My Best Tricks for Scoring Deals on ThredUp
I posted a picture on Instagram of this sweater a few weeks ago and mentioned it was from ThredUp and someone asked how I find cute things on there.
Well, it only takes one question for me to barrage you with an entire post of my (dubious) wisdom, so buckle up.
In the last six months, I’ve only bought about three clothing items that aren’t from ThredUp. I seriously love that site and I’d say about 50-60% of my closet is now from there (this post isn’t sponsored; I assume they have no clue who I am except as that person who orders a LOT of things. There are, as usual, some affiliate links, plus if you make your first purchase on ThredUp through my link, you’ll get 45% off your first order plus free shipping. Proceed disclosed).
The New thredUP Restocking Fee
One caveat about shopping with thredUP is that they now charge a restocking fee. They started testing it in Summer of 2018 – I didn’t see the thredUP restocking fee for a while, but I started getting comments on this post about it, plus some emails.
I sent an email to one of the team members I’ve worked with and asked about the restocking fee and she told me that it was a test. One third of returns were charged no restocking fee, one third were charged 99 cents per item that they returned and one third were charged $1.99 per item returned if those items were under $50. It was completely random who was given which return charge, so eventually I did see a return show up with those restocking fees.
Then, as of August 28, 2018, the thredUP restocking fee was made permanent, so now for any item under $50 you return, you’ll receive the full amount back in cash or credit, minus $3.99 per item.
I personally think it’s not the best business decision, since I think it makes most people less likely to pull the trigger on making a purchase at all or take a chance on something that they might like but aren’t sure about. On the other hand, as a business owner myself, I understand that shipping isn’t free (even if Amazon wants to make us all think it is) and that restocking things all has a cost.
Even with the restocking fee, I’ll still be shopping at thredUP, but I’ll definitely be less likely to take a risk on something I’m not sure about and I’ll be more conservative about the size of my orders.
Anyway! With all of those disclaimers aside and with more experience with thredUP shopping than I should probably admit to, here are my secrets:
My Best Tricks for Scoring Deals on ThredUp
- Look frequently. You know how some people unwind for the day by looking at Facebook for twenty minutes? That’s what I do with ThredUp. I don’t look every single day, but I probably browse through a couple of times a week. Their inventory turns over all the time and they have so MUCH inventory that you never know what might pop up.
- Start with shoes. The thing I look at most often is shoes because I know exactly what size I am, and shoes aren’t as tricky to figure out online as other items. I’ve bought some amazing pairs of shoes on there that look brand-new.
- Stick with brands you know. If Banana Republic clothing never fits or flatters you when you buy it new, 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 or Anthropologie 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.
- Shop with a goal in mind. It’s one thing to go to Old Navy without any particular idea of what you want to buy – they have things organized beautifully and mannequins all over the stores to give you outfit ideas, but when it’s just individual items on ThredUp, it can be ridiculously overwhelming. I just went and looked at the women’s section and there are currently 107,000 items on there. That’s ridiculously overwhelming. I have much better luck on ThredUp when I enter the site thinking, “I need a new pair of black jeans” or “I’d like a striped sweatshirt.”
- Use the filters. The filters will help you narrow things down really quickly. For instance, if I decide I need a few new t-shirts for the summer months, I filter to tops, then ones with short-sleeves with a scoop or v-neck in my size and suddenly I’m down to 2,000 options. If I specifically want a black one, then I’m down to 145 items. The search tool is pretty excellent too – I found a polka-dot shirt in thirty seconds this summer after I saw someone at church wearing a darling one.
- Buy higher-end than you might normally. For me, one of the big draws of ThredUp is that I can buy a $95 J.Crew top for $15. My closet has much nicer items than it has the in the past – now most of my jeans are in the $150 range (if they were new – they’re about 75% less on ThredUp) and, surprise! They fit so much better than the $7 ones I bought at Forever 21. I know – I’m astonished too.
- Try things on twice (or three times). Usually, when I get a box from ThredUp, I try everything on. I immediately put things back in the box to return that I don’t like and then I hang the rest of the items in my closet. Then I try those things on again a day or so later. Which brings me to. . .
- Return things that don’t fit. I’ve been so careful with my closet this past year, and it’s been amazing how much easier it is to get dressed in the morning. 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 again and so on and so forth.
- Resist the clearance items. I love clearance items but with ThredUp, clearance items aren’t returnable and so I just avoid them all together.
- Don’t forget the extras. You can also buy scarves, hats, and handbags on ThredUp (although the handbags aren’t returnable, so keep that in mind when you’re ordering).
- Kids too! They don’t have men’s clothing on ThredUp but they do have tons of kids clothing and I’ve basically restocked all three of my girls’ wardrobes this fall and winter. I bought Ella the gorgeous red wool coat she’s wearing in our Christmas photos here, plus tons of shoes, jeans, tops, skirts, and dresses for them. The prices are killer and it’s nice for them to have clothing that is a little higher-end and actually holds up for more than one washing.
