ThredUp, A New Clothing Swap Site, Could Be Stylin’

We’ve all heard of clothing swap parties—you clean out your closet, bring all the dresses, tops, shoes and bags you never wear anymore, everyone else does the same, and you, well, swap. Now, a company called ThredUp is taking that same idea to the wilds of the internet. You post and give details about the items in your closest that are up for grabs and enter in exactly what you’re looking for and the site chooses clothes that fit your description that other people have grown tired of. Items are exchanged according to a schedule and using prepaid envelopes—like Netflix, for fashion! Sounds peachy, right? Well, not so fast. There are a few “issues” that I’m not so fond of ...

This is a brand-new site. At the moment they only swap shirts and tops. Eh. Plus, those Netflix-esque envelopes? They’ll cost you—$12.50 for three, to be exact. And you don’t get to actually see what you are trading for, they only promise to send you a “comparable” piece of clothing. So, it’s sort of a blind-folded clothing swap. In theory, this site is ah-mazing, but I’m not so sure if I like the logistics of it. Still, there’s a lot of promise, and it seems like they might expand the capabilities at some point. (And technically, if you’re really over an item, why not take the chance, right?) Still, who wants yet another unwanted shirt in their closet? What about you—will you sign up with your unwanted shirts and tops? [ThredUp]