I’ve been having fun trying out Stitch Fix, but it’s not for everyone. My friend Mandi has been telling me about Twice which sounds like a thrifty alternative and so I asked if she’d share about it over here Enjoy! (Oh, and I’m still catching up on everything from being out of town so forgive me for being behind on emails and everything else!)- Haley
UPDATE: Sadly, Twice closed their doors! So if you’re looking for a similar thrifty site, definitely try thredUP which is my other favorite. (If you sign up under my referral link above, we’ll each get $10 in free thredUP credit to spend. Yay!)
dress: Banana Republic via Twice
I will very unabashedly admit that I am a bit addicted to Haley’s Stitch Fix posts but am unfortunately not a good candidate for Stitch Fix myself. Money is tight for us right now so paying full price for items isn’t really an option. Let’s be honest, even if we had the money, I just can’t bear to spend a lot on everyday clothing. A few special occasion pieces now and then, of course. But for the “everyday uniform” type clothing, I’d rather put that money elsewhere. And the thought of paying the $20 styling fee if I end up not liking anything is a little daunting.
There are other reasons too that it’s not a great fit for me. After a recent de-clutter spree – in which garbage bags full of clothes that were worn out, frumpy, childish, unflattering or just plain didn’t fit were purged – I also needed more clothes. With a pretty darn bare closet, I wasn’t looking to add just a few new pieces now and then, I needed to stock up. Stitch Fix is more in the game of a long-term wardrobe building and bolstering and I just didn’t have the time to wait it out.
So Stitch Fix was out. But I found a pretty fun alternative:Twice.
Twice is an online shop of used clothes. If you are worried about trying used, don’t worry, this is no thrift shop. Twice is super picky about what it accepts – name brands in very nice condition. (The items I received looked brand new.) And because the items are used, the prices are much lower than getting the items new.
Now how exactly is Twice at all like Stitch Fix then? There is no stylist so you do have to pick out your own items (more advice on that below), but like Stitch Fix, you get a package of clothing delivered to your door. Try it on in your own home and return anything that you don’t like for a full refund (and free return shipping). One of the big benefits of Stitch Fix is that you don’t have to pack up and head to the mall. It’s the same with Twice! You can pop into your closet and check if you have coordinating pieces; this is a huge boon for me because I tend to buy items I can’t wear with anything I already own so they sit in my closet never to be worn. I get to see what my husband thinks. And even though I knew what was coming, it is still so fun to try it all on.
shirt: Express via Twice
How Twice is like Stitch Fix:
A box of clothes is delivered to your house.
You try the items on and return the ones that don’t fit (and you don’t need to pay for return shipping).
It’s fun!
How Twice differs from Stitch Fix:
No stylist so you have to pick the items yourself. (But no styling fee either.)
Clothing is used so they are discounted from retail price.
You have to pay for everything up front and then get a refund for the pieces you return.
Now, here’s some advice for making Twice work for you:
- Have an idea of what you want. The site has thousands of unique items. It can be overwhelming to browse through them so you need to have some basic idea of what you’re looking for to narrow down the search. It helps to know some brands that have worked well for you in the past and narrow it down to those. The more modifiers you can use the better. Search for your specific size, desired color, and cut. For example, you can greatly narrow down the options by using all or several of the following descriptors: “Banana Republic”, “dress”, “medium”, “a line”, and “black”.
- Order more than you want. In my first order, I got 15 items for just under $200. My budget was more like $100 but I assumed that I wouldn’t love everything on. I ended up returning seven items (many of them happened to be the pricier brands, so I got more than half back). A few of the seven items I returned I liked, but when compared to others in the same box that I loved, it was easy to draw the line of which to keep and which to return. If you only ordered a few items, you might be more likely to keep pieces you don’t really love or to be disappointed if most items go back. I think a good guideline is to expect to return half of what you order, at least until you become more comfortable with choosing sizes and styles that will work for you.
- Have realistic expectations. I ordered two pair of jeans. Neither of them worked. At all. But when I spend an entire day at the mall trying on jeans, I often go home empty handed too. Comparatively, I spent very little time choosing the jeans and trying them on so I didn’t feel nearly as frustrated as I would have had I spent an unfruitful day shopping.
