Casual Clothes & thredUP Thoughts

My child decided to take a nap in her crib and not on me (shocking), so I decided to write because I miss this place littered with tumbleweeds. It feels glorious to have a child who can nap comfortably in her own space, and I can use the restroom when nature calls. What a happy Friday it is.

I recently received an order I placed on thredUP, an online consignment shop everyone seems to know about now. Since I left the classroom this year to be with Enza full time, I realized my warm weather wardrobe consists of 98% teacher clothes, which do not all translate into "I need something casual for hanging out with my kid, nursing a small child, and running errands." I decided to take a little stroll through thredUP, and I found some winners.

Fun fact: If your package comes with a little booklet, you might see my face inside of it because there was a time when my mom took quality pictures of my outfits instead of my subjecting you to mirror selfies with my tiny tot. When grad school ends in July, maybe I will have time for these ventures again. Who knows where the wind will blow these tumbleweeds and me?

If you do not know about thredUP, feel free to use my referral link, which admittedly gives me some kickback. Based on my referral link dates, I have been using thredUp for at least three years now. They sure have come a long way. 

Here are a few tips before I show you what came in my polka dot box:

1. Never place an order without a promo code.

2. Download the app to have promo codes sent to your phone (and to shop from your phone). For some reason, the promo codes pop up on my phone screen and then disappear, so make sure you write it down or trap it in your memory bank if your brain has not turned to Swiss cheese like mine has.

3. Check their Facebook page and Instagram accounts for periodic giveaways and promo codes.

4. If a promo code does not show up on your phone and you do not want to lose the items in your cart forever, then message them on Facebook for a promo code. Sometimes, you get lucky and they respond quickly enough for you to use it before the items in your cart disappear.

5. The items stay in your cart for maybe 24 hours or less. Sometimes, I take screenshots of the items, and go hunt for them again once they fall out of my cart. Hey, once the item is gone, it's gone. It's not like they have 50 more in the stockroom. Snatch it up while you can!

6. Go with brands you know your size in if you're concerned about fit.

7. If you send in a cleanout bag full of Target and Old Navy finds, be prepared to be disappointed in how much money you earn. They don't resell for a lot, which is why you don't get paid much for them. I am too lazy to sell my items on Instagram or Poshmark, so I take what I can get from thredUP.

I have many more suggestions, but I will leave it at that. I previously wrote a blog post about thredUP here if you want to read it, too.

 

I don't know this shirt's brand, but this might have been my favorite top out of the bunch. Am I the only one who cannot stop collecting white shirts? As a mom, I should realize this collection is a stupid one to have. Mysterious stains abound in this house. Of course, they abounded long before I had a child if you want full disclosure.  That's why they invented stain removers.

 

This tunic is actually a tunic. It genuinely covers my butt, which I feel as if half the "tunics" I buy do not do. How misleading. My mom's first response was, "pom poms?" I say, "WHY NOT, MOM?" Pom poms make me feel cheery. Pun intended. 

Anyway, the tunic is actually a size 4 from Asos, and it's a petite, which I did not realize when I bought it. Luckily, it still fits just fine. 

 

When this came with tags, and I realized it was from Francesca's, I thought, "of COURSE." I am smitten by almost everything in Francesca's, and this top is no exception. It will also go with my new Ann Taylor Loft rust-colored pants from thredUP.  

 

This top is a size small from Ann Taylor Loft. It's black lace in case my shoddy mirror selfie has you confused. I plan to return this one because it's just too short for my liking. 

 

I had been on the hunt for a white lace shirt. This Forever21 one was like $4.99. I wear tanks under most of my shirts now because of breastfeeding, and I can wear one with this shirt no problem. Initially, I thought it was too short. I tried it on a second time and realized it's actually a nice length. Plus, the sleeves actually fit my monkey arms. A miracle. Clearly, Enza approves of this look. Or her zebra toy that looks like a cow. 

 

I will have to wear a tank under this top because it gapes a bit at the pits, but it has buttons up the back, which made it impossible for me to return. What is it about dresses with pockets and shirts with buttons on the back that have me all heart eyes and salivating?

This top is from Gap, less than $10,  a size small, and the dreamiest color.

 

Don't mind my child eating my leg.  When I put this top in my cart, I did not realize I would love it as much as I do, and it cost maybe $5. It's Forever21, size small. I thought the design was black, but it's actually navy blue.

