Plato’s Closet

This place has such awful reviews but I’m not sure it deserves them!!! It’s clear in their website what they want and who they cater to. No, they did not want my higher end designer stuff… The stuff I thought would make me the most $. They are catering to a specific group and they know what moves off their shelves. You can’t be offended by what they don’t take!
And…the store was super clean today… no smell… and the 3 girls I encountered working there were all super friendly, patient, and professional!
Set your expectations appropriately, and you’ll not be disappointed. I’m happy with my instant $ 140. I give only 4* because it’s not really my scene.

Once again came with 2 medium size reusable bags filled with a bunch of good condition jackets and jeans that just got a little small and not a single item was taken. Don’t waste your time trying to sell clothes here. The store also doesn’t smell good I didn’t even want to wait in there while they looked over my clothes. I seen some weirrrrrdddd items in there too so I was shocked when they didn’t take anything of mine. It’s not the first time they wasted my time either. It’s all junk they sell. Don’t come here!

I LOVE shopping here. I cannot even count how many paige, joe, hudsons, and seven jeans I have purchased here for the fraction of the original price. I do agree that selling clothing here sucks, but they still have a great selection of clothing so I’m not letting that mark this place down. The workers here too arnt always friendly, but still the great selection makes it worth it all. I rather spend $ 30 on a pair of Joe’s instead of $ 140+.

i’d heard so many things about this store but never had a chance to walk inside and browse. after dinner in downtown san mateo, i happen to stumble upon this store and it was still open! i sauntered in and inquired about this store and was told that they specialize in teen and young adult clothing, mostly gently used clothing that is ticketed and re-​sold at a much lower price than you would find in a regular store or department store. since i am no longer a teen nor a young adult, i definitely found the clothes to be «younger» than what i’d normally choose to wear, but i liked that they had a nice variety of clothing… pants, tops, pajamas, athletic clothing, accessories, shoes, etc. the person working here was super friendly in explaining how everything was laid out, how the buyers work, their hours, etc. i’d definitely recommend this store to my teenage friends (nieces?) and girlfriends in their 20s as this is an awesome store to snag some great items.

If you’re thinking about selling clothes here, I would say it’s most likely not worth your time. I brought in a few bags of clothes, a lot in good condition and recent styles. After about 20 minutes, they were done sorting through my stuff and offered to buy two pieces (the items they chose were mind boggling — they were items I thought were most likely to be rejected) and I walked away with $ 4.75. After paying $ 0.50 for parking, I ended up with $ 4.25. It might be worth it if you’re in the area anyway, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to do this again.

Call me a glutton for punishment for returning here, but it was more about the convenience of being closer to home instead of driving to San Jose or San Francisco buy-​sell clothing stores. You would think that calling beforehand on NYE, you’d have it covered specifically asking what time they close and stop buying. Wrong. The girls who work here are lazy and inconsiderate at best.
The girl on the phone said they close at 6 today and stop buying at 5. Awesome. So my bf already not excited about this was kind enough to help me with my stuff and drive me a few cities over down the 101. We were also making an allotment of time in our afternoon taking the crappy meter parking situation into consideration. Luckily, I was correct in assuming most people would be at home getting ready to party and parking would be plentiful. Any other day, you’re likely to have to haul everything a few blocks to get in here if you’re not able to snag a space closer by.
Upon entering at approximately 3:30, another woman beat me to the punch and was being turned away by the woman behind the counter with a grin of amusement that buying was over for the day. They were closing at 5pm contrary to what we were told on the phone literally less than an hour before: closed at 6 & buying stops at 5. Logic would lead me to believe that it isn’t 4 yet. So why is there still no buying? Either way, I didn’t bother reasoning with her. She gave fake apologies blaming «the new girl» for misinformation. Her laziness had no bounds with not a single person in the store at about 3:45. I get it. You have NYE plans that are considerably more important than people’s time and money.
Perhaps, this is Plato’s definition of «provide excellent service to each of our customers». I seems the business owner has checked out long ago.

Con artists. This place claims to be on trend but if the 90s are back, this is definitely not the 90s I remember. Bleached blonde bot was completely unintelligible. The space smelled like a grandparents’ attic if they found grandma dead for 10 years. Buffalo exchange, here we come!

I don’t normally shop at second hand stores but we were waiting for a seat at another restaurant so we went in to browse around. The clothes were all crammed and jammed into the hangers, but they seemed to be well organized. The jewelry section is on the opposite side of the register. Not a huge collection but I did find a cute piece of jewelry for cheap.
Tip: no credit card if below $ 10, but they will take debit card.

