Clothing Swaparooni -- Recycling Fashion Is Easier Than Ever Before!

Is it really part of our innate human nature to grow tired of the things around us, always desiring something new, or is it the result of a highly effective and continuously ongoing campaign by the media and advertising to get us back in the stores at all costs?

Whatever the case, shiny new things make us happy, but it's a bit more challenging for the majority of us to indulge our desires these days, which is why clothing rental and swap options have gained such momentum.

I'm not quite sure if the people who are participating in this continually growing trend are doing it because it's green or just easy on their budget, but if it's new to you even though it's already been around the block a few times and it still brings a smile to your face, everyone wins -- your wallet, your fashion sense and the planet.

To review, we've covered the following clothing swap and rental companies in the past:

• Closet Infinite, which rents clothing at no cost when you donate something from your own closet
• Rehash and SwapStyle, which both charge no fee for 24/7 access, organizing all of the swapping details between each party.
• Swango, which charges 99 cents for every piece in their database -- still, more than reasonable, don't you think?
  

  

There's now another swapping company on the block called thredUP which is free to join -- they emulate the Netflix video rental concept by offering prepaid shipping envelopes to participants for $12.50/3 pack.

Once you enroll, just document all of the clothes you are offering to exchange (photos aren't necessary, just supply a complete description of the brand, size, pattern and color of each garment) along with a wish list of what you want in return.

If thredUP finds a match in their database, they send it to you -- if you like it, you keep it...otherwise, just relist it on their database as something you'd like to trade.

They will also notify you when they locate someone in their database who wants something that you are offering to trade and supply you with their address so you can mail it directly to them in one of their pre-paid envelopes.

While they are focusing exclusively on shirt swapping right now, they plan to expand into the full range of wardrobe staples for adults and children.

I appreciate the fact that they are offering "a refresh button for your closet," but I think that they could green up their concept by requiring digital photos of each swapped item so that people have a better idea of what they're getting, ensuring that far fewer traveling miles are racked up.

Of all the clothing rental and swap choices above, which do you think are the most desirable and why?