 

Yeah, Enza might be blowing spit bubbles over it, but I love the shorts, which are BDG, size 25. When I was hunting through my shorts collection the other day for a pair of black ones, I came to the startling conclusion that, amidst all of my patterned shorts, I had zero pairs of black ones. Closet hole filled. Boom. 

I hope you enjoyed my little virtual shopping trip. Also, my jeans in this post are mid-rise Rockstar skinnies from Old Navy, and my shoes are several years old from ModCloth. Note: thredUP did not pay me for any of my comments. I just like the service that they offer and thought I would share.

thredUP Review (from a selling and buying point of view)

If you go here, you can sign up for thredUP. By visiting from this link, when you first buy something, you get $10 off for using that link. Apparently, so do I. Of course, I'd still buy stuff without the $10 referral fee. (Use the link because it gives you $10 off, which I don't think can be beat because the prices are already pretty good!)

Okay, so, how does thredUP work? Allow me to give you a little big run down.

Selling Clothes

What is it, basically?
Essentially, it's an online consignment shop of sorts. You sign up. You "order" a free bag. thredUP sends you a pre-paid bag (again, no fee to you). When I received the first bag, I thought, "you've got to be kidding me? This thing is puny." Well, you can stuff a lot more into this bag than you might think. Pro packers unite. More information here. (But be sure to sign up through the first link so that you can get $10 off. Hey, I'm a woman who loves her coupons.)
P.S. You can send women's, juniors', and kids' clothes. They do not take dude clothing.

How Long Does it Take?
Since so many more people know about the site now, they've received a lot of traffic, which obviously means it takes longer. Dudettes, patience is a virtue. I think. So they say. Anyway, it takes around a month-month and a half for your bag to process. I don't mind waiting. Heck, it takes less time than eBates and that "let me give you money every quarter thing" does! Plus, it's like Christmas when I finally do hear about how much I get.

How Do I Get Paid?
Once you find out how much you earned, you can use it one of two ways. You can either cash out (takes approximately two weeks on top of how long it took your bag to process) or use it toward a purchase (which you can use almost immediately.) If you choose to cash out, know that you need a Pay Pal account and Pay Pal takes a fraction of the money (like 2% or less...not a big deal, if you ask me.) You can have Pay Pal send you a check or just keep the money in your Pay Pal account. I've done both. I actually found a beloved pair of Steve Madden boots on eBay, so I used my second pay out toward those boots. Thanks to my $75 from thredUP, I ended up spending about $27 bucks out of pocket on boots that retail for $170 (in a color I couldn't find anywhere else.)

How Much Have I Made?
So far, I've made $112 (after pay out fees from Pay Pal) from two bags and another $10 from a friend who signed up and bought something through my link. I have zero patience for a yard sale, and I'm too lazy to go into an actual consignment shop, which means my standards aren't ridiculously high. I'm happy to get something for clothes I think are lovely. I don't know if I can get an actual check for the $10 referral or if I can use it only toward a future purchase. I'll let you know how that works out.

Can You Buy My Clothes on thredUP and see how much I made for each item?
Absolutely. I've already made my money, so you'd be paying thredUP. Say you put something in your cart and you just love it. Well, you can check out the other items from that same seller's bag.
**You can check out my first bag here.
**You can check out my second bag here.

What Do I Send?
I send those items in my closet with which I wouldn't be able to part for one of the following reasons:
1. I haven't worn it in a year or more, but maybe I'll wear it one day. (I know I won't wear it.)
2. I know I won't wear it, but I feel guilty parting with something I spent money on but never wore.
3. It's too pretty to donate. I want to make some money on it!
4. I don't just send LOFT and The Limited and the like. I do send some stuff I get at Kohl's or Target. (They don't take from Wal Mart brands.)

What is the Fine Print?
They don't take everything. It has to be in really good, like-new condition. Since I do not wear a lot of my clothes over and over and over again, I don't have a problem with sending clothes in good condition. (The clothes I wear non-stop are clothes I wouldn't want to send anyway. Duh.) You get more for dresses and coats, which makes sense. Whatever they don't take, they donate. You receive no money for those items. If you want them to send back those clothes so that you can sell them elsewhere, you have to pay a fee upfront. I'm of the "out of sight out of mind" school, so I didn't care enough to pay that fee.

