How to Maximize Your ThredUp Earnings: Tips & Tricks From Top Sellers

How to Make Money on ThredUp: A Complete Seller’s Guide

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Cleaning out your closet can feel like a chore, but what if you could turn those pre-loved clothes into cash with minimal effort? Welcome to the world of online consignment with ThredUp. As one of the largest online platforms for secondhand apparel, ThredUp offers a streamlined way to give your clothes a second life, contribute to a more sustainable fashion future, and earn some money in the process.

If you’ve been wondering how to make money on thredup, this guide is for you. We’ll walk you through every step of the process, from ordering your first Clean Out Kit to understanding your earnings. Whether you’re a first-time seller or looking to maximize your payouts, consider this your ultimate thredup selling guide.

Table of Contents

What Is ThredUp and How Does Selling Work?

Before you start packing your bags, it’s important to understand the thredup business model. Unlike marketplaces like Poshmark or eBay where you list, photograph, and ship items yourself, thredup operates on a consignment basis. This means you send them your clothes, and they handle everything else.

Here’s a simple breakdown of how does selling on thredup work:

  1. You order a "Clean Out Kit" and fill it with your gently used women’s and kids’ clothing, shoes, and accessories.
  2. You mail the kit back to ThredUp using a prepaid shipping label.
  3. ThredUp’s team inspects, photographs, prices, and lists your accepted items on their site.
  4. When an item sells, you earn a percentage of the final selling price.

The core appeal of selling on thredup is convenience. You are paying for a service that eliminates the headache of selling clothes yourself. This model is ideal for those who value their time and want a hassle-free way to clear out their entire closet.

Getting Started: The ThredUp Clean Out Kit

Your journey to sell with thredup begins with the thredup clean out kit. This is essentially your starter pack for sending in your items.

To get started, you’ll need to order a clean out kit thredup from their website. You have two main options:

  1. Mailing Bag: ThredUp will mail you a large, polka-dotted plastic bag to fill up.
  2. Shipping Label: For a faster start, you can request a free shipping label to print and attach to any box you have at home. This is the quickest way to send clothes to thredup.

When you order your kit, you will also choose between a Standard and Premium bag. Premium bags have a higher service fee but offer faster processing, a higher acceptance rate (they estimate not accepting 15% of items vs. 40% for Standard bags), and free return of any unaccepted items.

What to Send: A Guide to Accepted Items and Brands

Knowing what to send is crucial for success. While ThredUp accepts a vast range of brands, from Gap to Gucci, not everything will be accepted or earn you money.

Quality and Condition Standards

First and foremost, items must be in excellent condition. To be accepted, your clothes must be:

  • Clean: Freshly laundered and free of odors.
  • Undamaged: No stains, holes, pilling, fading, or shrinkage.
  • Unaltered: No missing size labels, broken parts, or custom alterations.

New-with-tags items are welcome, but they must still meet these high-quality standards to be listed.

Accepted and Unaccepted Categories

So, what can i sell on thredup? The platform focuses on women’s and kids’ clothing, shoes, and accessories. Here’s a general list of thredup what we accept:

  • Women’s Clothing: Including dresses, tops, sweaters, coats, activewear, maternity, and plus-sizes.
  • Kids’ Clothing: Must have an identifiable brand tag.
  • Shoes: Yes, does thredup take shoes! They are a popular category.
  • Handbags & Accessories: Including wallets, belts, hats, scarves, and sunglasses.

Categories that are not accepted include men’s clothing, formal gowns, wedding dresses, jewelry (except watches), and homemade or altered items.

Brands That Sell Best

While ThredUp’s thredup brand list is extensive, some brands have higher resale value and sell faster than others. For those wondering what brands sell best on thredup, premium and in-demand labels tend to perform well.

The best brands to sell on thredup often include:

  • Lululemon
  • Patagonia
  • Tory Burch
  • Reformation
  • Free People
  • Madewell
  • J.Crew

On the other hand, there are thredup brands not accepted for payout. These are typically fast-fashion or value brands with very low resale value. While ThredUp may still list them to give them a second life, you won’t earn anything unless the item sells for $20 or more.

To see what is thredup accepting now, always check their online Selling Guide for a list of trending brands and in-demand items for the current season.

The Selling Process: From Your Closet to Cash Out

Once you’ve packed your bag, how to send clothes to thredup is simple: just drop it off with the designated mail carrier (usually UPS). After that, ThredUp’s process takes over. Here’s a typical timeline:

  1. Shipping (1-2 weeks): It takes time for your bag to travel to a ThredUp distribution center.
  2. Processing (3-4 weeks): This is the longest part of the wait. ThredUp’s team sorts through your items, inspects them for quality, and decides what to accept.
  3. Listing (1-15 days): Accepted items are professionally photographed and listed for sale on the website. You’ll get an email when your items are live, and you can view them in your Seller Dashboard.
  4. Selling Window (30-90 days): Items are listed for a specific consignment period. The window is shorter for lower-end brands (30-60 days) and longer for higher-end brands (45-90 days).
  5. Payout: You earn money as each item sells and the 14-day return window for the buyer passes.

