Threadflip site offers discount workout gear

With the categories of athletic wear and high-fashion coming into closer and closer contact (jokingly dubbed, ‘athleisure’) and high end brands getting into the game, running clothing can be pricey. A company, Threadflip, based out of San Francisco, is trying to help consumers out with the rising cost of workout clothing. The catch? It’s second hand.

Once you get over the initial ew-factor of wearing someone else’s workout clothes, you have to consider that a) they’ve been washed and b) if the person is selling them online, they likely haven’t been worn that often. Photos are posted alongside the price so that you can see that you’re not getting something that is worn out.

The company also examines the clothing before putting it up online, to ensure that it meets the quality standards they have set – everything has to be odour- and stain-free. The way the site works is that prospective sellers send their clothing to Threadflip for free, where the team inspects and posts it. If it sells, the person who sent it in gets back 80 per cent of the sale.

The discount rate for most items on the site is around 55 per cent of the original sale price. That’s a score if you’re nabbing a virtually new sweater or pair of running tights. As someone who believes in the power of laundry detergent, it sounds like a deal I’d take!