A Final Word on ThredUp sales

I tried everything I could think of, to make more money off my clothes on ThredUp! I tried raising and lowering the price. But ThredUp still only gave me like fifty cents per item sold…no matter how much it sold for! They offer sales on top of forcing sellers down to low prices. Then you only get like 3% of what’s left.

Now…I did not manage my own listings and ship items out on my own. That is probably the only real way to make money on any site like this anyhow! I only made a few bucks total, and that was with a premium bag and a couple of regular bags! The house does always win. It is a non profit charity, but it is also a corporation.

I’m not against ThredUp or sites like them, because some of the clothes are dirt cheap. ThredUp gives people a chance to get the styles they want at a fraction of the cost. Beware of scammers and knock offs. All in all I would say Manage Direct Listings if you want to make cash. If you feel like donating though, just flat out donate the stuff. Because it is tedious to deal with the listings when you make so little off each one. And please wash your items before you send them in! EWWWWW!

Selling on ThredUP

I’m so ready to see what I can do as far as selling on ThredUP! I’ve told myself I will allow myself to put the money back into my wardrobe. If you want to experience a happy scenario, let ThredUP send UBER to pick up your donation bags for you. One thing I’m learning with ThredUP so far, is you cannot send anything that you are even remotely thinking of keeping. One time some years ago I donated things and decided to buy back one of my items, because I was so bummed it was selling. Be super sure what you send in. Also, you don’t make all that much off each item. But it is a fun way to donate anyway!

I’ve requested some more donation bags. I’m having a blast with ThredUP! I highly recommend selling on the site.

Tips for Thrifting Like the PROS!

Hi! I’m Kat Sturges, the scrappy second cousin of upcycling and eco art. And I want to ask you a question! When was the last time you thrifted something or otherwise shopped, dumpster dove or searched curbs for second hand goods? If it has been a while <like circa those college days when you were completely broke>, or to your party days…<Mom…I’m not speaking from experience here!>…It may have been a time or two since you shopped second hand. I started perusing ThredUP and bought a few things. Most of them were completely wrong for my overall look and body type. So I did what any good maven would do…I turned to Facebook seeking advice! Here are the tips some of my friends on there said.

1. Look for great items to thrift and repurpose. Don’t buy everything you are drawn to, make sure it will work! Otherwise you will just wind up rethrifting or reselling the item later.

2. Make a Pinterest board, or even a vision board, and pull together some images to base your search on. If you are doing preppy or boho, find a few things you love in a magazine or online in a photo search on Google. Pinterest itself also has loads of pics to chose from. Pull some together into a board, then have it handy when you shop! Base your purchases around the overall aesthetic you are going for.

3. Avoid buying random pieces just because you are drawn to them. Instead, try to go for an overall look. And stop and think about how that item will fit in with your typical wardrobe.

4. Shop material style, fabric, aesthetic, and clothing type. Choose different fabrics to pair together. If you are going boho, you want breezy fabrics that float away from the body. If you are thinking grunge, you might like oversized clothes.

5. Let sizing lead the way too. You just know certain things look better baggy and others look better tight. Remember that when you are shopping. If you cannot try things on at least have a vague idea what the brand’s sizing is like. If you are shopping online, do some research before you buy.

I hope this helps the next time you go to thrift! Do some research, create a vision board, or at the very least start off with a slight plan. Then go wild at the thrift shop! Worst case, you can donate things you don’t like straight back to the store. <Which I may or may not have done and plan on doing again soon!>

Is Shopping Secondhand Becoming Mainstream?

When I was growing up, a lot of my sister’s unwanted clothes got passed down to me. Then in high school, when I discovered thrifting, it didn’t seem so strange to wear secondhand clothes. It actually felt exciting to see what wacky fashions I could find, and for me, nothing was off limits! I remember getting a couple of pairs of “old man pants” on the cheap, and rocking those to science class to the chagrin of my class mates. Something about wearing other people’s used clothes felt exciting. I even bought my wedding dress second hand! It was a tan and sky blue dress with sea shells on the skirt. I still remember how I felt getting married at the courthouse, with pride.

Today it seems normal to buy and sell used clothes. And I’m not alone in finding those habits to be fun! If you go on Reddit and search Poshmark, ThredUp and Mercari….women are highly interested in selling their old clothes for cash. Whether they take the time to upcycle them or not…it is now trendy to shop second hand! My mom and sister both shop second hand sometimes. I never would have imagined my own Mom getting into thrifting…but here she is talking about her thrifted clothes and home goods.

