Selling on ThredUp is the path of least resistance for closet clean-outs. It’s also the path of smallest payout. Here’s when that tradeoff is worth it.
I’ve sent three ThredUp Clean Out Kits in the last three years. Two women’s, one men’s. Total payout across all three: $147.20. Total time spent: maybe four hours including the drive to drop off. Selling clothes on ThredUp is almost always underwhelming on a pure dollar basis, and almost always worth it on a time-to-money basis. Here’s the real math. The Brand Guides hub has the broader platform context. For the mechanics of consignment specifically, Thredup Consignment covers the full flow.
How ThredUp Clean Out Kits actually work
The process, stripped of marketing language:
1. Request a kit. Free in most cases, though there’s a “Kit with Return Assurance” option that costs more and guarantees rejected items come back to you.
2. Fill the polybag. They send you a huge silver mailer. You fill it with clothes, shoes, and accessories. Generally women’s and men’s items on their accepted brand list.
3. Ship it back. Drop at USPS or FedEx. Prepaid label.
4. Wait. Processing can take weeks, especially during peak seasons. My January 2024 kit took 22 days from drop-off to first listing.
5. Get paid as items sell. Payouts happen per-item after sale, not upfront. Items that don’t sell in the first listing period eventually get marked down, then clearance, then recycled.
What I earned across three kits
Kit 1 (2022, women’s): 42 items sent. 28 accepted. Payout: $72.40 over the following six months.
Kit 2 (2023, men’s): 32 items sent. 13 accepted. Payout: $33.00 over the following six months.
Kit 3 (2024, women’s): 38 items sent. 25 accepted. Payout: $41.80 over the following five months.
Across 112 items total, 66 were accepted (about 59%). Average per-accepted-item payout: $2.23.
If you’re shocked by how low that is, you’re not alone. ThredUp’s commission structure takes a meaningful cut of the sale price, which is already set lower than original retail. Your payout is what’s left after ThredUp’s cut, after the item actually sells.
The actual payout math by item category
A few examples from my itemized history:
A Banana Republic blazer listed by ThredUp at $48, sold for $38 after sitewide discount, net payout to me: $5.70. The blazer retailed at $158 when new.
A Madewell tee listed by ThredUp at $14, sold for $9.80 after discount, net payout: $0.90. Retailed at $29.50 new.
A Barbour jacket (my single best sale) listed at $88, sold for $72 after discount, net payout: $28.50. Retailed around $400 new.
The Barbour was the exception. Most items paid out under $3.
For the fee structure details, Thredup Fees breaks down ThredUp’s commission tiers.
The time cost versus alternatives
Here’s where the math gets interesting. To sell the same 42 items on Poshmark or eBay:
Photography: 5 minutes per item = 3.5 hours
Listing (description, measurements, pricing): 5 minutes per item = 3.5 hours
Managing messages, offers, shipping: Ongoing, roughly 1 hour per week across active listings
Minimum 10 hours to list 42 items across a peer-to-peer platform. ThredUp took me maybe 90 minutes total (sort clothes, pack bag, drive to drop-off).
If my 42 items on Poshmark sold for say $600 net versus $72 on ThredUp, that’s $528 more for 8+ extra hours. $66/hour for closet-clean-out labor. Compare that to your actual hourly rate and decide accordingly.
For me, both kits were during periods where I had zero appetite for managing individual listings. ThredUp’s time-to-payout ratio won.
What ThredUp accepts (and what gets rejected)
Based on my sends:
Usually accepted: J.Crew, Madewell, Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy (sometimes), Patagonia, The North Face, Levi’s, Nike, Adidas, Ann Taylor, Loft, Boden, Anthropologie, Everlane.
Usually rejected: Fast fashion (Shein, Forever 21, H&M much of the time), no-name brands, items with visible wear or staining, out-of-style cuts (pleated fronts, very dated silhouettes), athleticwear showing pilling, shoes with obvious sole wear.
Specifically rejected in my kits: A Dockers shirt (not on accepted list), a pair of cheap sunglasses (not fashion enough), a vintage dress (condition wasn’t good enough for their standard), several Target house-brand items.
For the menswear-specific view, Does Thredup Take Men’s Clothes covers men’s acceptance rates in detail.
Return Assurance: worth it or not?
Return Assurance is the paid option that sends your rejected items back to you instead of donating them. Costs around $10-15 per kit.
My take: worth it if your kit has any items you want to sell elsewhere or keep donating to a specific charity. Not worth it if you’d otherwise donate rejects to any charity — ThredUp donates unused items to partner thrift chains anyway.
I paid for Return Assurance on my third kit because I had two items I was on the fence about sending. Both came back, one sold elsewhere for more than ThredUp would have paid. Cost justified.
The payout timeline reality
Payouts trickle in over months. Not days. My 2024 kit was processed in February; I was still receiving small payouts from it in July. That’s fine if you don’t need cash fast. Problematic if you were hoping for a quick return on your closet clean-out.
You can withdraw accumulated payouts when they hit certain thresholds. Payment options include ThredUp credit (highest value; you get slightly more if you take credit instead of cash), direct deposit, or payout to Venmo/PayPal.
Selling clothes on ThredUp versus Poshmark, Vinted, eBay
The tradeoff framework:
ThredUp wins on: Time investment, ease, no listing labor, no customer service.
Poshmark wins on: Per-item payout, negotiation upside, direct seller control.
Vinted wins on: No commission (fee on buyer), simpler platform than Poshmark.
eBay wins on: Maximum potential per item through auctions, deepest buyer pool for niche items.
For most people clearing a closet of mid-market contemporary brands, the ThredUp math works if you value your time. The peer-to-peer platforms work if you have a dozen high-value items worth the listing effort individually. For the cross-platform seller view, Vinted Sell Clothes covers Vinted’s seller experience.
The verdict
Selling clothes on ThredUp is the lazy person’s resale strategy, and I mean that neutrally. If you’ve got 40 items of mid-market contemporary clothing to clear and you’d rather not spend a weekend photographing and listing them, ThredUp’s Clean Out Kit is a reasonable conversion of closet space to modest cash. If you’ve got 5 items that are individually worth $50+ each, listing them yourself on Poshmark or eBay will pay out significantly more. Use ThredUp for the bulk of your closet purge; reserve the high-value pieces for individual listing. For the cross-platform thrift view, Thrift and Resale Fashion has the context. A Large Storage Tote on Amazon“>large storage tote is what I use to stage clothes for the next Clean Out Kit — it sits in my closet collecting pieces as I decide to part with them.
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FAQ
How much money can you make selling clothes on ThredUp?
In my experience, $30–75 per Clean Out Kit of roughly 30–40 items. Higher-end brands increase the number; fast-fashion-heavy kits earn less. Per-item averages under $3.
How long does it take to get paid for selling on ThredUp?
Processing takes 1–4 weeks from when ThredUp receives your kit. After that, payouts happen as individual items sell, which can span 3–6 months or longer.
Does ThredUp pay cash or credit for sold items?
Both options exist. Credit gives you slightly more value than cash (a small incentive to reinvest on the platform). Cash payouts can be sent via direct deposit, Venmo, or PayPal.
What happens to items ThredUp doesn’t accept?
Without Return Assurance, rejected items are donated to ThredUp’s partner thrift chains or recycled through textile programs. With Return Assurance, they’re returned to you.
