ThredUp: My New Favorite Way to Shop

Throwing out old clothes can be a pain. Whether it means dragging a heavy trash bag of ancient sweaters and ripped tank tops to your local Goodwill or Buffalo Exchange, or individually styling and listing each piece on Depop, it often takes longer than it should. One of my most memorable (and traumatic) memories is spending hours trying on my different clothes that I wanted to get rid of, individually listing them on Depop, and constantly checking for updates on their selling status. It took several hours, and I was exhausted at the end. And then I discovered the beauty, and ease that is ThredUp (this is not an ad I literally just love it).

With ThredUp, you can request an empty shipping bag to be sent to your house. You toss all the clothes you want to donate into the bag, slap on the premade return label, and drop it off at the post office. A few days later, ThredUp will send you a deposit that accounts for the combined value of all the clothes you donated. While this sounds easy, there are some downsides involved in the process. Because you yourself aren’t the one listing your items online, you don’t get to determine the price you are selling them for. As a result, ThredUp may undervalue your items and send you less money for an item you may think is worth more. They also may not even accept some items, so you risk not getting money for some items. However, you won’t have to go through any of the tiring tasks of individually listing items on Depop. At the end of the day, having the choice between these options is the best part.

Looking at the website from a buyer’s POV, it can seem overwhelming. With people sending in almost any and every item they want to get rid of, it naturally results in a wide range and quality of items listed. The key here is knowing what terms to search for. My favorite way to search for items is by searching specific store names that I love. Zara, Princess Polly, Ralph Lauren, Aritzia, etc. ThredUp has them all. It’s particular strong suit are brands and items that may seem classic or old fashioned, that you can often repurpose. The amount of Ralph Lauren sweaters and Banana Republic jeans is endless. The best pieces to look for are simple basics and repurposed designer items. The designer accessories are so cute and much more affordable. You can find Fendi sunglasses or a Bottega bag at less than half the price. But you didn’t hear it from me.

Of course, ThredUp is a more sustainable way to shop (if you haven’t gathered that already). No more buying new clothes created through fast fashion practices. It still satisfies my craving to scroll through a clothing website because of how it is designed, but I know I’m not doing harm to the environment. 

After discovering ThredUp a few months ago, I haven’t been able to stop. My friends have gotten used to me responding to compliments on my clothing with “I got it from ThredUp!”. The best part is, they always have deals and promo codes available, so your wallet won’t hate you as much as that $200 Zara order will.

Happy shopping. (ThredUp sponsor me <3)

P.S. Read up on the benefits of sustainable shopping here, and the pitfalls of Depop here .. ;)

Words by Alisha Mirapuri