- Research your sizing. This is another reason I suggest you stick with familiar brands – you can check items already in your closet for sizing. (Though with the free shipping and full refund, don’t be afraid to try out some new brands, perhaps ones you’ve always admired but couldn’t afford full price, just expect that they may not work out so you don’t end up disappointed. And make sure you order other items as well that you’re confident in the sizing.) If you are using Twice only to save money and not necessarily to save time, you can also head to your local mall and try on some clothes from brands you are interested in purchasing from to get an idea of what you should be ordering.
tank top: J.Crew via Twice, skirt: Banana Republic via Twice
For those of you who need to purge your closet, you can also sell your clothing to Twice. None of the clothes I recently got rid of was good enough quality for me to send in, but I imagine that if you both bought and sold from Twice, that would make for a fun and constantly fresh revolving wardrobe.
sweater: J.Crew via Twice, skirt: Banana Republic via Twice
Mandi is a wife, mother, and cheese lover. Living an accidentally nomadic lifestyle since marrying in July 2010, she’s excited to call Raleigh, NC home a place to call home. When not sipping cheap red wine, eating jalapenos with her popcorn, or cleaning up after a toddler, she stares at her dusty, never used sewing machine with longing and fear. She is a sometimes contributor at Blessed Is She, Faith in All Times, and Catholic Exchange.
Have you tried Twice? Found any other good alternatives to services like Stitch Fix?
UPDATE: Sadly, Twice closed their doors! So if you’re looking for a similar thrifty site, definitely try thredUP which is my other favorite. (If you sign up under my referral link above, we’ll each get $10 in free thredUP credit to spend. Yay!)
I LOVE Twice! It has proven to be much more successful for me than Stitch Fix. The clothes are higher quality than what I’ve received from SF, and much more in my budget. Plus, if nothing in my order works for me, I can send it all back for free…and I’m not out $20. I have found a lot of great stuff from stores I love but wouldn’t normally buy from because of budget reasons. I feel like my closet is becoming a little more fun and creative. 🙂
Yes, Twice is fantastic! I ordered a brand new top with its tags and a preloved dress a few weeks ago. The top said it was XS but Twice noted that it fits like a M and it did which wa s so great because I would never have taken a chance on a size too small from a brand I had never tried. It’s a great place to buy clothes and it arrives in about 3 days!
I love Twice too! The only thing I’d add is to make sure you know your measurements, especially waist and bust – that way with certain brands where sizing can vary, you know right away if this particular item will be too small in the waist or chest 🙂
My husband I have an eBay store called The Green Bureau. We’re very similar to Twice. Check us out for more thrifty-fun shopping!
http://stores.ebay.com/The-Green-Bureau
I haven’t used Twice (yet!), but I’m currently obsessed with a similar website called ThredUp. The two are very similar, but ThredUp has a huge maternity section that I’ve gotten some amazing pieces from.
I do wish Twice had maternity clothes, but if I’m ever in the market for them, I suppose that will force me to try ThredUp. I’ve heard great things about their maternity selection from many people!
Thanks for the tip on ThredUp! I haven’t heard of it before, but the reason I haven’t used Twice yet is that the bareness of my collection of (usable) clothes is due to pregnancy. And I was just getting stressed about not fitting into anything anymore!
I loooove ThredUp too! I have purchased several things in amazing condition (some even new with tags!) and purchased a ton of clothes for my daughter. I’ve gotten more than $100 for selling my old clothes too. I can’t recommend it enough.
I’m a huge fan of thredup (lots of 40% off codes!) but for Felicity mostly. I’ll have to see how the prices and selection compare at twice!
I second Mary’s recommendation of ThredUp! I just got a huge batch of maternity clothes and spent less than $200.
Is there a reason why you like Twice on particular? I’ve used ThredUp and really had good experience, too. I love online resale, so I was just wondering if you found Twice better. I looked ay both, but t. he first time I ordered I was looking for a special occasion dress and found it on thredUp. Maybe I should give Twice another shot 🙂
Megan, I haven’t tried ThredUp. I have gone to their website and wasn’t particularly impressed by the ease (or lack thereof) of navigation/searching though it’s possible it’s been updated since I last tried. Twice seems to be a little pickier about brands and had more that I liked, but I’m definitely open to trying ThredUp in the future. I asked around quite a bit to several friends who have done both and the general consensus is that they preferred Twice. Also, I got an additional 50% off my first Twice order, so that definitely helped to sway my decision. Maybe if I try ThredUp, I’ll have to see if I can do an update post for Haley comparing the two.
I pretty much use the mobile app exclusively, since my compy is a dinosaur. It’s quite simple. I usually search for brands I know fit, so I don’t have an issue with the less nice brands. I will definitely try Twice though.
