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A picture of clothes on racks at a clothing store
A picture of clothes on racks at a clothing store
Prudence Earl
C Mich | Style

Tips for Thrifting Online

Tess Ware Student Contributor, Central Michigan University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at C Mich chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Thanks to the internet, we can now thrift from our beds, what a dream. Online thrifting can be really useful because you can search for exactly what you want. Lots of people make good money thrifting clothes and then reselling them online. It’s like they do the searching for you and all you have to do is click buy. 

 

Like any online shop, there are issues. The question of sizing gets more complicated when you have to account for stretch and wear over time, there is no guarantee the selling you’re buying from is legitimate. To avoid thrifting mistakes, read these tips on how to successfully, and safely, thrift online.

 

Use filters If you search for ‘knit sweater’ on Depop, you will get thousands of results. Instead of scrolling through them all to find a gem, filter by size, price, color, etc and find what you’re looking for so much faster.

 

Take your time Look very closely at what you’re buying, and don’t buy the first listing you see. Take the time to search for different keywords until you’re confident you have seen everything available, then pick the best price!

 

Check out the seller Be wary sellers with vague bios that don’t give a lot of info. Look for sellers who link their social media accounts for transparency and of course, check their reviews. No reviews doesn’t mean they aren’t trustworthy, their shop may be new so don’t let it put you off!

 

Ask questions Before you buy anything, message the seller with a question. Even if you have to think of a question to ask, how they respond and how quickly will tell you a lot about what they’re like as a seller. If they take a long time to respond, they may take a long time to ship. Don’t be afraid to ask for more photos or measurements, you deserve to know what you’re buying. 

 

The internet is a blessing and a curse, online thrifting is amazing but you have to think carefully about what you’re buying. Take your time, ask questions and have fun building up an amazing closet!

 

Tess Ware

C Mich '21

Hi, my name is Tess and I’m a double major in Journalism and Women and Gender studies at Central Michigan University. Planning to become a media writer after I graduate. I want to empower people through my writing and hope to someday write a book on the intersection of Feminism and Paganism. I’m a huge crafter, I love knitting and altering clothes I find at thrift stores. I listen to a lot of audiobooks in my free time. I’m really excited to be co-campus correspondent and Editor-in-Chief for HerCampus-CMich and continue to develop my voice, writing and leadership skills.