My Honest Experience Consigning with ThredUp

ThredUp is THE largest online consignment and thrift store. Their business model is “secondhand clothes, firsthand fun.”  A few weeks ago, I asked on Instagram stories if you all had used ThredUp before. The results showed that 89% of the respondents had NEVER heard of or used ThredUp before. You’re not alone; a few weeks ago I hadn’t heard of ThredUp either! However, within two minutes on the ThredUp website, I had my free “standard clean-out kit” ordered for delivery. 

The clean-out kit was delivered to my mailbox in about two weeks. I immediately got to work sifting through gently worn items in my closet that either didn’t fit well anymore or that I hadn’t worn in over 6 months. 

This post is not sponsored. I was introduced to ThredUp organically because I was searching for a way to clean out my closet and declutter. Matt and I will be moving (!!!) this spring, and I’ve acquired a surprising amount of stuff over the past three years of living in my apartment. 

WHY I LOVE THREDUP

ThredUp is a streamlined way to clean out your closet at no cost. It works by “upcycling your clothing in three easy steps.” All you have to do is order a kit online, place the items in your clean-out kit, seal up the bag, and then drop off at FedEx or schedule a USPS pickup. Once ThredUp receives your clean-out kit, they go through the items and select items eligible to be sold. These items are then photographed and uploaded to the website. Items that are not qualified to be sold on the website are sustainably recycled. 

When you order your first clean out kit, ThredUp gives you two clean-out kit options: donate your items or sell your items for cash or credit. If you donate, you get to choose which charity you’d like to support. I was given the option to donate my kit to the Big Brothers Big Sister Foundation, Feeding America, or Girls, Inc.  

I donated two bags; in my first bag, 77% of the items were accepted. My second time, 65% of items were accepted so it definitely just depends on the quality of items and the brands consigned. According to ThredUp, around 44% of items are accepted in the average bag.

CONS 

I really have more pros than cons for my experience with ThredUp. It was a pretty seamless and painless process, and I’ll continue using ThredUp to clean out my closet. Overall, the process did take longer than I had anticipated. The free clean-out bags took over two weeks to arrive. Once the items are posted on ThredUp, they have 60-90 days to sell. Higher-end, designer brands have a 90-day selling period, while mall brands have a 60-day selling period. It definitely is not a quick and easy payout once you mail the items to ThredUp. Only one out of the 20 items I mailed to ThredUp sold instantaneously. HOWEVER, if you’re willing to wait it out, I highly recommend using ThredUp over Poshmark or selling to Plato’s Closet. ThredUp handles everything for you once you send them the items, so if you’re a gal on the go like me, not having to worry about the items once they’re mailed off is AMAZING! 

HAVE YOU EVER USED THREDUP BEFORE? I’D LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE!