An honest review of ThredUP, and why I totally DON'T recommend it!

A few weeks ago, I mentioned the company ThredUP in one of my blogs about clearing the clutter. I'd heard about the company from one of my favorite bloggers, and thought the concept sounded really great. Essentially what happens is you request a bag from the company, fill it with clothing you're looking to sell and mail it back to them. They have a detailed list on their website of companies they accept clothing from and what an estimated payout would be. 

I pulled together eight pieces of clothing: Two dresses, a jacket, three sweaters, a tank top, and a button down shirt (which, sadly, was never worn and still had the tags!). I didn't want to send too much, but I wanted to send them high quality pieces that they would probably accept just so I could get a good feel for the company. So, imagine my surprise when I opened my email from them on Tuesday to find they were purchasing...

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. 

NOT ONE ITEM. 

Say what?! 

Hello, incredibly generic email!

It's safe to say I am fed up with ThredUP.

The email I received was incredibly generic and said they often catch "minor marks, discolorations, pilling or other signs of wear that are easily missed." Pshaw. I resent that. I take incredibly good care of my clothing, and furthermore, one item was brand new, and there wasn't a mark, discoloration or pill on it anywhere! (To be completely honest, I had fixed a hole in the armpit of one of the sweaters from Banana Republic, but that was the only imperfection!) The items were all high quality and from in-demand stores like Express, Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor Loft, BCBG Max Azria, and the INC line from Macy's, all of which they say they accept. Argh. 

A couple of things really bother me about this: 

1. You DO have the option to have your clothing returned to you. But you have to pay $12.99. And you have to pay it before they actually look at your clothing. You don't have the option to get your items back after they go through them. So, if you send eight items, and they accept seven of them, you'll be paying $12.99 to get that one item back. I understand this is a bit of a gamble, and it seems like one that isn't worth it. 

2. The company seemed to be incredibly inundated with bags right now. In fact, I got two emails stating that they were getting an overwhelming number of bags in (one of the emails came Monday, which I thought was weird, since I knew the day my bag would be processed was Tuesday). It makes me wonder how long they really spend looking at each item.

3. I'd read in many places that when you check out, there would be a detailed itemization of each piece in your account saying why your items weren't accepted or what the payout would be on clothing that was accepted. That list doesn't appear anywhere in my account. The only reason I got for the non-acceptance was the generic list in my email, which I feel like every person gets. I think I would feel a little better about the experience if they detailed why items were rejected. 

4. You have no way of knowing what happens to the clothing once it's not accepted. Theoretically, they could keep your clothing and put it on the website in a month, assuming you'll never see it and they won't have to pay you anything. (I wish I came up with this theory on my own, but after Googling the company, I've found a LOT of unsavory reviews of this company.) They say they donate the clothing on to good causes, and I want to believe that. Ignorance is bliss, right? 

5. Had I done my homework in advance, I might have seen how many people are disappointed with the company. There are TONS of complaints about them with the BBB, and lots of less-than-enthusiastic reviews on blogs around the web. The general sentiment appears to be that while purchasing from the company is great, selling to the company is not. Disappointment all around. 

I realize there's a lot of negativity going on here, and I have to be honest, I'm usually pretty forgiving with companies. But this one just rubbed me the wrong way. I sent an email to the company asking for clarification and why I didn't get the itemized list they talk about, so we'll see what the response is. They said they're flooded with emails right now, but to expect a response in 1-2 business days. But I sort of have a feeling the response will be... lacking. (Update: It's been almost two full business days now... zero response.)

In all honesty, I'm not heartbroken about this. These are clothes I was planning to donate to Goodwill anyway, so really, no giant loss there. I wasn't looking to make a huge profit, but I was hoping to turn around and use the credit to purchase items off their site. No dice. 

So, I'm not loving this company, and I don't see myself doing business with them. Have you tried it? Did you buy or sell? Did you like it? I'm curious to hear about the experiences of others!