You’ll get no argument from me about the virtues of shopping on ThredUp. Read all about my experience with this secondhand fashion website here. Buying secondhand clothes and shoes is a brilliant way to keep your fashion sustainable and reduce your carbon footprint. The items on ThredUp are in excellent condition and generally priced very low although I have come across the odd item that confused the hell out of me. Once I was looking for a statement brooch and noticed a plastic necklace from Marks and Spencer priced at a whopping $199! I actually spat out my tea at the time, unable to hold in my laugh.
Despite these occasional fuck ups on pricing, overall ThredUp is a bargain hunter’s dream. I guess pricing depends on the individual sorting through the bag? Or perhaps the seller altered the price in a cheeky attempt to make the necklace covetable? I don’t know because nobody at ThredUp ever replied to my question about it. In any case if you know your stuff and do your research, you shouldn’t get ripped off.
DON’T SELL ON THREDUP IF YOU WANT TO MAKE MONEY
The clue is in the title. Selling on ThredUp is NOT for the entrepreneurial. I’d say it’s more of a charity than it claims. If, like me you tend to give away most of your unwanted clothes then this is a nice little gift for doing so. You can also look at it as a way of paying forward the lovely pieces in your closet that you no longer have use for. For instance I filled my bag with clothes I’ve worn so much I was simply bored of them. All in perfect condition, with years of styling enjoyment left, the thought of another fashionista buying them at an affordable price makes me very happy indeed.
The items that didn’t pass ThredUp’s rigorous inspection would be donated to charity. Again this makes me very happy. Basically a win win in my book. However what I was NOT prepared for was the huge number of items deemed unfit to sell. Now let’s break for a short video so you get an idea of the type of pieces I’m referring to.
As you can probably guess I posted some Instagram Stories before I sent my bag to ThredUp. I won’t bore you with every single one. What is blatantly clear from this 15 second story is the condition, quality and relevance of the items I sent.
My fabulous Antik Batik boho maxi dress is bang on trend with not a single sequins missing! Believe it or not this dress and likewise many other items were rejected by ThredUp. I emailed them asking for specific reasons why they weren’t good enough to sell. I really just want to know out of curiosity and for this post but I never received a reply.
Since I opted to forward the rejected items to charity, that is where this dress and many others, ended up. Well, I assume. Although the skeptic in me has to wonder, if you know what I mean? Never the less wherever this beautiful maxi is hanging now I have no doubt someone is loving it. And that’s alright by me.
WHAT I DON’T LIKE ABOUT THREDUP
What I don’t like about ThredUp is the incredibly poor customer service. As I mentioned earlier, I emailed them questions. Twice in fact, but never had a reply. The other thing sorely lacking is the description of the items for sale. It is minimal to the extreme. For example I had a suede dress listed that wasn’t described as suede or even leather. It was just a dress! I mean what the hell? And no you can’t add your own description like Ebay or Vestiaire Collective. In truth that’s the point as well as the problem with ThredUp right there, in a nutshell. They DO everything for you.
HOW DOES SELLING ON THREDUP WORK?
The best thing about selling on ThredUp is also the worst thing about ThredUp. I know, bear with me… Here’s how it works step by step.
- Go to ThredUp and click CLEAN OUT in the top menu bar. This takes you to a page where you can either sell or donate your clothes. For our purposes we hit ORDER A FREE KIT. You then choose whether to pass on your unsold items to charity or have them returned to you for a small postage charge. A large plastic bag with the return address already on it will arrive in your post within a couple of weeks. No it aint quick.
- Fill your bag with your carefully selected items. Don’t worry, a detailed list of requirements comes with the bag.
- Schedule the USPS or FEDEX to collect the bag free of charge or you can drop it at one of their locations if that’s easier.
- WAIT FOR AN INCREDIBLY LONG TIME….It took ThredUp two months to process my bag.
- Next you’ll receive notification of your items going live on their site. You can log into your account to see them and even adjust the price although only up to the estimated retail price ThredUp has set. ThredUp shoppers expect to bag a bargain but sometimes ThredUp gets it wrong. That’s the risk you take by giving them carte blanche on your listing.
- When your items sell you have the choice of credit to shop or cash out. Be warned, cash out option is laughable. It’s a pittance to be precise. However if you take the credit option it’s actually not bad at all because it’s a higher payment and the shopping is rather cheap. I’ve found some extraordinary bargains like these Escada baby cord velvet flares below. Escada jeans typically cost upwards of $300 but these new with tags were only $89 including delivery BAM!
IT’S BEST TO SEND IT AND FORGET IT
Finally almost six months after sending my clean out kit to ThredUp, I received my last credit of $6.23. It’s an excruciating length of time to wait if you need the money plus you’re paid as and when something sells, not in a lump sum. Now you might wanna scroll back to see how full that bag of clothes I sent them was before I shock you with the stats.
…..wait for it…let’s have a drum roll please…..