I love this place! So many fashionable items– clothes, jewelry, shoes– you name it. If you need a quick outfit and you’re not trying to spend a ton, you’ll definitely find something here. Once you start it’s almost impossible to stop, especially with how amazing the prices are.
If you’re not comfortable buying used things, not all of it is used, a lot of it is brand new. :))

My experience selling my stuff to them was unpleasant. The girls working there have serious attitude issues and were very picky. I will never sell or buy there again.

Almost on par with other Platos Closets that I have visited, but the items here have WAY more wear and tear (small holes, stains) than any other consignment I’ve visited. Look over your items carefully!
I was purchasing a heavy pair of boots today ($ 50 resale), and despite the fact that I’ve had shoulder surgery multiple times, the staff wouldn’t let me set the heavy boots behind the counter (I was one of the first and only customers in — just after opening), so I couldn’t continue shopping and spending more money.
Silly from a business perspective, but I guess if you hire teenagers to operate your store, you must realize they don’t care about the bottom line of your business.

I rarely give bad reviews, but when I do…
This place sucks. I brought in 3 bags of designer clothes (some stuff had never been worn and still had the tags on it) and they took only 5 pieces. I came when it first opened and they opened the store 10 minutes late. The girl told me it would take 45 minutes and I was here for an hour and a half. The girls working were focused on what music was playing, charging their phones and talking gossip instead of servicing their customers.
All in all, this was the biggest waste of time. Someone at Goodwill is going score with the clothes I’m about to drop off. Don’t waste your time it’s not worth it!

I arrived to the store, wanting to sell a bag of clothing with several items from Forever 21, American Eagle, etc. Some items were worn only once or twice while others were worn many times. The lady who helped me said to look around the store or come back in 20 minutes.
I came back to the store 20 minutes later and waited 10 more minutes, expecting a call or something from them. They however, did not call so I had to ask if my items were ready or not. This was my second time selling my clothes to this store. The first time, I managed to leave with $ 7 – 8 but this time, they told me my clothes were too worn out to be sold?
Disappointed, because I know two of the shirts in the bag were never worn before, I decided to donate them so my room wouldn’t be as cluttered.
Maybe next time I will iron out the items so they don’t look as wrinkly?

Platos is a consignment store similar to Buffalo Exchange or Crossroads. They buy/​sell/​trade new and used clothing; however, they’re very picky when it comes to trading/​selling clothing. They’re extremely brand conscious and anything that’s not within 2 years of production they’ll reject. Note that if you’re selling, you’re better off going to a more high end place like Buffalo or Crossroads to sell– I’ve brought in a Juicy Couture purse that was gently used here once and they offered me only $ 12. And guessing with their fake Louis wallets that come and go occasionally, I’m pretty sure the girls who look through your clothing don’t know how to spot the difference between fake and real designer. The employees in the front of the store don’t greet you but the ones who work in the back of the dressing rooms are extremely friendly. For the most part, the store itself is organized by color and size but it doesn’t really help with how jam packed each hanger rod is– it’s actually quite a workout to move neighboring hangers just to get a shirt out since their inventory is so high (though they reject a lot of clothing, they do have some weird graphic tees that you would see at WalMart… Wonder why they don’t just throw them out or donate them to Goodwill after years of an item not being able to sell).
Just read the other reviews from other Unilocalers and apparently the employees here sometimes give you their word that though they won’t be able to accept your clothing, they’ll «donate» it and then try to sell it at their own store (pocketing money from you). So totally deceitful and shady, yes business is business but if you ain’t gonna pay me for it I’d rather give my clothing to Goodwill for FREE so someone who may not have the biggest budget can afford stylish clothing. No wonder why Platos has such a large amount of shit clothing.

I’ve been going to this platos closet since it opened so my review is beyond overdue.
From day one, platos closet has always been extremely picky with what items they purchase from you. They are very brand conscious which makes sense because that’s what the consumers want. If you always buy your clothes from free people, Lululemon, banana republic, Nordstrom or even other higher end department stores, they will probably buy your stuff! Unfortunately, they don’t like when you watch them sort through your items so if there’s a pricey item, make sure to ask how much you’ll be getting for it, if they choose it. Because it is a resale store, you’ll only be getting a small fraction of how much they will be selling your items for. Personally, I don’t mind the extra bucks instead of just giving away the clothes for free!
As a consumer, it’s a complete hit or miss. I’ve walked out with $ 21 Ray Bans on one day and not found anything else the next few times. If you’re a size 2 – 4 you’ll find plenty of designer jeans for under $ 40, but good luck to the rest of us over size 4 – 6.
The major turnoff to me is the lingering smell, but what do you expect as a resale store with many peoples clothing.

