I have been curious about where you shop, dear reader. There are many alternatives to the big retailers in the malls. I have a few I frequent Crossroads Exchange, Goodwill, and Savers. And my online go-to’s are: Poshmark, The Real Real, and ThreadUp. While Poshmark is a site where you may make an offer on a piece (which is wonderful) you cannot ship the item back if it doesn’t work. Both The Real Real and ThreadUp allow you to return pieces unless they are final sale.
It’s important that you are really in tune with your sizes. What I do, when I fall in love with something and don’t have a chance to try it on prior to purchase, I will go to the site of the item for sale. For instance, I fall in love with this top from Alice + Olivia. It is labeled as an 8. I pop over to the Alice + Olivia website. I select an item that is similar to the one I want. There is usually a “Size Guide” somewhere on the page. When I look at the sizing, I figure out I am a 10 and didn’t have to pay for a shirt I would just need to return it. Always use your resources. Do the research. You’ll thank me for this tip!
Alternatively, head over to a brick & mortar and try it all on. Another tip about this: wear a sports bra and skin-tight leggings. Why? Because you will have to try on without a dressing room. My Goodwill doesn’t have dressing rooms so I learned on-site. Luckily it was Winter and I was looking for sweaters.
Please tell me, I do want to know, where do you like to shop second-hand?