Affectionately Audrey reviews thredUP Goody Box

I was initially very excited to do a review of this service. I have never used services that shop for you and send merchandise each month, so the thought of trying one that is also sustainable was immediately intriguing to me. Once I actually got onto the site to order, I felt my spirits dampen slightly because most of the clothing, although cute, seemed rather boring for someone who enjoys the wilder side of fashion. I proceeded with my order on Sep. 27th and chose to have a stylist pick out clothing for me based on a series of questions and a comment box. I also took advantage of the option to “love” things on the site that would aid the stylist in selecting items for my goody box.

After ordering the box

I received an email that the company had received my order and would notify me when it shipped but did not give an indication of timeframe. A week passed with no tracking information. I sent an email to customer service on Oct 7th to see how much longer it would take to receive the box. I immediately got an automated email back stating there would potentially be a five day delay for a response to my email due to high volume. I finally got the tracking for my package on Oct 11th and then received an automated customer service email in reference to my initial inquiry on Oct 14th!
The customer support email was completely unhelpful and just contained some pre-typed FAQ answers. I understand this is a larger company, but I was very unimpressed by the lack of communication in general and how impersonal the response was that I received.

I finally got the goody box

Upon finally receiving my box I was eager to explore the contents and see what the stylist had picked for me based on my comments and website “loves”. Opening the box was exciting, but once I unpacked the contents I felt like the stylist didn’t understand my style in the least. The box was full of neutrals (I’m a color gal most of the time) and items that I frankly wouldn’t wear. I am not insensitive to how difficult it is to pick items for people based on questions alone due to many years in retail, but the box made me wonder if the stylist had looked at my “loves” at all. I even made a specific request for no three-quarter length sleeves, but a blouse with this exact description sat on top of my goody box items.

Two of the items had small damages/stains which is always a chance you take when thrifting, but not one I’m willing to take on a goody box picked by someone else. The blue dress (pictured) picked for me was actually something I could have made work in my closet, but it unfortunately did not fit me properly in the chest/shoulders. The small crossbody purse was cute, but nothing I needed in my wardrobe at the moment in combination with the fact that I don’t usually wear crossbody bags (I made sure not to “love” any crossbody bags on the website). Unsurprisingly I returned everything in my box.

final thoughts

Although, I appreciate the few questions asked in my ordering of the box, I believe they should go much more in-depth with questions in order to pinpoint someone’s unique style and improve satisfaction once the box is received. Perhaps this site does not cater as often to persons with a more funky sense of fashion, but someone that enjoys neutrals or a very simple blouse could benefit from the service. However, it fell short for me and the experience would not make me at all eager to order again with a stylist pulling for me. Overall, I do appreciate the company and the service they are trying to provide. I believe they could use more specific style questions, stylist training, and more in-depth checking of damages to really provide a lux experience that will cater to all styles and improve the public’s perception of thrifted goods.

*All items shown are from the thredUP goody box with the exception of footwear and silver clutch*

read Kina of @herpersonalstyle’s review of thredUP