Too bad that Thredup decided to start assessing a restocking fee. It is a complete turn off for me. I have enjoyed their service in the past, and part of the reason was the easy returns. Oftentimes items are not as described, either in size, color or other. Of course, there’s also the issue that you don’t know how something will look on you until you try it on. With this new policy, it simply does not make sense to continue to shop with them. Too bad. IT was good while it lasted.
bye bye
I stopped buying from thredup when they started testing the restocking fee. Of the dozens pue items I’ve returned to them, most were because the product was not accurately described online – inaccurate condition, wrong measurements. Why should I pay $1.99 to restock an item that was their error?
From what I understand, the restocking fee shouldn’t be assessed if it’s because of an error on their end!
They say that they have people who know the fair value of an item before listing (and I always google the values of things before committing) but I was looking through their jewelry and found that they’re selling super cheap Paparazzi Jewelry, which is sold in home parties for ONLY $5 an item (ALWAYS), for $20! If you look at the site they’re valuing this $5 jewelry for $99, then marking it down to $20, some are less at $7, but STILL! What the …?! It’s breaking my trust, which was already pummeled by their ridiculous restocking fees.
I am very disappointed with Thredup’s fees and surcharges. I returned five tops out of an order of 17 clothing items recently. All five tops were all very tight in the bust area, but other tops in the same order, same brand and same size fit fine. Thredup no longer lists exact measurements, but instead refers you to a generic size chart that is not an accurate representation most of the time, and they should know It’s bad business not to provide full details including exact measurements for clothing. But it gives them an “out” now and you can’t claim the measurements were wrong. This leaves customers in a position of “taking a chance”, so basically we’re being charged to try something on and hoping it fits. How many times have you taken multiple items into a dressing room, only to find one or two that fit and flatter you enough to buy them?
And to rub a little salt in the wound, there’s another fee added (a $3.00 surcharge!)if you buy something from any of the 100’s of Thredup warehouses other than the one designated for your area. What??? So in order to avoid this surcharge, you have to filter all of your searches to just one warehouse, leaving you with a very limited selection since your searches will not include all of the other warehouses across the country! Seriously? I buy stuff from all over the country and am charged the same shipping rate whether I live in Florida or California. And too bad if you buy something you really like from another warehouse and it doesn’t fit, because your refund or credit won’t include those senseless charges. So now you’re paying $4.99 for each item that you return! Ridiculous, especially if the item was $15 or less or if you have 5 ! And why am I paying a restocking fee to a company that doesn’t give you specific measurements on clothes?
One last thing…it would be helpful if they added ‘sheer’ to their filters because I don’t want sheer tops, but anytime I’ve searched for a blouse, tunic, etc., I’ve waste so much time scrolling through many items that are sheer, and I waste even more time when I click on a listing that doesn’t appear sheer until I see a larger image.
I will buy from Thredup again if they decide to drop the $3 surcharge, allowing me to buy from any warehouse without a penalty, and either drop the $1.99 restocking fee or limit it to $1.99 for all items (not each item) that you return in your order. But unfortunately, Thredup now has too many added charges, turning good deals into a waste of my money and time.
I was googling THREDUP restocking fee and landed here. Glad I’m not the only one who finds this fee off-putting! It would be more bearable if the restocking fee could be changed into credit for a future order. I’m just very hesitant to order anymore because there are so many things that truly need to be tried on. Really disenchanted with Thredup.
Same here! As temping at it is, I have to step away from thredup. I refuse to pay a restocking fee to try something on. I have ordered may items in the past that were not true to size. It is hard enough with new items but when purchasing used you never know how they have been washed and possibly shrunk. I would rather pay more for the items I keep than to have to pay for things I return. I hope they reconsider this decision in the future.
I’m having trouble getting my refund. I choose refund to same payment type. Any suggestions?
Have you gotten an email saying your return has been processed? It usually takes 2 weeks or so.
I use thredup pretty often. I tend to buy final sale items bc they are cheaper and I donate them to a reuse group if I can’t fit them. If you don’t buy a final sale, they offer you 30% to keep it to save the carbon footprint of returning it. I have had a few final sales show up not as described (like a pair of shoes listed as a women’s 6.5 when they were actually men’s, which they don’t carry.. weird). Customer service has always been polite. The issue I have is with two things:there’s no recently viewed so if I add a bunch to my cart and forget to favor, it only shows like like 10 that were removed, and the pictures-sometimes there are half of a picture, a blurry picture or in one case, the front of one short sleeve shirt but the back of a long sleeve jacket so no idea which is was bc the listing listed the short sleeves but the color was for the jacket.. otherwise, I love their motto. Thought about sending in but seems to be a whole lot of FEES for everything now so I feel like I’d owe money if I wanted my unsold clothing back.