This Thing Rules

Wearloom makes thrifting online simple by scanning all the sites for you

Tell Wearloom what you want, and it’ll search resale apps and websites to find the pieces you want. It’s like having your own personal thrift shopping assistant. (103 kB)

Maya Ernest / Input / Wearloom

Secondhand shopping is like my second nature. Growing up, my mom and I routinely scoured thrift stores and tag sales, and a later passion for sustainability (and good deals) only furthered my adoration of secondhand shopping. From basic pieces to vintage designer, about 90 percent of my closet is thrifted.

Part of what I love about thrifting is the anticipation of what you might find. Unlike a retail store, a secondhand shop won’t always have what you want; and if it does, you have to search for it. Among old T-shirts, glassware, and VHS tapes, you’ll find some gems if you’re willing to look. I could, and have, spent hours browsing thrift stores — it’s the only way you’ll get the good stuff.

When the pandemic began, however, I changed how I started to thrift. Instead of shopping at in-person locations, I could thrift from my bed, looking for items online on Depop, Poshmark, and eBay. The anticipation of what I might find broadened rapidly; I could find pretty much anything by scrolling through enough pages and entering enough keywords. But enough became too much, and I began spending hours online searching for my ideal styles.

Wearloom

In my (seemingly endless) pursuit of cyber thrift deals, I stumbled across Wearloom, a website that promised to cut down my searching by over three hours a week — by doing the searching for me. All it required was my email address, keywords about the items I was looking for, my preferred sizes, and my price limit. After that, Wearloom began scanning resale apps and websites for what I wanted, keeping me updated via email on what it found.

Less than a week after I discovered Wearloom, I found two specific pieces I had been searching months for. One was an archival designer piece. surprisingly within my price range, while the other was a modern dress that had been released by Aritzia last year. Wearloom found listings for both — multiple for the latter — helping me find the best deals online without any of the stress or time.

Now, I get emails from Wearloom every few days with direct links to what I’m searching for, as well as similar styles — some of which I like more than the initial pieces I’m looking for. At this point, the website acts as my own personal shopping assistant, and I constantly use it to alter my searches or enter new ones, all while finding the pieces I want.

Input may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article. We only include products that have been independently selected by Input’s editorial team.

For those just getting into thrifting — especially online — the process can seem overwhelming and tedious. There are so many listings spread out over a number of sites, that scouring them all, while also making sure everything is within your size and price range, sounds less like shopping and more like a nightmare. With Wearloom, you can find the secondhand styles you want nearly as easily as shopping retail without it feeling like work.

Even as a thrifting pro, I’d consider Wearloom an essential for online resale shopping. It saves you time, and sometimes money — but don’t blame me for the influx of styles you’re about to buy.

Wearloom