Thred Up

Thred Up is the site for you if you have ever exchanged clothes with someone else who wears your size and has your sense of style. I've exchanged with girlfriends when I've gotten tired of a dress I've worn only once, for a friend's pair of shoes that they got a great deal on, but are impossibly high for them to walk in for more than a block. It's an old fashioned swap system, just like paperback swap or Netflix.

Let's face the fact that we tend to wear only part of our closet, and this is especially true if you are a fashionista, a teenager, or changing careers. Would you like to get some new clothes to fit the latest version of you, but without having to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe? All you pay for with Thred Up are the envelopes to mail out your items. You can try out the system with three swaps for only $12.50!

You start by listing the items you want to make available in your own closet, then you pick out items you would like from another closet. Right now the system is only for shirts, but they are working on adding other items and even expanding the system for children's clothes. The Thred Up system finds matches for everyone; when someone finds something in your closet, you send it out to them; when something you want is found in someone else's closet, it is sent out to you! It goes without saying (I hope) that items should be clean, stain and odor free and in excellent condition. Their motto is the golden rule; send only what you would want to receive. If you love what you receive, you keep it, if you don't, put it back out into the system so it can find another home. This is one case of karma working almost instantly, if you receive something that belongs in a the trash, they will credit you a shirt and immediately reprimand the sender. They also have a points rating system for overall feedback and stylie points for promotional rewards.

Getting three shirts for only $12.50 in your size and your style is one of the best deals I have found; if you can find a better deal, let me know about it and I'll post it!