Back in 2019, I decided that I wanted to challenge myself and only buy clothes for myself and my family secondhand. I had been thrifting off and on for a couple years and had access to a couple excellent shops. For a New Years resolution, I decided I was going to jump in the deep end. I had been looking into the ethical and sustainable pitfalls of the fashion industry and was inspired to do something about it. This was my action in response to the information. For me, information feels like a weight to carry until I can act upon it and feel a sense of contribution to the solution, not just an awareness of the problem. Anyways…since then, we’ve never gone back. As a family, we have only bought clothes that are secondhand, thrifted, hand-me-downs, or ethically and sustainably made. We shop at a lot of local stores, but since moving fall of 2020, I needed to find some online resources. So I tried out thredUP.com and was pleasantly surprised! I’ve gotten clothes, shoes, and even a purse from the website. I bought a few things from my girls, but I haven’t tried anything for my son. Here’s what I’ve learned and if you make it all the way through, I have a referral code to get you $10 off your first purchase!
1. I’ve learned to pay attention to the measurements. I’ve gotten a few things that didn’t fit because I just guessed they would be fine based on how they looked on the mannequin. Turns out it’s pretty hard to judge how long a dress is, for example, by a picture online. Another helpful measurement is heel height. I bought a pair of high heels and was able to get the heel height I was looking for because of the measurements provided.
2. I’ve learned to use the filters. There are lots of filters and I made an account to save all of mine. I filter to only show my sizes, the type of cut, the fit, the shape, or any number of other options. There are thousands of items on the website and finding just what I’m looking for is only possible with lots and lots of time, or filters.
3. I’ve learned to pay attention to my rewards. There are a lot of different ways to earn rewards and I’ve used several. If you visit a certain amount of times a month you get rewards. If you make a purchase you get rewards. If you create an account you get rewards. And all those rewards can be used towards purchases. For example, I’ve gotten $10 off my order or free shipping.
All in all, I’d rather shop local and in a physical store. But shopping online has benefits for sure! Having access to a bigger lot of items and finding what I’m looking for are both big perks for me. Also shopping from home with my kids is way easier than shopping with them in a store!
If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! You must like secondhand shopping as much as I do. If you’re new to thredUP.com you can use this code for $10 off your first purchase: http://www.thredup.com/r/M7YYBA. Just create an account and then apply the code at checkout. This code will give me $10 off as well and I have a fun place for that $10. My church partners with a pregnancy care center and I’m going to use these funds to buy and donate maternity clothes. It’s a discount code for you and a gift to a mom-to-be in your honor. It’s a win-win!
Happy shopping!
Abigail Denton 