You guys know I love the idea of a clothing swap--if you don't know what one is, find out here--but there are always some legit concerns involved. What if nobody is my size? What if people bring stuff in crappy condition? What if my goods are better than everyone else's? Enter ThredUp.com, a new site that claims to solve those problems and take the swap to a whole new level...
ThredUp calls itself "a refresh button for your closet" and will soon be launching nationwide for women and men. They've already started with a small test group of customers, and they say all involved parties have been pretty darn pleased with the results. Here's how it works: You dig through your closet, find the items you want to get rid of (say, four pairs of pants), and let the good people at ThredUp know what size, brand, and color those pants are. Then you tell them what you're looking to get (again, you provide them with specific size, brand, and color you're after--it doesn't have to be the same as what you're getting rid of) and they employ some kind of algorithm that matches preferences and sizes and tell you where to send your like-new stuff off to (in an envelope you purchase from ThredUp--the only fee associated with the service). Then you cross your fingers and hope something wonderful arrives in your mailbox soon.
They call it a "peer-to-peer clothing exchange executed through the mail." While there is no middleman to inspect the goods coming in and going out, ThredUp says their test set of customers were very satisfied, and they have a zero-tolerance policy for stained, ripped, or otherwise abused clothes. They also say the honor system is serving them just fine, much like eBay or Zip Car's models.
