I always loved back-to-school shopping when I was younger, and I love it now because it signals the beginning of cooler temperatures and the fall season — my favorite!  The cost related to this back-to-school shopping, though, can be staggering, especially for large families with multiple kids to dress for the new year.

thredUP is an online consignment shop that offers thousands of like-new clothing for boys, girls, juniors, and women.  Customers can save money by purchasing these clothes at a greatly discounted price, and they can save time by doing it all online without having to go to multiple stores in various locations.   I was especially excited about their new juniors and women sections (they were just introducing these new features when I featured them here in April) because I can take advantage of these same low prices without having to travel long distances!  I’ve always lived in small towns without malls or many popular clothing stores, and I love that I can buy clothes from some of my favorite stores at a fraction of the cost online in my pajamas while my boys sleep.  Score!

thredUP is also very specific about the brands they’ll sell, ranging from Bargain Brands (Carter’s, Old Navy, The Children’s Place) to Basic Brands (Gymboree, miniBoden, GAP) and Premium Brands (Burberry, Ralph Lauren) for kids.  Juniors can enjoy looks from Forever 21, Aeropostale, American Eagle, Hollister, and Guess, while women have a range from Banana Republic, Ann Taylor LOFT, GAP to J. Crew and White House Black Market.  Amazing brands, and amazing prices!  I also loved that I could search by brand and size, which saved lots of time and effort on my part.  Rather than browsing through an entire store to find what I needed, I could sort quickly and easily and then shop from the items that were available and in my size.

 I really don’t know that I’ve ever bought clothes for any of my boys at full price.  I’ve been able to find clearance deals and shop great sales, and we’re lucky enough to have an amazing thrift store on the base with volunteers who have high standards when sorting through donated clothes and will even wash them before they are put out for purchase.  This has worked just fine for us while the boys have been younger — I don’t stress about tossing out the occasional onesie at the mall after changing a blowout diaper since I only paid a quarter for it, and I’m not so concerned when my boys go outside and get dirty when I consider that the clothes they wear sometimes cost less than a kids meal!  But, I’m not exactly sure how many more years this will last.  I’m sure that it’s going to get harder and harder as they start to request specific looks or brands as they get older, and this is one reason I’m so excited for the new juniors section through thredUP for both young women and young men.

People can also make money through thredUP by sending in their like-new or gently-used clothing (free of charge!) and receiving an amount that can either be used as credit or can be paid through PayPal.  I recently sent in a bag of clothes that I didn’t wear anymore, and the process was so easy!  I requested a bag through thredUP, it was sent right to my home, I filled it with as much as I could (both women’s and boys’ clothes, in my case), and then sent it right back.  The processing took about two weeks, and I had money in my PayPal account without any problems.  One thing to note, though, is that you DO NOT receive the clothes thredUP doesn’t purchase back in the mail unless you pay a set fee for Return Assurance.  Since my pile of clothes was a stack that I was planning to drop by the thrift store anyway, this didn’t concern me — I could imagine this being a shock, though, if you were hoping to make a certain amount on your clothes and didn’t end up with the price you were wanting.

You can also check out the Clothesline to see how much people have made on the bags they’ve sent in with specific brands and clothing items to get a good idea of what you might be able to make off the clothes you have.

Use the following referral link to save $10 off your first purchase!  http://www.thredup.com/r/K8KG07

One Dandy reader will receive a $20 thredUP Gift Certificate to find great back-to-school clothes (or fun new fall fashions)!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

** This giveaway is open to U.S. entries  only.

** The winner of this giveaway will be drawn  no later than the evening of August 23rd and will be emailed within 24  hours.  If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will  be drawn.

** This posting and giveaway were sponsored  by thredUP, but all opinions  are strictly my own.