17 Dec What is thredUP?

Have any of you guys heard of thredUP? It’s basically an online clothing swap. I found out about the site last night when I did something I rarely do, which is watch the news (it’s just too darn depressing). It initially sounded great. The whole concept behind thredUP is that you swap your gently worn, unwanted items with someone else’s gently worn, unwanted items. Sounds good, eh?

Well, after I visited the site, I wasn’t all that impressed. My main gripe? You don’t get to actually see what you’re receiving until it’s at your doorstep. There are no pictures of the soon to be swapped items, only descriptions, and the company chooses which items you’ll receive.

For example, if I wanted to swap a top, I would enter the details (brand, size, condition) into my online “closet” and thredUP would find a recipient whose preferences match what I have to give away. I send the item to the lucky shopper and get credit for one shirt (as of now, they’re only accepting shirts). I enter preferences of what items I’d like to receive (brands, size, etc) and when something that suits my taste is available, it’s sent to me.

Since only descriptions, not photos are on the site, you have to rely on the company’s fashion matchmaking. And you can’t interact with other members to see what items they have in their closets.

The site’s still new so I’m hoping they’ll work out some of the kinks, but in the meantime, I might sign up (I have a few tops I could do without) and I’ll let you know how it goes.

So, have any of you tried thredUP? What are your thoughts?