Understanding ThredUp Payouts, Commission, and Fees

This is the most important part for anyone wanting to make money on thredup. Your earnings are based on a sliding scale, meaning the more an item sells for, the higher your percentage.

The Payout Structure

Here’s a look at the thredup commission rate. The thredup payout is a percentage of the final selling price:

  • $5.00 – $19.99: You earn 3% – 15%
  • $20.00 – $49.99: You earn 15% – 30%
  • $50.00 – $99.99: You earn 30% – 60%
  • $100.00 – $199.99: You earn 60% – 80%
  • $200.00+: You earn 80%

It’s clear that how much money does thredup give you is significantly higher for premium and designer items. You can use ThredUp’s online earnings estimator to get a rough idea of your potential payout for specific items.

Fees and Deductions

There are no upfront costs, but there are thredup selling fees deducted from your earnings.

  • Service Fee: A service fee is deducted from your earnings once items sell to cover processing. This is currently $14.99 for Standard bags and $34.99 for Premium bags. If your total earnings are less than the fee, you will not be charged the difference.
  • Reclaim Fees: If you want an unsold item returned to you at the end of its listing window, there is a $5.99 fee per item plus shipping.

This fee structure often leads sellers to ask, why is thredup payout so low for lower-priced items? The service fee and sliding commission scale mean that for items selling under $20, the net earnings can be minimal. The value proposition is in the convenience and the ability to sell a wide range of brands at once.

Cashing Out Your Earnings

Once your earnings are available, you have a few options for your thredup cash out:

  • ThredUp Credit: Use your earnings to shop on the site.
  • Brand Partner Credit: Convert your earnings to a gift card for partner brands, sometimes with a bonus percentage.
  • Cash Transfer: Transfer the money to your PayPal or bank account via Stripe. Note that small transfer fees apply.

Tips for Maximizing Your ThredUp Earnings

Can you make money from thredup? Absolutely. Here are some tips for selling on thredup to increase your chances of a good payout:

  1. Check the Selling Guide: Always review ThredUp’s "Hot Items" list before sending a kit. It tells you exactly what sells well on thredup.
  2. Sell In-Season: Send sweaters and coats in the fall, and dresses and shorts in the spring. In-season items are more likely to be accepted and sell quickly at a higher price.
  3. Fill Your Bag: The service fee is per bag, not per item. The more accepted items you have in one bag, the lower the effective fee per item.
  4. Send High-Quality Items: Be critical of your own items. If you wouldn’t buy it in its current condition, ThredUp probably won’t accept it.
  5. Consider the Premium Service: For high-value items from brands like Theory, Kate Spade, or Michael Kors, the Premium service can be worth it due to faster processing and free returns on unaccepted items.
  6. Adjust Your Prices: Once your items are listed, you have a 12-hour window to adjust prices before they go live. You can also adjust prices anytime an item isn’t in a customer’s cart.

Is Selling on ThredUp Worth It?

The answer to "is selling on thredup worth it?" depends on your goals.

ThredUp is a great option if:

  • You are short on time and want the most convenient way to clean out your closet.
  • You have a wide variety of brands, not just high-end designer pieces.
  • You prioritize decluttering and sustainability over maximizing profit on every single item.

ThredUp might not be for you if:

  • You want full control over pricing and listings.
  • You are selling mostly low-value or fast-fashion brands and expect a significant payout.
  • You enjoy the process of selling items yourself on platforms like Poshmark.

Many reviews selling on thredup highlight the "set it and forget it" convenience as the biggest pro, while the lower payouts on non-premium items are the most common con.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much money can you make on thredup?
Your earnings depend entirely on the brand, condition, and final selling price of your items. For upscale brands that sell for over $100, you can earn 60-80% of the sale price. For lower-priced items, you might earn only a few dollars after fees.

Does thredup pay upfront?
No, ThredUp is a thredup consignment platform. You only get paid after an item sells and the 14-day buyer return window has passed.

Is there a fee to sell on thredup?
Yes, does thredup charge a fee for its service. A service fee ($14.99 for Standard, $34.99 for Premium) is deducted from your total earnings once items sell. If you earn less than the fee, you are not charged the difference.

What percentage does thredup take?
ThredUp’s commission varies. The platform takes a larger percentage on lower-priced items (up to 97%) and a smaller percentage on higher-priced items (as low as 20%).

What happens to items that aren’t accepted or don’t sell?
For Standard bags, unaccepted items are passed on to textile recycling partners. For Premium bags, unaccepted items are automatically returned to you for free. Items that are accepted but do not sell within their listing window become the property of ThredUp and may be recycled or resold. You have the option to reclaim unsold items for a $5.99 fee in the last week of their listing window.

How do I sell on thredup?
To start, simply go to the ThredUp website, order a Clean Out Kit (or a free shipping label), fill your bag or box with high-quality women’s and kids’ items, and mail it in. ThredUp handles the rest.