12 Best Online Thrift Stores for Every Style and Budget
Updated: Apr. 16, 2024
Save money—and the planet—while shopping these thrift stores online. Did we mention you'll score some pretty unique fashion too?
Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.
Best online thrift store shopping
The conversation around sustainability has only become louder throughout the years, and when it’s combined with a time of economic uncertainty like right now, online thrift stores are more in style than ever. It’s obvious that buying secondhand is better for the environment than creating brand-new garments and accessories, but how much so? Think about fast fashion—when we buy cheap pieces following trends with quick turnarounds, we’re purchasing items of poor quality made from synthetic materials by drastically underpaid labor. This has a bad impact on not just ourselves, but our environment, animals and fellow humans.
What are the best online thrift stores?
Shopping sustainable fashion brands can sometimes be out of budget, which is part of the beauty of online thrift stores: Not only do they make nicer items that have already been produced more attainable and save you money, they do so digitally, making them even more accessible than your local shops. You can also sell your used clothes on these sites, which means you’re making money as well. Read on to find the 12 best online thrift stores for every style and budget.
- Best for wishlist items: Poshmark
- Best for Gen Z: Depop
- Best for anything and everything: eBay
- Best for women and kids: Thredup
- Best for handmade and vintage: Etsy
- Best affordable options: Swap
- Best for authenticated luxury: The RealReal
- Best for men: Menswear Market
- Best for luxury accessories: Fashionphile
- Best user experience: Nuuly Thrift
- Best for designer handbags: Rebag
- Best for high-end brands: Vestiaire Collective
RD.com, Getty Images, via poshmark.com
Best for wishlist items
Poshmark
Easily considered one of the best online thrift stores, this peer-to-peer thrifting site and app has 200-million-plus items across 5,000-plus brands, covering women, men, kids, pets and home. Despite the volume, it’s very easy to search for specific items in your desired size, color, price and more. Negotiating is very much encouraged on Poshmark, with a feature that allows you to make an offer the seller can then counter. If you “like” a listing, you’ll be notified when they drop the price, discount shipping or submit an offer to everyone with the same interest as you. Note that no returns are allowed, but Poshmark is always on standby if any issues occur.
Pros:
- Can complete very specific searches
- Haggling is common and often expected
- Clothes and accessories for everyone, plus pets and home
Con:
-
No returns allowed
RD.com, Getty Images, via depop.com
Best for Gen Z
Depop
With top searches like “Y2K” and “vintage,” Depop is the online marketplace of choice for Gen Z. In addition to searching by style, you can also thin out the results by brand, size, price, color and condition. You can find a lot of unique pieces here for men and women and a decent selection for kids, in addition to art, music and more—a total of 32-million-plus items. On the Depop app, there’s an Explore page for you to scroll through items they think you’ll love, similar to TikTok and Instagram. Before you start online shopping, make sure you know the most common internet scams to be on the lookout for.
Pros:
- Social-media-inspired search capabilities
- Lots of unique items
- A goldmine for certain demographics
Con:
-
Narrow target audience
RD.com, Getty Images, via ebay.com
Best for anything and everything
eBay
Every day is the best time to buy clothes on eBay, regardless of who you are, where you live and what your style or size is. Depending on the listing, you can either bid on a piece with other hopeful buyers or purchase it outright. Shipping and return policies vary greatly based on the seller, so make sure to pay attention to the fine print. That said, eBay is also known to have fantastic customer service if any part of the transaction doesn’t go to plan.
Pros:
- Something for everyone, anywhere
- Both buying and bidding available
- Amazing customer service
Con:
-
Shipping and return policies vary
RD.com, Getty Images, via thredup.com
Best for women and kids
Thredup
Unlike the peer-to-peer marketplaces mentioned above, Thredup operates like a true online thrift store for women and kids—that you can build your whole capsule wardrobe from. Focused on premium brands like J.Crew and Free People in standard and plus sizes, they also have a robust offering of designer items. You can always return pieces, but note that you will have to pay a $1.99 restocking fee. A couple unique features: Sales up to 50% off Thredup’s original price are common, and once you add an item to your cart it’s automatically on hold for 12 hours.
Pros:
- Robust premium, designer and plus-size categories
- Sales are common
- Able to hold items in cart for 12 hours
Cons:
- Can’t search for specific items
- $1.99 restocking fee for returns
RD.com, Getty Images, via etsy.com
Best for handmade and vintage
Etsy
Etsy is for creatives and curators, with seemingly countless sellers offering a range of handmade, upcycled and vintage items for reasonable prices. While standard filters for clothes aren’t available, you can search by special offers, estimated arrival time, location, ordering options and more. Buyers are quick to provide thorough reviews, often with pictures, so you know what you’re getting into before you purchase. One underrated feature is being able to see how many of each listing is available, as well as how many people have it in their carts—that way, you know when you have to move quickly. Like eBay, shipping and returns vary based on the seller.
Pros:
- Attainably priced handmade and vintage pieces
- Can see stock and interest on product pages
- Thorough reviews
Cons:
- Shipping and returns vary
- No clothing-specific search filters
RD.com, Getty Images, via swap.com
Best affordable options
Swap
Considered one of the most affordable online thrift stores (and popular destination for closet cleanouts), Swap’s model is similar to Thredup. Unlike Thredup, however, they also have a strong men’s category. Though they do have a section for more spendy premium pieces, items on sale start as low as $2.39. Fun fact: In addition to standard search filters like size, brand and color, you can search by season and condition—which helps make up for the fact that you can’t search for specific items by name.
