…and now for something completely different.
This post is sponsored by ThredUP! Read to the end to find a coupon code!!
I love to dress up. On an average day, I’m a t-shirt and sweats kind of girl (or pajamas depending on if I’m leaving the house), but when I’m going out or going to work, I love to get gussied up.
I don’t wear makeup often, and I keep my hair short to avoid dealing with it. Clothes are where I express myself the most, through color and design and style.
I’m a sucker for dark colors and fancy florals and DRESSES, oh my. I like dressing fancy a lot more as an adult than I did as a kid, I’ll tell you that much.
I’m also a sucker for a bargain, a gift I got from my mama. Especially when it comes to clothes shopping, I hunt for bargains– I rarely buy clothes unless they’re on the sales rack, from a thrift store or bargain store such as Ross, or I have a good coupon. It has to be a really nice item for me to buy it full-price.
Online shopping for clothes is something I don’t do all that often. I loathe paying for shipping, but I love shopping from my bed in my PJs. Being plus-sized, it’s hard to find clothes that will fit right without trying them on first, AND it’s hard to find nice stuff in my size that won’t cost an arm and a leg.
Enter ThredUP. ThredUP is the world’s largest internet secondhand shop, with prices up to 90% off retail on brand-name clothes and accessories.
An online thrift store with bargain prices? Yes, please.
Like a regular second-hand store, people send in their gently used items to thredUP to sell so others can buy. Using their “Clean Out” program is pretty simple: order a Clean Out bag, fill it with items, list the items and their condition on the site, and send it back. Once ThredUP receives it, they meticulously evaluate each item before placed on the site to ensure quality and on-trend items throughout.
You have the option of listing items you’re sending to sell and receiving the profits yourself (via ThredUP credit or Paypal), OR donating your profits to charity. Depending on the item, thredUP pays up front (for currently on-trend, brand new items), or on consignment (once the item sells).
I actually heard about ThredUP first from their charitable donations program, before I bought anything from them. It wasn’t until this year that I actually took a chance and started purchasing clothes from them– and now there’s no going back.
ThredUP carries things for kids and women of all sizes– from plus to petite to maternity, they have you covered. From premium designer items to everyday brands you know and love, you can find it all on ThredUP.
By clicking on one of the selections on the homepage menu (above, in gray), the site directs you to a hub of clothes for that particular size/ specialty.
If you’re looking for a specific item (such as a plus-size dress or maternity pants), a drop-down menu will appear from the homepage menu to lead you to specific clothing pages.
One of the features I like on the site (and its accompanying app) is its customizing abilities, catering to your specific sizes, brands, and prices. You can enter your sizes, favorite brands, and set your prices– and only products in those specifications will appear.
I only use this feature for size, because I like having a variety of brands, colors, and prices to choose from. It helps limit my scrolling time looking for items (it’s a lot easier than searching for specific sizes on a rack at the store, I’ll tell ya that much) and helps with the disappointment of seeing a cute item only for it to not be in your size. You can save these custom preferences (except color) for every visit, too!
Another feature I like (and didn’t realize its existence until later!) is the writing at the bottom of each section, detailing popular brands, trends, and general thoughts on the clothes you’re looking at. I like how ThredUP approaches clothes and style with thought to the buyer and what they’re looking for.
They also have a great blog, Thredit, where they extend similar thoughts and share about trends and fashion essentials you can find shopping at ThredUP.
Once you find an item you like, you can click on it to learn more:
The info you’ll find includes the ThredUP price and an estimated retail price; clothing details, materials, and measurements (with a clickable link to an explanation of how they measure if needed); and condition if the item is not new with tags (which a lot of items are!).
You’ll also find at the bottom of the page a “you may also like” section with similar items, and a unique “more from this seller” option, to see if there are more options from this seller you may enjoy.
There are more features I like, such as favoriting items, custom-tailored emails with your brands and sizes, and a 24-hour time limit on cart items (so everyone has a chance to get the cute things!)– but I want to get to the clothes!
Because the clothes I got? They were CUTE.
(I’m sparing you pictures of me in the clothes because I am no model and have no photographer so I’d be selfie-ing it. You’re welcome.)
Being plus-sized, it’s always a gamble buying online– especially as some plus-size clothes don’t always work on plus-sized bodies.
Tops and sweaters were the overall choices of my ThredUP adventure! Some were from brands I know and love like Ava & Viv from Target:
or a sweater from Forever21+
this is seriously my most-used item. I looove this sweater.
This blazer from Dressbarn is another favorite:
POLKA DOTSSSSS.
Some were from brands I’d never heard of, but I loved the style of the shirt so much I didn’t care:
and these:
swoon.
I love BOTH of these shirts. The sweater above might be my most-used, but these shirts are my favorite. I don’t have anything like either of them and feel super confident in them– especially the blue one. I need 10 shirts in that style. It’s so flowy and fun and pretty.
I ended up with one skirt, also from Ava & Viv, and I love it:
stripes, black, comfy, and easy to wear. What’s not to love?
Dresses were the main issue I have in plus-sized shopping, especially online. Because of some of my assets (ha), sometimes dresses will fit everywhere except the waist/bust, especially if there’s a detail that cinches the waist in below the bust. So while I tried a few dresses that seemed like they’d fit me well, I couldn’t get them on past my head. Not a cute look.
Thankfully, ThredUP’s return process+customer service was a huge help– their return process is easy, and once the dresses were returned, I was refunded (in ThredUP credit) so I could try again! I even had an issue with a mislabeled skirt, and they felt bad so they gave me extra credits to make up for it! Customer service is one of the places where online retailers can easily falter, but ThredUP treats their customers super well.
I finally figured out a loose-fitting dress was the answer, and this was the winner:
I loooove the colors. It’s different than anything else I own!
With all of these items, I spent less than $60, including shipping!
Minus all my dress-shopping woes, I had a successful ThredUP shopping adventure. I found things I love and wear often, for a fraction of their retail price– and I shopped from the comfort of my bed. That is savvy shopping, my friends.
Truthfully, I was leery of giving ThredUP a chance– clothes shopping online has never been my best venture, but thrift store-clothes? That scared me more! But really, I shouldn’t have worried. While the prices are fit for a thrift-store bargain, the quality of clothes have nothing on Goodwill– they go above and beyond to ensure you get your money’s worth and more in quality and style.
Because the people at ThredUP are beyond kind and want you to experience their take on secondhand shopping for yourself, they have offered readers a coupon code for your first purchase!
WOMENS50 gives 50% off all first-time orders of women’s clothing and accessories, up to $50 discount per order. It lasts until the end of May 2018.
Use this code and fall in love with the second-hand online shopping of ThredUP. Your thrifting game will never be the same.
And now, maybe you can do your clothes shopping from the comfort of your pajamas. I know I will be!
What is your favorite piece of clothing you’ve found secondhand?