5 Reasons to Love an Online Thrift Shop

by | Mar 10, 2018 | Fashion Advice | 0 comments

I’ve never been a fan of digging through merchandise to find something I want, but I’ve always been a fan of getting a great deal. Since I wasn’t a fan of digging, I wasn’t a fan of thrift shops, TJ Maxx, or Ross. To get great deals, I just looked for sales at my favorite shops. Then I discovered my favorite online thrift shop – ThredUp – and my world was changed! I got amazing deals on my favorite brands and I didn’t have to dig – it was all right there at my fingertips! I prefer ThredUp over Poshmark, because it’s much harder to return items on Poshmark. So why do I love ThredUp so much.? Let me count the ways…

thrift shop

1. You get quality clothing at a serious discount

When you shop at places that you have to dig, you might discover a gem on occasion, but with ThredUP, you just search for the brand you want, filter by size, and voilà! My all time favorite purchases have been jeans. I have to admit, I like $200 jeans and they don’t usually go on sale. My favorite brands are Citizens of Humanity and DL 1961. I have found loads of both of these brands over the past year in my size for $29. When I searched for Citizens of Humanity just now, 2 pages came up in my size! If jeans don’t entice you, maybe shoes and bags do. I clicked the “Designer” tab and Jimmy Choo heels were on the first page for $120 (normally $600) and designer handbags – like Marc Jacobs, Kate Spade, and Coach – were 65% off!

2. You don’t have to rummage

This should really be my #1 reason, but 85% off my favorite jeans had to be first. You can search by brand, style, or type of item and only items in your size (once you put them in) will come up. I clicked on shoes and new arrivals – two pages came up in my size. If I wanted to filter further, I could look at just boots or any other type of shoe I was interested in. For instance, I found an adorable pair of Sam Edelman mules for $15, so I put them in my cart. I have 24 hours to decide. I absolutely love that, because it helps me shop with intention.  If I don’t go back and purchase the shoes, I probably didn’t really want them in the first place.

3. You can shop without guilt

ThredUP has a “clean out” program where they’ll ship you a bag and then pay you for your clothes. Since they don’t sell for that much, you also don’t get that much for each item, but it still adds up as the bags they send are huge. Anything they don’t use, they give to charity or you can ask for it back. As an added bonus, this is the first step to a curated closet.

Having a running balance, has allowed me to shop guilt free whenever I get the urge. It’s kind of ruined me for regular stores, because I’m unwilling to pay their prices anymore. I went into a J Crew factory store the other day and my favorite tissue weight t-shirt was on sale for $16.99. I was like, “That’s way too much – I’ve paid $4.99 on ThredUp!”

4. There are lots of fun ways to search

I stick to fairly basic searches most of the time, but ThredUp does have some creative ways to search at the bottom of their page. You can search by style (such as athletic, feminine, classic, or edgy), by color (such as denim, coral or bright pink), or by detail (such as lace, florals, stripes, or sequins).

I tend to search by what I need (like a new top), by new arrivals, or by a specific brand. Even being filtered by size, there is still a lot of inventory, so I either only allow myself to look at a few pages or I filter further by color. Black and orange just aren’t for me, so I almost always filter those two colors out. I love doing a style challenge (I get a seasons worth of outfits as a capsule wardrobe). The challenge always gives me good ideas of how to wear the clothes I already have, so I shop my closet first. When I am missing an item I want (like leopard print flats), I go to ThredUp first to get a great item at an even better cost. 

If you really don’t want to search at all, then they have Goody Boxes. You answer a few questions and get a box filled with 12-15 unique items selected just for you. You only pay for what you keep and get free shipping and returns.

5. Free shipping and returns

Even when you buy your favorite brand and know your exact size, you still may not love an item when you try it on. The good news is that you can return it for free and keep your account rolling, so you can shop without guilt! Shipping is also free when you spend $79.

What are your thoughts on thrift shopping – online or otherwise?