thredUP Handbag Rescue Box Review
A few months ago I purchased a thredUP handbag rescue box to get more items to resell. I’ve purchased thredUP rescue boxes in the past, but those were of men’s and women’s clothes. I saw some resellers receive handbag rescue boxes that had purses that looked promising for resale profit, so I bought one to see what I would get. Read on to see what I got in my thredUP handbag rescue box and my thoughts on it.
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***If you don’t have a thredUP account, you can sign up for a thredUP account and receive $10 to spend towards inventory to resell or something for yourself.
Why purchase a thredUP rescue box?
There are plenty of reasons to purchase a thredUP rescue box:
You want or need to source items from home. Many resellers stay home because they take care of children or the elderly, they are disabled, or for some other reason. They still need to find items to resell. The rescue boxes are easy to order and ship right to your door.
It’s cheaper than what you have locally. Some resellers live in places where thrift stores and consignment stores are very expensive. They might buy clothing rescue boxes that are 50 lb or 100 lb so that the cost per pound is relatively low.
You have credits to spend. thredUP credits have an expiration date (30 days after they are issued as of this writing), so you have to spend your credits or lose them. I earn credits on thredUP every so often. If I don’t find something specific that I want to buy for myself or others or to resell, I purchase a rescue box.
It’s fun. If you love mysteries and grab bags, these boxes are for you. I heard one seller say that you don’t have a real business if you source mystery boxes or rescue boxes like those on thredUP because you don’t know if you’re going to make a profit from it.
Yes, you want every business decision you make to be profitable or beneficial in some way, but it’s okay to take a gamble sometimes as long as you have the money for it and recognize its entertainment value. I still remember how excited I was to pick Sanrio grab bags as a kid, so this is an extension of that.
In my case, I rarely sell handbags because I have a hard time finding good ones in good condition at a low price at the thrift store. Most of them don’t have good resale value or require extensive cleaning. Handbags get a lot of wear and tear!
How much does a thredUP handbag rescue box cost?
The handbag rescue box costs $120 for 15 items. That works out to $8 per item.
I had $20 in credits and had to pay tax. Shipping was free.
Total cost: $111.85 or almost $7.46 per item.
Where does thredUP get handbags for the rescue boxes?
These are the two main ways thredUP gets goods for its rescue boxes.
People send in items to sell and don’t request rejected items back. People who send in items to thredUP to sell have the option to pay $10.99 for Return Assurance, which means their rejected items are mailed back to them.
If they don’t pay for Return Assurance, thredUP keeps the items and can do what they want with them including putting them in rescue boxes.
People don’t reclaim goods that did not sell in a given time. thredUP lists items for sale for 60-90 days. If they don’t sell within that time and sellers don’t reclaim the items, thredUP can do what they want with them. Sometimes that’s packing them into rescue boxes.
When I received my box, the packing slip said that it was a reject box, not a rescue box. So yes, the items in the box may have been rejects from the first category above.
What did I receive in the handbag rescue box?
Aldo floral backpack and keychain - I think this was new because it still had some plastic on the zippers and keychain. The bag had some knicks probably from handling.
NWT Radley Racing small flapover handbag - This was made of leather and so soft. It had faint stains over a good portion of it probably due to color transfer from something blue like jeans pressed against it.
No brand circular straw purse - This cute purse was in excellent condition and perfect to go with a spring or summer outfit.
Kelsi Dagger Brooklyn Assembly leather backpack - Despite the body being in decent condition with some wear, the hand strap at the top and the shoulder straps wear peeling, which didn’t look nice at all.
Foley & Corinna black tote - Another example of a tote that’s expensive at retail but had a good amount of wear inside and out.
Urban Expressions totes x2 - These two totes each had some wear to them. I didn’t find their resale prices to be very high so decided not to list them in the condition they were in.
Simply Vera blue tote - This tote had some wear to it as well. The material felt plasticky and a little stiff like it was either cheap or old. I think it maybe could have suited someone if I had pushed to sell it.
DKNY small black purse - I actually really liked this purse because I remember wanting something small and cute just like this several years ago.