I was so dissatisfied with my service here. The attendants were very, very rude. I understand that they were busy, and it was a Sunday so everybody was trying to sell their clothes, but wow. They really managed to make me angry, even.
I went in around 2pm hoping to sell some clothes, a big old box. They immediately asked, «have you sold clothes here before?» and I said no, so they had me fill out a form, so I did. While a couple of girls went back and forth over another form, a girl with blue hair just sort of getting mad and bossing around another one, I just sort of stood there wondering if they even noticed me trying to get their attention. Fiinally, they took it and told me to put it on top of my box. I asked how long it would take, and they said over an hour. yikes. So I thought I’d walk around.
I call an hour later, they put me on hold, answer, then put me on hold again. Ten minutes later, they say no, not ready. Lots of people want to sell their clothes today, I guess. I could hear chatting and gossiping in the background.
Then, after running another errand (takes another hour) I get a snooty phonecall from some bored and overworked girl saying that my «clothes have been ready for a long time and they need to get rid of them.»
I go in, they want to buy one pair of leggings. One out of all of the stuff they said «wasn’t really their style.»
I admit, I was royally PO’ed that these girls kept me waiting so long only to say, no, not their style. I said, well, maybe you could have told me when I first walked in. «Oh, we don’t have time for that,» the girl snapped back. No «sorry» or «oh, we know its inconvenient,» the girl straight up wanted to argue with me and justify their awful customer service. Shoot, I felt a little victimized. Regina George status.
The entire staff here are just so incredibly rude. If you like cheap Forever 21 fashion, crying babies, bargain shoppers stepping through old clothing, and especially bad service. I wouldn’t be so angry if it didn’t eat up a sunny Sunday afternoon, but it did. So don’t support this business if you want to leave unsatisfied.

Negative Stars if possible. I went in today with a FLAWLESS pair of Ray-​ban Aviators and a Leather Jacket from Banana Republic in Excellent condition. After about 10 Minutes she offered me $ 16.50 in cash.
I’m not sure if I should be insulted or mad. I understand they have employees, rent and other expenses but $ 16.50 is just crazy. Needless to say I will never be entering that place again. Craigslist here I come.

Plato’s Closet is another store where you can try to sell your used clothing, shoes and accessories for either cash or store credit. Similar stores would be like Crossroads Trading Co. and Buffalo Exchange.
The store is located on this cute downtown street with a lot of shops and restaurants.
The inside looks very messy. It is stuffed to the brim with clothes. There are girls and guys sections. I did find this cute Diane von Furstenberg animal print scarf for only $ 4. But most of the other stuff in the store looked a bit ratty.
I came here mostly to try to sell my bags of clothing. They ended up giving me $ 21 for about six items of clothing and shoes. These stores never pay you that much money, but I wanted to get rid of as much clothing as possible without having to resort to eBay.

2 stars for having a better selection than the Pacifica location. I’ve found some amazing pieces here! Though the service is just horrendous. The women working are rude, dismissive, and unprofessional. Instead of assisting customers on the sales floor, I (and I’m sure the rest of the customers) could hear the two employees complaining to each other about their relationship problems and drunken nights out. When I would ask for assistance, I felt like I was asking too much of them. I was met with irritated sighs, rolled eyes, and excuses.
Would I return to this location? Yes, because the selection is great and I almost always find something. But the owner or manager needs to have a serious chat with his or her employees about providing exceptional customer service because the women working currently aren’t representing the company well.

Considering we’re talking about USED clothing and accessories, I feel that Plato’s Closet can be overpriced. For starters, there is too much stuff that makes browsing feel like an overwhelming experience.
Second, the quality of some items is very mediocre and not priced accordingly. The whole point of buying used clothes is that it should be a bargain! I sold them a lot of items in really good condition and in exchange purchased a fairly worn jean. I had about $ 2 left in store credit.
I don’t like their system for store credit. You receive it in the form of a receipt. Hence, if you lose the receipt you’re screwed. They have no record of it in their system. And considering you fill out a half sheet and sign-​in every time you sell them clothes, the least they can do is input your credit since they already have some record of you.
Lastly, the girls I’ve dealt with the three times I’ve gone seem to have a lot on their plate hence they don’t give off the most welcoming and friendly of vibes. I’ve usually had to wait at least 20 minutes for them to evaluate my clothes before coming to a verdict of what they will and will not buy.
Yesterday when I came in I asked if I can donate the store credit I had or get it back in cash for half the value. They don’t do either of these things once it becomes store credit which I was bummed about. After using the last of my store credit for the sake of not throwing money away, I don’t plan to come back.
2 stars because I like that they donate what they don’t buy off of you and they are fairly well organized at least with what they do sell.