ThredUP Review: Is It Worth It To Sell Clothes?

This yearI made a conscious effort to live with only what I need and let go of what I no longer use. I not only got rid of 40 percent of my things and moved into a smaller apartmentbut I thoroughly enjoyed the process and the outcome.

I partly did it because I was tired of looking at my always-full closet and partly because I wanted to ensure I could fit everything into my newsmaller apartment.

This is where ThredUp can be helpful. In this reviewI will go over how it workswhat you need to knowand whether ThredUp is worth it.

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What is ThredUp?

thredUP is essentially an online consignment shop. The site allows you to sell your gently usedname-brand clothing by mail. They accept clothing for both women and children.

How Does ThredUp Work?

The process begins by requesting a Clean Out Bag from their website. Then you put your unwanted clothingshoesand accessories in a bag and mail them to them with the prepaid label.

In shortyou have to pay ThredUp to process your clothing and pay you. Sounds oddbut the pros are that you have the chance to earn some money on the gently worn designer items in your closet.

It’s a riskbut it’s an easy process to order a bag and mail it back. The clothing that’s rejected can be donatedor you can opt to have it sent back to you. Some clothing may be purchasedand depending on how much you sell (or don’t)you have the option of having ThredUP donate the items they don’t buy.

If you can’t bear to let go of your itemsyou can have ThredUP return them for $10.99. You must select this option before you send in your bag. If you’ve ordered a bag from ThredUP.comit’s already “activated” and associated with your account.

As of this writinga buyer takes up to five weeks to process your clothing. If you want your clothes processed fasteryou need to pay a $10.99 fee. This fee will be deducted from your payout.

Who is thredUP for?

If you use ThredUP with the proper expectationsit can be worth your time.

I view ThredUP as a service for anyone who wants to get rid of their unworn clothing through the mail. It’s for people who don’t want to drive to their local consignment store or spend time posting each item on eBay or Poshmark.

ThredUP might also be great for you if you don’t happen to live near a Salvation Army or Goodwill and think it’s worth trying to make a few extra bucks by mailing in your clothes.

In my opinionpaying the $10.99 shipping fee to have your clothes mailed back to you is not worth it.

If you choose this optionit means you care about the items you sent in. If this is the caseconsider selling them individually on eBay or Poshmark. Or make a trip to your local consignment store instead. At least it would save you $11.

Clean Out Bag Details and Shipping

If you received a bag from a source outside of ThredUP.com (such as from a family member or friend)you must activate it on their site. To activate ityou need to register on their site using the email address and details provided on the prepaid shipping label.

Then you ship it off in their bag that is pre-labeledso you don’t need to worry about paying for shipping. You can also schedule a pickup for your bag from USPS if you want to save yourself a trip to the post office.

What to Understand About ThredUP

I’ve read many negative reviews about ThredUP in the comments section of bloggers who have used it. Many reviews are from disappointed customers who mailed in a giant bag of their most awesome clothesonly to make a few bucks.

Many complaints seem to stem from the fact that an item they sold was sold on the site for 10 times the amount. You need to understand that ThredUP is a business. Like any other companyit needs to turn a profit to survive.

Soyou need to be okay with the fact that you won’t receive a large payout unless you have a very high-end designer item. (We’ll get to that in a minute!)

I like to look at ThredUP as an easy way to get rid of my stuff through the mail. It’s another option besides the local ways to donate and sell.

What Can You Earn

Just like physical consignment shopsThredUP uses similar guidelines when assessing whether they want to buy your clothing. They take the following into consideration:

• How new the item is
• The seasonality of items
• Age of item
• Quality
• Style
• Current situation of the existing inventory

This is pretty much on par with how Buffalo Exchange and Crossroads Trading examine the clothing they purchase.

If you’re experienced at selling to consignment storesyou’ll find that every now and thenpricey designer items won’t be purchased because they already have too many in the store.

It’s one of the downfalls of trying to sell something that’s very trendy.

The Best Way to Make Money with ThredUP

Consignment stores care a lot about designer clothesand ThredUP is no different. If you want to make more than a few bucks and happen to have lots of high-end designer labelslisten up.

ThredUP calls these LUXE-brand items. You can actually earn a decent amount! They currently accept 600+ LUXE brand items.

Here is a screen grab of their pricing for LUXE-brand items. You’ll see the LUXE-brand payout percentage on the very right column.

Let’s say you have a Louis Vuitton bag that they list for $899 — you can receive 90 percent of that price$809!

Take it from someone who’s sold many a Louis Vuitton bag on eBay — it takes time and effort to post something on eBay and wait for it to sell. If you can save time by selling to ThredUP insteadit’s worth it.