Pros:
- Items start at $2.39
- Serves women, kids and men
- Can search by season and condition
Con:
-
Can’t search for specific items
RD.com, Getty Images, via therealreal.com
Best for authenticated luxury
The RealReal
You’ll only find the best in luxury at The RealReal, where every single item goes through rigorous authentication and quality control. Each product page has clear, close-up pictures so you can see every scratch and scuff, in addition to written notes on the condition. From men and women to kids and home, the selection is fairly priced—and you can get an even better deal when pieces go on sale. For the best deals, you can become a First Look member for $12 a month and get 24-hour advance access to new items, as well as participate in secret sales. Note that some items are final sale, like handbags and items purchased at 40%-plus off.
Pros:
- Thorough, thoughtful authentication and quality control
- First Look membership gets you early access to new items and secret sales
- Fairly priced assortment, plus frequent sales
Con:
-
Items like handbags and those purchased at 40%-plus off are final sale
RD.com, Getty Images, via menswear-market.com
Best for men
Menswear Market
A lot of online thrift stores are focused more on women than men, but Menswear Market is exclusively for the guys. They specialize in high-end brands from Lululemon to Burberry, current or vintage in gently used or like-new condition. Part of what makes Menswear Market so unique is their belief in clientele-ing, adding a personal touch to the service for customers on both the supplier and shopper sides.
Pros:
- High-quality, high-end assortment
- Personal customer service
- Everything is returnable (minus final sale)
Cons:
- Smaller selection
- Poor search function
RD.com, Getty Images, via fashionphile.com
Best for luxury accessories
Fashionphile
Fashionphile has been reselling designer goods since 1999. Though they started in handbags, they now consign all sorts of accessories. Luxury is expensive, but Fashionphile works to make it more attainable by offering 60-day layaway, a sell-back program for up to 75% of each item’s purchase price, and Affirm to pay in installments. Their sale section sells items for up to 30% off the original price before it goes to Last Call, where items are marked down by a percentage every day for 30 days until they sell. Like The RealReal, their authentication process is super thorough, and they go out of their way to photograph and note the quality. Another beloved aspect of the company is their 30-day return policy.
Pros:
- Offers programs to make items more attainable
- Thorough authentication and quality-control process
- Generous 30-day return policy
Con:
-
Focused on household-name luxury brands
RD.com, Getty Images, via nuuly.com/thrift
Best user experience
Nuuly Thrift
As a newer online thrift store, Nuuly Thrift has the advantage of a simple, neutral user experience that makes for a much less overwhelming shopping experience. For example, instead of purchasing from each seller individually, you can add different items to your bag and then buy them all at once. Messaging is also available between buyers and sellers, taking the place of the comment section on listings that’s more popular with similar sites. As an offshoot of the clothing-rental service Nuuly, it even offers out-of-rotation items at a major discount (just make sure to learn what’s best for your body shape first). Because Nuuly Thrift launched in 2021, there’s not as much brand awareness and therefore a smaller selection for men, women and kids, but the available assortment is strong and growing all the time.
Pros:
- Clean, intuitive user experience
- Can purchase items discontinued from Nuuly’s rental service
- Quality selection for men, women and kids
Con:
-
Newer platform means less selection
RD.com, Getty Images, via rebag.com
Best for designer handbags
Rebag
While Rebag has grown since 2014 to offer both handbags and accessories, handbags are still what it does most and best. The purchasing process is simple and secure, with every item authenticated before providing detailed photos and notes on the condition for buyers to make the most informed decisions. That said, if it’s not love, you have seven days to initiate a return upon arrival. Between frequent discounts (including up to $200 off your first purchase), a tiered rewards program and the ability to pay in installments with Shop Pay, there’s a lot of incentive to keep Rebag top of mind. The one con? A lot of common and slightly more affordable designer brands you can find on other sites, like Tory Burch, aren’t available here.
Pros:
- In-depth authentication, photos and notes
- Financial perks include frequent discounts, a tiered rewards program and Shop Pay payment installments
- Returns allowed for seven days
Con:
-
Selective about designer brands offered
RD.com, Getty Images, via vestairecollective.com
Best for high-end brands
Vestiaire Collective
Though peer-to-peer marketplaces are common, those specifically dedicated to luxury are not–which is what automatically makes Vestiaire Collective one of the best online thrift stores. Because it’s made up of both individual and professional sellers, the prices set on all the clothes and accessories for men, women and kids are more flexible than they would be on other luxury sites. In fact, you can even make offers on the listings. To make these designers even more accessible, payment plans with Klarna are available. With all these pros, it’s worth noting that returns are only allowed for items purchased from professional sellers. Also, quality control and authentication aren’t included, but are definitely encouraged and available for $15 per item.
Pros:
- Range of prices, thanks to range of sellers
- Offers allowed
- Payment plans available
Cons:
- Quality control and authentication costs $15 per item
- Returns allowed for items from professional sellers, not individual ones
Originally Published: December 06, 2022
