10 things you need to know about ThredUp (online thrift store)
New York City is full of thrift stores — a gold mine of used clothing, sometimes designer and vintage. But when you can’t travel to Brooklyn to hit up Beacon’s Closet (they also have other locations) or Buffalo Exchange in the East Village (they also have other locations), we shop online at ThredUp.*
Full Disclosure: This is our ThredUp referral link. It’s not an ad or sponsored link, but something you would send to your best friend, and it’ll give you $10 to start shopping. Woohoo! And ThredUp features and policies were accurate at the time of publication.
Here’s a breakdown of what ThredUp is and how to get the most out of it.
No. 1 ThredUp helps the environment and your wallet.
ThredUp encourages giving clothes a second life by choosing to buy used. According to Green Story Inc., an independent research firm, if everyone bought one used item instead of new, we could save 5.7 billion pounds of carbon emissions — or the equivalent of removing half a million cars from the road for one year.
It’s also lighter on your bank account. You can save up to 90% off retail prices on brands like Gap, Gucci, and Gal Meets Glam.
No. 2 ThredUp has a really great app
We prefer browsing their insane inventory on their app. They have an easy Favorites section where you can see all the items you’ve liked (and we use it to see if there are price changes).
Also, we really enjoy their search function. When you create a profile, you enter your normal clothing size(s). So, when you search by category or brand, it’ll automatically pull up all the available options in your size. No more clicking on a pair of jeans, just to find out they don’t have your size, and mourning what could have been. *slow tear
And when you browse, each item has a little heart button next to it. Super fast way of organizing your potential cart before adding it to your final order.
No. 3 You can save a search
We have several searches saved by brand. That means you’re one of the first to know when new pieces are added. Dibs on Anthropologie dresses! (It’s not really dibs, but you’ll be the first to get a notification when something is added in your size.)
Remember, these are secondhand items. Each item has its own listing. So once it sells out, it’s gone. There’s always a small chance that you may find the same piece from a different seller (although you’ll have to manually look for it yourself).
That’s kind of why our writer bought the dress in the featured photo below one size too big. They didn’t have it in her preferred size, and she couldn’t find it from another seller. She says, “I bought it anyway because I fell in love with the buttons and print. When it arrived, I had to manually cut and resew the straps because they were too long. And it’s a bit loose in the bust area, but it’s passable. But since it’s no longer sold in stores and I got it for cheaper than the retail price, it’s still a win.”
No. 4 You can bid on items
Really hot items can be found on a Brand Drop. You can set your alarm if you see something you like. Once bidding opens, you can place your bid during the 12-hour window. Basically, a modern eBay.
No. 5 You can auto-buy items
Remember when we said that there’s only one item per listing? If someone puts it in their cart, they have a certain amount of time (usually an hour) to check out. Think of it like Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack where an item can expire if you don’t buy it within the time limit.
You can grab the item if the other shopper (aka your nemesis) fails to check out and it goes back on the market. Alternatively, instead of buying it, you can also set up notifications to find out if the listing is available again.
No. 6 The buy-and-bundle shipping option
Standard shipping is $5.99 (free if your order is over $79). But since you may not be able to get enough to fill up a $79 shopping cart in one sitting (keep in mind that your items may expire), you can split up your purchase.
If you choose the buy-and-bundle option, you can shop for 7 days and place multiple orders. If they total $79, your order will ship for free. If you don’t, you’ll lose your $5.99 deposit — or you’ve essentially just paid for shipping.
No. 7 Coupon codes
ThredUp has a great coupon code for your first order. Don’t sign up without using one! (Ours is $10 off.)
They also periodically have sales and additional discount codes. We’ve seen codes for 50% off certain items and even 35% off your entire cart.
No. 8 Read the listing carefully
ThredUp only accepts gently used (and new) pieces. Each listing has a careful description that states what the defects are. And they’re (mostly) accurate.
They’ll let you know if there is mild pilling, if you would mistake the piece for new, or if the item is new and still has tags on. We once saw a piece advertised as “New with tags, but shows signs of mild wear.”
We say they are mostly accurate because we have received items with a small, light stain, which wasn’t disclosed in the description. Someone probably missed it during the inspection. But, it’s unlikely that the stain will come out now. And Type A personalities may be unhappy with the gamble.
And although ThredUp says they won’t accept items with missing parts, our writer received the dress in the photo without a belt. But we can understand why it was too pretty to pass up.
No. 9 Returns will cost you
You’ve got 3 options for returns:
Free return shipping label. Refund will be issued in credit.
$8.99 shipping label. Refund to your original payment method.
At your own cost. Refund to your original payment method.
Here’s the kicker. Each item is subject to a $1.99 restocking fee. So if you return something, either way, you’ll be out at least $2.
Of course, the exception to the restocking fee is if something is not advertised correctly or if the item is damaged. But that’s handled on a case-by-case basis, so you’re at the mercy of customer service.
No. 10 You can sell your clothes (and handbags)
You can also get cash or credit for your stuff. ThredUp generally only accepts 40% of your Clean Out Kit. You can pay for them to ship back the unwanted items, or you’ll just lose it.
You’re not going to make much from selling your clothes to ThredUp. But, it’s not like Poshmark where you need to market each piece yourself. ThredUp does all the work by inspecting, photographing, and shipping your pieces.
Final Thoughts
We love ThredUp for shopping. You can get some really great deals. It’s exciting when you shop because other ThredUp users are basically your competition. We remember getting so upset when someone put something we had Favorited into their shopping cart. Hey! We’re human!
There’s only one of each thing. So if you LOVE something, put it in your cart. You’ll have an hour to pull the trigger.
While selling on ThredUp may not be as profitable as selling it independently on Poshmark, you save yourself a lot of work. So, if you're thinking about donating the clothes to Goodwill, try ThredUp to get a better deal. But save your really nice pieces for Poshmark.