ThredUp Goody Box!

April 20, 2020 by ThelifeofmaryreyesThrifting

Hi, friends! How are you?

A lot has happened since I last posted on here. Like a lot. Like a whole pandemic, self-isolating, quarantine kinda lot. So how are you holding up?

Kevin and I are both lucky to be working from home. But to be honest, we’re both full of nervousness for the future as we’re both the newest additions to the team. So we’re holding our breaths and just trying to take it day by day.

Anyway, in some lighter news I thought this was a swell time to try out a goody box that I’ve been curious about. Since I can’t go to the thrift stores, why not bring the thrifting to me?

Before I get started, I wanted to thank all of the essential personnel that are still keeping our world moving. All healthcare workers, delivery personnel, store workers, maintenance and construction crews (My dad has to continue working during this time, too), etc. Thank you.

So let’s get started.

What is ThredUp? So if you don’t know what ThredUp is, it is the largest second-hand shop online. You can scroll through pages and pages of used items at discounted prices (you can sell to them too, but from what I’ve heard you won’t get much money back). This is my first time shopping through them and although I prefer Poshmark for my online shopping needs, their so called “Goody Boxes” definitely spiked my curiosity. However, after reading online reviews and watching Youtube videos from others that received their box…I was extremely nervous. All of the reviews I encountered were not very…good. But I figured- what’s the harm? If I hate it I can return it. No biggie.

So how does it work? Well, head to their website. Fill out a survey. Pay a $10 box fee (which pays for shipping and return shipping, OR is applied to your purchase of any item). You can link your Instagram or a Pinterest board (I did both) just to give them some more information to work off of. And then wait. A ThredUp “personal treasure hunter” will style and create your very own Goody box with 10-15 items. Receive your box and keep (and pay) for what you like, return the rest with the pre-paid shipping label that is included.

For my survey, I filled out that I like brands such as Madewell, JCrew, Old Navy and styles such as “Classic, Timeless, Romantic”. I clicked that I prefer neutral colors, dislike jewels, glitter, gemstones, and would adore a Parisian style wardrobe. I even told them, “nothing too wild, please!” They asked for my height, general weight, how I prefer my clothes to fit. You pick the price range- I picked $20-$40 (the cheapest option). I even went back once I submitted it and added a few more notes to my likes and dislikes (dislike neon, like stripes). So keep in mind you can always alter the survey once you submit it.

Then you wait! I submitted my survey on April 7th, it shipped on the 11th, and I received it on the 16th.

After disinfecting the box, I opened it very eagerly. If you would like to see my genuine first reactions then head to my Instagram and check out my ThredUp Highlight.

Eek! I’m feeling the excitement all over again!

So this is what 10 items were in my Goody box!

Included in my Goody box was:

General review:

Sizing: The sizing was spot on. I didn’t even know that I’m more of an XXS in Madewell as I only own one thing from that brand that I thrifted a year ago and it’s in a medium. But they were right! All of the items were perfectly sized for me. Even the jeans which I’m surprised about. It’s hard enough to pick out jeans for myself so I can’t picture someone else picking them out for me!

The Brands: JCrew, Madewell, Old Navy- that’s exactly what I mentioned on my survey! Then they threw in some brands I’m unfamiliar with like Lou & Grey and Dreamers. It gave me the chance to try out some new-to-me brands that I probably wouldn’t have on my own.

Quality: You never know what quality you’re going to find used clothes in. Thankfully, everything in my Goody box was in excellent condition. The Dreamers top even had the store tag on it still! The only thing I noticed was that one of the tops had a smaaaaall dot on the inside, but nothing crazy.

Price: Okay, this is where I struggle. I’m a girl that used to go to $1 day at the Family Thrift in Houston. So paying $15-$35 per item is….hard. You might even think, “At that price, might as well go shopping at an actual retailer online!” But if you consider that second hand is just overall best for the environment than yeah, it makes it worth it. I think that there are plenty of more inexpensive options where you can even offer a lesser price for the same item (Poshmark, Depop, etc.) I looked up some of the items on Poshmark and found a few at a cheaper price. But once I accounted for shipping and tax, it would have been a close call with ThredUp. Then certain items I couldn’t find at all on a second-hand shop. So…overall, yes it’s more expensive, but it’s more convenient to keep these items than to try and find cheaper ones.

Overall: It really is a treasure hunt. It was exciting to try and picture what someone would pick out for me based on a survey. It was even more exciting to receive the items and be, wholeheartedly pumped for every item. That was unexpected. Again, I had read so many bad reviews so I was nervous, but I felt almost…honored? To have received a great box.

Then again, maybe my box wasn’t that difficult based on my survey. I mean, neutrals and classic pieces. It’s not hard to find a beige sweater from a good brand that matches that description.

Now: I’m still trying to figure out if I’m going to keep a few of the items such as the lace up sweater and the jeans. I don’t really need another pair of dark skinny jeans, but they do fit like a glove so maybe? We’ll see. If I decide to return anything then it is as simple of taping up the box and the included return label and dropping it off somewhere. Plus, currently they extended the return window from 7 days to 21 days so I have a little while to convince myself one way or the other (but more likely towards the direction of keeping everything). Plus, it gives me more time to actually save up to pay for the whole box (minus the $10 that will be applied).

Conclusion: Would I do this Goody Box again? Heck yes. I think it is a great way to try some new-to-you pieces and brands and maybe even fill in some gaps in your wardrobe. Maybe I’ll do this in the fall and ask for some warm weathered items. Ooh, that could be fun. *Picturing all the striped turtlenecks…*

I’m excited to wear these pieces…around my home. In fact, I’m wearing one now as I work from my kitchen counter. I’m one of those people that feels more motivated when I put normal clothes on so for now, this’ll have to do.