How to Shop ThredUp

I seriously love a good deal. Some people might call me cheap, but I call myself a bargain hunter. To the extent that I used to be one of those crazy coupon ladies. Nowadays I don’t even like to leave the house to go shopping (grocery or otherwise). Are you like this? If you are, have you heard of ThredUp? It is the largest online consignment and thrift store and I am completely obsessed!

I have posted about my love for ThredUp so many times on my stories on Instagram but I always get questions about what it is and how to find great stuff there because it can be super overwhelming. ThredUp receives over 15,000 new items EVERY SINGLE DAY! That is a lot to search through!

I do not consider myself a ThredUp expert, even if 65% of my closet is purchased from ThredUp. There are days that even I get overwhelmed by the HUGE selection. Before I tell you how I find great deals on their website I want to make sure you know this post is NOT sponsored; I mean I am sure they have NO IDEA who I am. There are some affiliate links, and if you use my link for your first purchase on ThredUp, you’ll get $10 off.

2 Things to Keep in Mind When Shopping at ThredUp:

Restocking Fee: In Summer of 2018 ThredUp started charging a restocking fee of $1.99 for any item under $50 you return, you’ll receive the full amount back in cash or credit minus $1.99/item.

It took me a little bit to get behind this decision. It does make me think twice before I push the order button. Whereas before I would say, “Oh I might as well try it because it is free returns.” But my husband, a business owner himself, made a great point, shipping isn’t free and restocking an item has costs associated with it. So, even with the restocking fee, I will still be shopping at thredUP, but I do take more time to make a decision and I am less likely to make a risky purchase if it isn’t something I am 100% sold on.

Shipping: thredUP does charge shipping unless you make a purchase of $79 or more. I usually don’t have a problem getting to the minimum purchases because there are so many great options. thredUP prides itself on being 100% authentic, so there are no knockoffs and everything is in such great condition a lot of people mistake things for new.

Alright, now that all that is out of the way lets get to the best tips for finding great stuff on thredUP.

10 Tips for Scoring Deals on thredUP:

Visit Often. Remember when I told you they get over 15K new items a day? That means there is a lot of inventory turn over so you will never know what might pop up. I’m not saying you need to look every day, but a few times a week will help you find great pieces. For example one of my saved searches typically has over 176,114 items, that is 1835 pages of clothes to look through. I don’t have enough time to look through all those pages, do you? I don’t think so… But if you look a few times a week you’ll be able to see new items that otherwise would be lost with everything else.
Stick with brands you know. I feel like this is even more important now that they have the $1.99 restocking fee. If you know Lucky Brand clothes don’t look good on you, they don’t fit or flatter you then I don’t suggest purchasing it secondhand in hopes that it will magically look good on you this time. But if you have brands you love (Banana Republic, Gap, J.Crew, Hudson, etc.) keep an eye out for those brands on thredUP. You will know what sizes look good on you and you will know how those clothes will fit.
Use filters. Having 15,000 new pieces added to the website every day makes it impossible to just browse. Using the filters will really help you narrow it down. For example my starting filters are typical: New With Tags/Like New, size (including pants, shirts, shoes, etc.), brand, then what I am looking for (pants, tops, sweaters, workout gear, etc.) and suddenly you took an outrageous number of items to something a little more manageable.
Saved Searches. Saved searches are LIFE on thredUp. Filters are just the first step to finding great items. But being able to use those filters as a saved search so you can come back to it is the best thing that thredUp has ever done! I mean seriously, I have 5 saved searches on my account and they are super specific. There are so many perks to saved searches and the biggest one to me is that you don’t have to go through and click all the filters everytime you get on to the site. Which if you are following my tips then you’re visiting often.
Buy higher end than you typically do. I have mentioned that I am a huge bargain shopper. I don’t like to pay full retail for anything. So on the few occasions that I have gone to the mall and done any shopping, I am more likely to purchase something from Old Navy or Forever 21 than I am from J.Crew, Free People, or Madewell. But that is what is so great about thredUP, I can purchase an $89 top for $18. Your closet will thank you. You’ll have nicer clothes, that fit better for a fraction of the cost.
Don’t forget shoes (and other extras). Some people find it easiest to start with shoes because they aren’t tricky. You know what size shoe you wear, and it is typically the same in all brands. But thredUP also has handbags, scarves, jewelry, and hats. Just keep in mind handbags are not returnable.
A word about clearance shopping. If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times: I am a bargain shopper and I do not like to pay full retail for anything. For so much of my life I would shop clearance racks like they were going out of style, and sometimes I still do. When I am on thredUP I don’t try to avoid clearance items, but I also don’t seek them out like I would in the store. ThredUP does NOT allow returns on any item listed as clearance. So just a little food for thought for you.
Try on multiple times. So your polka dot box came in the mail and you are so excited! You try everything on. You make two piles one for go backs and one to hang up and keep. Great. Now try everything on again in a day or so. You want to make sure that what you got you are actually going to wear and love. Otherwise, what is the point, also see below.
Send stuff back. I know the $1.99/item restocking fee makes you feel a little obligated to keep everything you purchased. But don’t! If it doesn’t fit right, or, excuse my Marie Kondo reference, spark joy, then don’t keep it. Imagine how nice it would be to have a closet full of items you love. Imagine how much easier it would be to get ready if you loved everything in there. I have been working so hard on this, in fact, it is a personal struggle for me. I have to constantly retrain my mindset and resist the urge to say “it was only $10, I’ll just keep it and maybe I will wear it.” Because guess what, I do not wear it. So I send it back. When I send items back to thredUP I always, always get my refund in store credit so I can get free shipping, and I save my money for the next time I make an order. (I currently have a $10 credit just sitting there waiting to be used.)
Don’t forget about kids clothes. I like to use thredUP for M too. While thredUP doesn’t carry men’s clothing they have a great selection for kids. The thing I love about their kids’ clothing is they are great, expensive brands that I would NEVER pay full price for because, hello kids are dirty, for killer prices.

Well, there you have it. My top tips for shopping on thredUP. I hope you found these tips helpful for your next shopping spree. Did you know about or use thredUP before? If you’ve been on before tell me your tips… Like I said, I am no expert and I am always willing to learn new tips and tricks!