Guess purse - This appeared new but had staining on the front that I could not get off. The material was stiff so it seemed cheap in quality. I also couldn’t tell if it was real or fake.
DKNY wallet
Fossil purse
Bella Collection clutch
The Sak tote
DV (Dolce Vita) gray totebag
What are my impressions of my handbag rescue box?
What I liked
I received a few nice bags that I thought were worth reselling or would have used myself, mainly the Aldo backpack, the circular straw purse, the DKNY small black purse, and the Bella Collection gold purse.
What I didn’t like
Several of the bags were in pretty used condition. For example, the Kelsi Dagger Brooklyn Assembly leather backpack was peeling at the top handles and backstraps.
The condition of the bags was not surprising given that these are rescued or rejected items. If the purses were in better condition, thredUP would have likely sold them themselves.
The purses would take a lot of work to restore (if possible). I’m not familiar with restoring purses and don’t have an interest in doing it, so I didn’t try with these.
Expect to receive a wallet, clutch, or other small items. thredUP considers these to be a handbag, so you’ll likely receive some if you purchase a handbag rescue box. I don’t think the wallet was worth $7-8.
Some of the purses were not worth $7-8 each. I don’t think several of the purses were worth $7-8. I certainly wouldn’t have paid that much for them if I found them at the thrift store. You’ll likely find in a box that some purses are worth more and some are worth less, so it averages out in the end.
How much did I earn on this box?
I only listed a few of the purses for sale because I didn’t want to sell worn goods. I listed these three items (the best of the box) on Poshmark, Mercari, Facebook Marketplace, and/or eBay.
These all sold on Poshmark within a few weeks of listing. I lowered their prices from time to time, relisted them, and made offers to likers to encourage sales.
Aldo banana leaf floral mini backpack & keychain set - Sold: $15
NWT Radley Racing Small Flapover Grab Handbag purse - Sold: $17
Circular rattan straw wicker crossbody purse - Sold: $13
I probably could have held out longer to sell these for a little more money, but these aren’t the most in-demand items so there’s no guarantee they would have sold for more.
I like to sell my items quickly if possible to get them out of my closet and move on to selling the next items. I didn’t want them sitting in my closet for months and months.
I went to list the DKNY and Bella Collection purses and found more wear on them than expected, so I decided not to put them up for sale.
You can see that I made very little profit on the three purses individually and obviously did not cover the cost of the rescue box.
I decided to put the unlisted purses in my driveway because I didn’t want the box taking up space in my house. Someone came by and took the whole box.
In the end, I didn’t make my money back on the box. I knew this was a possibility and was prepared for it when I purchased the box.
I could have tried to squeeze more profit from the box by selling some of the other purses for $5-10 each, but I didn’t want to sell worn items and worry that buyers would be disappointed with what they receive and/or have them open a case against me.
Is it worth it to buy a thredUP handbag rescue box?
The box was not worth it for me. I don’t think I could have made my money back on it, much less a sizable profit even if I tried to squeeze every dollar out of every sale from it, which I was not willing to do.
That said, rescue boxes are a gamble like playing the lottery. The person that receives a great box full of profitable purses is like someone who wins the lottery.
I’ve seen some people get good rescue boxes with Dooney & Bourke and Tory Burch purses. That person is going to find it worth it.
Most people who play the lottery lose money, and it’s the same with these boxes.
I don’t plan to purchase the handbag rescue box again. There are a few more boxes I’d like to try:
Fun Box
Sleepwear
Mixed jewelry
Whenever I check, these boxes are unavailable. They sell out fast!
Does warehouse location matter?
Finally, I’ve heard talk about the location of thredUP warehouses or distribution centers making a difference to what people receive. thredUP has three warehouses in Mechanicsburg, PA, Phoenix, AZ, and Suwanee, GA.
I’ve seen people get good and bad boxes from each of the warehouses. I’ve had boxes from at least the PA and AZ warehouses and don’t feel that they made a huge difference in what I received.
It doesn’t matter all that much either because you don’t get to choose where your box comes from. Cross your fingers that you get the best box available.
What’s been your experience buying the handbag rescue boxes? Would you purchase one to try or purchase one again?
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