Thredup Review {Buying}

Disclaimer: I see there are a lot of negative reviews about selling to thredup. This review is only about buying adult womens clothes.

I first found out about thredup while looking for stitchfix reviews. I found one review impertinently comparing Stitchfix to thredup when my interest piqued. I say its impertinent because despite both avenues selling clothes, they have completely different concepts. Its apples and oranges, really. As you know, Stitchfix is a personal styling service that sends a box of clothes that they pick for you based on a style profile. Thredup is a consignment website that displays used clothing that people want to get rid of. Stitchfix is like an online Nordstroms personal stylist kiosk while thredup is an online goodwill. Whatever, Thredup is cheaper so I tried it.

These are the clothes I bought Via Thredup

FYI I am playing with my camera's self timer setting to take some high functioning selfies. Bare with me...

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I waited until black Friday to pounce. I used someone elses referral link so I had a

$10 off coupon but I decided to forgo that credit with the 25% deal they offered for black Friday only. I used their filter to search for everything in size 8. I am one of those ultra typical people who just need a size medium in whatever and go. Or at least I thought. I picked out a jacket, a pair of shoes, a skirt, a pair of pants, a sweater, and a top. I pretty much got one of everything. I paid 90 dollars after my coupon and Thredup proclaimed I saved 81% off of retail price. That’s pretty neat, although I doubt my order would ever have been that much since every item I ordered had a minor flaw that would have banished it to an outlet mall

Gross High-Lo design in this Silk Top

The sizing turned out to be ALL over the place. The shoes were a size too big, the skirt (even though I went with the size 10) was a size too small, the pants were skin tight although they seemed to be cute that way, the shirt was just a hair too tight around the shoulders, the cashmere sweater felt like someone washed it on accident, the polo shirt was two sizes too big, and the gap jacket was too big around the waist. Every outfit made it look like I got dressed in the dark. Unfortunately, this is even worse, I bought clothes without being able to try it on.

The skirt looks cute but it gives me a muffin top.

It wouldn't have been bad if the photo presentation on the site wasn't so god awful. Thredup only offers one large photo for each item. You aren't able to see what they look like on a person and you aren't able to look at the back. This bit me in three of the items. The silk top had an ugly high-lo design that I didn't figure out until I tried it on. The Cashmere sweater wasn't very long, it stopped at my waist, but you couldn't tell in the photo because the isolated image didn't have any size comparisons. The gap jacket was a tad too long for my tastes, but I couldn't tell because I thought the boxiness in the photo was because it was a bit cropped. It turned out to be boxy and long.

This shirt is far too large, making me look masculine in a Not Good Way.

The skintight Joes Jeans Pants and the super small seems like someone washed it cashmere sweater.

So unlike stitchfix, returns are NOT a breeze. We have to pay for returns by ourselves. We also have to fill out a form describing why we didn’t like them. This it not a no questions asked situation. Personally, I don’t know if I will want to return anything despite being so unhappy with my “polka dot box”. That was an upsetting thought. I am calculating that it will cost $15 to ship back. That really cuts down on my net costs of this situation.

Despite that, you know, I didn't really pay a lot for this many clothes. I got 7 pieces for 90 dollars, and that is a steal. I should just be more careful next time, checking the home website for sizing info instead of the lame boilerplate thredup sizing guide.

If you click on this link, thredup will give you $10 dollars to give it a shot.

An Image SO DORKY I COULDN'T POSSIBLY PUT UP.. so I do.

Oh god, I can't believe I put that up.

Update:

Thredup emailed me, isn't that nice? This is how the email went:

Dear Maria,
Thanks for your recent (and first!) purchase from thredUP. We are thrilled that you gave us a try.
I am writing to make sure you are as happy with us (and your order) as we are with you!
We know that as a new customer you have taken a chance on purchasing from us. We want you to feel great about your choice, and give you every opportunity to tell us if you are not happy.
When I first used thredUP not long ago, I was so blown away with my experience that I joined the company as head of marketing. Now that I'm here, the team and I are relentless about making sure that every one of our customers has a positive experience. It's a high bar but we are passionate about what we do. When you are happy, we are happy.
So, please, share your genuine feedback with me. Good, bad, scary--I can handle it! Also, let me know if there's anything I can do to make things right. I read every one of these emails and I will respond to you directly.
All the best and thank you!
Anthony S. Marino
Chief Marketing Officer
thredUP

My response was:

Dear Anthony,

Thank you very much for emailing me. Its not everyday that I get an email from a CMO.

I found the following redeeming qualities about thredup

1. The prices were more than reasonable

2. The clothing selection was very large

3. The clothing selection quality was very good. I found lots of brands and fabrics that I like from the selection you offered.

4. The black friday sale was generous

5. The shipping cost being free with a 50 dollar purchase was generous, especially for how large the box was.

6. The clothing I got was in good shape. I did not feel deceived about the quality of the clothing I ordered.

I found the following things unsatisfactory:

1. The single photo format of the presentation made it hard to judge what the clothing looked like. For example, the silk top that I ordered had a high-lo hem that was not recognizable when I ordered it. I was surprised when I tried it on.

2. The sizing was all over the place. I ordered size 8 in everything and I received tops that were both too small AND too large. The cashmere sweater had been previously shrunk in the wash.

3. I did not like that we pay for our own return shipping. Most companies have flat rate shipping both ways, and I believe I would vastly prefer that. The shipping cost kept me from wanting to return my samples, and will make me much more wary about what I order in the future.

Overall, it was a positive experience that will have me shopping and definitely buying again.