A few weeks ago, my friend Megan posted about Twice on Facebook. (An aside: At the time of this writing, if you like Twice on Facebook, you can get 15% off of your next purchase.) Feel free to use my referral link for a $10 credit the first time you buy or sell: liketwice.com/pHjTW
Twice was started by two former Google employees. It’s an inviting online boutique of second-hand fashion.
Twice is a way to feel like you’re saving the world (at least a little bit) by buying “gently used” instead of new items. I’ve been a big fan of thrifting and second hand clothes for a long time, even more so after reading Elizabeth Cline’s Overdressed about the hazards of “fast fashion.”
Twice could also be a time saver, especially if you have favorite brands whose sizing is predictable. I’m often leery of buying clothes online because the fit is all. Twice pays for returns, which takes out the sting if the items don’t love you back. The shipping is quite reasonable: a flat rate of $5 for orders up to $49, and free shipping after that.
You can earn credit or cash by selling clothing to Twice. They pay for shipping on a bag that you can fit up to 20-30 garments in (about the size of pillow case, according to the site). Twice provides a detailed list of clothing they want and don’t want: H&M, no. Gap, yes. No men’s clothes. No kids’.
I keep a bag of clothes that I take to Fringe & Fray, a local resale place. The problem is that it’s usually a mix of quirky and vintage stuff, as well as more recognizable brands. I can understand why irony and shoulder pads might be a riskier business model for an enterprise like Twice. One solution might be to fill a bag with a friend or two (Megan, are you reading this?)
Another setback is that the site considers “dated” anything that’s more than 3-5 years old. My friends, that’s when a garment’s just getting broken in. Yes? Dated? That sounds like a positive in my book (in case you’re asking.)
No matter how cool, the site is no substitute for a stroll through a local store where I can commandeer a fitting room. But I’ll be checking back in with Twice. There’s plenty of eye candy that won’t break the bank.
Twice is a bit like soy chorizo: if you accept it as a different experience entirely, then you can enjoy it and not be disappointed that it doesn’t work in quite the same way as the original.
The items in your Twice cart expire after an hour, which adds some drama to the exchange. At this moment there’s a gray Banana Republic skirt sitting in my cart. What will happen? Stay tuned.
Photo credit: Photos from liketwice.com