For those who may or may not know, today happens to be National Thrift Shop Day (August 17th). Over the past years, “thrifting” has gone up in demand. With this viral concept trending, several thrift stores both online and in-person have been launched to meet the increased fascination with thrifting. Fast fashion has been a long-debated term and often frowned upon — however, everyone has been turning to “thrifting” as it is more sustainable for our planet in the long run. The meaning of “thrifting” is to shop for or buy used clothes (or other items such as furniture or other recyclable items). If you have been curious to begin your thrifting journey, read on for a comprehensive guide to thrifting clothes.
First Step: In-Person or Online Thrift Store?
There are many ways to begin your very own thrifting journey. Shopping for secondhand clothing can be done either online or in person. A known in-person store ideal for thrifting happens to be Goodwill. This particular shop can be found in several locations throughout the U.S. However, it isn’t the only in-person option out there. Your best bet can be to go research via the search engine of your choosing. A sample keyword to put in the search bar can be “best thrift stores near (insert location here).” From there, several options will pop up. Shopping locally will not only be beneficial for the local businesses nearby but also for you as well — snagging secondhand clothing is the best outcome of them all.
Sometimes, not everyone has the time to hit up an in-person store or personally opts for shopping online. Well, there happens to be all kinds of apps + websites from which you can shop. Instead of searching, “best thrift stores near…” try searching for “best online thrift stores” which makes results come up more accurately. Now, here’s a rundown of some of the online thrifting platforms to try out:
ThredUp
With its origin dating back to 2009, ThredUp has gained popularity over the past few years. It carries various loved brands such as Madewell, Free People, Aritzia, Anthropologie, and more. Basically, the way ThredUp gets these previously owned items is by the “Clean Out” kits sent in by customers. This kit is where customers pack garments they no longer use in the famous polka dot bag or in their own box. ThredUp then inspects the items sent and decides whether or not each of these pieces follows the criteria for selling on its platform (which can be found here).
Once accepted, ThredUp lists the accepted items on its platform with the set prices they provide. What happens to clothes that weren’t accepted? Customers can choose to have them sent back or ThredUp recycles/donates them. From there, shoppers can move on to shopping for these secondhand items by searching by brand, size, color, type of item, etc.
Depop
Depop is another great platform to thrift for clothes. Customers can buy, sell, and discover all the clothing that Depop has listed on their website/application. Items found on this platform are tops, pants, shoes, sneakers, bags, belts, jackets, and jeans. Users can list their items with pictures and set their own prices. However, you will have to worry about shipping and packing the item. There are limitless options on this platform when it comes to thrifting as it comes with all kinds of items for different styles.
Poshmark
Poshmark is very much familiar to Depop. Used/new items are found on the application. Also, once again, shipping + packaging are the factors that fall onto the user’s responsibility. Besides clothing, if interested, home decor, electronics, and beauty items are found on the application to shop and reuse.
Nuuly
This brand happens to have two different platforms: the Nuuly Rent subscription service and Nuuly Thrift, a resale marketplace. Since this article is about thrifting, the thrift side of Nuuly will be the main focus. Similar to the other above online thrift shops, Nuuly Thrift is where you can either sell or buy used clothing. Items available are women’s, men’s, and kids’ apparel, accessories, and shoes.
Create A Budget
Now that you decided to opt for an in-person or online store, it’s time to create a plan for yourself. A factor to include in your plan could be to decide on a budget. How much are you willing to spend online or in person? Sometimes, it is very much easy to get carried away with shopping so the best bet would be to create a budget for yourself to not go overboard. Believe me, you will thank yourself later.
Decide What You’re Shopping For
What kind of items are you looking for? Any specific brands? Knowing what kind of items you’re shopping for, just makes the shopping session/trip a lot easier and not so overwhelming. If shopping in person, it can direct you quickly to a specific section in the store without having to browse through all kinds of rackets. The same thing goes for online shopping — these applications/websites have specific categories for easy browsing (brands, sizes, item types, etc.).
Thrift Your Own Items
Some thrift stores allow customers to give away their items and in exchange, money or a coupon may be given to use for a future thrift purchase. It can benefit in many ways such as being able to easily declutter your closet and giving clothes an extra chance at “life.” As for online stores, like ThredUp or Nuuly, giving away your items online can help you earn online store credit (for more thrifting goodies!) or transfer that credit for cash to use at an in-person store potentially.
Happy thrifting!
