal breaker for most people, but I’m in customer service and considering that I walked my bag of clothes there in the heat, have been a longtime customer, and had a photo ID on me, I think they should have granted an exception and looked at my OHIP the one time. I would have really appreciated that help.
I will probably check back in when they get some new staff.

I love poking around in here, but I didn’t love the experience at their last bag sale. For the uninitiated, a bag sale means a shopping event where you are given a plastic bag, and from a certain section of the store (usually out-​of-​season stuff), you can fill it up for $ 20.
Unlike other locations that hang up the clothes, the Bloor-​Bathurst location unceremoniously dumped everything in a few plastic bins. Very unpleasant, messy, and inefficient to dig through these with other shoppers.
In addition, we all found it frustrating that at this location, one of the staff members refused to let customers try on any of the bag sale clothing before buying it. I get that a bag sale is like a clothing buffet for $ 20, but honestly, when customers get rebuked for even thinking of trying a pair of jeans on, something is definitely wrong.
They’ve got some good stuff, but the manager should definitely have an extra person on staff during the bag sale so that we can try before we buy. We’re not made of money; that’s why many of us are shopping there in the first place. Honestly now.

This place is ok. They have some cute and inexpensive items. It’s geared at a younger, hipster crowed. Many items are from H&M, Zara, even Joe Fresh, so you need to know your prices if you’re looking for a deal, especially since most are not quality items. But then again, if I’m paying $ 15 for a pink chiffon top, I’m probably not searching for quality and will only wear it a few times anyway. But, if you have the time to sift through the racks, you may just find something that strikes your fancy.
If you’re looking to sell top quality items and want to make back a good part of what you originally paid, this is probably not the place to do it. If you’re looking to get rid of that pile of clothes that has been sitting on the top shelf of your wardrobe for way too long, then go on in. You may even get $ 2 for it. Bonus, at least in my books — if they’re not interested in buying any of your items, they will donate it to charity on your behalf (if you want). Saved me a trip to Good Will…

Not impressed. Too much eye rolling for basic questions. Don’t waste your time. Not many high end pieces. Mostly H&M.

Stopped by here on Monday since they had a ‘Fill a bag for $ 20′ promo going on. I usually don’t go into Kind Exchanges since I find them to be super overpriced for the quality of items they sell. But $ 20 for a bag? I could do that.
I sifted through the merchandise and couldn’t help but overhear the sales associates complaining about customers. Every time they answered the phone they’d roll their eyes and tell the person on the other line that they weren’t buying for the rest of the day. Then they discussed one customer who they wanted to ‘punch in the face’. Whoa.
Okay, retail sucks, we’ve all been there — but that’s a bit extreme.
I already had some items piling up by this point so I kept going on my search. After about 20 minutes I hear someone ask a sales associate about the promotion to which another eye rolling response was heard which was ‘the fill a bag promotion is over’. Wait, what? There’s a huge sign on the window? There’s signs in the store? It doesn’t indicate an end date or time… Ummmm…
So at this point I politely put all my items back on the rack and promptly walked out. Talk about a bait and switch. Definitely won’t be returning, I’d prefer to have my face in tact for one.

I have never been in this place. But I plan on it. I am lying in bed right now. I am 6 feet tall.

Went to the Lawrence location where the cashier was on the phone with a friend as I tried to drop off my items. She looked through my clothes and very rudely said she would not take any of them. Not impressed with the service at the yonge and Lawrence location but I will try again at another as I have had a good experiences in the past.

2 separate occasions I have found exact articles of clothing I own marked higher than what I paid at regular price at the original retail store. Hahaha. Stop.

I am a big fan of Kind Exchange and most
Of their locations, however having moved closer to this location I’ve noticed some issues with management that are not apparent at others. On three occasions I have called beforehand to sell/​donate some clothes and been told it’s a good time to come in. Upon arrival (taking about 5 minutes max to arrive) I’ve been told 1. It’s a two hour wait and they would call my cell when ready (they didn’t call my cell), 2. I didn’t arrive an hour before they close (I arrived exactly 64 minutes before they closed), and 3. They simply weren’t taking items that day. I understand all of these issues that are involved with consignment stores. But when I’ve been confirmed they are accepting items, taken the time to drag my stuff down, and been turned away three times by an extremely rude manager, it’s unacceptable. I donated my brand name items to a women’s shelter instead and they accepted it with open arms. In future I will never shop or sell any of my clothes at this store, simply because of the rude and non friendly service I’ve received.

