No matter who you are – just a newbie who does not have any ideas about a thrift store or a devotee of second-hand goods, this article is still helpful for you.
What are the best online thrift stores in which you can buy things with bargain prices? Tips to be a thrift store owner? Those troublesome questions will no longer confuse you from now. Why? Well, this post will give you thorough answers for them all.
What Are Thrift Stores?
You can imagine that the thrift store is where all second-hand and goods are sold. Yes, you didn’t misread, everything!
A shirt, a pan, a table lamp, or even a shovel, these are what you may come across in those thrift stores. Goods at this place can be relatively new or old provided that they are still usable. Thrift stores usually sell consigned or given away items.
Spending time hanging around a thrift store is not only a great experience but also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you to hunt godsends. Don’t you know that occasionally, purchasers can buy some branded items at only 1/10 or 1/15 of the original prices? Believe it or not, it’s still a true story!
Usually, the business type of thrift stores is non-for-profit because part of their profits will be donated to community organizations such as orphanages, health organizations, etc.
Thrift Store Industry in the USA
The thrift store industry is considered a flourishing sector in the USA. Why?
The Thrift store trend exploded in 2014 and has had many commendable leaps. Thrift store management companies have a fast-growing revenue from 0.5 to 1.2 times each year.
From 2014, Thrift Store Industry was expected to reach a total revenue of $10.2 billion by 2019. Undoubtedly, 2019 is the golden time when this industry achieved the highest revenue in recent years – more than $19 billion.
In the next years, income from this industry is forecasted to continue to grow but at a slower pace. However, with the explosion of the Gen Z – target customer group of the Thrift Store and the development of technology, this industry can develop further.
Top 10 Online Thrift Stores
1. Depop – Best For Fashion Lovers
You can visit and discover Depop through their website.
Depop is an e-commerce platform that helps connect sellers and buyers through their Instagram account. With a focus on fashion items such as clothing, shoes, and accessories, the target customer groups of this online thrift store are gen Z and millennial shoppers.
Depop’s annual income is not small because they have more than 15 million users and the number of followers on Instagram are more than six digits. Their estimated annual revenue is about $50 million. Although there are no specific statistics, Depop has proven its ability to grow by closing a Series C round of $62 million led by General Atlantic. This is undoubtedly one of the best online second hand stores you should add to your watchlist.
2. Poshmark – Best Of Diversity
How can you find Poshmark? Visit their website.
Wanna purchase a luxurious thousands-dollar Gucci bag and buy a lovely coffee cup at once? Head for Poshmark. It sounds a little weird, but it’s true!
At this online thrift store, goods are categorized into fashion items and home furnishings to targeted customers of all ages. Various items with prices ranging from a few dollars to thousands of dollars, you’ll have plenty of choices for purchasing decisions. Moreover, you can easily be a seller by registering an account and post the items you want to sell with photos and prices.
3. Tradesy – Best For Authentic Items Fans
Visit Tradesy to discover more.
If you have middle-income and have a passion for hunting branded or luxurious items clothes, Tradesy is the perfect choice for you. Oriented for fashionable and trendy girls, Tradesy goods are usually deluxe products like clothes, shoes, bags from famous brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, etc.
Instead of purchasing expensive items and throwing them to the wardrobe corner when it is outdated, you can sell it at Tradesy. On the other hand, you can find your favorite items at super bargain prices. There are tens of millions of users on its online thrift shop platform, and in 2019, Tradesy reached $1 billion in sales.
4. Esty – Best For Vintage Lifestyle
If you are passionate about crafts and vintage style then Esty is the paradise for you!
Esty was founded in 2005 with goods primarily defined as vintage or handmade items and craft supplies. The second hand stores on Esty sells clothes, furniture, art, etc. everything you want. There are many extraordinary and unique goods that can be the treasure and dream items of vintage lovers.
For that reason, Esty’s clients are extremely diverse in gender and age. You can buy many things you need at affordable prices. Amazing! Esty’s annual income increased slightly, until 2017 the company’s revenue has jumped. From 2017 to 2019, yearly income grew by approximately 1.35 times and reached $818.79 million in 2019.
5. ASOS Marketplace – Best for Sportychic Style
Being managed by ASOS, this marketplace is a platform where you can easily sell and buy fashion items like clothes, shoes, etc. on it.
