Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Online Consignment Stores - Twice vs. thredUP

New-to-me clothes from Twice!

Over the course of the last year, my clothing size changed, as did my style, leaving me with a ton of clothes I no longer wore. So my first project of the summer was cleaning out my closet - and of course, adding a few new items.

In the past I've always just donated old clothes, but this time I felt like I had a lot of clothes I couldn't bear to just let go, so I wanted to try selling them. I don't have the patience to sell small-ticket items one by one on eBay, and secondhand stores like Buffalo Exchange look mostly for trendy, in-season items, so those options were out. While looking for an easier way to sell my clothes in bulk, I came across online "consignment" stores Twice and thredUP, which follow the same model as Buffalo Exchange, Plato's Closet, etc. wherein you can trade in your clothes for cash or store credit.

I sold a batch of clothes to Twice and am still waiting on thredUP, and of course I couldn't resist buying a few things (okay, six things - still about a tenth of what I recently sold/donated) and overall, I'm really happy with the experience.

Twice


NWT Sheer White Blouse by Ecote by Urban Outfitters, $11.95 (est. original price $33.49)
Tan Front Button Skirt by J. Crew Factory, $12.95 (est. original price $55.95)
Long Sleeve Blazer by Halogen by Nordstrom, $17.95 (est. original price $118.00)
Blue Striped T-Shirt by Banana Republic Outlet, $11.95 (est. original price $31.99)
Total cost: $54.80

thredUP

American Eagle Button Down, $9.99 (est. original price $40)
Hollister Casual Skirt, $9.99 (est. original price $40)
Total cost: $23.96, minus $15 discount code = $8.96

Most of these are items I've been wanting for a while but just never found at the right price. The blazer was a bit of an impulse purchase and isn't as flattering as I'd hoped, so I might be sending that back (luckily, Twice provides free return shipping).

Detailed comparison after the cut!

Buying

Sizing
In addition to the labeled size, each company provides additional sizing information as follows.
Twice: all the important garment measurements (length, bust, waist, hips, etc.)
thredUP: "equivalent sizes" (e.g. giving 0, 1, and 3 as "alternate sizes" for an item listed as size 2)

Payment
Twice: credit cards, store credit
thredUP: credit cards, store credit, PayPal

Packaging and Shipping
Twice: $5 flat rate for orders under $49; free for orders $49 and up.
thredUP: $2.99 for the first item and $0.99 for each additional item; free for orders over $50.

Returns
Twice: within 30 days of receipt, free shipping
thredUP: within 30 days of purchase, customer pays shipping

Selling

Items Accepted
Twice: women's clothes from their approved brand list
thredUP: kids' clothes (infant size 12 months and up), women's clothes that are not on their disapproved list, some accessories

Packaging and Shipping
Twice: Print a prepaid label and use your own box or order a free prepaid bag.
thredUP: Order a prepaid bag (free for now, though the ostensible cost is $5).

Payout
Twice: Store credit or PayPal. Store credit adds a 25% bonus to your payout.
thredUP: Store credit, PayPal, or contribution to a fundraising group.

Policy on Rejected Items
Twice: Rejected items will be donated to Goodwill. You can opt to reject the entire offer and pay a $5 fee to have your entire batch of clothes returned.
thredUP: Rejected items are entered into thredUP's "100% Re-Use Program." Before your items arrive at the processing and distribution center, you can purchase Return Assurance for $9.99 and your rejected items will be returned to you. If all or none of your items are accepted, no return will be made and the Return Assurance fee will not be deducted from your account.

Referrals
Twice: your friends start out with $10 store credit for signing up with your referral link, and you earn $10 in credit when they make their first purchase. Additionally, your friends will get a $10 bonus in store credit the first time they sell to Twice, and you'll earn $10 in store credit, too.
thredUP: your friends start out with $10 store credit for signing up with your referral link, and you earn $10 in credit when they make their first purchase. No selling bonus.

Summary

Twice thredUP
Sizing full measurements "equivalent" sizes
Payment credit card, store credit credit card, store credit, PayPal
Shipping $5 flat rate, free for $49+ $2.99+, free over $50
Returns w/in 30 days of receipt, free shipping w/in 30 days of purchase
Items Accepted selected women's clothes most kids' and women's clothes, some accessories
Packaging & Shipping prepaid label or bag prepaid bag
Payout PayPal or store credit (with 25% bonus) PayPal, store credit, or donation
Rejected Items donated to Goodwill, or all clothes returned for $5 fee entered to 100% Re-Use Program, or rejected items returned for $9.99 fee

Overall, I prefer Twice both for buying and selling, but I'll keep an eye on thredUP too, if only for selling things that aren't on Twice's brand list.

