ThredUp Payout: How Much Can You Really Earn?

ThredUp Payout Reviews: A Deep Dive into Selling Your Clothes

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Thinking about cleaning out your closet and making a little money? You’ve likely heard of ThredUp, one of the world’s largest online consignment and thrift stores. It promises an easy way to give your pre-loved clothes a second life while earning cash or credit. But before you order that Clean Out Kit, you’re probably asking the big questions: Is it really that simple? And more importantly, is selling on thredup worth it?

Many potential sellers find themselves wondering, "How much money can you make on ThredUp?" or feeling confused about the payout structure. This comprehensive guide breaks down everything you need to know about the selling process. We’ll explore how payouts are calculated, review what real sellers are saying, and give you the clear, detailed information you need to decide if ThredUp is the right choice for you.

Table of Contents

How Does Selling on ThredUp Work?

ThredUp operates on a consignment model, which sets it apart from peer-to-peer marketplaces. The core appeal is convenience. Instead of photographing, listing, and shipping each item yourself, you send your clothes to ThredUp, and they handle the entire process for you. This is the key difference between thredup and poshmark, where sellers manage their own listings.

Here’s a step-by-step look at thredup how it works:

  1. Order a Clean Out Kit: You start by ordering a "Clean Out Kit" from the ThredUp website. You can choose to receive a large plastic mailing bag or, to speed things up, a prepaid shipping label that you can print and attach to your own box. Using your own box is often faster.
  2. Fill Your Bag or Box: Gather the women’s and kids’ clothing, shoes, and accessories you no longer wear. Be mindful of their quality standards (more on that below). Each bag or box should not weigh more than 30 pounds.
  3. Send It In: Drop your package off with the designated carrier (usually UPS or USPS). The shipping is prepaid, so it costs you nothing to send.
  4. ThredUp Takes Over: Once your kit arrives at a ThredUp distribution center, their team gets to work. They inspect each item, decide what to accept, professionally photograph the accepted items, write descriptions, and set the prices based on their proprietary algorithms.
  5. Items Are Listed for Sale: Your accepted items go live on the ThredUp marketplace, available for millions of shoppers to browse and buy. This simple, hands-off process is the essence of how does selling on thredup work.

What to Send: ThredUp’s Acceptance Standards and Top-Selling Brands

To maximize your chances of success, it’s crucial to send items that ThredUp will accept and that shoppers want to buy. ThredUp is looking for high-quality, on-trend items in excellent condition. On average, they do not accept about 40% of items sent in Standard bags.

Acceptance Criteria:

  • Condition: Items must be clean and freshly laundered, with no stains, holes, pilling, fading, or odors.
  • Damage: No missing or broken parts, missing size labels, or alterations. New-with-tags items are welcome but must still meet these quality standards.
  • Categories: ThredUp accepts women’s and kids’ clothing, shoes, handbags, and accessories like belts, hats, scarves, and sunglasses.

Categories ThredUp Does NOT Accept:

  • Men’s clothing
  • Jewelry (except watches)
  • Formal gowns or wedding dresses
  • Sleepwear, robes, or lingerie
  • Homemade or altered items
  • Items without brand or size labels (some exceptions for luxury brands)

Knowing what sells best on thredup can significantly impact your earnings. While they accept items from over 55,000 brands, certain ones have higher resale value and demand.

According to ThredUp’s Selling Guide, some of the best brands to sell on thredup include Lululemon, Tory Burch, Reformation, Patagonia, Free People, Madewell, and J.Crew. In-demand categories often include handbags, plus-size clothing, shoes, and in-season items like coats and sweaters in the fall. Sending thredup accepted brands that are in high demand is your best strategy for a better payout.

The Payout Structure: How Much Will I Earn?

This is the most critical and often misunderstood part of the selling process. Your earnings are determined by a combination of the item’s final selling price, service fees, and the payout percentage. Let’s break down how does thredup payout work.

First, there are service fees deducted from your earnings. For a Standard Clean Out Kit, a $14.99 service fee is deducted from your total earnings once your items sell. If you earn less than the fee, you won’t be charged the difference.

Your payout is then calculated on a sliding scale based on the final selling price of each individual item. The higher the selling price, the higher the percentage you keep. Here is the official payout structure:

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

Because of this structure, how much does thredup pay for clothes varies dramatically. A fast-fashion top that sells for $10 might only net you $0.30 – $1.50, while a designer handbag that sells for $250 could earn you $200. This is a primary reason why is thredup payout so low for bags filled with lower-priced brands. For upscale items, however, the thredup consignment payout can be quite competitive.

