How to Get Great Second-Hand Designer Clothes, Purses Without Combing Through Consignment Shops

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I’m the type of shopper who doesn’t care about seasons.  I love classic looks, and I like buying pieces that will last me for years and years.

Not everyone feels that way, so their loss is my gain.

Of course, you can never guess when the perfect item will end up in a shop.  I used to spend a lot of time browsing discount stores, such as T.J. Maxx, and consignment stores for the designers I love at a discount.

I don’t have to do that anymore.

I just came across a website called ThredUp.  It’s a second-hand/consignment shop online.  They collect all the items from the sellers and examine them, so it’s a step above something like eBay.

How it works for buyers

The website lets you browse by item type, size, color, and designer.  You can select multiple designers at once, and get a listing of all your favorite products by those designers.

You can also set price limitations.

Here’s a sample search I did on it for Coach purses:

Shipping is free when your order is over $79.  Otherwise, shipping is $5.99 for regular, or $11.99 for two day shipping.

Returns cost $8.99 (including shipping) if you want a refund.  You can get store credit for free.  Originally shipping is not refunded.

My experience: my ThredUp Review

I used a referral code, which got me $10 off an order.  I browsed around and found a cute Jessica McClintock dress in my size.  With my $10 credit, it was only $7, plus shipping costs.

I paid for standard shipping, but received my item the day after the website listed it as shipped.

I placed my order on August 9th and received it midday August 12th.

It was hard taking a good photo of myself, but it fit well and was just as cute in person.

Moxie helped.

I’m ridiculously happy with this purchase, and I’ll likely be making more.

Some tips for shopping on ThredUp

My main tip is to buy what you know primarily.  For me, I know what my size is in Jessica McClintock, Calvin Klein, Laundry, and Ralph Lauren, and which of their silhouettes fits me best.  So I can just look at the item and know what sizes would fit (or if that particular silhouette wouldn’t look good on me).

I love to browse Coach purses in the store, so I know what most of them look like in person.

If you are ordering a bunch of things and want to try something new, by all means–go for it.  But you lose shipping (and possibly $8.99 if you want a refund vs. store credit) if you send things back.  If you do that frequently, it really can add up.

My other tip is even though you can choose between New With Tags, Like New, or Gently Used, everything is in great condition.  They reject most of the clothing they receive, so don’t let the “gently used” label scare you off from an item you like.

So there’s my ThredUp review so far.  I’ve requested a kit to send in some of my own items for sale, so I’ll do another ThredUp review from the selling point of view.

If you are interested in signing up for ThredUp, if you use my referral link, we both get $10 towards our next order.  That’s how I got my dress for $7!