13 comments:

  1. If you decide to try ThredUP, they are currently offering new customers 35% off + free shipping. Use code KPC35 through 6/30 to get the deal. Great way to give it a whirl!

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  2. Great comparisons! I've used Twice for selling my clothes. Haven't tried Thred Up yet. I like that Twice give you 25% bonus for store credit.

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  3. Just used ThredUp for selling clothes and did not turn out well at all. I have bought clothes from them and have not been disappointed. I sent in a full bag of name brand clothes ranging in sizes from 12 months to Juniors to maternity and womens. Everything was in excellent condition. the Juniors clothing didn't have tags but were still new since my daughter never wore them. The bag contained about 50 articles of clothing and only 9 items were selected to be sold and they only gave me a balance of $6.88. Also, none of that clothing selected was any of the Juniors clothing I sent in... NONE! Where did it all go. I am very upset with this service. Nothing was wrong with the clothing at all. I inspected everything and it was all high end name brand clothing. I will not send them clothing again. They are not fair in the payouts at all. Make sure you google any negative reviews as I just did and I saw that I'm not the only person this has happened to.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That sounds awful! I did end up selling to thredUP and was paid $28.88 for 12 items, only one of which was brand name (and too old to sell to Twice), so I am not unhappy with that. My current method is to sell higher-priced items on eBay, sell what I can to Twice, and use thredUP only for getting rid of things that I would otherwise just donate anyway.

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    2. You should ALWAYS ALWAYS pay the return assurance fee to have what is not accepted returned.
      They usually take only a few items. I am not sure why but at least you won't feel like you've been ripped off. Once the item are returned they are yours again.

      Delete
    3. You should ALWAYS ALWAYS pay the return assurance fee to have what is not accepted returned.
      They usually take only a few items. I am not sure why but at least you won't feel like you've been ripped off. Once the item are returned they are yours again.

      Delete
  4. I haven't tried any of these 2 site and by reading your post and the comments made here, there are those who are satisfied and are not. I am using Preluved for my kids clothes. It is a Clothing Mobile App. I always find great items there as well as great deals, and selling my kids used clothes has never been hard so far.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great comparison! I found both thredUP and Twice about a year prior to you and also compared the buying and shopping. I've been very happy shopping with both. I often stick with brands where I'm familiar with the how the sizes typically fit me. It is a definite benefit that Twice will pay the return shipping because you just never know until you try something on. I do also buy a lot for my daughter from thredUP.

    I have tried selling to both. For the most part, until I started buying from them, my clothes weren't high-end enough to sell to Twice. I had two shipments go missing and in my early days, I itemized everything in details and was covered by their insurance. The one offer I did receive, I rejected. With thredUP, the payouts aren't great, but they are far better than nothing. I have an attic full of clothes from the past 10 years that range from size 6 - 18...I'm still cleaning it out. These are things that aren't going to sell on eBay or another consignment store, but thredUP has a market for them. I don't sell my daughter's clothes to them. I know what will sell well on eBay and the rest I tag and take to a Just Between Friends consignment sale. ThredUP has a 30% off promo for new customers right now. It's GET30, expires 4/30 or get a friend's referral.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Use https://liketwice.com/sIKie to get $10 when you buy something and an additional $10 when you sell something! Plus use FINALSALE30 to get another 30% off. You can get something really cool for FREE if you do the math :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Http://like twice.com/qo355 this link gets you $10 credit which can be used towards shipping as well. That means you can literally get free clothes

    Http://thredup.com/r/KZ2KC9 this also gets you $10 credit

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  8. Love this post, I've been wanting to get rid of some clothing and was wondering which site to go with. I've actually ordered quite a few things from Twice and I was leaning more towards it an after reading this I think it's the safest bet. Thank you.

    Also anyone interested in joining Twice, use this link to get a $10 credit; https://www.liketwice.com/e0gDp/
    Also watch this video & answer the 4 question quiz for a 50% off coupon ; https://www.liketwice.com/buyer-quiz/?utm_source=facebook&utm_discount=3530

    If you find something on twice under $9.95 you'll get it free <3


    also get a $10 credit on ThredUp here; http://www.thredup.com/r/A1X3OQ

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  9. twice was a billion times better than thredup and had become a regular weekly source of income for me! i am so sad they stopped. do you know any other companies like that, aside from thedup which i don't think is worth it at all!

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  10. I like those designs of your clothes. Are you also selling a secondhand items? If you wan to sell also a secondhand shoes, you may order it here http://www.boex.tv/. They have a lot of good quality secondhand products for an affordable price.

    ReplyDelete