Using ThredUP to Add to My Wardrobe

Wish you could add some new clothing to your wardrobe … for free? You’ll love using ThredUP to add to your wardrobe!

I’m a big fan of thrift stores. But depending on the store, the selection isn’t always ideal. When I don’t have time to go from thrift store to thrift store to search for certain things, I use free moments to shop at home through ThredUP, an online thrift store.

After shopping at ThredUP for the past year, I’ve added a lot of high quality, new-to-me clothes to my wardrobe. And I’ve discovered plenty of pros and cons:

Pros

The selection is extensive. ThredUP offers thousands of clothing for women, boys and girls, as well as shoes and handbags … and there’s something for everyone. I’ve loved the fashionable choices.

It’s easy to search for what you’re looking for. Simply narrow your search by choosing the item, size, color, and price range you’re looking for. If you know the brands you prefer, narrow your search to those. You can even narrow tops and dresses to the kind of neckline and sleeve length you’re looking for.

The quality is amazing. ThredUP offers new (with tags) and like-new merchandise. And the new-with-tags merchandise can make great gifts!

You can earn free clothing. Every time you refer a friend (and they place an order) you get $10 in free merchandise – and so do they.(I’d love to offer this treat to you! Through my referral you can try shopping through ThredUP and get $10 in free merchandise.)

Cons

You can’t physically touch the clothing. You won’t be able to eyeball if it would fit you correctly – or if you really like the fabric. (It’s helpful if you know that a particular brand of clothing fits you well.)

If you don’t give yourself limits, it can turn into a huge time suck. With so many clothes to choose from – even if you narrow your selections – it’s easy to scroll through page after page after page.

The prices aren’t as low as typical thrift stores. But then again, the quality of the clothing typically is much better than what I’ve found at thrift stores.

While you can sell your own clothing on ThredUP, the payout isn’t very high. This summer I sent a ThredUP clean out bag filled with clothes I wanted to sell. I opted to have any of the unwanted clothing returned to me. Only four items were chosen from ThredUP, and I made $10. Not bad, but not great.

Lessons learned

I’ve discovered the hard way that if you spy something you’re remotely interested in on ThredUP, click to add it to your cart. As soon as you see it. (Seriously.) Otherwise, the clothing can be gone in a matter of seconds. You can keep clothes in your ThredUP cart for 24 hours – but then it’s returned to the website for other shoppers.

ThredUP details

ThredUP accepts credit card and PayPal payments. They charge a flat rate of $5.99 for shipping. Orders of $70 or more qualify for free shipping. (If you need the clothing quickly, you can pay $11.99 for two-day shipping.)

If you’re not happy with your purchase, you can return it within 14 days for a refund.

Want $20 in free clothing? You can sign up for ThredUP and get $10 in merchandise RIGHT NOW. When you refer your own friends, you’ll get $10 for every time your friend signs up and they’ll get $10, too!

When you don’t have time to go from thrift store to thrift store to search for clothing, use your free moments to shop at home through ThredUP… and see what thrifty treasures you might find.