What We Do
Once Thrifted is a bit different. We buy directly from people in our community and source from local and regional shops. No consignment, no Facebook Marketplace. Just cash for clothes. If we think we can sell it (based on past experience), we buy it.
Here is a quick blurb about what and how we operate:
What we are buying: Spring/Summer (until end of July)
Classic Cuts - minimalist, clean lines
Quality Fabrics - strong avoidance to polyester, and the like. Preference towards cotton, linen, silk and blends.
Quality Brands/High Resale Potential Brands -
COS, Everlane, Oak + Fort, Aritzia (babaton, wilfred, TNA), Eileen Fisher, Patagonia, Arc'teryx, Carhartt, Fjällräven, The North Face, Free People, Madewell, Anthropologie brands, Lululemon, & Other Stories
This is just a quick list of brands that sell well in the resale market - however, good quality lesser name brands are also welcome. Of course, Vintage is always welcome!
Styles that sell well - not brand specific;
Linen: Button-up shirts, wide-leg pants, midi and long dresses
Slip dresses - in all fabrics
Shoes - very lightly worn - sneakers, slides, sandals - shoes are purchased less often due to wear factor and different sizing across brands.
Accessories (purses, wallets, jewelery etc)- purchased very sparingly
What we avoid -
Fast Fashion
Old Navy, Shein, H&M, Ricki’s, Reitmans, Marks Work Warehouse brands (except Carhartt), Forever 21, Fashionnova, Missguided - etc
High heels
Formal wear (wedding, grad or cocktail dresses)
Business attire (dress pants, blazers, structured blouses, pencil skirts, etc)
All items for purchase must be free from visible signs of wear, damage, and stains. Freshly laundered is preferred but not expected.
How is a price determined?
We aim to purchase items at approximately 30% of projected resale price, with up to 65% for in demand items. As an example, if an item is anticipated to sell for $29 your buy out price would be $10.
Why buy-out vs. consignment?
No uncertainty of sales, inventory tracking, and quite frankly accountability. If I own your piece, I won't have to break the news that an item was damaged or stolen at a market. Your garment becomes my risk. No price reductions to greater reduce your take home. While consignment is a great model for some, personally, it's not how I operate.
Why 30%?
There’s quite a bit that goes into getting an item to its final sale. Each piece goes through inspection, pick-up, laundering, styling, photographing (sometimes modeled, sometimes styled at home), listing, packaging, admin costs (Poshmark, web hosting etc) and the handling of customer questions or feedback. The final sale price of an item reflects both the work involved and the risk taken in purchasing it.