How to Thrift Online: 7 Online Thrifting Tips

‍

Thrifting is the perfect blend of affordable and sustainable shopping. When you buy secondhand, you can indulge in a shopping spree without harming the planet or your wallet. Even better—you can thrift online and browse preloved clothes from all your favorite brands.

Online thrift stores are the perfect place to find authentic, unique looks from the comfort of your living room. Some companies also offer convenient customer consignment programs, making them an excellent way to declutter your wardrobe and make extra cash.

Learn how to thrift online with our practical guide, and you’ll buy and sell like a pro.

How to thrift online: 7 essential tips

Online thrift shopping is an exciting treasure hunt, but it’s even more fun when you have a toolbox of helpful tips. Here are our top strategies for navigating the thrifting world.

1. Get acquainted with online thrift stores

Explore a range of online thrift stores and choose some favorites to be your go-to sites. Having a handful of reliable shops bookmarked will make thrifting feel familiar and comfortable as you get accustomed to each site’s navigation and features. For example, after spending some time thrifting on ThredUp, using our smart image search and Style Chat will start to feel like second nature. Soon enough, you’ll be a pro at spotting outfit inspiration online and finding affordable matches on our site.

‍

2. Choose a buying and selling platform

Buying used clothes online is great, and using the same websites to sell your old looks is a convenient way to fund shopping sprees and clean out your closet.

This process couldn’t be quicker with ThredUp—order a Clean Out bag, fill it with clothes and accessories, and ship it back. We’ll take care of sorting and rehoming your preloved items. If you aren’t wearing old pieces, send them to us and earn cash or store credit toward other items you have your eye on.

{{inline-banner}}

3. Set a budget

Online thrift websites make everything more affordable, so it’s easy to go overboard when adding things to your cart, especially with pricier items like luxury jewelry or sustainable clothing. This is crucial when you shop on auction sites—you might want that thrifted blouse when it’s $15, but you could regret getting wrapped up in bidding once it reaches $50.

We recommend online thrifters start with a $50–100 budget per shopping session. This range nets you a great haul on ThredUp, where classy blouses begin at only $4.99.

4. Get accurate results with clever search tactics

Browsing broad categories is fine, but the best online thrift stores offer advanced search features.

Thrifting is easier than ever with ThredUp’s Style Chat. Tell us what you want—a specific trend, a look for an event, or even an iconic outfit from a movie—and we’ll show you excellent options to make your idea a reality.

This helps you cut through seemingly endless options to find your unique personal style.

For example, you could tell Style Chat: “Create a casual fall look in oranges, reds, and blacks.”

‍

On the left, you see the look in action on a person, and on the right, you can browse a collection of related thrifted items to style the outfit your way.

5. Try new things

Online thrifting opens you up to thousands of styles. Having so many choices can be overwhelming, but you can enjoy the opportunity to discover new looks.

Keep an open mind as you search. Go outside your comfort zone and browse items you usually wouldn’t buy. Thrifting is a great way to indulge in the occasional shopping spree sustainably.

If you don’t know where to start, aim for anything on our dirty dozen list. For example, blazers produce an enormous amount of carbon emissions, so thrifting them is a great way to enjoy them without supporting their production.

6. Filter for brand-new pieces

Thrifted clothing doesn’t have to be old or worn. Look for excellent-quality pieces, and you can score like-new looks for a reduced price. 

Unfortunately, a lot of fast fashion gets tossed into landfills before someone even has a chance to wear it. But we want to keep great clothes in circulation and give every look a second life—some items on ThredUp are so new that they still have their tags.

Using our search filters, you can quickly find new items. Say you type in “loose tan business slacks.” Click “Sort by” on the right above your results, and choose “Newest First” to see excellent-condition items before any others.

7. Look at the measurements

You can’t try clothes when thrifting online, so understand your unique measurements before you fill your cart. The size of a medium jacket varies considerably between different brands, so knowing your shoulder width and bust size ensures it’s your type of medium.

This is especially important when buying clothes online, as some brands use letter systems and others use number systems. You may not know off-hand if you’re a 16 or an 18, and to complicate things further, some brands classify these as plus size. Knowing your measurements in advance means you never have to wonder.

Set your size with ThredUp to narrow your search and only check the measurements of pieces likely to fit. Select as many sizes as you like for bottoms, shoes, tops, and dresses, and we’ll filter out the rest.

‍

Shop secondhand first and hit thrift gold with ThredUp

Thrifting online is the ultimate way to grab new looks sustainably without stopping at every local consignment store. But it’s crucial to choose the best thrift stores.

Refresh your closet with a few clicks on ThredUp. Discover one-of-a-kind clothing and accessories through our advanced search features, using natural language to find the exact vibe or outfit type you need.

Don’t forget to make room first—grab a Clean Out bag to tidy up your wardrobe, put your preloved clothes back into rotation, and earn cash and store credit.

FAQs

What are the best thrift stores?

There are hundreds of clothing thrift stores—online shopping lets you search even further, giving you access to boutiques nationwide. 

Here are our top choices for the best online thrift stores:

• ThredUp
• Patagonia’s Worn Wear
• Rebag
• Beyond Retro
• Vestiaire Collective
• Luxury Garage Sale

What’s most popular at thrift stores?

Vintage clothing is commonly thrifted, since secondhand shopping is the best way to find older clothing styles.

Online thrifters love buying special event clothing, like party dresses and holiday sweaters. Thrifting allows you to choose a new-to-you outfit for the occasion without emptying your bank account.

Many thrifters also buy kid’s clothes. Children outgrow outfits fast, so it's a great idea to go the affordable route and thrift their apparel and shoes.

Is it cheaper to buy at a thrift store?

Online thrift stores are almost always cheaper than buying new from retailers—ThredUp offers popular brands at up to 90% off retail price. However, if the thrift store provides secondhand designer outfits, some prices could be comparable to or slightly higher than big box stores. This also means the clothing is of higher quality and has a lower cost-per-wear.

‍