ThredUp.
Have you heard of it? I’ve seen it in my Facebook feed for a long time but for some reason never checked it out until recently. I think it was because, in my experience with resale shops, it’s really hard for me to find what I’m looking for. I’m so glad I checked it out because I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to sort through what they offer!
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 have some good experience with the company now! I had a little glitch while signing up (my error) and I was so impressed with how quickly and efficiently ThredUp 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!
Here are some stats from ThredUp’s website and the booklet they send with each order:
-The average American throws away about 65 pounds of clothing per year, and 50% could be recycled.
-Only 20% of the clothes in the average person’s closet are worn on a regular basis.
-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!!
Here is what I loved about ThredUP:
- In the spirit of minimalism and being intentional, I loved getting items from stores I love at a fraction of the price! I selected “like-new” or “new with tags” for every item 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!
- The search options they offer make it very 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.
- Their return policy rocks. 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.
- This seems little, but it made an impression on me. Your order will arrive in a cute polka dot box, carefully wrapped in patterned tissue paper with a cute “enjoy” sticker on it. The organization and attention to detail reminded me of StitchFix. Who doesn’t love cute packages?
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 and it fits my 9 year old daughter. 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 every other brand I tried that I wasn’t familiar 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.
- 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 with me. 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.
- The turnover rate is faster than you might think. If you see something you like, you should probably get it while it’s available.
These are a handful of the items we got in our ThredUp order to give you an idea of pricing. There are lots of name brands at ThredUp but most of those are kind of lost on me. For those who care, just know that they are there!
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, bringing it to $76.60 for like-new clothes. I was pretty stoked!
If you’d like to try ThredUp, you can use this affiliate link to get both of us $10 off of our order!