“If 1 out of 100 American households shopped secondhand, they would collectively save $1.6 BILLION every year. That’s enough for each of those households to pay for 2 years of college!!”
“If 1 out of 100 American households shopped secondhand, they would collectively save $1.6 BILLION every year. That’s enough for each of those households to pay for 2 years of college!!”
I saw ThredUP mentioned here and there a lot and for some reason one day, decided to check it out. Right after I placed my first order, I won a giveaway from PaleOmg and ThredUP! Between my initial order and spending our gift card, I ordered about 5 times so I feel like I am a legit ThredUpper and have some experience to share. Overall I’ve been really impressed, starting with their customer service. I had a little glitch while signing up (my error) and I was so impressed with how quickly and efficiently their customer service helped me resolve it. Good customer service is HUGE to me! I feel like it’s becoming more and more rare and to me, it’s really what sets a company apart – that and a quality product at a fair price, all of which I feel ThredUP offers.
Here is what I loved:
- I already mentioned the customer service. Being able to get in touch with the company you’re buying from is a big plus.
- Look at that cute packaging! It reminds me of a StitchFix order with everything carefully and cutely put together. I know, not a huge thing, but it made an impression on me and made it more fun to open.
- The search options they offer make it easy to find what you’re looking for. I narrowed down my search by brand, size, condition, and price – you can choose multiple options at the same time! I got clothes for all the kids and myself (ThredUp doesn’t have men’s clothes yet) and it was fairly easy to sort through everything since I had an idea of what I was looking for.
- In the spirit of minimalism and being intentional with where my money goes, I loved getting items from stores I love at a fraction of the price! I selected “like-new” or “new with tags” for almost all the items I bought so it was like getting a bunch of brand new clothes for a small fraction of their listed price. This left me with more money to give and use for things that are important to us. Win-win!
- Their return policy is great! There are 3 ways to do it and I used all 3 and was very happy with the simplicity and time it took to process them. I usually despise having to return things but this was so easy I didn’t mind it.
- All items arrived in the described condition. Like I mentioned above, almost everything I got was like-new or new but the gently used items I received were very accurately described and I am pleased with them.
- Inventory is updated often throughout the day so if you’re looking for something in particular, check back often.
- If I cared much about name brands and designer labels I would probably also love that ThredUp carries LOTS of these at a hugely discounted prices!
“The average American throws away about 65 pounds of clothing per year, and 50% could be recycled.”
My suggestions for shopping at ThredUP:
- Unless you are feeling adventurous, you may want to stick to brand names you are familiar with. Case in point: I ordered a size small dress from Forever21, squeezed into it, panting, had my husband help peel it off, and gave it to our 9 year old. I also ordered an extra small top from Ann Taylor and it was too large. These aren’t brands I’m very familiar with and like almost every other brand I tried that I wasn’t familiarwith, they didn’t work out. I was a little bummed but returns were very simple and I learned a lesson for the future: stick to brands I know and the sizes I usually wear will work.
- Sometimes it’s hard to tell exactly what the material or details of an item are. I ordered a pair of pumps that ended up having a velcro closure around the ankle that wasn’t included in the listing (not okay). Thankfully, there is a place to provide feedback for each item when you return it. Sometimes it’s a bit of a gamble but I think that makes it a little exciting, too.
- I was amazed at how quickly some items sold or got “reserved” (added to someone’s cart where they then have 24 hours to purchase it or it goes back into inventory). If you see something you like, you might want to go ahead and add it to your cart!
- Workout pants are listed under “pants” not “activewear” where the rest of the workout clothes are. Weird, but true.
- Now, I’m not positive, but some styles on the website might not be as current as others (you’re on your own here). I kind of like the wide variety of styles, myself, as long as an item is in good condition and I can make it work for me.
with, they didn’t work out. I was a little bummed but returns were very simple and I learned a lesson for the future: stick to brands I know and the sizes I usually wear will work.“Only 20% of the clothes in the average person’s closet are worn on a regular basis.”
These are a handful of the items we got in our ThredUp order to give you an idea of pricing (which varies greatly):
Express black skinny jeggings (new with tags) – $20
Vera Wang gray tshirt (like-new) – $9
Gap Fit black capri workout pants (like-new) – $18
Franco Sarto Wedge Sandals (like-new) – $28
Old Navy Blue Workout Tank (like-new) – $9
J Brand Jeans (like-new) – $13 final sale
Champion Blue Workout Shorts (like-new) – $5
Carter’s Boy’s MVP Tshirt (like-new) – $6
Girls Gymboree Floral Patterned Dress (like-new) – $12
Girls Old Navy Chambray Sleeveless Dress (like-new) – $8
This was $128 but I got 40% off since it was my first order (not sure if they do that for every order or if it was a special going on at the time), bringing it to $76.60. I was pretty stoked! I’ve noticed they often have coupon codes on their website, too.
If you’d like to try ThredUP, you can use this affiliate link to get both of us $10 off of our order!
