Twice vs. ThredUP - Which One is for Me? (Updated!)

I've been meaning to write about this for a while, since I started shopping at both these online consignment stores.  People are always asking, "What's the difference? Which one should I use? I really like one, should I try the other?"  So here are my thoughts on the matter:

Shirt: ThredUP
Skirt: Twice

Long story short, they're better for different purposes.

Trying to find great dressy clothes or work duds?  Twice is perfect for you!

Looking for children's clothing or maternity clothing? ThredUP is really your only option of the two.

Want men's clothing? Twice has you covered!

Dress: ThredUP

Let me give you a little rundown of the similarities and differences:

Tech:

Both have mobile apps, but ThredUP's doesn't really do it for me right now (you can't sort by maternity, and it's overly cumbersome to figure out how to filter).  Twice's actually works awesome, and you can get credit or a high-value coupon if you download their app.  However, I haven't found a way to input a coupon on the mobile app, so I end up having to use the full website to put the code in.

Skirt: ThredUP

Twice's website is superior, in my opinion. Generally faster, easier to sort and search, and (most importantly) they list measurements for their clothing items.  This REALLY helps the shopping process, because not every brand is equal across the board for sizes - an Ann Taylor size 4 skirt from 2009 may have a 28-inch waist, but a 2013 might have a 30-inch waist, and it's really helpful to be able to see the size discrepancies so you know what you're getting.

Edit 4/8: ThredUp has started listing some measurements for newer items of clothing, which is REALLY helpful for things like skirts, where length really matters to me!

Dress and cardigan: Twice

ThredUP's site would be VASTLY improved if there were any way of filtering OUT the "slightly flawed" items.  I know they're cheaper, but I just really don't want to buy them for myself, and there seem to be SO many on there lately that it's hard to wade through the extremely high amounts of damaged goods in order to find what I'm looking for.

Edit 5/30/2015: Now you CAN filter out "slightly flawed" items!

Dress and belt: ThredUP

Buying:

Twice only sells women's clothes in standard sizing.  I heard they were working on a handbag store, but haven't seen any evidence of that yet.  No accessories, either.

Edit 4/8: Twice now also sells men's clothing, shoes, and handbags!

Skirt and jacket: Twice

ThredUP, on the other hand, sells children's clothes, maternity clothes, plus-sized clothes, accessories, shoes, AND handbags.  I find this really useful when I'm close to the free shipping minimum, because I can add a belt or a scarf, or even something for the kids!

Dress and belt: ThredUP

Both have frequent coupons, free shipping minimums ($70 for ThredUp, $49 for Twice), and are great ways to build up your wardrobe quickly without breaking the bank!  But Twice's shipping is MUCH faster, although their average prices are higher.

Edit 4/8: ThredUp recently opened another warehouse on the East Coast, so shipping has gotten a lot faster. And Twice seems to have stopped using Priority shipping for each order, so now the shipping times are about the same.

Returns:

Edit 4/8: The returns policies at both websites have changed significantly, so I'm editing this section to reflect current policies.

Twice used to win here, hands-down.  Free returns for store credit with free return shipping, but if you want to be refunded in your original form of payment now, you'll have $4.95 deducted from your refund. It's an easy process to make a return, and you'll get a shipping label to print that makes the process painless.

ThredUP used to charge shipping for returns, but has now changed their policy - free returns for store credit with free return shipping (printable label and all), or refund in the form of your original payment, with $6 deducted. MUCH better than the old policy! But prices have gotten higher as a result of this improvement.

Shirt and belt: ThredUP

Selling:

I've sold to both sites, and Twice is the winner here too.  They processed my bags MUCH more quickly, payed a higher price for the items, and give a bonus commission if you choose to take your pay in credit rather than cashing out.

ThredUP takes FOREVER to process bags, pays very low prices for the items they do accept, and tends to accept less than many I've talked to would expect.  Considering how quickly they've sold some of the items of mine they've bought (and how much they're selling them for), I'm surprised I was compensated so little for them.  They send you an email when an item of yours sells, which is kind of fun.  I'd send things to Twice over ThredUP, or try consigning them or selling on eBay.

Customer service:

Both respond very quickly to inquiries - I had an issue with a dress I bought from ThredUP arriving with a slight discoloration.  I took a picture and emailed them, and they immediately credited me the difference in price for marking the item down to "tiny flaw."

Similarly, I had an issue with a Twice coupon and they immediately responded to my email inquiries and credit my account with the difference.

Products:

I adore ThredUP for their selection of clothes for kids.  Cecilia is VERY picky about what she wears - mostly jersey dresses and elastic-waist skirts, which are often rather expensive and hard to find in stores.  With ThredUP, I was able to build her a spring wardrobe for a VERY low price.  I prefer consignment stores and consignment sales because prices are generally lower, but it's not always possible to get out of the house for something like that.  I also really like that I can often find coordinating outfits for the twins through their website, which I don't like doing when I'm paying new prices, but for their prices, I think it's sometimes worth it for the cuteness!

Edit 4/8: Prices are a LOT higher than they used to be. I was looking for boys' jeans and their used prices are higher than sale prices for the same brands in stores. Yikes! Shop smart here.

And if you know exactly what you're looking for, you can get some serious gems (like my chambray shirt pictured above, and my very favorite brown belt).

On the other hand, ThredUP sells a lot of lower-quality brands and slightly damaged goods that are annoying to sift through.

Twice, on the other hand, accepts only higher-end brands, so you know you're generally getting a high-quality product.  I prefer the browsing experience because they're pickier about what they accept, so there's not as much that's out of style or poor quality.

But if you know what to look for, you can combine your best finds from BOTH sites and be an all-around winner!

Dress: Twice
Belt: ThredUP

Does that answer your questions? Do you have any other questions for me?  I'd love to help you out!

If you're interested in signing up for either of these sites, you can get $20 in ThredUP credit for signing up using my referral link, and make sure to use ebates when you shop ThredUp so you can get cash back! I've seen it as high as 7.5%!

Sadly since the publishing of this post, Twice has ceased to exist. I hope you enjoy ThredUp!