Fast fashion is out, and conscious consumption is in! The secondhand market is booming, projected to grow a whopping 127% by 2026.
Why the surge? People are waking up to the environmental and ethical costs of fast fashion.
Here’s the deal: Every year, a staggering 92 million tons of clothing end up in landfills – that’s like a garbage truck full of clothes every second!
The good news? A shift towards a circular economy is happening. This means clothes are seen as resources to be used and reused, not thrown away. Secondhand stores, sustainable brands, and clothing rental services are all part of this movement.
Ready to join the eco-conscious fashion revolution? I’ve curated a list of awesome online stores for secondhand finds (with a bonus of physical stores at the end!). Get ready to discover unique pieces and embrace a more sustainable style!
ThredUP
ThredUp is our top pick. Hands down.
thredUP is an online consignment and thrift store where you can buy and sell high-quality secondhand clothes. Find your favorite brands at up to 90% off.
It’s a great company and their risk-free welcome offers make it a no-brainer to try their service at least once.
If you want to SELL your used clothes effortlessly we also recommend Flyp. You can download the Flyp app here.
Patagonia Worn Wear:The Big Name Brand’s Other Half
You’ve probably come across Patagonia’s outdoor wear brand and Worn Wear is their other brand which deals exclusively with secondhand clothing (and adventure gear). They sell men’s, women’s and children’s clothing.
Patagonia’s green credentials cannot be disputed. The company has regularly chosen to take the hard road from a business perspective in order to do the right thing by the planet.
They famously have a “zero growth” business model which is designed to work in harmony with the environment.
Speaking of “zero”, we love zero-waste online stores, so check out the best of them here.
We love the secondhand Patagonia gear that they sell which is often barely used.
They are happy to take worn or even torn articles in and they repair them before they sell them in their online thrift store. It’s also very affordable.
Our only minor complaint is the lack of a specific search function on their site.
You can narrow down by category but not by a specific type of product. We hope that will change in the future.
QUICK FACTS
You can get some amazing bargains in your local thrift stores or consignment shops, but you might have to visit several times because there’s no official stock list in these places – you turn up and you can pick from what they have. That can make the process of “thrifting” a bit exhausting. The good news is that you don’t have to do that anymore. This is the internet age. Thrifting is moving online too. You can do all your thrifty shopping from the comfort of your own home which means you can see more of what’s out there and have it delivered to the door when you order. In fact, the online thrifting market is growing so fast it can be hard to keep up with the best vintage stores.
Poshmark | Bringing Peer To Peer To Thrift
You need a smartphone to access Poshmark as all shopping is done via their Apple and Android apps.
It’s a very easy way to get into online thrifting and we think it’s much more fun than some of the other more traditional business models.
They have over 25 million items for sale at any given point in time and from almost every major brand name so expect your vintage finds to skyrocket.
One thing that makes Poshmark different from the rest is that it has enabled the facility to haggle with a seller – so, you might just be able to get that dress you can’t afford at a price range you can afford.
Out of all our picks for best online thrift stores, Poshmark is the only one we hadn’t heard of but we were thoroughly impressed.
It’s easy to find stuff you want on their site and the search function is excellent.
There’s some really good value product to be found.
Ebay | Don’t Write Off The Internet Giant
Ebay is one of the oldest secondhand and thrift platforms on the Internet of any real size.
Sadly, its once sterling reputation has been somewhat tarnished over the years which is a shame because there’s a lot of fantastic products on the site and often at the lowest price point of any thrifting site.
It is fair to say that there is the occasional dishonest seller on Ebay but as long as you pay using PayPal and follow the Ebay guarantee instructions – you don’t need to worry about that as you can always get your money back.
From a seller’s perspective – Ebay is often the cheapest platform in terms of overall fees to sell your secondhand stuff and you can sell more than clothes on Ebay.
Etsy | Vintage Clothing Kings
Etsy, of course, has a reputation for beautiful handcrafted items from around the world. It’s a place where seller’s creativity can really thrive.
However, it also has a super section of used and vintage clothes and there’s less competition for online thrift store on Etsy than on some of the other thrifting sites.
If you want to sell your clothes on Etsy, you can, but it is a bit more of a complicated experience as you will need to set up your own shop.
