We’re excited to have threadUP as one of our sponsors. We had the opportunity to interview them and get to know their company a little more recently:
How did thredUP get started?
thredUP was founded in 2009 when our CEO, James Reinhart, was staring at his closet full of clothes and didn’t want to wear any of it. We can all relate to this, right?
Not only do a lot of people also have this problem, but kids are especially growing out of their clothing at warp speeds. In 2010, thredUP created a kids clothing sharing platform and in 2013 it grew to include Women’s clothing!
Tell us more about how ThredUP works.
thredUP is an online fashion resale shop. You can shop thousands of brand name clothing for women, kids, and juniors — up to 90% off retail prices.
You can also sell us your clothing by requesting a prepaid Clean Out Bag. Simply fill the bag, and place it on your doorstep. We cover the shipping cost and pay you up to 40% of its resale value.
Do you have any promo codes available right now?
Yes! We’re currently offering a promotion exclusive for Money Saving Mom® readers. Readers can get $10 off their first order of $20 or more with promo code MSM1020 at checkout.
Is thredUP involved in any charity work?
thredUP donates a portion of proceeds to Teach For America, and we have donated about 10,000 items to the organization, Dress For Success. We encourage our members to form their own thredUP Groups to raise money for personal “causes” like a school camping trip, classroom school supplies, and disaster relief. We’ve helped raise $80,000 ($40K of which we’ve matched) for charities through groups.
How can customers get the most out of thredUP?
The best way to use thredUP would definitely be to send in your quality outgrown-clothing and then use your earnings to refresh your closet and shop “new threds” on the site! You literally would not need to spend a dime.
Interested in becoming a monthly sponsor or advertising with us? Find more details here.
Nichole says
I would like to give my thoughts from a positive experience with ThredUp. I used the selling services late last year to send in a bag of clothes I simply no longer needed. There is not a local consignment shop near me and I did not have the energy or time to figure out other options (track down a consignment shop in a different own, sell online like Craigslist/Facebook Yard Sale group/EBay, or save for a yard sale). ThredUp was a great option for me. All I had to do was order the bag (for free), fill and send. It did take a while for my bag to be sorted (I sent it in during the holidays when I’m sure many people also did the same for money for gifts) but the experience was good. I made a little under $40. Sure, not a ton but given the circumstances that was $40 for just cleaning my closet of some clothes I didn’t need. I could make more in other ways but I didn’t want to invest the time. Additionally, I’ve been in contact with their customer service and had a good experience there as well.
I found that looking up the different brands of clothing on their site beforehand helped me determine what to send in. And, I ended up sending in items even if they had what ThredUp would call “small flaws” like a tiny stain, pilling/fading since I saw that items they were selling did have those things marked. Some items I thought might not be used on the site were, even with those “small flaws” so that worked out well.
One more thing I’d like to add is that they now have a more “consignment” like approach to higher end items. The new approach for those premium items (things that sell for $150 or more) will be paid out when they sell so you can earn more. They also do this with expensive handbags.
jane says
I yesterday saw an email to me that said if I refer someone to thread up and they try it they instantly get a ten dollar credit to sample something. Usually you can find something at thread up for six to eight dollars. I would get a ten dollar credit too. Not a bad deal! Perhaps you can get referred by someone to get the free ten dollars!
MB says
Sadly, I am fed up with ThredUp. My son was expecting snow pants, but opened the package to find a camisole. Also, we have experienced poor customer service. It takes days and days for a return phone call or e-mail. Very disappointed in this organization. Great concept, but I will not be buying from them again.
Crystal Paine says
I’m so sorry you had a bad experience… 🙁
Sarah says
I have had very poor experiences buying from them and their customer service was really poor.