To clarify – Everything I included in my bag was either a popular brand, high-end high street like Whistles or low-end designer like Antik Batik. Out of about 40 pieces only fifteen were chosen to list, the rest went to charity. Out of the fifteen, two didn’t sell so they also went to charity. The grand total I made off ThredUp was $35.46.
How hilarious is that? O.K so they do all the heavy lifting. They photograph, upload and describe your items. Plus they handle postage and packaging to the buyer including any returns that may happen. Although it’s fair to say if this is the grand sum I make from my huge bag of clothes then it’s more for charity than profit. Now as to WHO the beneficiary is of my charity, I can’t tell so for that reason I won’t sell on ThredUp again.
So there you have it at long last my entire experience selling on ThredUp. Obviously the reason it took so long for me to publish this post is because of the ridiculous amount of time it took ThredUp to do their thing. They make it sound so easy and rewarding on their website. It is simple, I’ll grant them that but certainly not a lucrative way to sell your clothes. Perhaps The Real Real or Vestiaire Collective is better when it comes to this type of selling? There’s no doubt Ebay is still hands down the best for making a profit but you have to do all the hard work which is no good for the time poor.
Ciao darlings xx
Comments ( 14 )
Lisa the Sequinist
Verrrrry interesting. It seems INSANE that that much clothing got you so little money. I think you’re right to view it as a charity, although like you, I smell a bit of a rat. Someone is making something somewhere. I bet they don’t give to charity, perhaps they sell these pieces on, just not on their site? Weird. I’d stick with Ebay for anything I sell in the future; I’ve never gone wrong with them. Thank you for your excellent field work, detective! xxx
No Fear of Fashion
I am with you Lisa. I smell a giant rat. I bet they keep the good stuff for themselves of sell them on. The stuff they “rejected”.
Here is another idea for you Michelle… why don’t you organize a clothes swap in your neighbourhood? You get to know your neighbours and there might be some nice clothes in it for you. Who knows?
Or just give the clothes to colleagues, friends, neighbours. Giving them away to someone you know is really nice.
Greetje
MT
Oh I agree with you Greetje and I also give away to people I know. A clothes swap is a terrific idea too! Thanks for that love xx
MT
Well to be fair Lisa, I don’t think the company is doing anything dodgy at all. You just never know if there’s a rogue employee or two cherry-picking for themselves or what not, if you get my drift? Perhaps I’m overly suspicious it simply does not up add up that so many of my garments weren’t accepted.
This Main Line Life
I’ve never tried Thread Up. I sell on ebay though. Saw your post on #iwillwearwhatilike
x, Julie | thismainlinelife.com
MT
Yep Ebay is better for making money there’s no doubt about it 😉
Fatima Truscott
Dang! My comment didn’t come through. Love this post MT, verrrry interesting. I reckon they could be reselling elsewhere and I cannot believe that your AB dress was rejected????? It’s gorgeous and in perfect condition. xx
MT
It’s so weird isn’t it? I really don’t want to believe anything underhand is going on but it’s seriously odd how they determine what’s worth selling. Thanks for letting me know your comment didn’t go through FT, I think there’s a glitch. Had a few others say the same xx
Marie
I just decided to ‘sell’ to threadup for the first time. I basically mailed them 3 FULL boxes of clothes and shoes that were practically brand new or had tags. “We need plus size” items they boasted, and I had them. Out of everything sent, they took 5 items, and they were all shoes. Not even $10 worth.
I was beyond stunned, and almost wish I checked the box to return it back to me. I’m sure I would’ve gotten more by just throwing everything in the trash.
MT
That sucks big time Marie! Oh well lesson learned I guess? I just hope a charity does get your clothes because it’s awfully fishy business…
Anne Garber
I have been stashing away some of my better brand, lightly worn clothing for resale and was considering ThreadUp. Your experience is exactly what I feared might happen after I read how they work. While I don’t doubt they donate to charity, it does seem rather suspect that they won’t define the charity or at least whom it benefits.
Michelle Tyler
I wouldn’t recommend it Anne. It’s beyond me how they have such a huge amount of stock! Although the fact they do makes buying from them a completely different experience. Conversely I have only positive experience buying from the site. Have you tried selling your clothes as a bundle on Ebay? I’ve had good results from this in the past and it’s not as labour intensive as selling pieces individually. Good luck!
Lorraine
I do not have time to sell on eBay and with thredUP it is so easy to ship off a box of clothes I no longer wear. It helps me purge my clothing. I usually get about $40 a box and I then treat myself to something special like a nbtand name jacket or dress. With the credit or let my daughters shop with the credit. I got my mother of the bride dress on thredUP and formal wear has unbelievable low prices. I like it and it is nice to get alittle something back with all the money on clothing.
Teagan
It may be something silly like the clothing is “too old”. In my area if I sell to Plato’s Closet they check the tags to see how old the item is and if it’s older than about 3 seasons they don’t take it even if it’s in perfect condition.