Introduction
Thrift store sales have increased dramatically over the last several years, and some experts predict that by 2030, this trend will even double the size of the fast fashion sector. Maybe you’re interested in the market and want to find the best online thrift stores to learn from, or maybe you want to join in the fun and support them.
Whatever the goal, LitExtension – #1 The World Shopping Cart Migration Expert is here to help! Here is a list of the best online thrift stores that have driven the community insane!
- Swap
- ThredUp
- Depop
- Poshmark
- Beyond Retro
- Patagonia Worn Wear
- Shop Goodwill
- Tradesy
- The Vintage Twin
- Rebag
Read this article and you will discover:
- Key facts about thrift stores
- What are the best online thrift stores?
- And even how to open a thrift store online
Feel excited? Let’s jump right in!
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Best Online Thrift Stores – All You Need To Know
1. What is considered a thrift store?
Simply said, a thrift store is similar to a second-hand outlet: It aims to make revenues from selling clothes, furnishings, and other home things.
Although the condition of these clothes varies, buyers may generally get some quite nice pieces of clothing for meagre prices.
To get the goods, sellers often get donated items, such as clothing and household goods from a local charity. Here, they will evaluate each donation, set prices, and put them on the sales floor.
2. What is the purpose of a thrift store?
Each owner is different, but they should all have a commitment to doing good for either the community or the environment.
Since the owners pay fewer costs, thrift stores make it possible for everyone to purchase high-quality goods.
Thrift stores sell used goods that often come from local’s contributions or things found at estate sales and auctions… Thus, they can help people keep unwanted clothing instead of winding up in a pile of nasty rubbish!
Best Online Thrift Stores: The Best Second-Hand Clothing
1. Swap
The first in the list of best online thrift stores: Swap. At Swap.com, people love giving rare and unusual goods a second chance at life. To Swap, their thrift store is more than simply a business deal. It’s actually essential for them to find used items and keep them out of landfills.
Unlike other best thrift stores online that specialize in women’s fashion, Swap.com is a one-stop shop for all shopping needs.
From everyday necessities to unique and trendy clothes, Swap is also considered one of the best men’s online thrift stores.
2. ThredUp
Started in 2009, thredUP was a peer-to-peer online sharing of clothes and has now grown to become one of the top online thrift stores. Their company’s headquarters are in the heart of San Francisco, specializing in buying and selling second-hand women’s and children’s clothing.
Is thredUP actually good for the environment? People at thredUP are committed to a more eco-friendly fashion industry. To them, finding incredible discounts on name-brand goods is just part of the fun of thrifting. It’s also about rejecting fast fashion and taking a statement for sustainability in clothing.
3. Depop
Depop was created by Simon Beckerman, co-creator of PIG magazine. Once Simon saw the ability to sell items via the app, he reimagined Depop as a worldwide marketplace.
Via a mobile phone, users are able to see the items liked and bought by their friends or favorite influencers.
With its distinct product and active user community, Depop aspires to become one of Generation Z’s best second-hand clothing websites. Undoubtedly, this community has helped Depop grow to be on the list of top universal best online thrift store apps.
In 2021, Depop transformed to be an independent subsidiary of Etsy, the world’s largest marketplace for handmade and vintage thrift stores website.
4. Poshmark
Is Poshmark an online thrift store? Yes. Launched in 2011, Poshmark was an early example of one of the best online clothing thrift stores. It started out as a platform to buy and sell pre-owned clothing for ladies. Since then, Poshmark has expanded and become an online thrift store furniture, accessories, shoes, sporty gadgets, and many more!
Lululemon, Nike, American Eagle, Free People, and Anthropologie are just a few of the well-known labels you’ll discover on Poshmark. Up to this day, Poshmark has attracted and retained a massive user base, with 80 million people actively using the app at any one time.
5. Beyond Retro
The main store of Beyond Retro, which has been open since 2002, is the biggest in the Brick Lane online vintage thrift store. At that time, it was a popular destination for Londoners and visitors in search of vintage and ethically made garments.
Up to 20,000 one-of-a-kind clothes and accessories, it provides an absolute gold mine for thrift hunters all year round!
After 13 years, they have proved themselves to be a premier vintage shop in the UK and Sweden. Surely, they will continue to serve as a solution to every unique style.
6. Patagonia Worn Wear
Patagonia is a high-end outdoor gear business with a strong reputation for being eco-friendly. Used Patagonia clothing is sold on Patagonia Worn Wear and in select retail locations. Being an advocator of pre-owned goods, They guarantee that everything users buy will be in excellent condition.
Patagonia believes that reducing waste and making better use of what we currently have is good for the environment. Therefore, online thrift shops also accept trade-ins and provide online how-to instructions for recycling old things.
7. Shop Goodwill
When it comes to the best online thrift stores, Shop Goodwill is the first one that is named. Unlike many others, Goodwill operates as an online auction site, and the money raised from these auctions goes toward charity.
More than 130 Goodwill groups in the United States and Canada already use the site to post and auction off one-of-a-kind things. Artwork, antiques, collectibles, clothing, jewelry, and electronics,… are all here!
