Clothes arrive in a box like this

I live in a country where I just don’t find clothing that I can wear. The few times I have bought clothing in Venezuela the items got holes within a couple of weeks. Many items (that I’ve found) are of poor quality or imported from the US with a heavy markup. Instead of shopping there, I buy clothing online and have it delivered to my mother’s house in Portland. When I arrive home in June it is like Christmas in the summer!

I found out about this great website called ThredUp a few months ago. It is sorta like eBay in the sense that they sell second-hand clothing, but it is really an online consignment shop. They buy items that are in fashion and in great shape. Sometimes you will find items still with the original tags on it!

They sell everything from shoes to belts, to handbags, to business suits and workout gear. Of course, they also have your normal tops, bottoms, and dresses for good measure.

The clothes come wrapped in this pretty tissue paper

For you parents out there, they also sell children’s clothing. I’m a teacher and I can see that kids go through clothing FAST. So I really understand the need to buy second-hand clothing since your child might only wear something a few times before growing out of it.

They don’t sell men’s clothing. Bummer dudes!

How (In)Expensive Is It? If you visit ThredUp expecting to pay garage sale or even thrift store prices, you will be disappointed. I find that most items start around $4.99 and go up from there. Could you find some of them cheaper at a thrift store or even a consignment sale? Perhaps. Remember, you are getting the convenience of having everything pre-screened with any notes on the condition (for example: new with tags). You can also shop by brand, by size, by color, all from the comfort of your home, anytime you want. For me, that type of convenience is well worth it. I love going to the thrift store, but when I feel like shopping in my pjs at 3 AM because I can’t sleep, it is worth it!

Sign up for ThredUP first, click HERE for my invite code (You’ll get a $10 store credit too!).

Stick with brands you know. If a certain brand doesn’t fit you, it’s very unlikely to start magically fitting when it’s secondhand. On the other hand, if you’re a loyal Gap or J.Crew lover, try those brands on thredUP – you’ll know what their sizing means and you’ll have a good feel for their style and fit.

Return things that don’t fit. I’m trying to be more careful with what I buy since it is getting harder and harder to mail stuff to Venezuela (they only allow two suitcases on the plane every summer too!). So when something comes from thredUP that doesn’t quite fit or flatter me, I resist the urge to say “well, it was only $5” and I send it back. I always choose to get my refund in store credit so that I can get free shipping, and then the next time I make an order, I just use that store credit. So far, I have sent back three items without any hassle!

You can also sell your well-kept clothing to thredUp (I’ve never done this as most of my closet is in Venezuela and I just donate my stuff there!). According to their website: You order a thredUP “clean out bag,” fill it up with the articles you’d like to sell and then give the bag to your post office carrier or drop it off at the nearest FedEx office location, no payment required (the bag comes with a pre-paid, pre-addressed shipping label). If they don’t accept some of your items you can choose to have them returned to you or donated!  I’m going to try to get my mother to do this because her closets are overflowing and she doesn’t have time to go to Goodwill to donate them.

Make sure to sign up because you get a 40% coupon for your first purchase! Also, remember that if you decide to sign up, make sure you use my affiliate link HERE – so you can get an additional $10.00 off your first order!