The danger of watching documentaries is that they can alter your entire life. After watching The True Cost on Netflix two years ago and discussing it with a friend, we decided to stop buying cheap clothing, called “fast fashion,” from places like Forever 21, Old Navy, Target and others and start buying used or American-made for us and our family members.
It’s taken a little scavenging, but with the help of thrift stores and consignment shops like Once Upon a Child and Clothes Mentor, it has been doable. (And just FYI, I have bought NEW shoes, undies, boy’s sized 4T pants and socks for all of us! Don’t bother buying used little boy pants, they’ll have holes in the knees within the week! We’ve also had a hard time buying men’s used clothing.)
I’ve had success buying used clothing online, so I wanted to share my research with you.
ThredUp
Buy and Sell: clothing for women, children, maternity, handbags, accessories, jewelry
Of this list, ThredUp is my preferred site to buy used clothing. The website is very easy to navigate and search for specific items, they do free returns for damaged clothing, and they have a large variety of styles. They also have a great referral program where you get $10 to spend and the person you refer gets $10 to shop after they place their first order. Of the two times I’ve ordered from them, each time I did receive one item that had a hole in it, but was able to return the item free of charge.
If you use the promo code SCRAPINGRAISINS through the end of April 2018, you will receive 35% off all first-time orders up to $50.
Patagonia Worn Wear
Buy and Trade in: men’s, women’s, kids & baby clothing, packs and gear
You can turn your used Patagonia clothing in to any Patagonia retail location and get store credit. They do the washing;-) It looks like the credit you get is maybe half off retail price?
Swap
Buy and Sell: clothing for men, women, kids, maternity and toys
They have a referral program and for every friend you refer who makes a purchase of $20 or more, you earn $20 of credit. Free shipping for your first order of $10. You can buy and sell. Right now, they have $3 days until midnight of March 10th. One thing I like about this company is that they sell used costumes for kids!
ReStitch (Online Goodwill)
Sells: women’s clothing, including maternity and plus-sized clothing
You get 20 percent off your first order. To me, the items look a bit expensive for buying used clothing sight unseen, but if you’re looking for something specific, you could try this out.
More Expensive, but Fancier:
Tradesy
Buy and Sell: designer clothing, bags, shoes, accessories
The fine print: return clothing you don’t want within four days, free of charge, for store credit. Join the mailing list and get $50 off your first purchase of over $400 …
Poshmark
Buy and Sell: men, women, & kids’ clothing, shoes, handbags, jewelry, accessories
You have to create an account with an email address before you can shop. You give your dress size, shoe size, zip code and follow three brands you love to shop (I found it annoying to scroll through all the brands) and then you get a message that says: “Your personal shopping network has been selected.” This was not my favorite online shopping experience, but again if you need something specific you might want to give this one a try. The prices seemed reasonable for the non-designer brands.
BONUS: A Cool Company that Loves the Planet and Supports Ethical Business Practices:
Renewal Workshop
Buy: men and women’s NEW clothing
From their site: “We started our company to solve hard problems and to create new systems that do what is good and right for people and for the planet. We’ve been working day and night over the past year to build a new factory in the US where tons of clothing and textiles are being diverted from landfill and made into renewed apparel, upcycling materials, and recyclable feedstock.”
Shipping is free for Renewal Workshop members, but $8 otherwise. They don’t have free return shipping, but you can return within 90 days. Site lists the “renewed price.” The men’s brands are Ibex, PrAna, and Mountain Khakis, women’s had those, plus Toad & Co. and Indigenous. Still pricier than I would normally pay for new clothing, but probably better quality. One section of the site says “all Renewed Apparel is priced at 25-40% off the original retail price.”
This article and this article explain why I am trying to buy used and American-made clothing instead of going the “fast fashion” route. But you should watch The True Cost documentary … if you dare;-)
Thank you for meeting me here in this space. The theme for March is “Simplify,” so you can start here to read posts you may have missed. If you are a writer or just a person with words burning in your soul and are interested in guest posting, email me at scrapingraisins@ gmail (dot) com. I’m looking for personal stories on this theme in the 500-1000 word range. If you haven’t yet, be sure you sign up for my mid-month and monthly secret newsletter for the latest posts and even some news, discount codes and book giveaway information that only Scraping Raisins subscribers get!
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Poshmark has a horrible return policy. I got a pair of jeans and they were a size other than the size listed. They had no size tag inside. They were easily twice the size listed. Could not return them. They wanted a picture. Of what? I sent them a photo of the jeans with no size tag.
ThredUp is too expensive. Swap.com is the way to go.
Good to know! Thanks for weighing in! And I agree ThredUp is a bit expensive for used clothing.