I've been a fan of consignment shopping for a while now. Our town has a kids store that lets you bring in clothes to sell, and then use store credit to buy new things, and it has been so great! I've been a regular there for years and years (maybe a decade!?) because it is so nice to get kids stuff (clothes and equipment) without exchanging any actual money- just getting rid of the old stuff! Especially because kids go through sizes like crazy- in the baby stage where they are changing sizes every 3 months- it is fantastic. They also are great about donating to a fantastic cause, so I typically donate anything I'm not able to sell to them.
Our town, however, does not have any such store for adults! When I saw ThredUp advertised online, it seemed like something I'd want to try. I loved consignment shopping for the kids, and figured it would be something I'd enjoy for myself too! ThredUp is also doing an advertising campaign about how good second-hand shopping is for the planet, which is so true- but honestly not the main reason I considered it in the first place. I was just looking for budget friendly options, as well as being able to buy higher quality pieces while staying in my budget, so the planet-helping part is just a bonus!
I've placed a couple of orders with ThredUp now, and thought I'd share a few things I've learned, liked, and wish were different with the whole process. (This is not a sponsored post by any means, they have NO CLUE who I am, I just wanted to share a tip or two! However, I do have a link that you could click to receive $10 off your first purchase, and I would get a $10 credit in return!)
First off, my favorite thing to purchase second-hand for myself is jeans. I actually prefer second-hand shopping for this, because it's so nice to have a variety of brands all in one place. This way, I can try an assortment of styles to find one that works for me, and it's all in one place instead of trekking to a miscellany of stores to find which brand of jeans I like. Jeans are like... the universal struggle for fit and sizing... am I right?! I have found a few brands and fits I like from purchasing through ThredUp, and then I will just search on ThredUp for more of the same brand, or use the info to buy another pair of the same style from the actual retailer (a pair I liked is LOFT for example, so if I search on ThredUp for a bit and come up dry, I can just order the exact same pair from LOFT if I'd like another pair or a different color, etc.)
ThredUp has a pretty painless return policy, which has already come in handy. I ordered quite a few items a month or two ago, probably 6 or so, and only ended up liking 2 of them once I tried them all on. I opted to return the rest for store credit, and used it to buy a few different items that I liked much better, and ended up keeping them all. I should mention, my return was mostly due to fit issues, and wasn't due to quality or anything like that. They give pretty accurate descriptions on their website, and will state whether the items are pilled, faded, etc. The main issue I have is forgetting to read that part- because it's certainly an adjustment to ordering second hand items vs a store's webpage that is all brand new items and are obviously all meant to be is pristine condition. I only opt to order items from ThredUp that are listed as being "in excellent condition, you might mistake it for brand new" or actually new with tags on it. That being said, I recently ordered a black J. Crew blazer/jacket type item, without paying attention to the description, and it was more faded than I would have liked, so it went back with my returns. The rest of my returns were just because I misjudged the size I would need on a few other J.Crew blazer/sweater/jacket items I was looking for, and they looked to big and bulky on me.
The actual return process works like this- you can choose store credit for a full refund- minus a possible restocking fee of $1.99 per item, and free return shipping, or you can receive a refund of your actual money, but are subject to shipping costs to send it back. They also state that they will make things right if they have listed the item incorrectly, so that's nice to know! I have not had any experience with that part of it- but would hope they live up to that promise. This return policy could be an issue for some people- paying return shipping to get your money refunded sure feels like a waste of money when so many companies offer free returns with online purchases, however, it doesn't really bother me, because I was happy to just take the store credit and order something else.
I have appreciated being able to buy nicer brands, like J. Crew for example, for such a fraction of the cost. I also had a lucky find when a blogger I follow posted about a top she was wearing from J.Crew last year, and it was no longer sold from the retailer. I was able to search through the "white J.Crew short-sleeved tops" in my size and find one! I think it is something that will really come in handy when I find an item I like that is sold out at the store or just discontinued- there's always a chance to find it at ThredUp! Actually the other item I have my eye out for is J.Crew as well, and was recommended by a few other bloggers. Purchasing it new is WAY out of my price range, but on ThredUp it's not a big deal and costs about the same as buying a sweater at Target or something.
The other thing to know is that the website itself can be overwhelming. There are a TON of items and it's hard to know where to start. I typically have gone to the website with a certain item in mind (like the specific J.Crew tops I talked about), or a certain general type of item (like "jeans"), and I will just filter it down by size, a few brands I like, fit options (like skinny leg for example) and browse from there. Another option is to just shop by brand, and browse through the tops and bottoms in that brand- just make sure to filter it down to your size too so you're only seeing things that are a good option for you. You can also filter it by selecting only items that are "new with tags" or in "excellent condition", which is another filter I like to have on my searches. I figure, the more you can filter it down, the better, because I do not have the patience to scroll through 35 pages of things I may not even want, and want to filter it down closest to the items I would consider buying as possible.
The other best tip I have for you, while browsing their website, it to add anything you are even considering to your bag. Remember, it's not like a regular retailer with a full stock of items, typically there is just 1. Because of that, I add anything I might consider to my bag, and then when I'm done browsing, I filter through my shopping bag more closely and remove any of the items I really don't need or want. They will leave items in your bag for 24 hours, but then remove them automatically to open them back up to other customers to purchase, so keep that in mind as well!
I do see that they carry children's clothing as well, but haven't given that a try yet. I'm so happy with my local kids' store, but may check out the ThredUp selection for more options.
You can sell your old clothes to ThredUp as well, and their are a few options for how to do this. I can't speak much to how that works, because I have not done it yet. Have any of you tried this with success?
Have any of you tried ThredUp? What great things have you found? Have you had a good experience with them overall? I've only ordered a few times now, so I am excited to keep trying it. Share any tips you have for me in the comments please!
Give $10, Get $10
Give $10 to spend and get $10 to shop after a friend places their first order.Click above for my referral link for ThredUp! If you click on it, you should be able to get $10 off your first order! Hooray!
