Customers who choose to sell through ThredUp can mail in their clothing for cash, and buyers can purchase used clothing for bargain basement prices.
The discounts you’ll find depend on the item you’re buying, the brand, and even the season, but you can count on scoring at least 50% off retail — and usually a lot more.
But, is online consignment as convenient and affordable as the in-person version? Depends on who you ask.
While buyers tend to have a positive experience with ThredUp, many sellers who have mailed clothing into ThredUp report they received “pennies on the dollar” for their contributions. Based on my own experience selling on ThredUp, I can confirm this is 100% true.
In this ThredUp review, I'll talk about how the service works, what it costs, and my experience selling on ThredUp:
What is ThredUp?
ThredUp is an online consignment and thrift store focused on sustainable fashion. There are a number of clothing items and accessories you can sell on ThredUp — like shoes, handbags, and specialty size fashion (including plus sizes and maternity).
Check out this video from ThredUp about how they combat clothing waste:
Is ThredUp legitimate?
ThredUp is a legitimate online consignment store with a B rating from the Better Business Bureau (accredited since 2013) and 1.7 million active buyers. The company made $288.4 million in revenue in 2022.
My experience selling on ThredUP
When I tried to sell to ThredUp, I was given the option of requesting an emailed label (free) or mailed bag ($2.99). I ordered a mailed bag on Jul 10, 2022, which never arrived. After several weeks of checking on the status of my mailed bag — which they claimed had arrived — I decided instead to just request an emailed label.
I packaged up about eight different clothing items I had barely worn in two separate packages and dropped them off at a local shipping depot with the label attached to the front.
I received an email several weeks after I sent my package that my items wouldn't be processed until Jan 12, 2023.
This date was pushed back multiple times, until I finally received two emails on March 29, 2023, one for each of my shipped bags.
One let me know that three items had been approved for sale:
The other let me know that none of the items in that bag were approved for sale:
ThredUp photographed my approved items on mannequins against a white backdrop before listing them for sale.
Two of the three items have since sold, for which I was credited $6 and $3.26.
While I don't remember the original cost of these items, dresses similar to the Lane Bryant dress I was paid $6 for currently retail for $89 or more on Lane Bryant's website.
For each of my three listings, I was given the option to edit my asking price, which increased or decreased the amount I'd be paid in commission. ThredUp listed my unsold item for $15.99, which would result in a $1.92 payout to me.
I received an email on Apr 23 that this item would be donated in 7 days if it didn't sell or if I didn't opt to have it shipped back to my home for $10.99.
The $9.26 I earned from the two sold items is currently sitting in limbo, with ThredUp noting that I can't receive the funds until the 14-day return period ends:
ThredUp selling reviews
ThredUp selling reviews on BBB
thredUP has a B rating from the Better Business Bureau, though just 1.11/5 stars. Common complaints include failure to accept or return items sent in for sale, fake name brand items, and poor customer service.
ThredUp selling reviews on Reddit
ThredUp reviews on Reddit are overwhelmingly negative, with many calling the site a scam:
ThredUp selling reviews on Trustpilot
TrustPilot reviews for ThredUp average 1.7/5 based on more than 2,700 reviews.
Selling on ThredUp: How it works
For sellers, the process works a lot like a local consignment store resale process. The big difference is, you’ll mail in your clothing instead of bringing it to the store yourself.
ThredUP claims to accept all brands, as long as the item has a size tag.
To get started with ThredUp:
- Go to thredup.com and click the “Clean Out” at the top of the homepage.
- Enter your info to request a Clean Out Kit ($2.99) or print a shipping label (free). ThredUp now charges $14.99 for a standard 6+ week processing time, and $22.99 for 2-week expedited processing. ThredUp notes that only about 50% of items sent in will be listed for sale, so they ask whether you'd like ThredUp to reuse/recycle items that can't be sold or return them to you, which costs $10.99.
- If you've ordered a Clean Up Kit, wait for it to arrive, fill it up, and send it in. If you requested a free shipping label, print it off, package your items, and attach your shipping label to the front. ThredUp items can be mailed via FedEx or USPS. Kits cannot weigh more than 30 pounds, and boxes should not exceed 27 inches in length, 17 inches in width, or 17 inches in height.
- Once your items are received, ThredUp evaluates them, then photographs items it will post and sell. The rest are donated or sent back to you if you paid $10.99 to have them returned.
