Who in the U.S. would be able to appraise donations of over $5000 in regular clothing for tax purposes?

Answer 1

To have anywhere near that much value in your donation, you'd probably have to have a couple of mink coats in the pile - a furrier could appraise those.

Remember that ths donation value is the USED/RESALE value of the clothes, not their value when new. If the items are not in at least good used condition, you don't get any deduction.

If you are truly talking regular clothing, and are donating maybe 300 pairs of men's slacks and 600 shirts, be sure to get an itemized receipt, and save it for the IRS audit since you'd very likely get one.

If you are saying that the $5000 was the NEW price of the items, then your deduction of course would be far less. Both the Goodwill and Salvation Army websites have lists of items along with typical resale prices - you could use those values - again, save your receipts, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to print out the guidelines you followed from one of those websites.

Answer 2

Don't know, but based on the value of "used clothing" you'd have to be donating an awful lot of clothing to have that much, either that or donating mink coats, and expensive dresses or suits. You don't get anywhere near original value of the clothing. I think if you tried taking that much of a donation for clothing you're just inviting an audit by the IRS.

Answer 3

You can go to a local resale shop and ask them to appraise it for you if you want. Be aware that a donation of that much in clothing, especially if they are used will generate a red flag on your tax return.