[Review] thredUP

Thursday, August 14, 2014



A couple days ago I mentioned that I made my first thredUP purchase. (For those of you who have never heard of it before, thredUP is a an online consignment store where you can buy and sell gently used clothes and more).

I've sold 2 bags worth of clothes before (and have gotten back over $150!), but had never made my own purchase. Sure I window shopped a lot, even added things to a cart, but I never actually bought anything. The prices are GREAT. The clothes are cute and in season. But... I just couldn't bring myself to buy anything. Why? To be honest. The idea of used clothes kinda weirded me out and I truly wondered just how "like new" the clothes really were. Why? I don't know! I mean I knew the quality of clothes that I was sending and the quality of clothes that they kept to sell on my behalf (they don't always accept everything - see their quality standards), but for some reason I just didn't think the clothes I would get in return would be as good. Weird logic. I know. And the inner OCD/germaphobe in me was weirded out by the clothes being worn by others (hello! didn't I remember that you needed to send freshly laundered clothes AND I could always wash the clothes once I received them?? duh.)

So when I got a $15 off my first purchase coupon a couple weeks ago in an email, I figured now would be as good a time as any to try it! I've been wanting to get Mason some new jeans for fall/winter and so I hopped online to see if thredUP had the Old Navy jeans that I liked. And they did! I clicked on the first pair that I saw and I noticed that it had a little disclaimer that they had a tiny flaw. And in this case, the tiny flaw was that they were slightly faded (side note : when I got them, I noticed no fading. That's how detail oriented they are and how well they check their clothes). The cords I bought also said they were slightly faded, but I could barely tell as well. The cords didn't have much detail on the website but I recognized them from last year and knew I wanted to get another pair. I also bought a shirt, which they had great pictures of. The shirt has patches on the elbows and they made sure to include pictures from all angels of the shirt.

I placed my order, applied my promo code and was surprised to find that I had a credit so my discounted order...was totally free! I couldn't be happier (and neither could Seth haha!)

Shortly after I hit "purchase", I got an email with a tracking number stating that my box would be here in 3-8 business days (since I hadn't chosen any form of super speedy shipping), along with a summary of my order. I also got an email that told me what to do with my polka dot bag.



My order arrived a few days later and I couldn't have been more excited to open it!





The clothes were all in great quality and exactly what I was looking for!

I opened the envelope with my clean out bag and started to pack it up to send it in to receive more money back!





I filled it with mostly Mason's stuff (since he outgrows his clothes a lot faster than I do!) as well as a couple tops of my own that I don't wear anymore. All I need to do is fill out the envelope with my information (so they know the bag belongs to me!), seal it up, and drop it off at a UPS store (postage is already paid for!). thredUP will email me when they receive my bag and let me know that it will take a couple days for them to process my bag (it's a popular place!). The communication from thredUP is great and they will let you know exactly where they are every step of the way. They will let you know what they will take back (they will donate the stuff that they won't unless you paid to have the stuff sent back to you) and will let you know as your items sell and your credit grows. You can cash out your payment (I believe through PayPal and for a small fee) or you can use your credits to shop. In my case, I had the discount code and then I had some credits I had forgotten about so I was surprised to see I owed nothing.



Some things to keep in mind when shopping on thredUP (from my experience):

Comparison shop : Let me start off by saying, their prices are GREAT. GREAT! But since most clothes come back after being worn, they do not have price tags on them. I don't know how they come up with their original prices that they tell you to then tell you that you are getting a great deal, but I've found that with a great sale on certain websites, you could get a brand new shirt for the same or less price. For example, I was looking at some short sleeve shirts and they were Old Navy and $5-6 on thredUP but Old Navy was having a sale and I got the same shirt for new for $4 that way. Had they not been on sale, it would have been a great price, but since they were on sale, I got them that way. Shop around.

Have an idea of what you're looking for (or not if you're not picky!) : since most clothes are pre-worn, thredUP doesn't have exact information on what the item is. For example, the jeans that I just bought were Old Navy straight leg, but the thredUP description was just Old Navy jeans. They looked like the ones I wanted, but I wasn't sure. I tried them anyway because I figured 1. They were $5. And 2. If I didn't like them, I knew they bought them and could always send them back (or return them). From pervious purchases, I knew what the pants should look like and I just went off the picture and was able to get the correct thing.

Be prepared : thredUP won't accept all the stuff you send. That's just a fact. They do explain on their website what they will and won't take, but sometimes I think I am within the parameters so I send it and then they don't like it. I would have donated the clothes anyways, so I figure I am not at a loss if they don't accept my item and end up donating it.

Filter : You can filter your results by size, price, condition, etc. In my case, I filtered by boys, size 2T, and then Old Navy. You can set favorites for clothing brands that you like (ex : Old Navy, Baby Gap, Naartjie, etc) so you can just click the button and it will filter and you don't have to search each time. I suggest playing around and seeing what works best for you.

Helpful links :

I am certainly no pro on this topic, but a lot of you emailed me asking about when I would post about this, so please let me know if I didn't answer all your questions and I would be happy to help more :)

My first purchase experience was WONDERFUL and I will definitely be shopping again!

Interested in trying thredUP? Click here and you will get $10 off your first purchase and I'll get a $10 shop credit!

Update! I just got this email and I think if you go here you can save $20 (!!) off your first order and I will get a $10 shop credit!


Disclaimer : I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are my own. All clothing sold to thredUP was my own and the credit used to purchase these clothes was mine. 

9 comments:

  1. I'm really really loving this!! And definitely have more than a few thing to sell (and buy!)

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  2. I wish I read this before I dropped a ton of stuff off at Goodwill last week! Sounds like a great company, I'll definitely check them out next time I clean out my closet.

    The Joni Journey

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  3. I placed a large order with them recently and loved most items! You definitely have to know your size in a brand, that was my only frustration..seeing as we don't have some brands here.

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  4. You know I love Thred Up! You found some awesome things!

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  5. Great review! I've never heard of this, but will definitely be checking it out. I always want to buy new stuff for Reese, but that can get pricey and the hubby isn't a fan ;)

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  6. That is awesome! My only downside is that when we take Aria's stuff to consignment, if they don't want it I put it in a bag to give to up and coming new parents. Soooo I'd want it back. But I wouldn't want to pay for it. I'll definitely have to check out what they have though! I like discounts.

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  7. Love the elbow patches..!! Glad you had a good experience. I have heard of them before but just felt overwhelmed and didn't know where to start when I looked it up. Might have to check it out for some Fall clothing. Thanks!!

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  8. Never heard of this! Thanks for sharing!!

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  9. This is such a cool concept! I need to check this out, especially for clothes for Marcus!!

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