Thrift+ (quality affordable preworn clothing)

Thrift+ is a great idea! You clear out your wardrobe and send all the clothes you don’t want off to this company, and then it sells them at discounted prices to people who like good clothes, but at affordable prices.

Can’t afford a Whistles cotton dress? Then pop over to this website, and find one at a fraction of the price!

Every item is check for quality, so there are no surprise stains or fake brands. Everything is sold with 30-day returns, and you also are helping to reduce colossal waste in the fashion industry.

All the images on this page are from Whistlefish or FatFace (all 100% cotton or linen – but likely too expensive for the average buyer, unless purchasing secondhand!)

If purchasing any clothing that is made with synthetic fibres (polyester, nylon, recylced plastic bottles), launder in a microfiber filter, to stop microplastics leaching from washing machines, into the sea.

Thrift+ does not accept underwear, sleepwear, children’s clothing, swimwear or jewellery.

If buying secondhand clothes on the high street, avoid big charity shops that test on animals. If buying clothes for children, find safety info at The Lullaby Trust (they recommend removing hats, socks and cardigans in warmer temperatures, including car seats.

How does Thrift+ work?

It’s really simple. You just order a bag and then fill it with clothes and shoes and accessories you no longer want. Then pick a free return method (a label or drop-off or a locker). Thrift+ does all the rest.

And if your item resells, you can cash (or credit) or can choose to donate funds to charity. So far Thrift+ has helped over 300,000 wardrobe clear-outs, resold over 3 million items and raised over £2 million for small charities.

Obviously the site is a business, so funds are used to keep it running. But the more of your items sell, the more you earn (around 10% up to 40% for items that sell over £50). So if you have a lot of expensive brands in the wardrobe doing nothing in good condition, this can give you easy money!

This site works with specific brands, so use the brand checker to see if your clothes qualify. From an animal welfare point, this site is good as well. As buying secondhand clothing and shoes made from wool or leather, stops animals being harmed to make new goods.

One eco brand it accepts is Organic Basics, if you want to purchase this brand (most of their items are underwear, but it does offer organic cotton t-shirts). Otherwise at least choose natural cotton, so they are easier on the planet to launder.

Preworn (a similar site for other brands)

Preworn is similar, but deals with more brands. Like FatFace, Marks & Spencer, Next and even Primark. Again, none are perfect. But if you like the styles, then at least here you are buying second-hand, so can pick up real bargains, whilst not supporting ‘new fast fashion’. And again, all these brands offer 100% cotton clothing, you just have search through the items listed.