My Experience with ThredUP

I had a positive experience using ThredUPbut that’s because I knew what to expect and wasn’t surprised or insulted when I only made $15 from my items.

I went on ThredUP and ordered the Clean Out Bag. It arrived about a week and a half later. I filled it with a handful of shirtsjeansand a few accessories. They were mostly popular brandsbut more on the low endsuch as GapOld Navyand H&M.

I mailed it in and about a month laterI received a whole $15 on the items I sold. I had them donate the rest. There’s no way I wanted to pay the fee to have them mail back the stuff I didn’t want in the first place. PlusI would’ve only made $4 if I decided to go that route.

Tips to Help You Decide if You Want to Use ThredUP

Here’s a quick checklist to help you determine whether it would be worth your time to use ThredUP. If you can answer “yes” to the following questionsThredUP may not be the best option for you.

• Do you need to have your items mailed back to you?
• Do you believe the items you have are worth more than what you can probably earn from ThredUP?
• Are you in a hurry to receive payment?

If you have a lot of olderout-of-dateor well-worn itemsthose are best left for donation.

Want to Make More Than a Few Bucks?

When your expectations aren’t metyou may get upset when ThredUP gives you just a few bucks for the whole bag that you sent in. The way to look at sites like ThredUP is for conveniencemaking a few bucksand expecting nothing more.

You’re putting in minimal effort and time into throwing your clothing into the bag (besides sorting the items you want to get rid of).

If you want to go the eBay or Poshmark routekeep in mind that selling online takes time. You’ll have to take photoswrite a descriptionmeasure the itemsand then answer customer questions.

I used to have my own consignment store on eBayand I used to get lots of questions from customers asking me about the colorconditionand measurementsand of coursethe lowballers requesting a huge discount.

It was a big time suck and after I sold my last itemI closed it.

How to Sell Your Items on thredUP

If you have many items you need to get rid ofmy advice is to stay as organized as possible so you don’t get overwhelmed.

Create three piles and sort out your items according to:

• Expensive brand-name items
• Lower brand-name items
• Donate

When you’re in the sorting stagebe sure to note the condition of the items as well. If it’s worn out and oldit should go in the donate pile.

The same goes for expensivename-brand clothes. Even if they have a designer label but are not in good shapeit’s better to donate them.

What Designer Items Should You Sell

Check out ThredUP’s site to see what kind of clothing they sell and what brands are in high demand.

They accept 35,000 brandsand just like consignment shops and customers who shop on eBay and Poshmarkdesigner goods are usually worth more.

So once you’ve made your three pileslook out for the following brands:

High-end Brand Name Clothing

In my experiencebrand name clothing that almost always gets accepted from consignment shops like Buffalo Exchange and Crossroads Trading include the following.

ThredUP breaks down their brands into certain categoriesincluding top brandsdesignerand premium.

Designer brands include:

• Gucci
• Burberry
• Giorgio Armani
• Max Mara
• Diane von Furstenberg
• Theory
• Vince
• Armani
• Tory Birch

Popular top premium brands include:

• BCBG Max Azria
• Free People
• Coach
• Vince
• Kate Spade New York
• Rebecca Minkoff
• J Brand
• 7 For All Mankind
• Michael Kors

These are their top brands:

• J.Crew
• Ann Taylor LOFT
• Banana Republic
• BCBG Max Azria
• Lululemon Athletica
• Talbots
• Free People
• Lilly Pulitzer
• Madewelll

I used ThredUP’s Payout Estimatorwhich tells you how much you would earn if you sold a designer item. For examplea Lululemon dress would earn you roughly $9 to $12. A trendy Alexander Wang dress has the potential to earn $197. That’s a big difference.

Low-end Brand Name Clothing

Unless your low-end brand-name items are in mint conditionI’d recommend throwing them in the donate pile.

It doesn’t necessarily matter if your items still have tags on them or are in really good condition — if it is a lower-end itemsuch as Old Navy or Targetyou probably won’t get much for them.

Using ThredUP’s Payout EstimatorI typed in H&M dressand the results showed a number of dresses from payouts that ranged from $0.65 to $9.

Here are some low-end brand names they accept:

• Old Navy
• H&M
• Forever 21
• Gap

How to Determine What to Donate

RememberThredUP is buying from you in the hopes of sellingso if it’s old and in poor conditionthey won’t take it.

If you aren’t sure whether an item is in good condition or notit’s probably safe to throw it in the donate pile.

