How To Start Selling on ThredUp

Have you ever wanted to start selling your clothes online?

You’re not alone!

Millions of people around the world sell their clothes on sites like eBay and Poshmark to get rid of old items they no longer wear.

But did you know there are other platforms that are easier to use and don’t require you to do any of the work?

One of the best places to sell clothing with minimal work is ThredUp.com.

They are one of the most popular shops for buying and selling secondhand clothes.

Selling on ThredUp is a simple process that anyone can learn how to do.

Interested in learning how to make money working from home? Keep reading to find out how it works!

You Might Also Like:

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Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will make a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Table of Contents

What is ThredUp?

Before I start talking about how to sell clothing on ThredUp, let’s quickly go over what ThredUp is.

ThredUp is an online marketplace that allows anyone to buy and sell their clothes with other people across the country.

They provide a simple, hassle-free way to get rid of your gently used clothing in a matter of minutes.

You simply send your clothes using their free clean-out service.

Pros of Selling on ThredUp

Here are a few other reasons why people love selling on ThredUp:

They provide a hassle-free way to sell clothes online. It takes a few minutes of your time and you’ll get the money in your pocket right away!
You have peace of mind knowing that your item will be mailed directly to the buyer so it’s less likely to get lost or damaged.
There are no limits to what you can sell. For instance, ThredUp allows their customers to sell clothing for any age group, including women’s, men’s, and children’s items.
Finally, selling on ThredUp is a great option if you’re looking to get cash quickly for your items.

In general, it’s usually much easier and faster to sell your clothing on ThredUp than trying to do it at a consignment shop, yard sale, or listing them by yourself online.

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Cons of Selling on ThredUp

While selling online does have many benefits, there are some drawbacks as well.

Here are a few reasons why people don’t like selling on ThredUp:

Your items may not be accepted if they don’t meet a certain condition.

Unlike other platforms like eBay, or Facebook Marketplace, you cannot list all your items for sale.

They have their own rules that must be followed during the selling process.

You have to ship your items using their free clean-out service which can take a little bit of time and effort.

Before you start selling on ThredUp, make sure to read their requirements carefully in order to avoid any problems or mistakes.

I have listed them below, so make sure you follow them before sending your clothes.

The process may take longer than expected depending on how many items you have to sell.

Not a great platform to sell designer clothing.

Although you can sell trendy items on the site, they do not cater to high-end brand buyers.

That is why if you have a lot of designer items, you may want to try other platforms like Depop or The RealReal.

Not only do they cater to buyers who love brands but they can also help authenticate and price your items accurately.

That way you can be sure that your items will sell at a higher price and you won’t have to worry if they’re real or not.

Steps to Selling on ThredUp

Now that you know what ThredUp is all about, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how to sell clothes online.

Here are the steps you will need to follow in order to successfully sell your item(s) on ThredUp.

1.) Fill up your cleanout kit

Using their clean-out service means that you will be given a kit by ThredUp where you can fill it with gently used items that you do not need or use.

2.) Mail your kit

Once you have filled up your kit, just place it in the mail using the prepaid shipping label.

3.) ThredUp takes care of the rest

Once ThredUp receives your items and approves them, everything will be worry-free since they take care of the rest!

Upfront Vs. Consignment Item Payout

When you are selling clothes on ThredUp, you will be given two options for payouts for your items, upfront or consignment.

Upfront Item

Upfront item means that the clothing you sent is in great condition, on-trend, and in season.

If they consider your clothing upfront, you will be given a payout right away and you don’t need to wait for it to sell on the site to get paid.

You can expect to get paid 5% to 80% of the anticipated selling price on ThredUp.

Consignment Item

If your clothing is considered a consignment item, it means that even though it is in good condition, it may not sell right away.

You will only be paid once your item has sold on the site, and it will be based on the selling price.

Once they sell your items for you, you can expect to get paid 5% to 80% of the sale value.

The items can be up for consignment for up to 84 days, but after 7 days you can reclaim the item if you do not like the way ThredUp attempts to sell your clothes.

Below is also ThredUp’s payouts table that will allow you to see how you will get paid for your items.

ThredUp clothing quality standards

Before you start selling clothing online, there are a few things you should know.

ThredUp has specific quality standards so make sure that your items fall within their guidelines before you send them your clothes!

In order to pass their inspection, all clothing must be:

In good condition and wearable. This means no fading, shrinkage, and pilling.
The clothing must also be damage-free without stains, rips, and odors.
They must not be altered, this includes missing sizing information.

So before you send out your clothes, make sure they are clean, in good condition, and free of any damage or alterations.

Otherwise, ThredUp will decline and return the items for you.

How to source clothes to sell on ThredUp

Sourcing clothes is the first step towards selling online!

While it may seem like a daunting task at first, I promise sourcing clothing only gets easier once you get the hang of it.

Give yourself a good amount of time to do some research and come up with a plan.

I recommend spending a few hours going through your closet and sorting out the clothes that you’d like to sell into two piles – keep and sell.

If you’re having a hard time deciding which items to sell, try asking yourself these three questions:

Does this still fit me? If the answer is yes, then it may be worth keeping.

Have I worn it in the last year or two? If not, then you can probably sell it!

But keep in mind that brand new items should only be sold if they are unopened.

Do I love it? If the answer is no, then you should probably get rid of it.

Be honest with yourself and you’ll have a much easier time going through your closet!

Once you’ve completed that step, go through every piece of clothing and make sure it meets ThredUp’s quality standards.

If it doesn’t, then you can try selling it on eBay, or Poshmark since they are less strict.

After you go through your own closet, you can also look for clothes on other platforms if you want to sell more items online.

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Here are a few places where you can source clothing to sell:

Thrift stores

Designer clothing resale shops

Fashion swap groups on Facebook

Online classifieds like Craigslist

Keep in mind that you won’t need to source everything at once.

After a few weeks of searching, you should have enough items to send in your first box!

Just make sure you’ve done the research and know what ThredUp will accept before sending anything.

Tips for Successful Selling

Now that you have all the information needed to sell on ThredUp, it’s time to learn some tips and tricks about selling clothes online.

These are the things I’ve learned as well as talking to other people who’ve sold on the site.

Having Multiple Items – While it’s definitely possible to try and sell clothes online on your own, I’ve found that selling in bulk makes it so much easier!

Not only will you make more money with everything combined but you’ll also be able to get your items out faster!

I recommend picking a handful of items you’d like to sell and sending them all at once in their cleanout kit.

Picking the Right Items – When you think about selling clothes on ThredUp, you have to make sure that you are choosing the right items that people will actually want to buy.

You’ll want to focus on selling items that are in good condition, fit most people, and can be worn in several different ways.

Overall, selling clothes on ThredUp is a fairly easy and fast process!