Is ThredUp Legit? Here’s Why You Should Shop Carefully (2024)

• Noelle
• April 2, 2024
• Last Updated: 09/02/2024
• 9 minutes

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Let’s get straight to the point. Is thredup.com, the online women’s thrift shop, a legit site? The short answer is yes, they are legitimate. Now the biggest question is, would I shop here again?

In this 100% unbiased and detailed review (I am NOT paid to write this), I will share my purchase and return experience, my thoughts on their clothing, and my observations and research regarding their brand and website. Keep reading for more!

Table of Contents

My First Impression of ThredUp

After digging around their website, I’m not seeing anything that immediately jumps out as scammy. Their pages seem well-written, I don’t see any obvious discrepancies, their images look cohesive and real, etc. – keep scrolling for a deeper dive!

Please note that sustainability is complex and can be difficult to determine from the consumer's end. My response here is based on information provided by this shop, context clues, tell-tale signs, etc. Since my blog is not focused on proving sustainability claims, I encourage you to further research.

Yes, they appear to follow many sustainable practices. According to their About page and Our Impact page, they promote secondhand shopping to mitigate the environmental impact. Their online platform offers a modern resale experience, processing and recirculating clothing at an extraordinary scale. Their initiatives include educating consumers about fashion waste and collaborating with high-profile brands and celebrities to inspire positive change in the fashion industry. Notably, by the end of 2022, they had processed 172 million garments, mitigating 666 million pounds of carbon emissions, and saving customers over $5 billion. I can also confirm that my items arrived in recyclable packaging (a cardboard box) without any plastic packaging.

Check out this article What Is Fast Fashion, Anyway? by the good trade to learn more about fast fashion, sustainability, and how to spot it from a mile away!

Where Do They Ship From?

My order was shipped to me from a warehouse/distribution center in Georgia(United States).

• According to their Contact page, their legal business name is ThredUp Inc.
• Read this List of Online Stores that are confirmed to be run by the same owners as ThredUp.
• The website thredup.com was registered in November 2008.

• According to their About page, they commissioned Green Story Inc. to analyze the environmental impact of buying garments used instead of new. View Report
• They have been mentioned by popular magazines and platforms includingForbes,Cosmopolitan,The Guardian,Vogue, etc. (Click to view linked articles)

Services • Policies • Products

The below info is accurate as of this post’s publish date. For the most current and updated info, please check their website.

• They offer Clean Out Kits for you to fill with clothing you would like to sell. They receive your items, inspect, photograph, and list/sell on your behalf.
• They offer heavily discounted Rescue Boxes filled with clothing that doesn’t qualify for listing on their marketplace.
• They have ThredUp Rewards where you can earn, redeem, and spend points.
• Shipping is free over $89.
• Returns are allowed within 14 days of delivery.They offer free return labelson items in your first order using their Welcome reward code (this was automatically applied). After your first order, a return label costs $10.99 if refunded back to your original payment method (you can also opt to return it yourself). Additionally, items are subject to a $3.99 restocking fee. Final Sale items are not returnable.
• Size charts are NOT available for any of the clothing. These are second-hand items, and since there are DOZENS of different brands, they just provide a few measurements such as bust, length, etc. For each item I chose, I Googled each brand’s size chart.
• They carry:
  • Standard and plus sizes from XXS to 5X
  • Junior sizes
  • Maternity sizes
  • Tall and petite lengths

Brand or Supplier Label: Levi’s

Color/Size/Cost: Blue / 8 / $27.99

Country: Made in Macau

Material: 99% Cotton / 1% Lycra Spandex

See the below image for additional specs from the product page:

Expectation:They are not what I was expecting in terms of overall appearance. The product page is a bit misleading:

1. It mentions ‘High-Rise’, but these are not high-rise as you can tell by the pictures.
2. The product measurements are inaccurate; I measured 30″ for the waist, 10″ for the rise, and 29″ for the inseam.
3. These are a size 8s. They just list size 8.
4. They list ‘Excellent Condition’. These clearly have been washed and dried, and the dimpling/morphing on the back seam is evidence.

Fit: I ordered based on this brand’s standard size chart (I Googled), and they fit well. View my Body Measurements for size reference.

Quality: In my opinion, the quality of the materials overall is great. However, they have a defect. The back seam appears to be permanently wavy and makes them unwearable (it is particularly noticeable from the side). See my to know my current quality-rating standards.

Value: They feel great quality but are NOT worth the price I paid due to the defect.

Brand or Supplier Label: Athleta

Color/Size/Cost: Gray / 8 / $37.99

Country: Made in Vietnam

Material: 86% Polyester / 14% Spandex

See the below image for additional specs from the product page:

Expectation: It is not what I was expecting in terms of overall appearance. The product page is a bit misleading:

1. This is NOT gray, it is more of a faded blue.
2. The widest part of the chest is closer to 29″, not 34.5″.
3. There is no ’embroidered detail’ that I can see.

