Do you have a little time now over the holidays to clean out your closet? Maybe you've considered selling to one of the online thrift stores. Or maybe you've considered buying second-hand clothes via one of the online consignment stores. Over the past two years, I've been buying & selling clothes through the second-hand sites.
Here are the pros & cons of some of the main sites. Do you know of any other sites I should check out?
Here are the pros & cons of some of the main sites. Do you know of any other sites I should check out?
ebay
buying
For me, ebay has been the most expensive of the choices. Problem is I'm almost always buying "new with tags" from ebay, &, if anything, sellers charge more for the items than they cost in the first place--they're making a profit on desired merchandise. I still roam around ebay but with great caution since it's a little like going to Costco--before you know it, you've spent $200.
selling
I've sold a few items on ebay, but since I've offered reduced-cost shipping & reduced the price of the items to dirt cheap, I've never made more than about $5 on anything.
You can see some of my ebay purchases in this post.
buying
For me, ebay has been the most expensive of the choices. Problem is I'm almost always buying "new with tags" from ebay, &, if anything, sellers charge more for the items than they cost in the first place--they're making a profit on desired merchandise. I still roam around ebay but with great caution since it's a little like going to Costco--before you know it, you've spent $200.
selling
I've sold a few items on ebay, but since I've offered reduced-cost shipping & reduced the price of the items to dirt cheap, I've never made more than about $5 on anything.
You can see some of my ebay purchases in this post.
| swap.com buying My first swap.com purchase just arrived. It looks good! Swap.com sells everything--too much stuff--it's like a huge warehouse thrift store. I wonder how they manage it--it's probably chaos there. Their prices are so-so--rarely under $10. Their merchandise is not displayed as nicely as ebay or thredup--things look more wrinkled & sloppy, so it's harder to take the leap to buy something. They offer a lot of daily discount coupons, but the coupons don't seem to have much impact on the prices. The search feature is good, though--you might find a new item from the brand you love for next to nada. They accept returns within 30 days. selling I sent swap.com a box of clothes about a month ago. They have a lot of restrictions on their selling, & you have to pay for the shipping. But my box just got processed, & here's the link to the page with the things I'm selling. I priced the items, & in moments, four of them sold! I've already made over $20! Worst thing about swap.com: they require you log in with your Facebook account (I couldn't find any other way--they don't post anything on FB for you, luckily!), & you also have to enter a Paypal account to receive payment. | Some swap.com offerings...
 Swap.com Boden Dress, Size 14 plus, good condition, wool, $20  Swap.com Jilian Brett Sandals, Size 8, like new, $15 |
| thredup buying Thredup is my favorite so far. The clothes are displayed well, & some are as cheap as $3. The number of clothes in any category is manageable, easily searchable. The clothes are in excellent condition. I've returned a couple things--it costs $8.99 to return, which is rarely worth it. selling It's fun to sell on thredup because you see photos of exactly what you sold & know if someone purchased it. They don't give you very much for your clothes, but you do get to send them in for free. You can see more of my thredup purchases here & here. For sale at thredup:  thredup Garnet Hill Casual Dress, size S, $30.99 | Recent thredup purchases...  The skirt was my first thredup purchase, 2 years ago; the t-neck, new with tags, just came from thredup last week.  thredup sends you this big bag for you to fill up & ship back to them for free |
A note about sizing: I almost always size up a tiny bit since I figure the items have probably been washed & shrunk a bit in the wash. The sites list the size that appears on the tag in the item, but they often give the dimensions as well. I use my knowledge of different brands to help me since Swap.com doesn't even list that some of the Boden sizes are British! I also know that stretchy items are probably smaller than their actual size, & I've been correct when ordering something that "looked about right" on the manikin.
Be careful: In my opinion, even if an item is inexpensive & used, you should still only buy or keep things you'd be willing to go to bat for--purchases you love so much you'd defend them if someone tried to take them away from you.
I also don't entertain any illusions about the altruistic intentions of these sites. They're making money off other people's castoffs. For that $20 I made above, swap.com made about the same amount. But maybe we are helping keep a few things out of the landfills.
I also don't entertain any illusions about the altruistic intentions of these sites. They're making money off other people's castoffs. For that $20 I made above, swap.com made about the same amount. But maybe we are helping keep a few things out of the landfills.
Bottom line: Buying second hand makes me feel better than buying new. I also know the styles that were in the stores last year, so it's fun to see them available for less now, & I often know what I'm looking for. Selling my clothes helps to pay for what I want.
Have you tried any of these online second-hand stores or any others? Do you thrift in person?
Have you tried any of these online second-hand stores or any others? Do you thrift in person?
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