The Aftermath?
They take pictures of all of the clothes they accept from your bag. You can see them all lined up and looking cute. (The links to my bags show you what it would look like when you receive a link to your own bag.) They also tell you when your items sell, a feature I love because it lets me know what kind of items to continue sending.
Tip: If you want to know everything that they keep and reject, take pictures of everything before you stuff it into the bag. That way, you can measure up your pictures against theirs and see what items you should no longer send.

What Do I Do With What I Don't Send?
If I have clothes that are in good condition but not good enough for thredUP, I donate them. When I donate, I keep an itemized list of everything that we donate. Husband transfers all of it into an Excel document. I then ask for a receipt at Good Will (or wherever) so that I can use all of that information for taxes (not ashamed of this fact...full transparency here, folks.) Last year, we got back $2800 for all that we donated. It made a huge difference on taxes. The taxes we'll incur by living in an apartment instead of a house this year will probably need those receipts and itemized lists. My husband used Turbo Tax, which includes a handy pull down menu for entering all of the items we donated.

Overall, do I recommend selling to thredUP?
For my purposes, yes, I do. I don't mind waiting almost two months to see my money. I don't mind if they do not accept everything (partially because I never pay full price for anything I buy anyway.) I don't mind that Pay Pal takes a fraction of my pay out because I think it's a very small fraction. I'm just happy to earn some money for items I love but no longer suit my style or fit my body. At the end of January, I'll hear about my third bag.



Buying Clothes

How Do I Feel about My Purchase?
I have bought two sweaters from thredUP so far, and I think they're really nice items. (I'm including a picture in this post because what is a post without at least one picture?) I bought from brands I was already familiar with because I know I'd have to pay for return shipping if I didn't like them/they didn't fit. I don't feel like messing with the post office, so I avoid that option like the plague.

Shipping?
Shipping is very, very reasonable. For two items, I paid $3.98. I can't complain about that. I don't know what the shipping is like for more items.

Quality?
The site has helpful ratings: new with tags, new without tags, and tiny flaw (which they share in the blurb about the item.)

The Pictures on the Site?
I really wish some of the pictures were of better quality. I avoid items I'm not entirely sure about based on the picture or the item description. Sometimes, it's difficult to see the print unless you zoom in pretty closely. Some pictures are of clothes on a mannequin; most pictures are of clothes lying flat on a white surface.

Finding items?
You can search for specific brands, sizes, or items of clothing (skirt/pants/tops/casual dresses). However, trying to search for something more specific like "navy blazer" won't work so well for you. I think searching is often cumbersome, but they're still making improvements. I can respect that fact.

Selection?
For my sizes (small/extra small/0 or 2/25 or 26), I am overwhelmed by how many options there are. I think "hey, if I narrow this search a bit more, maybe I won't still generate a list of 1,000 things. That's just too many to browse through."

Sizing?
Like I said, I choose brands with whom I'm already familiar just because I air on the side of caution. You can choose the sizes, and they automatically check the "include equivalent sizes" box. I don't like it because I know exactly what size I want, so I uncheck it.

Prices?
You can set your price limits, so there are reasonable prices based on whatever your budget happens to be.

Brands?
I tend to shop at LOFT, The Limited, Target, Gap, Express, and the like. The "typical" (and designer brands) abound. I'm quite impressed by the selection. I like that you can search for clothes by a specific brand.

Overall, would I recommend buying from thredUP?
I have purchased only two things, so my level of knowledge about buying is more limited than my selling knowledge is. However, I think it was an easy experience and the clothes arrived within a week and a half. I have my shopping cart full with items right now, so I'd obviously buy from there again. If you're concerned about paying return shipping (which many companies require now anyway), then stick to brands and sizes you know.

Here is one of the sweaters I purchased. It's from NY&Co., a brand I already know and love. I bought a small because I wanted a bit looser of a fit for a sweater. I'm a pretty huge fan of that neck. 

(The skirt is from my Mom for Christmas. It's going to be a favorite. I just know it.)

Any other questions? I might have an answer. Was this post useful at all? I'm curious if it was worth your time!

P.S. There are other online sites like thredUP, but I've already had good experiences, which is why I stick with them. I cannot guarantee the awesomeness of your own experience; I can speak only about mine. Finally, this post is in no way sponsored by thredUP. I just believe in full transparency...except when it comes to clothes. No bueno.