It used to seem like something only poor kids did, to wear hand me downs and second hand. But the reality is a lot of the parents who had their kids wear hand me downs were just frugal and trying to be smart with their money. Everybody here in the states, and most likely abroad as well, are feeling the crunch in their wallet from modern times. Selling your old clothes and doing clothing swaps is a great idea! You can leave with a sense of pride at selling your clothes, and benefit the planet at the same time. Every time you swap or sell, or shop second hand, you are doing the climate a favor by shifting the supply chain in favor of the Earth.

People need money, and selling clothes is a great way to make some quick cash. Even I am getting back into selling clothes on ThredUp! It might be a sign of the times, but it is equally a sign to cash in! More people are interested in buying secondhand than ever before! List your items on ThredUp, Poshmark, EBay or Mercari and start making an income while doing something good for the planet!

If you want to learn more about selling upcycled clothes, check out my book on the topic! This book is kind of cheeky and fun, but it dives into selling clothes both in person and online. Maybe it will be just the thing to get you into upcycling and selling clothes!

My Story, My Stuff: A Decluttering Adventure

What do your belongings say about you? For those of you who don’t know me, here’s an introduction! I’m Kat Sturges, an eco artist who loves stuff. I love creating stuff, and I love shopping for stuff. The problem is I have too much stuff, and the weight of it is making it hard to function and difficult to sleep at night. My stuff is weighing on my mind and hurting my pocket book. It is hard to clean my home, because there is stuff everywhere.

That’s where a gentle decluttering steps in. Maybe, just maybe, I don’t need so much stuff! Maybe I can do without some of this stuff.

This is the first post in a series called “My Story, My Stuff”! Give me follow on Instagram to comment and follow along. Let us declutter together, we can do it! http://www.instagram.com/art.kat.sews

Capsule Wardrobe by Color

I’ve been so hesitant to create a capsule wardrobe. I used to restrict the amount of clothes I could buy, and I was really hard on myself whenever I added to my wardrobe. Then a year and a half ago, I got sick and gained some weight. None of my former clothes or upcycles fit me anymore. It was a real problem, and I wasn’t in good enough shape to sew clothes at the time, so I decided to buy new clothes.

I didn’t have much of a plan while shopping, so I got a lot of stuff that came together in kind of a mismatched random way. It started to become difficult to find outfits to wear, and I was looking like a wreck whenever I tried to pull together a quick outfit. Nothing went together. It was a real shame, and unfortunately I wasted money on some pieces of clothing I wish I had not.

So I’ve been trying to figure out, what kind of capsule would I like? If I were to streamline my wardrobe down to the most loved looks, what would I choose? The concept I’ve come up with is similar to making a painting. I’ve decided to choose key colors, and try to stick to those colors going forward. My colors are pink, khaki, black, white, baby blue and green.

I’m bagging up everything that doesn’t match the color scheme, until I’m left with a more cohesive wardrobe. At that point, I could add more clothes in. But I”m going to try to stick to necessities when shopping going forward, now that I have what I need already. The bags will sit in my closet for at least six months, to make sure I don’t want those items. If I don’t wind up wearing them, I will donate the pieces I know I won’t wear again.

Sustainability in Your Art and Sewing Practice

I’ve been pondering sustainability. Being eco friendly isn’t only better for the planet, it is the wave of the future! I have had a few conversations with ChatGPT, and I’ve been asking it things about AI’s perspective on art, and what the future holds for the planet. Future predictions by 2050 indicate that Climate Change will be much, much worse by then. And that it will be mainstream to be minimalist and to live in a more sustainable way that is kind to the environment.

Reading that stopped me in my tracks! I mean, yeah, I already knew that Climate Change was here. I guess I never really tried to envision what the future might be like. My thought process tends to look to the past, or what should have been done different. Being forward thinking is so integral to paving the way for your own future, and making the planet better for future generations.

How can I be more sustainable in my art hobby? The best way I can think of is to buy less stuff, and to use what I have. I posed a question on Reddit yesterday, because I have too many art and sewing supplies. I wanted to know how to declutter. Most people said to donate stuff, and some said they don’t worry about getting rid of things because they can always buy more…and that it’s good to donate if it helps somebody else. I agree with that, for sure! But I hit a snag mentally with donating when you think you might want to buy the item again. That’s why I keep my sewing and art supplies for so long!

I’m going to be challenging myself to come up with fresh ways to use my supplies. I want to use up what I have before buying new…at least most of the time. Being scrappy and using what you have on hand helps you to be even that much more creative in the long run! Being resourceful, and thinking outside the box sharpens your creative thinking and may even lead to fresh inspiration and new ideas! I know that is happening for me! Donating is wonderful! Using up those precious supplies to make fun things is even better!