By shopping at the most popular thrift store, buyers are supporting a wide variety of charity services and programs. It assists people with disabilities, brings them jobs, furthers their education, improves their financial stability, and many more.
8. Tradesy
Tradesy was started in 2009 by Tracy DiNunzio with the purpose of developing a marketplace for women to purchase and sell their used goods. The company aims to make used clothing as popular as new clothing, leading to a more environmentally friendly retail industry.
When people think of online marketplaces, it likely comes to mind as one of the biggest high-end thrift stores online with a stylish and well-selected collection. Clothing, handbags, shoes, accessories, vintage, and even wedding goods may all be found and traded here.
9. The Vintage Twin
The Vintage Twin is one of the best online thrift stores and the first vintage clothing business. To serve as a tangible representation of our brand’s commitment to high quality, they sew their tags onto everything they sell.
Their mission is to empower individuals with fashion that makes them feel confident and cool while being 100% sustainable and giving 10% of our profits to charity.
This trendy online thrift store believes that everyone should have access to fashionable clothing that makes them look and feel fabulous no matter their size, shape or budget.
10. Rebag
At Rebag, your access to second-hand products is limitless. Launched in 2014, Rebag quickly became the go-to marketplace for buying and selling high-end accessories, including purses, jewelry, watches, and leather handbags.
Rebag is the best thrift store online to get a new wardrobe staple or sell off your used designer duds, with over 50 different brands and 10,000 products available. Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, and many more of the world’s fashion labels are all included in this online marketplace. They also include attractive policies allowing 7-day returns for any reason.
Other Best Online Thrift Stores in 2023
Asides from the aforementioned best online thrift stores, those shops below can also be your inspiration, recommended by thrifting shoppers. They include online thrift store toys, online and even:
- Vestiaire Collective – Thrift store men’s clothes
- Out of the Closet Thrift Stores
- Vinted – Best online thrift stores for clothes
- Luxury Garage Sale
- Flyp: AI That Turns Fashion Waste Into Cash
- Goodfair
- ToyCycle – One of the credible online thrift store toys
- Refashioner
- The Real Real – An online shoe thrift store
- MAW Supply
- Maeven Vintage
- Persephone Vintage
- Oxfam Shop – An online book thrift store
How To Start An Online Thrift Store?
Looking for a “cash cow” business idea? An online thrift store can be a fantastic option! The thrifting trend has never been more popular, thanks to social media, and selling can be made in a breeze.
While opening an online second-hand shop may seem like a lot of work and worry initially, the effort is ultimately rewarding.
With these 3 simple steps and an eCommerce platform, you can create a next-gen thrift store:
1. Find your USP (Unique selling point)
Firstly, you need a unique shopping experience to get customers to your online second-hand business. For instance, clothes are one possible example of this kind of merchandise. Adding “Men’s clothes” would make this more specific, and “Vintage men’s shirts” would make it much more niche.
Try to dig in as much as possible to find your differentiation.
Then, after deciding what makes you different, think of your own brand. Besides your name and logo, you should consider your tone and target audience. For instance, you may want to know “who is your audience (Age, gender, hobbies, and lifestyle)?”, “How will customers find you?”,…
2. Source and store products
Before successfully opening an online thrift store, you must have your inventory first! There are many sources you might take the products from, for instance:
- Garage and yard sales
- Markets for antiques
- Estate auctions
- eBay
- Craigslist
Then, after getting your merchandise ready to go on the sales floor, you must decide where to keep it until it is needed.
When you’re just getting started, a spare bedroom, closet, or even a rail might serve the purpose. However, since your store will develop, it’s preferable to plan ahead for a more permanent solution.
Our recommendation is to organize your inventory in a manner consistent with an inventory management program. If you utilize eCommerce platforms, you can also take advantage of its sophisticated inventory features, which are often included in the paid plan.
Shopify’s features, for instance, its inventory management and cross-channel product-management capabilities, will help your company run smoothly.
3. Set up an eCommerce store
If you are a first-time vendor, consider eCommerce platforms to be your marketplace is a fantastic choice!
Among many eCommerce platforms in the market today, BigCommerce or Shopify are two of the best eCommerce choices! Even though they aren’t the least-priced choice, they’re quite handy and economical considering everything else you get out of it.
It simplifies the process of creating a website to sell your products:
- You sign up for an eCommerce platform
- Choose a template to tweak (no coding experience necessary)
- And then pay a nominal monthly charge.
For instance, after filling out the necessary fields on Shopify, you’ll be sent to the Shopify dashboard, where you may start your free trial shop.
Notes: there are no up-front charges to utilize Shopify. The service is free to trial for 3 days with no strings attached. Besides, you can also try Shopify for $1/month in 3 months!
That’s all there is to it! There are still many things to accomplish, such as SEO and configuring shop displays, but these are the bare minimums to get it up and running.
Interested in Shopify and BigCommerce platforms? Click here to get started!
Best Online Thrift Stores – FAQs
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Final Thoughts
In this article, we have shown you the best online thrift stores. It should have provided you with some excellent ideas to create your very own shop using a robust eCommerce platform.
Want to even have more ideas on building eCommerce stores? Join our thriving eCommerce community and learn from the experience of thousands of other business owners.