- Before your items sell, you can change their listing price, which in turn will increase or decrease the amount you receive in commission. ThredUp sets the percentage you receive, which ranges from 3% to 80% depending on the sale price of your item.
- If one of your items sells, there is a waiting period of 14 days after the customer receives it that they can return it. You will be paid on the 15th day if they don't.
- After this waiting period, you'll be emailed a verification code to complete a cash-out request. After you enter the code, your earnings will be deposited to your PayPal account, minus a $0.25 transfer fee. You can cash out up to $1,000 at a time. You can also choose to use the funds in your account to buy items on ThredUp.
My big advice about this process — keep your expectations low, and expect the worst.
What sells well on thredUP?
What you use ThredUp consignment for:
- Clothing, especially those that are name brand and in excellent condition, in popular styles
- Handbags — luxury and name brand
What you should not use thredUp consignment for:
Do they wash clothes at ThredUP?
No. You do. ThredUP says that “only high-quality items that meet their strict standards will be accepted.”
In other words, items must be new, or like new, and freshly laundered.
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How much does ThredUp pay?
ThredUp pays 3% to 80% of the anticipated selling price (the more valuable the item, the higher your percentage):
You get paid for each sold item once the 14-day return window has passed via Paypal. You can also use the funds to purchase items on ThredUp.
What does ThredUP do with clothes that don’t sell?
Another big problem for sellers is the fact that you don’t automatically have items returned to you if ThredUP doesn’t accept them. If you want to ensure you get all your items back, you have to pay $10.99 for “return assurance coverage.”
Without this coverage, ThredUP keeps the clothing they don’t plan to use, citing that it’s too expensive to mail it back to you.
In other words, you could find yourself in a situation where you sent in a bag of clothing only to get nothing in return.
ThredUp says they donate or recycle the clothing, but there’s no way to know for sure.
But, there are other problems with this setup. Imagine you have an expensive, brand-name dress you would be happy to sell as long as you got at least $30 or $40. If you couldn’t get that much money for it, you would rather just keep it.
With ThredUp, you would have to mail it in blindly knowing you may not get a penny for it and you will never get it back. You could pay $10.99 for return assurance, but then you lose money you could have made on your sale.
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ThredUp: How it works for buyers
While ThredUp has many negative reviews from unsatisfied sellers, the buying side seems to produce slightly better results.
Even people who complain about getting ripped off on the sales side admit that there are deals to be had when you purchase barely-worn brand name clothing through the website.
Create an account, or log in via social media, then browse clothing by brand or by size until you find the items you want.
The website accepts credit cards for payment, and shipping costs vary but start at $5.99.
At the end of the day, shopping and buying through the website is easy. They also offer frequent discounts for new customers for up to 30% off.
Most of ThredUp’s positive reviews come from buyers who received high-quality clothing for prices they found reasonable, though there are plenty of negative buyer reviews:
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How to make the most of ThredUp
If you’re hoping to make the most of ThredUP, reviews seem to suggest you’ll do a lot better buying second-hand clothes than you will trying to make money off your own.
When it comes to your own clothing, you may be better off selling individual pieces through an online resale site or your neighborhood Facebook group.
Hell, you could even have an old-fashioned garage sale and sell your clothing along with other household items.
On the buying side, however, there are some great deals to be had –— especially if you know the type of clothing you’re interested in and what fits you best.
Recently, I bought several dresses off of ThredUP that were made by a great clothing brand I love, Soma.
While Soma mostly focuses on underwear and pajamas, they also make beautiful, comfortable dresses that fit nearly any body type.
Some of their dresses even have pockets! The dresses I bought on ThredUP were a steal compared to in-store pricing. I know for a fact I have paid over $90 for their long dresses and over $80 for their shorter styles in Soma stores.
When the dresses arrived in the mail, they were truly in “perfect” second-hand condition. They had all been freshly laundered, and they were exactly what I wanted.
With that in mind, it’s my personal opinion that ThredUP is best for buyers who want to score a deal on used clothing and know what they want.
The website may also be perfect for people who purchase children’s clothing and prefer to buy second-hand. Why? Because most kids look good in anything their size, and they may not be as picky about brands or style.
If you want to get rid of your unwanted clothing, on the other hand, you may want to consider donating it to a shelter, the Salvation Army, or to someone who can use it.
If you mail it into ThredUP, there’s no guarantee you’ll get the money you want for your items and you won’t get them back unless you pay an extra $10.99.