I like the premise of Kind Exchange but in accordance to the other reviewers there is something not working with their business model since it does not motivate the seller to return.
You can’t help but walk away from this experience by feeling a bit ripped off — that you are almost doing them a favour by allowing them to reap an 80% profit off your items. The return for selling beautiful high quality authentic clothing was not even worth the trip.
I was also under the impression that this store had more choice items (Bloor St.) but they essentially sell old t-​shirts, tanks and skirts that I could find for WAY cheaper at a Value Village or Goodwill.
In the future, I will continue to donate my clothing to charity as there is no motivation for me to help this business make a profit at my expense. I strongly recommend a higher return for items sold otherwise you’ll have many people not coming back.
All in all — an underwhelming experience that I won’t be repeating.

I should put this review on all of their pages. Long story short, I called each location ahead of time to find out the best time to come in to sell clothes, if I had to make an appointment, and which store takes men’s clothing. They all told me to go this specific location, and anytime is good. I travelled here from York university only to get denied when I got to this sink hole of a store. Apparently, they do not look at clothes 30 min before closing. Which is understandable… But a VITAL piece of information to leave out of a conversation. When I told them that I’m the one who called, the low based animal there proceeded to talk on its phone and roll its eyes. Kind? Yeah right. Just another store that tries to mask themselves by trying to be for people, but are really just bottom feeding parasites that smell like the arm pits of Lebron James after being traded to the heat: clammy, cowardly, and really really just not cool… just not cool, dude (yeah that’s a crazy old reference, so?). Ah… this was fun and therapeutic, this place still sucks though.

I went to sell designer jeans and sundresses at this location. Terrible experience! They would not take the jeans, barely worn and we were only selling because they don’t fit anymore, and gave $ 15 for multiple dresses valued at hundreds each. One dress was worn twice and they gave me the same for the new dress as they did a 5 year old trashed shirt.
The girl behind the counter was a stoned out hipster and the whole thing was a waste of time. No wonder they don’t have nice clothes, someone like me does not belong there.

This place is disappointing. Twice I have brought unworn clothing in from Forever 21 and H&M (the likes of which they sell for almost the same prices that the original stores sell it), figuring I could at least get a couple of bucks per item. Nope. Each time they told me that I could just donate it if I wanted. But the icing on the cake was the following: I paid this store $ 25 for a pair of used flats they were selling, which were a bit scuffed at the back. I knew it was a bit of a rip-​off, but I really liked the style and the colour. However, when I brought them home, I realized they didn’t quite match with what I had hoped to pair them with. I didn’t have a receipt, so I figured I couldn’t return them. I never wore them, though, and about three weeks later I brought them back to the store and asked if I could sell them back. They just looked at them and said «These are scuffed.» I said, «Well, that’s how I bought them from here.» And the lady responded, «That’s funny.»
I basically never want to go back now. Everything here is overpriced and a rip-​off. The entire point of a thrift store is to SAVE MONEY not pay nearly full price for worn items.

Selling clothes here for cash can be highway robbery.
The Good: they pay pretty well for high quality vintage pieces. I bought a genuine leather coat in Kensington some years ago, and Kind Exchange offered to buy it from me for more than I paid for it (but only by 15 bucks). What’s crazy is that they plan to sell it for a 83% markup… As long as it’s in prime condition, you might be able to turn a buck here on leather items. The redheaded shop girl was pretty cool and efficient, and willing to bump the cash value of some items I wanted to sell (but not by much).
The Goodish: you can get more «value» if you take an in-​store credit. But judging by the quality of clothes at this location, most of the stuff was kinda garbage. There were a few pieces here and there that I thought were cute, and if I went in there with the sole purpose of revamping my wardrobe, a store credit could have been fun… but I still feel I would have left with less than what I brought in…
They offer 50% of the price on all H&M items as long as it still has the price tag on it… and doesn’t look like you did a sweaty fashion shoot in it…
The Bad: They offer awful rates on almost anything from H&M, or Zara. Being strapped for cash I had this gorgeous silky kimono with hanging fringe I was willing to part with. This piece also had some embroidery detailing and was in pretty great condition as I only had worn it a few times. I believe it was from a premium collection and a little higher quality than their regular line, I paid $ 70 for it… and Kind Exchange offered to pay me about $ 2. Blew my damn mind. Same with a great denim vest with studding from Zara, I got about 3 bucks for that even though I paid almost $ 50 for it :(
I honestly feel I would have had better luck selling stuff on line, but when you’re in a bind and need some spare change, this place could be… okay?