We figure that most people are gong to sell their stuff on other thrift platforms unless they are already running a creative business that can benefit from Etsy.
Rummaging through Etsy’s little clothing stores makes it feel like a real life thrifting experience. If you love vintage clothes you’ll love Etsy.
We really like the review system which gives you a very clear indicator as to the character and veracity of the seller.
It is also a truly global marketplace which means you can benefit from Etsy’s services where other brands and online thrift stores fear to tread.
ASOS Market | Inclusivity Specialists
ASOS Marketplace is a British brand which has arrived in the United States too.
We love the fact that clothes that are sold on ASOS are always modelled by a truly diverse range of models and we really respect the effort to be truly inclusive.
The clothes on ASOS are generally very good and they specialize in vintage apparel.
However, the top quality products also command a top quality price range and ASOS isn’t quite the bargain that some of the other thrifting sites are.
The trade off, of course, is that products bought from ASOS tend to last longer.
You can’t sell your stuff on the ASOS marketplace unless you run your own online vintage clothing business.
Then you will need to go through their corporate approval process to enable your shop to use their marketplace.
Depop | Instagram Meets Thrifting
Depop is an odd thrifting platform. It’s probably slightly ahead of its time.
If you think Poshmark crossed with Instagram – you wouldn’t be far off the mark. Depop makes it enjoyable to browse because the products are all presented to you in an Instagram-style feed.
Be warned, this an edgy platform for “fashion creatives” and not everything on there is suitable for children. However, it’s all eye catching and there’s no doubt that if you like your fashion to be in people’s faces – this is the best platform of them all.
Individuals of a certain stripe will love Depop. The social media trend continues after purchase with the ability to share the news on what you bought, how it looks, etc.
There are lots of ideas here that we’d like to see the thrifting market as a whole pick up on – after all, isn’t fashion really about strutting your stuff in front of others?
Refashioner | Designer Vintage Thrift
It’s not cheap but Refashioner is the thrifting store that connects you with the best of designer vintage clothing. Their pricing isn’t ridiculous either, but it does accurately represent the state of the online vintage clothing collectibles market.
If you’re looking to create a style from days gone by, there’s no more authentic way to do it than with Refashioner. Everything that they sell is top quality and they have a reputation for delivering items that last for a very long time after purchase.
The company is also involved with tackling the ethics problems of the wider fashion industry and for that reason alone they ought to be on your list for online thrifting stores to check out! Enjoy your vintage clothes treasures!
Tradesy | Designer Brands For Women In Thrift
There are plenty of bargains on Tradesy but most of them are still pretty expensive.
They deal exclusively in designer fashion and luxury items for women.
The lowest end brands on their site are similar to Zara and the high end stuff is all Prada, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. They offer a guarantee that the products you buy on their site are 100% authentic.
If you feel they’ve failed to properly explain what it is that you’re buying – they will give you a complete refund, no quibbles.
Sellers will find that Tradesy is a very user-friendly platform to shed their excess designer gear and it’s one of the few thrifting sites that allows you to sell used-wedding dresses, etc. too.
You take photos of things, send them to Tradesy and they publish them and then send you a shipping kit when an item sells.
We really like the ability to create your own “style feed” on Tradesy which means that you can get recommendations that really help you to develop your own style and ensure that your wardrobe really does you justice.
Check them out here.
ShopGoodwill.com
It would be remiss of us to do an article on the best online thrift stores without talking about the original thrift store brand and where it’s at.
Goodwill was a bit slow to go online but now they’ve arrived, and the store is not too bad at all.
They’ve opted for an Ebay style bidding model which means that you can run into similar issues as you do on the Ebay platform and therein lies the rub.
Goodwill’s online presence has left a lot of shopper’s dissatisfied with the outcome of the shopping process. It appears that the problems that plague Ebay are on Goodwill in force and that there’s less fallback to the shopper or seller than there is with Ebay. That doesn’t mean that you can’t find a good deal on the Goodwill store, but you will need to do your homework before you decide to deal with a seller.
Check them out here.
Other Options
If you want more of a rummage sale feel to your thrifting experience you should check out EBTH (Everything But The House). They bill themselves as “a uniquely curated, carefully authenticated and ever-changing assortment of uncommon art, jewelry, fashion accessories, collectibles, antiques & more.“