Signed up with your link, Mandi 🙂
I’ve also recently become addicted to ThreadFlip. Similar, but a little bit more “thrift store” than Twice. I like how I can make offers on TF, so everything I’ve gotten there has been under list price, and I’ve snagged some great deals!
Perfect! Just made my first order! Yay!!!!
I’ve done ThredUp but never Twice, I’ll have to browse around 🙂
Twice sounds very similar to ThredUp, but with an extra bonus of free return shipping. That is enough for me to switch! Thanks for letting us know about such a great option for those of us strapped for clothing, time, AND cash!
ThredUp doesn’t have free return shipping? I did not know that! That makes me a little more loyal to Twice since I can’t imagine I could make a several item order without having to return at least one thing!
I’ve used both Twice and ThreadUp. We have a wedding coming up, I needed a dress and ordered three from Twice, returned two. Super easy and SO MUCH easier and cheaper than going to the store. ThreadUp is okay, but you have to spend more to get to free shipping and only get free returns if you use their mobile site. I have sold to ThreadUp a few times- kids clothes- but now they are not accepting Carter’s brand??? That’s what all my kids clothes are, so it’s no longer a good fit. I was absolutely thrilled with my Twice experience- I ended up with a formal dress for $10 after referral bonus and discount code. Can’t beat that even a little bit and I love the dress. Thanks for sharing- inspires me to do more shopping! 🙂
Cute post. I’m willing to try this out! However, I’m about 2 1/2 months post-partum so I am hesitant to buy anything right now. I’m still hoping to lost 30lbs before I feel healthy and myself again! So I think I’ll postpone purchasing anything for a few more months but when I feel ready I think I’m going to give both websites a shot! Thanks. (Hoping there’s another promotion then! 🙂
Sweet outfits! I especially love the yellow cardigan!
Thank you. That cardigan is probably one of the most worn items in my closet. It goes with everything. Almost, anyway. And that’s a huge win for me because most of the items I own only go with one specific outfit – Twice is how I’m working on getting more basic, versatile pieces!
Thanks so much for this! From Haleys posts it seems some of the fun of Stitch Fix is that you don’t know what is coming, where here obviously you do. So maybe Stitch Fix is more of a once in a great while thing. 🙂
{Kathy} I would like to put a plug in for ThredUp. It’s so easy and it makes cleaning out your closet effortless.
Hi all,
Here’s my plug for ThredUp vs. Twice. Besides the amazing maternity and kids sections, I’ve been impressed by the personal shops. I get email updates when new items are added to my “shop” so I know exactly when items are available in my size and the brands I like. Three cheers for time efficient shopping! Hip hip hooray!
I played around with Twice, and neither the selection nor the site navigation even come close to ThredUp (in my opinion). I’ve also tried Tradesy (not the best clothing quality or site navigation, but you can find some steals if you’re dedicated) and Fashion Project.
My only complaint on ThredUp? You only get free return shipping if you purchase via their mobile app. Kind of a pain, but compared to the other online consignment stores I’ve tried, ThredUp still wins hands down.
That said – I do love that half of the sale proceeds on Fashion Project are donated to a charity chosen by the original owner, and try to keep an eye on their selection every once in a while. Of course buyers like us should perhaps be cautious which item/charity we choose, but overall I’ve had a good experience there.
Bonus points for ThredUp – through September 15, they are holding their Back to School Rewards program where you earn 10% back for every kid item you purchase. So of course I picked up some sweet Janie and Jack outfits for my daughter (new with tags!) and got some cash back for me! Love it.
http://blog.thredup.com/2014/07/07/our-back-to-school-rewards-program/
If any of you found this ThredUp review helpful and want to sign up via my referral link, I won’t deny that I’d appreciate it 🙂 http://www.thredup.com/r/TA5STI
Thanks so much for sharing Twice with us! I used your referral info and ordered some clothes I really needed. I usually shop at thrift stores but I can never find my size in pants and jeans. Then whenever I go to shop for new pants I usually just can’t stomach paying for them. My package came today, and I am happy to say that one out of the three pairs of pants I ordered fit(which is pretty good for me)!The best part is it didn’t take an emotional pant shopping trip at the mall( :
Thanks
This is an interesting post, and I will check it out. But how is this different than just ordering something online? I don’t understand…you order what you want, it comes, you try it on, you return what you don’t want. That seems like any other online store. Help me understand.