Clothing that has any of the following should be tossed in your donate bag:

• T-shirts that are pilling
• Colors that have faded
• Small ripstearsstainsor holes
• If the fabric has stretched out and lost shape

5 Tips Before You Send in Your Bag

While it’s tempting just to throw everything you don’t wear anymore into the Clean Out Bagtake your time and be mindful of your items. Here are a few tips to help you:

1. Send in seasonally appropriate items

If you send in your bag at the tail end of a seasonconsider adding items appropriate for next seasontoo. In other wordsif it’s mid-Augustput in fall items as well. After allthe processing time takes up to five weeks!

2. Choose items in great condition

I stress this so much because I’ve had buyers at consignment shops turn away expensive brand-name duds because of a teeny tiny flaw. Maybe it was a speck of dirt or a tiny stain on the sleeve.

Many timesit was so small I didn’t even know it existed until it was inspected. Consignment shops train their buyers to have an extremely detailed eye for flawsand I expect ThredUP is no different.

ThredUP makes it very clear on their site that merchandisers looking through your items will scrutinize everything and will catch the tiniest flaw.

3. Check ThredUP’s site

It helps to see what ThredUP is selling on its site. Get familiar with the popular brands and s of clothing it offers.

4. Understand their payout structure

ThredUP has a helpful table that shows you the percentage of what you would get paid for various listing prices.

This is what their payout structure looks like:

5. Use their Payout calculator

This tool was actually really handy because it gives you an idea of whether it’s even worth putting that item in the bag. That wayif I received a payout estimate of $0.50for exampleit would automatically go into the donate pile.

Processing Time

My clothing was processed in about a month. According to the websiteThredUP will process your kit up to five weeks after it’s received.

If you pay $10.99you can expedite your bagwhich will be processed within a week. The fee will be deducted from your earnings.

Even if you fill up the entire bagThredUP will only accept 40 percent of your items. You can choose to have your items returned to you for $10.99 or have ThredUP recycle them.

After they receive your bagit takes about one to three weeks for your Clean Out Bag to be sorted and listed online.

How to Get Paid

There are several ways you can receive payment from ThredUP. If you’ve successfully sold items and have some money coming to you from ThredUPyou need to wait at least 14 days.

This 14-day delay is due to the nature of ThredUP’s business.

The website explains“As ThredUP has grownwe’ve learned more about the costs to continue delivering great value to our customers. We absorb a cost in acquiring inventorya cost to process that inventoryand then we make revenue on re-selling that inventory. The nature of this timing is that we have to spend a lot of money upfront (item costs + labor) in order to make the wide selection of products we have available.”

After the 14-day windowyou can cash out the money into your PayPal account or through a thredUP Visa Prepaid Card.

How to Cash Out to PayPal

To receive the money in your bank account from ThredUPa few steps are required. Firstyou need to log into your ThredUP account.

Go to your Account page or My Selling History page. From thereyou will see your cashout balance and have the option to transfer it to your PayPal account. The transfer is instant and only takes a few minutes.

One important thing to note is that you will be charged a 2 percent fee on the cash-out amount from PayPal. Step two is to log into your PayPal account.

After you log into PayPalyou should see the money in your account. You can then transfer it to your checking account.

Other Options to Sell Your Clothing

If you actually want to earn more than a few bucks from your clothes and believe it’s worth the time and efforttry the following options to sell.

My favorite place to sell is on Poshmark because it’s mostly app-basedso you can post and sell your stuff directly from your phone. I wrote a review about Poshmark that explains how to use it and what to expect.

• eBay
• Poshmark
• LetGo
• OfferUp
• Consignment stores
• Buffalo Exchange
• Crossroads Trading

Is ThredUp Worth it?

OverallI was pretty happy with my experience using ThredUp. I used it mostly out of convenience and because I like the idea of consignment and recycling your clothes.

I was not expecting to make a ton of moneyso being able to donate the rest of my clothes through thredUP made my life easier. The best way to take advantage of thredUP is if you have a lot of high-end or top-selling brands.

If you don’t have too many popular brand names or designer names in your closet but want to make more than a few bucksyou might be better off selling on eBay or Poshmark.

Additionallyif you’re in a hurry to get rid of your items and turn a profitthredUP might not be worth itunless you’re okay with paying the fee for rush processing.

Recommended Reading

• 16 Legit Stay-at-Home Jobs for Moms
• 19 Consignment Shops Near Me (And Online)
• I Need Money Now! 26 Ways to Get Money Fast
• 15 Apps Like Poshmark To Sell Clothes Online
• 10+ Apps Like Mercari For Reselling Items