Sally M says
Personally I will not use this website again. I sent in a HUGE bag of very clean clothing meeting all their requirements (no rips, stains, etc) out of the entire bag they only chose two items giving me a total of $0.80 credit. These clothes were really nice. I have no idea what reason they chose to not pick the others. Unfortunately I did not opt for the rejected clothing to be returned (you pay $10-12 for shipping) but it would have been worth the money. The value of those clothes at a yard sale or other resale shop would have been at least $50.
Also, the one time I did buy clothes from there all the clothes I got had small holes or stains. These could have been overlooked by the checker but all 4 items had them.
Emily Jordan says
I am a former ThredUp customer. I started using them in 2010 to order kids clothes every season as my kids outgrew them. At that time their prices were great and I could sit in my home and order a full season of clothes without have to scrounge the clearance racks! Their way of doing business has changed over the years, however, (I think once they launched the Women’s line). I wasn’t able to find clothes for good prices anymore. They stopped accepting “cheaper” kids clothes. If your main purpose is to get a good deal on high end clothing, you may have luck with this company. For someone like me, however, who doesn’t have the funds to even afford “good” prices for high end clothing I have found that ThredUp is a waste of my time. I am back to shopping the clearance racks at Old Navy and Target and buying at thrift stores. I stopped being a customer last summer.
Teresa Reese says
I went to this site on February 21st and ordered s few childrens outfits. I tried to use the promo code from MoneySavingMom but got an error message saying the code was already expired.
MSM Team says
Thanks for letting us know. We’ll see if we can figure out the problem. So sorry it’s not working for you.
Gloria Benson says
I am the owner of a consignment shop and take clothes for the entire family. I looked into ThredUp to offer a more alternatives to sell my consignors clothing that did not sell locally and was very disappointed. Many of the brands that they accept I never see in my store. What I consider high end – they don’t accept. I would encourage everybody to check out their local consignment shops as this helps your local economy. Also when we donate clothing that do not meet our standard or are left at the end of the consignment period, we are very choosy and donate to local charities and causes that need assistance.
Hannah says
Thank you for saying this! I too own a children’s resale store and we pay much more than what Thredup would pay our customers. Please remember folks, SHOP LOCAL! We help our local communities!!
Mrs. S says
I have gotten some great clothes from them. However, I too haven’t had the greatest success selling them. Even though every item was “accepted” The payout was less than 1/3 of what the local consignment store offered.
I think it is a great place to buy clothes, but sell elsewhere.
Melinda says
Thanks for explaining this! I have started seeing ThredUP mentioned on diferent blogs, but I was a little confused whie reading on their site as to how the process worked. I need to clean out the clothes in my closet, and I think I will give this a try.
Carrie says
I looked into this before, but when I read through the details, it said that if they don’t want your clothing items, they will donate to somebody else. I could potentially be out of a bag of clothes with nothing to show for it. It would be impossible to resell at a garage sale or at the very least, donate for a tax write-off.
Crystal Paine says
I’ve heard of some having success with selling their clothes to them, but I agree that it is a risk. Personally, while I’ve had great success buying clothes from them, I’ve not had as great of success selling clothes to them.
Dianna says
I have had the same results as Crystal. I have loved the clothes I have gotten from them, but you have to watch the prices as some of the items are a bit high and can be found at consignment stores or sales for less.
I did a review of the clothes I sent at my blog. Feel free to check it out. http://www.practicingfrugal.com/2013/07/my-recent-thred-up-experience/
I told a friend about the code, but she said it came up as an expired code.
Juliet says
I too, had a better experience buying than selling. I bought a few decent priced items which came with a bag to ship back any good clothing you don’t need for Thred Up credit. I sent them about 30 things, 3 items were ‘new with tag’ and 4 were no tag, but never worn or washed. They only accepted a few items and none of my new clothing (??). None of my stuff was from their list of unacceptable brands. I don’t remember the exact credit amount but it was less than $3. Plus, it took almost 2 months for them to go through my bag and issue the credit. That put me off buying from them anymore. I could have easily made $20-$30 selling everything at a garage sale.