Do you have a Cato store? I have found some really cute things on the sale rack for $7 -$10. Just got jeans there for $7.99. Catofashions.com is the website, and they will ship to store for free, and mine will gladly call other area stores to check stock. great place for a shrinking person to fill in staples...

Yeah, I live in the boonies of the boonies. That's why the Goodwill pickins are slim as are the actual retail shopping opportunities. Even nearby medium sized towns have thinned out with retail, and more and more folks are shopping thrift, so the "finds" are fewer. Still there, but not as common as they once were, and it now takes a lot of sifting to find the needle in the haystack, both in retail and thrift. My hometown is so poor the Salvation Army actually closed up shop due to too little traffic.

Thanks for the report. I've just never been able to bring myself to buy "used" clothing. I've looked in thrift shops and I did browse through ThreadUp once but nothing grabbed me. Your feedback reaffirms my take on it.

We have a local consignment shop (I would not consider it a "thrift shop") that has great clothes and great prices so I do find stuff there when I stop by. They are very particular about what they accept on consignment. Right before X-Mas I found some Cole Hahn riding boots that were barely worn, a large black leather bucket bag and some thick brown leggings all for less than $90.00. They don't accept returns so I always try on before I buy.

I looked into ThreadUp but it did not appeal to me for several reasons.

I have had decent luck with Stitch Fix but not so much luck with Trunk Club.

I love getting new clothes on sale. I feel I can be sustainable if I keep these items for a long time.

I am disappointed that the articles you received did not smell fresh. That is a deal-breaker for me.

Have you looked at Loft, Ann Taylor, and Talbots online? There is also now Loft Outlet and Ann Taylor Factory. Cheaper versions and even cheaper when you wait out a sale. Sometimes items cross over from the regular to the outlet. I got an amazing deal on a Moto jacket that I in my cart in Loft and wound up buying at the outlet site.

A book club friend does Stitchfix. She has a personal shopper there who "gets her." Everything fits and she keeps it all.

I don't live in the boonies but find the petite sections to be lacking. I have to shop online.

I have never tried the Thred Up kinds of places, but do find online shopping to be frustrating. I find I always order 2 sizes (even with shoes) to see which size fits best. I now only purchase from places that also have a brick no mortar store so returns are easier.

Do you live even remotely close to a Marshalls or TJmaxx or Dillards? They are an hour away from me but I go often and they are my go to for much stuff. I bought the prettiest cornflower blue Ellen Tracey cashmere sweater at Marshalls yesterday for $40.

I'd drive 2 hours for one of those stores.

Ratherbe makes aa good point about sizing. All companies seem to get into the vanity sizing.

Although I usually know what size I am, there are still things that don't seem to apply.

I have noticed too that I need to pay more attention to the fabric. Some items fit tighter than others.

I was quite surprised by the "smelliness" of the ThreadUp clothing that I got. The one sweater that I was able to redeem by soaking in vinegar was from the bargain selection, so I guess that was not out of line with what should have been my expectations, but they do advertise that they only accept clean clothes, and that sweater clearly was not. I mean it wasn't DIRTY per se, it was just saturated with someone's personal perfume and odor. But I got it out. However, like I said, it is paper thin and runs in tepid water, so I can't imagine it taking a lot of even hand washings and coming back strong. I imagine that was why the person who owned it got rid of it.

The other stuff was advertised as "like new" and it was, sort of . . . But something in the box must have had an odor that stunk up the rest of the stuff. That kind of thing doesn't really bother me if the stuff is washable and the odor is mild and I know it will wash out, but if it needs to be dry cleaned, then that has to be factored into the price.

It was my fault about not returning the items in time, BUT the window is small and it is from ship date, NOT arrival date, which can be several days later, which is how I got caught. As with all online shopping, the kicker is you have to try on stuff and with many, many clothing items it is a crapshoot as far as sizing, how it will look on you, etc. That's the problem with online shopping, you have to order maybe two sizes or a couple of styles and then that has to go on your credit card and you have to be careful about returns. That is the main reason I hate online shopping and ThreadUp was no different, in fact worse since thrift has even more unknowns to it.

I like shopping thrift, but it's really not that often that you can find specific items you need. The best approach is to just look and see what is being offered, and every once and a while you find some amazing things. I have two workhorse jackets in my closet that were like new at the Goodwill. I wasn't specifically shopping for them though. Similarly, the one ThreadUp jacket from Talbots I like, I know I will wear but really wasn't needed or what I was specifically looking for. The folks I know who do the best with thrift, just have their actual thrift store routes and check in from time to time. That's why they call them FINDS at thrift store, you just have to be open to only buying something you need and know is going to get used. That takes willingness to do a lot of sifting, one way or the other.

Unfortunately, my take on the online thrift was too many unknowns to make the time invested worth the trouble. If I was just casually perusing the site and found something inexpensive and fun and perfect for me, great, but that's not how I'm going to spend my time at this late stage of my life's game. I can see younger fashionistas who are eco-conscious having a lot of fun with it.

It's also not worth selling consignment with them is the general consensus, the return on the dollar is minimal. But if you're doing a lot of shopping with them, turning in your stuff gives you some extra cash towards something you might want. It's sort of a thrift community so if I was into frequent closet clearing for fresher things, or really loved wearing new outfits constantly, I would maybe get into the system, but it's not really me. I hate shopping so would prefer to only have to do it maybe every five years . . . :)

As far as the smell, I find that even major department store clothes have a weird smell these days. When I buy anything from my local Macy's, I air it outside and then wash it. I live in a dry climate so it isn't as if they need to cover any musty/humid smells. The smell is like a very strong perfume.

I wonder if you would like Poshmark? I have sold quite a bit and bought several things there. I like that you can filter for the exact brand and size you might be looking for. If I know how a brand fits me, it is more likely I will get the right size. I usually only buy name brand secondhand for that reason.

It sounds like you do want to have decent clothes and look reasonably nice but don't want all the hassle and I think you might do well with a personal shopper even though it costs a little bit more you would get things that would last a long time

Also, I've really found that if I buy things I don't particularly need but I like them I often find that they are the exact thing I need I just couldn't see it at the time

Did you shop on Thredup or is there a Threadup? I thought thredup screened clothing before being sold?

If your purchases were received with smells, I hope you let them know.