ThredUP redefines thrifting
What do you do with your clothes when they no longer fit — literally or figuratively — into your wardrobe?
James Reinhart hopes the answer is this: You sell them.
The “serial entrepreneur” is the founder and chief executive officer behind online thrift shop thredUP, which recently launched in Canada.
Reinhart chatted with Postmedia News about shopping secondhand, treasure hunting and getting shoppers to rethink how — and where — they shop.
Q For those who aren’t familiar, what is thredUP?
A ThredUP is the largest online thrift store where millions of women internationally refresh their closets. The company resells clothing from more than 35,000 brands for up to 90 per cent off the original retail value. Headquartered in downtown San Francisco and backed by world-class investors, thredUP is reinventing the secondhand clothing industry and inspiring a new generation of consumers to think secondhand first.
Q What can people expect to find on the site — item-wise?
A ThredUP sells like-new women’s and kids’ clothing, shoes, handbags and accessories. Some of our most popular brands are J.Crew, Theory, Banana Republic, Lululemon and Coach. Our customers love shopping on thredUP because it’s a treasure hunt — thousands of new items are added all the time.
Q Shopping and selling secondhand seems to be more widely accepted now. Why do you think this is?
A Today’s consumer is valueconscious, and people are learning that shopping secondhand is a better choice for the environment and for your wallet. The shift to online shopping has also changed consumer mindsets.
Q What might surprise people about the site?
A Shoppers are also usually surprised at the quality they find on thredUP. The majority of our items are like-new, and many still have tags.
Q What made this the right time to launch in Canada?
A We’ve received a lot of interest from international markets over the past few years, particularly Canada, but there was a lot of scaling and fine-tuning to be done in the U.S. market before expanding overseas. We’re confident in the brand we’ve built, and excited to finally offer the unrivalled value and convenience of thredUP to Canadian customers.
Q And what makes Canadians a good fit for this type of shopping option?
A The secondhand market is growing rapidly in both the U.S. and Canada. Given that shopping is increasingly happening online, thredUP is a good fit for women looking for convenience and great value when expanding their wardrobes.
Q Lastly, how can people get involved with selling/buying?
A We’re excited that Canadian consumers are now able to shop thredUP by going to our website or downloading the app. We are not yet accepting supply from markets outside of the U.S. We want to ensure we get the buy side right before we open up the more logistically challenging supply side.