As far as shopping sprees in the official month of conscious consumption go, there are a few ways you can beef up your spring fashion wardrobe while actually helping the environment. After all, it’s Earth Day next week, and upcycling clothing through thrifting is pretty much my favorite way to celebrate.
You’ve probably stumbled upon a dozen different online thrift stores by now, but let me introduce you to another one worth bookmarking: Swap.com.
What makes Swap.com different than other secondhand shops on the internet? Well, for starters, it’s the biggest. Yes, Swap.com has the grand title of being the largest secondhand clothing store on the internet. I wonder if they received a plaque…?
Another thing that truly sets Swap.com apart from other similar businesses is their commitment to waste reduction. Did you know that the average American throws away 85% of their wardrobe every year? Yeah, that’s about 65 lbs. of textiles per person that end up in landfills – that’s 14.3 million pounds from everyone, per year, in landfills. Aside from upcycling clothing, the best way to combat this terrifying statistic is through thrift shopping. While other online thrift shops might focus on having the hottest brands, or the newest clothing, Swap.com just wants to keep perfectly usable clothing out of landfills.
Swap.com has been in business since 2013, when they started as a children’s clothing consignment shop. Now, Swap.com quietly dominates the secondhand shopping experience online. They have millions of products listed on their site from users all over the place. Don’t worry, you only pay one shipping fee regardless of how many different people you’re buying from. (That’s officially a benefit over Poshmark, where each person you buy from incurs a $6 shipping charge. ?)
Right now, Swap.com is about to hit their stride. Well, they’ve been hitting it since they opened up their inventory to include non-kid clothing in 2015! I’m excited to work with them on this post to show you guys how far your money can go when shopping secondhand online. It’s kiiind of amazing.
Here’s What I Got for $100 at Swap.com
Swap.com provided $100 credit for me to shop on their site. Swap’s website is really huge and full of great clothing, and I know that can easily overwhelm most people who don’t shop for a living. Don’t worry! The search functions allow you to narrow the results down by specifying brand, style, size, price, and so on. It makes it easy to find everything that will fit you, and then you can fine tune it from there.
The shipping took 4 days, one it was sent, which took 3-4 days after I ordered. It’s not the fastest shipping in the world, but it’s free over $50 (or free shipping on $10 or more for your first order) so it wasn’t that annoying. Flat rate shipping for orders under $50 is $4.95.
Here’s my bounty from Swap.com:
H&M Patchwork Jeans, $10
Zara Knit Sweater, $10
H&M Dress, $13
Lauren Conrad Blouse, $9
Zara Top, $9
H&M Sweater, $8
Soffe T-Shirts, $6 & $7
Junarose Dress, $10
H&M Tank Top, $7
Soffe T-Shirt, $7
Matty M Leggings, $9
ELLE Blouse, $8
After totaling everything up, here’s what I came away with:
- 2 dresses
- 8 tops
- 1 pair of leggings
- 1 pair of jeans
- 1 belt (not pictured because it’s boring)
…for $110. That averages out to less than $10 per item! It’s pretty accurate – all but one item was $10 or less.
I honestly, truly, legitimately love everything I got from Swap. Some of it doesn’t fit me perfectly, but everything is in incredible shape. In fact, the Junarose dress still had the tags on, proving that someone, somewhere paid $109 for a dress I got for $10. Kind of amazing.
That leggings and t-shirt combo is basically what I’ve been living in since I received my order, and it’s the H&M dress is my new favorite thing. All in all, I am 100% satisfied with the stuff I was able to get from Swap for $100 and would definitely recommend trying this shop out for a wardrobe facelift!
Between now and May 31, 2017, you can take 25% off of your Swap.com order with the code 25SPRING.
Thanks to Swap.com for giving me the $100 credit to shop their website & share my experience, all in the name of Earth Day!