As with all vintage/​consignment stores, it’s a numbers game. You need to return frequently and try on a number of pieces before something clicks.
Personally, I am not hipster/​hip/​indie/​cool enough to shop here. I kinda wish I was cool enough to pop some tags at the thrift shop on the reg — but I’m not. I don’t even own a pair of Doc Martens. But if I was cooler, I would totes shop here.
And even if you aren’t cool, they have got some sick deals. Gorgeous red Aldo pumps for $ 20, a white jean jacket for $ 15, necklaces for $ 5. Everything is GENTLY used.
Not as many name brands as I was expecting. There were a couple Banana Republic, Guess and Armani pieces. But mostly, expect Costa Blanca, H&M, Forever 21, mid-​range type brands.

I love thrift store, vintage store and other second hand store shopping.
I have been unimpressed with Kind Exchange. I love the concept but it misses the mark for me.
Generally, I find this store sells overpriced, second hand H&M and Forever 21 clothes at nearly new prices. I would not pay $ 20 for a second hand H&M dress. The majority of the clothes are second hand Costa Blanca etc… which I am perfectly happy purchasing — but I wouldn’t pay Kind Exchange price points for second hand clothing of these kinds of brands.
The vintage pieces they have are overpriced in comparison to other vintage stores in Toronto that have much better selection. There is not much selection of vintage — although the Bloor and both Queen locations are MUCH better than the Yonge /​Eglinton location.
I have been to each location at least twice. I personally am not interested in buying second hand jeans by Bluenotes, American Eagle, A&F and Forever 21 for $ 15 — $ 20 (I can buy them on sale new for almost just as much!).
I find that in general, the store is neither vintage, nor high end (there are a some higher end pieces but as I said, mostly mainstream, mass produced items at a not much better price than what it would be new). I would rather go to Value Village for similar types of clothes at a much better price.
I also find that the staff always seem overwhelmed with buying clothes. There is a lack of customer service for those shopping because they are occupied (not their fault — they have always been friendly but seem quite stressed).
I have been to this location many times during the week after work and on weekends. The sales people always seems stressed and focused on buying /​tagging /​cashing out etc. than helping customers find things. I don’t think management provides enough staffing. Saturdays are brutal — its not fair to the staff — they are clearly doing their best. The store needs a better buying system.
As for selling — although I have never sold anything myself, I came with my friend who was selling a bag of items. The items were a mix of vintage, with items from Aritizia, Zara etc. The whole process was not efficient. The Customer Service person was dealing with a line of buys. There was a discussion of not having enough money for more buys for the day (yet the website says «come show us what you’ve got!»). They imply that one is welcome to come in (no appointments). It’s disrespectful to waste the time of your customers and sellers. This was around 1 pm (1 hour after opening) — that is rude to the customer.
I have seen buyers purchase similar items from one person, but not from another. We had to wait a long time, and its not as if my friend was making SO much money from this buy (it was barely $ 20). She has great stuff and vowed not to go through this process again.
She carried her items to the store, only to wait 45 minutes, to have to drag half of her stuff back (it was in season, no stains, current style… one sweater was deemed a bit ‘heavy’ for fall, when clearly similar items were already in store). I felt it was an unfair and unnecessary — it is not as if she brought a winter jacket.
I also got the general attitude (from another location) as if Kind Exchange is doing the customer SUCH a favour by purchasing the clothing. In fact I bet a lot of the sellers are also customers — treating people with more respect for their time and efforts would be much better service.
I have another friend who tried to sell who had the same complaint about KE. She dropped off a bag at another location and was called back (this was end of July) a day later to pick up her stuff — nothing was bought. The person told her to come back TWO weeks later because the items were ‘fall’ not ‘summer’ (one of the items was a light, work blazer).
She had only 5 items and when dropped them off had asked them to take a quick look — they refused even though the store was not busy at that time and said she would be called back. They woman told her — «you can just donate it for charity». It is a ridiculous system. In fact, my friend does donate a lot of her clothes to an actual charitable organization (SO many in Toronto that re-​distribute clothing to people in need, like clothing banks).
It was the attitude of the store that was more of an issue — so inconvenient and not respectful to a customer /​seller.
Interesting concept but fails. So many better high end second hand stores or affordable vintage stores and thrift stores in Toronto — better value, better product and more respect for the customers and sellers than Kind Exchange.

This location has some interesting pieces. It’s the most recent one to open & it already has a lot of stuff! Alas I didn’t find anything I liked enough to buy. But will check back next time I’m in the area. The good thing about used, vintage & consignment shops is that they always have something new next time you come by. Plus prices here are super duper cheap!