Fit: I ordered based on this brand’s standard size chart (I Googled), and it is the right size but not the right fit for my proportions. The chest area fits okay, but the hips are too tight. View my Body Measurements for size reference.

Quality: In my opinion, the quality is pretty good. See my to know my current quality-rating standards.

Value: The price I paid seems fair for the right person!

Brand or Supplier Label: Lululemon

Color/Size/Cost: Camo / 8 / $49.99

Country: Unknown

Material: Unknown

See the below image for additional specs from the product page:

Expectation:They are what I was expecting, for the most part, in terms of overall appearance. However, the rise is closer to 10.25″ – on some bodies, these may fit more like high-rise leggings.

Fit: I ordered based on this brand’s standard size chart (I Googled), and they fit one size too big. View my Body Measurements for size reference.

Quality: In my opinion, the quality is great. See my to know my current quality-rating standards.

Value: They feel good quality and are worth the price I paid!

Brand or Supplier Label: Urban Outfitters

Color/Size/Cost: Multi-Color / S / $24.99

Country: Made in India

Material:

• Shell- 100% Viscose
• Lining- 100% Cotton

See the below image for additional specs from the product page:

Expectation: It is not what I was expecting in terms of overall appearance. The product page is a bit misleading:

1. This dress I received is different from the one that is pictured. I’m assuming they received a few of these, took photos of one, and used the photos for all of them. I prefer the print on the dress in the product image, though I am okay with the one I received.
2. The chest measurement is closer to 32″, not 36″.

Fit: I ordered based on this brand’s standard size chart (I Googled), and it fits well. View my Body Measurements for size reference.

Quality: In my opinion, the quality is pretty good. See my to know my current quality-rating standards.

Value: It is a different dress from the image (looks like the same style but a different section of the print). Since I don’t care about this, it is worth the price I paid!

Package Shipped From: 580 Horizon Drive, Suite 20, Suwanee, GA 30024 (United States)

Shipping Timeline:

• I placed my order on Wed, March 13th
• My order shipped on Thurs, March 14th
• I received my package on Sat, March 16th

Total time of 3 days

Their shipping policy states up to 8 business days (including processing time) for standard U.S. shipping.

Responsiveness

My experience was seamless, and I didn’t need to contact their support email for anything (including the return since it was done through their return portal). My return was approved and I was provided with the next steps instantaneously.

Shipping

I was notified via email regarding a brief delay in delivery. My package was delayed by one day. Here is the message shown in the tracking log:

"Your order has been returned to a Veho warehouse due to an issue with your delivery. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Your delivery may be attempted again today or tomorrow." -Thredup Support

Return

They provided me with the following return/refund options:

• Refund in Shopping Credit (free return label + get credit as soon as USPS scans the label)
• Refund to original payment using a prepaid label (free on 1st order – normally $10.99)
• Refund to original payment (no label – do it yourself)

I went with the second option. They asked that I include the other page of the provided printout inside the package.

Reverse Image Search

ThredUp appears to be the source of their product images.

Website/Company Search

No suspicious information (such as lawsuits or alerts from the Better Business Bureau) was found.

Based on my experience, they are a legitimate shop and I would shop here again WITH CAUTION!

I remember shopping here 10 years ago and having a good experience. This time around, I have a lot of things to discuss/bring to light.Here are some very important things to keep in mind (based on my experience) before making a purchase:

• Every single item in my order looked duller, darker, or more grayscale in color compared to the product image.
• Every single item’s product page listed slightly or very inaccurate product measurements. I’m talking up to several inches. This is particularly an issue since they don’t have any size charts. I had to Google each brand’s size chart to guess my size (this ended up being more accurate than relying on ThredUp’s measurements).

• Some of the items had irrelevant/inaccurate keywords listed under the ‘Item Details’ section. For example, one of the dresses lists ’embroidered detail’ but doesn’t have any embroidery. The jeans list ‘High-Waisted’ but are not high-waisted.
• The jeans say they are in ‘Excellent Condition’, but they are flawed. These should not have been listed for sale. However, I did see the flaw in the product image, which I should have taken more seriously.
• They leave out details on some items such as if a pair of jeans is a regular, short, or long length, or whether a dress has a liner or not. These are important details and should be listed properly. They seem to miss a lot of smaller (but important) details.
• Unless the condition states ‘New With Tags’, expect that every item you order has been worn, washed, and dried at least once or twice. This means that the item could be slightly stretched, or has shrunk. This also means Googling a brand’s size chart and relying on it may not work out perfectly.
• After your first order, return shipping costs are on you if you don’t want store credit (and likely restocking fees for each item), so buying based on inaccurate information is risky.

Are you the owner of this shop? If you would like to provide clarification regarding any statements made, please send me a message. I am happy to make the necessary changes to this post with sufficient evidence.

Comments (via Reddit)

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Is ThredUp Legit? - thredup.com
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