You can use ThredUp’s online thredup payout estimator to get a rough idea of what your specific items might earn.

Cashing Out: When and How You Get Paid

Getting paid isn’t immediate. The timeline involves several steps, so patience is key. This is how long does it take thredup to process and pay out:

  1. Processing Time: It can take 3-4 weeks (sometimes longer) for ThredUp to process your bag after they receive it.
  2. Listing Window: Once listed, items have a set time to sell, ranging from 30 to 90 days depending on the brand’s value.
  3. Return Window: After an item sells, the buyer has a 14-day window to return it.
  4. Payout Availability: Your earnings become available after the 14-day return window has closed. You can expect the funds to appear in your account 24-48 hours after the 15th day.

Once the earnings are in your ThredUp account, you have a few options for your thredup cash out:

  • ThredUp Shopping Credit: Use your earnings to shop on the site.
  • PayPal: Transfer your cash to a PayPal account. There is a small transfer fee.
  • Stripe Direct Deposit: Transfer the funds directly to your bank account via Stripe, which also involves a small fee.
  • Partner Gift Cards: Convert your earnings to a gift card for partner brands, sometimes with a bonus percentage added.

So, does thredup pay you cash? Yes, you can transfer your earnings out of the platform to your PayPal or bank account. The process for how to cash out on thredup is straightforward through the "Cash Out" page in your account. How long does thredup cash out take? Transfers to thredup paypal accounts typically take 24-48 hours, while Stripe transfers can take 1-3 business days.

Seller Reviews: The Verdict on ThredUp Payouts

So, what do sellers really think? The thredup payout reviews are mixed and largely depend on a seller’s expectations and what they send in.

Positive reviews selling on thredup consistently praise the convenience. Sellers love the hassle-free process of filling a bag and being done with it. As one seller testimonial on their site states, "It’s great if you don’t want the headache of selling your clothes yourself!" For those with busy schedules who want to declutter sustainably, the service is a perfect fit.

On the other hand, many thredup reviews for sellers express disappointment with the payouts. The combination of high standards for acceptance, low payout percentages for inexpensive items, and service fees can result in very low earnings, especially for bags filled with fast-fashion brands. These sellers often feel the payout doesn’t justify the value of the clothes they sent.

The consensus from most selling clothes on thredup reviews is this:

  • Use ThredUp if: Your primary goal is convenience, you have high-quality, in-demand brands, and you view any earnings as a bonus.
  • Consider other platforms if: Your primary goal is to maximize profit, you have the time to list items yourself, or your items are mostly from lower-end brands.

Ultimately, whether thredup is worth it for you comes down to a trade-off between convenience and cash.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much money does ThredUp give you?
The amount of money you receive depends entirely on the final selling price of your items. ThredUp uses a sliding scale payout structure, where you can earn anywhere from 3% for items under $20 to 80% for items over $200. A $14.99 service fee is also deducted from your total earnings.

Does ThredUp pay you for your clothes?
Yes, does thredup pay you for your clothes, but only after they sell. It is a consignment service, meaning you get paid a percentage of the sale price. You do not get paid upfront for the items you send in.

How does ThredUp pay you?
Earnings are first issued as ThredUp shopping credit. From your account, you can choose to cash out your earnings via PayPal or a Stripe direct deposit to your bank account.

What percentage does ThredUp take?
ThredUp doesn’t state what percentage they "take," but rather what percentage they pay out to you. The seller’s payout ranges from 3% to 80%. Therefore, ThredUp’s commission is the remaining percentage (97% to 20%) of the final sale price, from which they cover their operational costs, plus the flat service fee.

How much commission does ThredUp take?
The commission is the inverse of the payout percentage. For an item sold for $15, you might get 10% ($1.50), meaning ThredUp’s commission is 90% ($13.50). For an item sold for $250, you get 80% ($200), meaning their commission is 20% ($50). A service fee is also deducted from your total earnings.

When does ThredUp pay you?
You will be paid for an item after it sells and the 14-day customer return window has passed. The earnings typically appear in your account 24-48 hours after the 15th day post-delivery.

What happens to items that aren’t accepted or don’t sell?
Items that aren’t accepted from Standard bags are passed to textile recycling partners. For items that are accepted but don’t sell within their listing window, you have the option to "reclaim" them for a $5.99 fee per item in the final 7 days. If not reclaimed, ThredUp gives them a second life through partners or responsible recycling.