Izzy Goodweather

From Your Own Couch. 

If there aren’t any thrift stores near you, or you can not find clothes you like, various online stores now allow you to shop and sell clothes all from your own home. Thrifting is a popular option for clothes that is good for the environment. Once people were looked down upon and made fun of for wearing second hand clothes, but recently the love of thrifting has grown exponentially.  This is particularly true for teens, as they are drawn to a way to get nice clothes for cheap prices. 

Depop

Depop is easy to use and constantly updated with new clothes. Sellers post photos of the piece of clothing and set the price they want to sell it at and write a small blurb. The price range on Depop can be cheaper to more expensive depending on how the seller wants to price their item. Most of the time it leads to the more expensive side since individual sellers don’t have a cap on how much they can charge. However, most sellers will allow you to “make an offer” on an item where you can put in the price that you want to pay. You are also able to “message sellers” with questions regarding the product. This clothing platform is known to be more expensive than others due to the extreme convenience of finding whatever you want thrifted with a touch of a button. This is unlike other platforms which are regulated with standards and fact checking since they are not individual sellers – on Depop you’re buying directly from another person. Another cause of their high prices is the higher tax on sellers than other websites. Depop takes a 10% fee after you set up your PayPall account and credit for the site.  Even Though depop can be more expensive, it is still an excellent website for all your thrifting desires. 

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Thredup is a mass thrifting website where individual people send their old clothes, called a “clean out kit” to a Thredup warehouse. From there, the items go through a 12 point inspection where Thredup decides if they are in good enough condition to have on the website. The clothes are then photographed and measured to be put on the website for consumers to buy. Depending on the condition and brand, “payouts’ or the amount the original owner actually makes from the sale, may be different. Nicer brands such as Lulu Lemon and Gucci that are sold within a 45 day period usually get an 80% payout. Medium priced brands like Zara and Nike that have been on the market for more than 30 days will get around a 60% payout. Lower brands such as Forever 21, you might not get a payout; however, you are still able to send them in and they might still be sold. When you do get your pay out you can choose from a shopping credit or in cash. 

The Realreal is a luxury brand thrift store. The Realreal prides themselves on the fact that 100% of their products are real and have been authenticated. ach piece is posted with the original retail price and the now thrifted discounted price. The price filter allows you to find luxury pieces at a lower price. The Realreal’s payout pieces are “up to 85% of the sales price. That’s 3 times more than other resellers.” The website follows trends in the market and checks the quality of each piece to determine how much a piece should go on the market for. If you sell more on the website your commission can also go up. 

Vinted, a thrifting website launched in 2008, attracts sellers with their “list for free” platform. The website works by connecting individual sellers to individual buyers. Most webistes tax the sellers instead of the buyers. This causes the sellers to mark up their prices. Vinted prices are lower then other thrifting websites due to them taxing the buyers instead. The website itself allows for you to buy a product at its list price or to “make an offer” which gives a venue for bargaining for a lower price. There is also a “message seller” button and if you scroll down to the bottom of the listing there is an item description. When you buy an item with the “buy now” button a 5% fee and a $0.70 buyer protection fee is added. This is in addition to Vinted’s refund policy saying that if an item “never arrives, is damaged in transit, is significantly not as described” they will help you get a refund. 

Overall, thrifting websites can be more expensive than in-person thrift stores, due to the comfort factor, but are great alternatives to fast fashion. They let you find exactly what you are looking for if you don’t have any good thrift stores near you. Next time you shop, think about helping the environment and go second-hand.