Keeping up with fashion trends can take a toll on a college student’s budget, but taking time to sift through racks of secondhand clothes can also interfere with a college student’s schedule. With a wide selection of clothing at your fingertips, online thrift shopping saves time and money. It also repurposes recycled clothing, which supports the environment by reducing waste.

By Itohan Osagie

Not all online thrift stores are similar. Some stores don’t enforce quality standards for their products, others don’t allow you to bargain the price for a clothing item and a few don’t sell  men’s clothing. Nonetheless, thrift stores are a great way to get integrated into economical buying without taking a trip to South Congress.

If you’re looking for a place to kickstart your digital thrifting experience, check out our picks for online secondhand shops.

thredUP

This California-based company sells pre-owned clothing items from name brands, such as Free People and GAP, for unbelievably low prices. thredUP uses its own standard of quality and pricing system for the items listed on the site to provide shoppers with “like-new clothes.” This store is also available as an app for iPhones and Androids. Sadly, this online thrift shop does not provide men’s clothing.

Vinted

For all the Pinterest fanatics, Vinted is the perfect thrifting website for first time thrift shoppers. Vinted’s online format follows a layout similar to its app, where every post is accompanied by a photo of the clothing item with a price listing and a section for comments and likes. You can easily scroll through the site’s selection of women’s clothes, accessories and men’s apparel. However, be mindful of your purchases because Vinted does not check the quality of items sold on their website.

The Attic

What started as a college-town consignment shop in Pennsylvania expanded into an exclusive online thrift shop that now carries brands like Silence & Noise, Bebe and Guess.. For the indecisive shopper, The Attic’s website allows you to compare clothing items side-by-side to help you make the best purchase. As an added bonus, they ship for free across the United States.

The Alchemy Shop

After years of working as a fashion editor, writer and stylist for outlets like People, InStyle, and E! News, Joyce Huang launched The Alchemy Shop. This online thrift store features new, gently used and vintage clothing as well as a variety of unique jewelry pieces and accessories. Huang’s former fashion experience guarantees the quality of the items she hand picks for the site, but she also describes the state of each clothing item.

Nifty Thrifty

Nowadays, traditional thrift stores satisfy the inner hipster in all of us, and this online thrift shop thrives off our desire for vintage clothing. Nifty Thrifty’s staple is their vintage tee subscription, where for only $5 a month you’re sent a randomly selected “mystery T-shirt.” In addition, the site lists “mystery flannels, scarves and windbreakers,” so if you’re adventurous and looking for unique clothing items, then this is the site for you.

As thrift shopping enters the online world, taking advantage of the array of secondhand clothing can spice up your spring and summer wardrobe for an affordable price. The best part is that  you don’t even have to leave your bed.