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Who ThredUP is good for:
- A buyer who knows which brands fit them and which brands are worth the money
- Anyone who wants brand name clothing without the new price tag
- People who don’t mind buying second-hand
Who should skip ThredUP:
- Sellers who want to get a lot of money in exchange for their used clothing
- People who don’t focus on specific clothing brands
- Anyone who doesn’t like buying used
Is selling on ThredUp worth it? Is ThredUP good? Our experience:
While in theory, ThredUp should be an easier way to consign your clothes, the amount of money you make for the amount of work — and waiting — you do to sell on ThredUp is absolutely not worth it, in my opinion.
Nearly a year has passed since I first requested a Clean Out Kit, and when all is said and done, I'll only have $9.26 to show for it.
Plus, the main benefit of selling to ThredUp is supposed to be that you don’t have to transport your unwanted clothes to a store. However, I still had to package and transport my clothes to the shipping depot, which ended up being more work than if I had just carried a bag of clothes into a consignment store.
Also, I recently went through the process to try to request another Clean Out Kit just to see if anything had changed about the process, and they now charge $14.99 for processing — $22.99 if you want 2-week rush processing.
In my case, I would have paid ThredUp more to process my shipment than I would have made from selling all of the items they deemed worthy of sale, which will equate to $11.18 if my last item sells.
Personally, I prefer to just donate my old clothes in bulk to a pickup service like Vietnam Veterans of America, or drop them into a clothes donation bin outside of my local grocery store.
ThredUP alternatives
If you like the idea of saving big money on second-hand clothing from the better brands, then an online consignment shop like ThredUP, Poshmark, or Mercari may be exactly what you’re looking for.
You can also check out our list of sites like Craigslist for other selling sites and apps. You can always do a clothes swap with your friends, hold a garage sale, or donate your lovely clothes to someone who wants or needs them. Finally, read our post on what to do with your old clothes.
On the selling side, definitely consider all your options before you move forward with any option. Your dream of a big payday could be dashed quickly if recent reviews are any indication, and there’s absolutely nothing you could do about it.
ThredUp is a legitimate online consignment store with a B rating from the Better Business Bureau (accredited since 2013) and 1.7 million active buyers. The company made $288.4 million in revenue in 2022.
Handbags and clothing, especially those that are name brand and in excellent condition, in popular styles.
ThredUp pays 3% to 80% of the anticipated selling price.
I used to love purchasing from Thred up! Not anymore. I usually buy final sale and in the past if there had been a discrepancy in the condition I would contact them about the item and send a photo showing a hole or stain that was not detailed in the description and they would reimburse me for the item. What an incredible company I used to think. This was not my experience with my last orders. My last orders contained many stained, torn, and or items with holes that were all listed as in like new condition. I contacted them about it and they said they would allow me to mail the items this one time and reimburse me but in the future final sale means final sale meaning it doesn’t matter what condition they list or what the photos look like on-line they will not reimburse for items they do not advertise correctly. They were unapologetic and unthankful for my business. I used to make a purchase once a month. My app is now deleted. I plan to purchase further items from a company with more integrity!! Goodbye Thred up!
When I saw that they sold my first piece and I got $0.57 for it I was so upset they’ve sold many pieces and I’ve made over a dollar on one of them I guess I didn’t read enough information I’ve asked them to send my items back or pay for whatever it is I’ve gotten some of my items back 90% of it as soon as we’re all I know is I did not get my stuff back and again they said they donate it well I’d like to know who they donate it to as I said I’m missing over a hundred pieces and very nice clothing and who knows where it is so for $20 they sold I don’t know how many pieces of my clothing that I made less than a dollar on makes me sick
ThredUP is selling YOUR DONATIONS on eBay!!!
I sent clothes to sell via ThredUP and it took them 4 months to get them posted for sale. The prices they listed were very low which is as expected but then the split back to me only a few dollars, ok fine. BUT HERE IS THE THING NO ONE TALKS ABOUT – my donations ARE BEING SOLD VIA EBAY BY ThredUP AND FOR MORE $ than what is listed on ThredUP!!!!
I consign to Thredup and still don’t understand how they pay sellers. At one time they gave an upfront payout, now it seems they consign everything you send in.
Thanks for the insight re online selling of new & used clothing. Have tons of good items & was contemplating selling online. It helped in my decision-making. Seems not worth the time & effort.