Recycled Fashion: The College Student's Guide to Secondhand Stores

By Annette Paraja on August 14, 2018

On-Trend on a Budget

If you are like me and enjoy wearing Free People, Nike, Adidas, Sam Edelman, and other popular brands, but you also have to pay for next semester’s books, fill up the tank, and pay for rent, then you’ve come to the right place. Let me introduce you to a few popular buy/sell/trade used clothing stores: Buffalo Exchange, Crossroads Trading Company, and thredUP. So, what is the difference between your average thrift stores and these used clothing stores? The answer is getting money to buy more clothes, instead of a tax deduction. Also, many items are sold with original tags attached!

Image from Pixabay

Buffalo Exchange, Crossroads Trading, and thredUP accept a long list of brands of clothing, accessories, and shoes if you are looking to sell clothing and accessories you longer have a use for; each website has a selling guide and list of brands that are currently accepted. All of the above carry designer pieces, but from personal experience, Crossroads is the place for designer purses and clothing. I made it a point to search the SoCal Crossroads Instagram account and found a Fendi clutch, Gucci mules, and an Alexander McQueen clutch, and other eye candy with consignment signs on items.

So, what does it mean when you purchase something on consignment? Again, consulting the Crossroads website, I came across a list of price ranges Crossroads would sell items consignment items for and the payout to sellers. Luxury designer items sold on consignment may get a seller up to 70% cash payouts. Lucky for all of us college students with limited budgets, the deals on designer clothing and accessories are a huge markdown from retail prices.

From my experience with Crossroads Trading, Buffalo Exchange, and thredUP, they all range in more affordable and trendy brands, like Forever 21 and Xhileration from Target, to higher-end brands like JBrand, Hudson Jeans, BCBGMaxaria, Theory, and Marc Jacobs. For shopping in a time-crunch or browsing in-between study sessions, check out ThredUp for extra discount coupon codes at checkout. Look with caution, as sometimes the cheaper brands, like Rampage and Guess, can be found for the same prices or cheaper if you have the time and patience to peruse the fields of racks at TJMaxx or Marshalls.

Image from Pixabay

To Buy, Sell, or Trade – that is the Question

But with options to buy, sell, or trade, which gives you the best value? All three stores offer Sell by Mail, while Crossroads Trading and Buffalo Exchange offer in-store selling and trading, too — the “catch” is your payout. Crossroads pays 33% of their selling price in cash (30% if you use Sell by Mail), or 50% trade, which means you would receive a gift card with no expiration date. As with Crossroads, the cash payout goes from 30 to 25% at Buffalo Exchange if you use Sell by Mail, or 50% trade for in-store credit.

If none of the three stores want your clothes, you will be asked if you would like to donate to one of the multiple charities, or if you would like them returned to you, albeit with a hefty shipping fee. In addition to lower payouts when you choose Sell by Mail, thredUP warns they only take 40% of items in an average Clean Out Bag. Your best value would be bringing clothes to the store to sell/trade, and maybe checking out store inventory if you want to buy anything that day.

Say you’re over your head with homework and studying, or working late hours – Crossroads Trading offers a 24-hour drop-off option, which lets you drop off your items and be on your busy way.

During my first visit to Crossroads Trading, I brought with me a dress that could no longer be returned to Nordstrom per their new return policy (45-days instead of their pre-February 2018 90-day policy). Much to my surprise, they quoted me $20 for the dress and $6 dollars for a blazer. It all went back on a nice little store credit that I spent on a pair of UO white cut-offs and a Nordstrom Bp. rainbow stripe crop top. An overall positive experience, and it felt good to get paid for a dress that didn’t fit me anyway – a win-win!

So whether you are cleaning out your dorm closet and getting ready to move into an apartment off-campus, or simply doing some Spring-cleaning, or maybe you just want to treat yo’self, check out these new-age secondhand stores for a fresh take on fashion. Check out the links below to follow each company on Instagram and check out their websites for more info:

SoCal Crossroads: @crossroads_socal
Crossroads Trading: @crossroadstrading
Buffalo Exchange: @buffaloexchange
thredUP: @thredup

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format