This post contains affiliate links. However, all opinions remain my own.
I’ve never been a huge fan of shopping. Even as a teenager, it wasn’t really something I did to pass the time. I had one friend who loved window shopping, and would make a mental note of an item she would come back for when she got paid (usually an expensive item). I never found this fun. When I go shopping, I want to have the ability to buy; it doesn’t mean I will buy, it just means I have the option to.
I did however, enjoy thrifting! There’s nothing better than finding the perfect item, for the perfect price, and it just happens to be your size. Quite a few of my favorite clothes were found thrifting. Lucky for me, there are quite a few thrift stores in my area, both big and small business. Thrifting was a lot easier before I had a baby; I even lumbered around a few thrift stores when I was 9 months pregnant. Although my l’il bub loves going places, he’s not the most patient baby. He’s pretty happy in a wrap or a sling when I’m moving, but when I stop to browse something he gets grumpy. So, shopping is difficult since I can’t always be walking.
Swap.com solves the problem of a grumpy baby for me.
Swap.com is the fastest growing online consignment store in the United States. With over 600,000 unique items available from our inventory, we offer the largest selection of pre-owned baby, kid’s, maternity, and women’s apparel and accessories.
With:
- Unbeatable low prices (50-95% off retail)
- Excellent customer service
- Best value for the unneeded items
- Huge selection of kids’ items, women’s apparel and maternity wear
It. Is. Fabulous!
I have taken advantage of all the options that swap.com offers. I have bought, sold and swapped items with users.
Purchasing
Purchasing items on swap.com is similiar to any other sort of online retailer. You can browse the site for items by selecting different categories or search for items using keywords. Currently, they sell women’s, maternity, and children’s clothes, along with toys and household items. Men’s clothing is currently not accepted. Items are rated with a scale of new with tags, like new, good condition or fair condition. Items are rated by a paid employee, rather than the person that sent in the item, so you know you are getting an unbiased opinion on the condition of the item.
The site uses an integrated paypal system for it’s cart and checkout system. It works well, the only difference is there is no full page dedicated to looking at what’s in your cart, rather the whole cart opens on what you are looking at. It works okay, but I admit I like being able to look at everything in my cart on a whole page, rather than a drop down. When browsing online, I enjoy putting everything I even sort of want into my cart, and then deciding what I’ll buy at the very end. So my cart gets really full.
Since this is a consignment store, there is usually only one of a particular item (exceptions occur when more than 1 of an item is sent in). An item is not yours until you pay for it. This means that even though it is in your cart, another user can still purchase it. Which is annoying when you’re a browser like me, but great if you’re a seller.
Also, I would advise double checking what some items go for new. Prices are controlled by the people who send in the items, so it’s not always a great deal. I have seen a few items from Dollar Tree hanging out for over $3, so check wisely.
Shipping is quick and easy. Since users send in their items to the company, it’s shipped out by the company, so you don’t have to wait for an individual to ship it out. Orders over $50 ship for free.
Selling
Selling is really simple with swap.com, which is something I appreciate. You simply pack up your items in a box and send it off. You have the option of printing a shipping label, having one sent to you, or having a prepaid box or bag sent to you. The materials cost is subtracted from your box’s earnings, so there’s no upfront cost of shipping your items which is a huge plus to me. Items are stored for 9 months for free, after which it is subject to storage fee costs dependent on the size of the item.
Employees photograph, categorize, title and describe your item, so all you have to do is price it. Selling fees are $1.50 + 25% of the items cost with the minimum pricing requirement at $3.00. so cheaper items need to be grouped together. Keep this in mind when setting your prices.
If an item doesn’t meet their requirements, you have the option to donate or have the items shipped back to you (at a cost). I always donate the items since I didn’t want them anyways, but having the option to have the items shipped back is nice. I wish there was an option to have the item shipped back to me when I place an order, but there doesn’t appear to be one.
If an item doesn’t sell, you also have the option to sell it straight to swap.com for 30% of the items average retail price. This is a great option to avoid extended storage fees if your item doesn’t sell.
Due to a large amount of boxes being shipped to them, there is currently a 60 day backlog of boxes waiting to be processed. Plan what you put in that box carefully. It may no longer be the correct season for that item when it is placed on the site. I sent a box containing shorts in the middle of August (notable on the day I went into labor!), and it didn’t get processed until October, which is no longer the season for shorts. It’ll be spring in a few months, so I’m hoping summer sales will pick up, but we’ll see. Plan accordingly.
Swapping
Swapping is a really neat option I haven’t seen any other site offer before. This option allows you to trade items with another user. If you see an item you like, you enter in a swap value, which is the highest value of your items that you would be willing to swap for it. This will appear on another users dashboard, and you have the option of trading. Selling fees don’t apply to this transaction, but shipping fees will still occur, unless you hit the shipping minimum of $50.
Ready to shop? Currently, swap.com is having a huge clearance sale! Use my referral link for an extra 20% off and free shipping on your first order! Let me know what great deals you snag.
I do not share your enthusiasm for swap.com. The customer service is truly awful. I spent 3 days trying to work with a customer support staffer over email and all I heard was stonewalling, inflexibility and an inability to solve problems, defensiveness and lack of interest in me as an individual customer. When I finally got fed up with the lack of help and asked for help from a supervisor this is what I received: – (Swap.com Support)
Apr 1, 10:15 AM CDT
Hello Justine,
Swap.com is an online consignment store, and a re-sale website, and our return policy (as stated on the website) differs from stores such as Land’s End and LL Bean, as all of their items are new, and not pre-worn.
You can contact us and our supervisor via phone Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 6 PM CT by dialing (630) 296-0146.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
Hi,
I wanted to comment on your swap.com review if only to help clarify for those new to the site that it’s not a complete panacea. As a seller it is crucial to understand the rules and read everything before sending in items. Even if you do follow all of the rules things do come up and their customer service can be difficult to deal with. I have been a seller on swap.com for 2 years and have run into a host of issues. For example, I have had other people’s items show up in my sell page or have had things go missing. The most consistently annoying thing that occurs is that they will mark new/nearly new items as “fair condition” which means that as a seller I have to go in and create a help ticket for each item to ask that they upgrade the rating. They have been good about doing this but again this can be a hassle when I’ve sent in 20 items that are nearly new or in great condition. My two cents. Thanks.
Thanks so much for the information. I consider myself a casual seller, so I haven’t really come across many issues besides some of my items being rejected when I thought they were great. Thanks for sharing!
Up until recently, Swap.com was a great site. It has gone completely down hill. They are taking 3 months or longer to process items. Their quality control measures are completely arbitrary. They’ve rejected items I’ve sent in that were brand new and still had the tags on it or listed them as “fair condition.” It’s impossible to get anything more than a canned response. STAY AWAY.