Goods in Asos marketplace are quite diverse. Although most items are fit for young people, you can quickly find suitable items for your parents or the elderly. In addition to categorizing by brand and clothing type, the ASOS marketplace also categorizes clothes by subject such as “The vintage scene” or “Pretty Lavish” to help you have more ideas for mixing outfits and easier to purchase.
There is not much information about the revenue as well as the profit of ASOS Marketplace, but this platform is expected to continue to grow strongly in line with the development of the ASOS brand.
6. ThredUp – Best For Women Of All Ages
ThredUp is considered as the world’s largest online thrift store. Its interface will make you feel like a selling clothes website rather than a thrift shop. Items on this store categorized by age as well as different brands, trends, and styles. This thrift shop sells women’s fashion items of all ages, they also sell boys’ clothing and even for pregnant women.
If you don’t know which items to choose and you’re always ready to try something new, the “goody boxes” of ThredUp can attract you. Each box including 10 items that are chosen or recommended by ThredUp and you will pick them by yourself. At the moment, ThredUp has nearly 20.000 daily users and raised $300 million with spending $175 million for funding.
7. The RealReal – Best For Luxury Items Hunters
This thrift store name speaks for its direction and mission. The RealReal only sells items that you can call “authentic” or “real”. Luxury brand hunters are certainly familiar with The RealReal. Trendy and deluxe items at an affordable price are what this thrift store can bring to customers.
All brands you need are on their website, they even have Rolex watches for several hundred to tens of thousands of dollars. In 2019, the total revenue of The RealReal was $318 million which increase 53% every year.
8. Vestiaire Collective – Best Of Delivery
If you want a luxurious and trendy look, check out Vestiaire Collective now!
Similar to The RealReal or Tradesy, the primary merchandise on this thrift store’s website are items from mid-to-high-end brands. Vestiaire Collective is always appreciated by customers for the quality of goods as well as attentive customer service. Especially, this thrift store has Express delivery for some items that you can receive your goods as soon as possible. It is considered as a flourishing company with an estimated income is about $50 million per year.
9. The Vintage Twin – Best For Classic Style Followers
Classic but fashionable, that’s what people talk about The Vintage Twin. Denim and basic items on The Vintage Twin will make you feel like back in the 1990s.
Nowadays, Retro style is making a comeback and becoming famous. It’s not necessary to be fancy or luxurious, Vintage Twin keeps the rustic nature with simple and classic items. Anyway, old but gold! Furthermore, The Vintage Twin is an excellent choice for minimalist lovers, who don’t want to spend a lot of time thinking of outfit of the day.
Although not in the top of the biggest thrift stores online, The Vintage Twin will surely go further thanks to their increasing number of users.
10. Patagonia Worn&Wear – Best Of Environment Protector
In addition to basic items like clothes, Patagonia Worn&Wear has other items are Pack & Gear that all are at affordable prices.
Goods in Patagonia are not unique, just simple daily things such as T-shirts, trousers, etc.from domestic popular brands. However, people don’t support Patagonia because of its trendy clothes but the meaningful actions which the company brings. Customers can easily track their charitable or environmental activities on their website.
With the mission to protect the environment, Patagonia Worn & Wear has contributed more than $10 million to plant trees and always try to reduce the waste load from clothes by attracting more people to trade or reuse clothes.
Tips To Run an Online Thrift Shop
The above information makes you extraordinarily excited and you desire to have your own thrift store? Yes, you completely can. But be careful. In order to rule out the possibility of failure, the following notes are really of great help. Let’s take a look!.
1. Type Of Goods
Determine what kind of goods you want to sell is essential: clothes, shoes, furniture, or all? In addition, you need to consider the target customers you want to attract before making business decisions.
2. Capital
You will have to spend a lot of money on website opening, marketing, etc. Therefore, you must have enough capital to run a thrift store and the amount of capital depends on the type and scale of your store.
3. Advertising And Online Marketing
As a thrift store owner, you need not only buyers but also sellers, so Marketing strategies are required to attract people to know your store more.
Think and create unique identification for your brand. It can be anything as long as impressive and distinguishable.
4. Customer Services
For any company, customer service is a significant factor that helps them keep their customers.
You should make a specific plan for every stage such as receiving, delivery, payment, and exchange to provide the best service for your customers and avoid unnecessary errors.
Long Story Short
Hopefully, this article has provided you with helpful information and the top online thrift stores for shopping. Last but not least, if you want to run a thrift store or a second-hand store, remember to check all tips above.