What happens to ThredUp balance when the owner dies
thredUP Inc. has a formal process for transferring balance after an account holder dies
ThredUp Customer Support
ThredUp Customer Support (no dedicated estate team published)
ThredUp publishes no timeline for deceased-account requests. Two of its own schedules run regardless of a death. Unsold accepted items become ThredUp's property when their listing window expires, and the reclaim option is open only during the final seven days of that window; ThredUp does not publish the window's length. Earnings stay in the account for one year before conversion into a ThredUp-only e-gift card. Support is available by chat Mon-Fri 7am-7pm PT and Sat-Sun 7am-5pm PT, with email and text described as receiving responses within 24 hours.
ThredUp publishes no deceased-account or estate-succession process. A scan of all 97 articles in its help centre and of its Terms of Use, Seller Terms, Gift Card Terms, and Privacy Policy found no reference to death, a deceased user, an estate, an executor, or an heir. The Terms of Use say that ThredUp "may terminate these Terms immediately without notice" if a user "assign[s] or transfer[s] (or attempt[s] the same) any rights granted to you under these Terms," and that credit earned from sold items is "non-transferable." Any estate request is therefore reviewed individually by ThredUp. What makes ThredUp different from a peer-to-peer marketplace is that it holds the seller's physical items. Under the Seller Terms the seller "will continue to own and have title to each item of Property that we have accepted until that item is "sold"," but items "immediately and irrevocably become the Property of ThredUp at the expiration of the listing window and will not be returned" unless the seller reclaims them during the final seven days of the listing window ($5.99 per item plus return shipping) or elected a return service when ordering the bag. The listing-window length itself is not stated in the Seller Terms or the help centre. Unaccepted items from a Standard Clean Out become ThredUp's property immediately and are reused or recycled. Seller earnings stay in the account for one year; earnings not cashed out within that year are converted into an e-gift card that can be used only on ThredUp.
How to request a transfer
Here is the process for transferring ThredUp balance after the account holder dies:
- •Accepted items that have not sold still belong to the seller, but under the Seller Terms they become ThredUp's property when their listing window expires unless reclaimed during the final seven days of that window.
- •Reclaiming costs $5.99 per item plus return shipping, and "Value Brands" cannot be reclaimed (How do I reclaim items?).
- •Ask ThredUp to identify items still listed and their listing-window dates, and whether it will return or hold unsold items for the estate. ThredUp does not publish a procedure for this, so it is a discretionary request.
- •For a bag not yet processed, ask whether the return-of-unaccepted-items service is on the bag. ThredUp states that service cannot be added after the bag is received at its warehouse (When should I expect my unaccepted items back?).
- •A certified copy of the death certificate
- •Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (or your state's small-estate affidavit)
- •The email address on the ThredUp account
- •Government-issued photo identification for the person making the request
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (or your state's small-estate affidavit)
- The email address on the ThredUp account
- Government-issued photo identification for the person making the request
Timeline
ThredUp publishes no timeline for deceased-account requests. Two of its own schedules run regardless of a death. Unsold accepted items become ThredUp's property when their listing window expires, and the reclaim option is open only during the final seven days of that window; ThredUp does not publish the window's length. Earnings stay in the account for one year before conversion into a ThredUp-only e-gift card. Support is available by chat Mon-Fri 7am-7pm PT and Sat-Sun 7am-5pm PT, with email and text described as receiving responses within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
ThredUp publishes no deceased-account or estate process; its help centre, Terms of Use, Seller Terms, and Privacy Policy do not mention death or estates. The Terms of Use allow ThredUp to terminate the Terms if a user assigns or transfers any rights under them, and describe earned credit as non-transferable. A family member or executor contacts ThredUp Customer Support (support@thredup.com, chat, or text), and ThredUp reviews the request individually.
Under ThredUp's Seller Terms, the seller keeps title to an accepted item until it sells. Unsold items "immediately and irrevocably become the Property of ThredUp at the expiration of the listing window and will not be returned," unless the seller reclaims them during the final seven days of the window for $5.99 per item plus return shipping, or elected a return service. ThredUp does not publish the length of the listing window, and it publishes no procedure for returning items to an estate, so the executor asks ThredUp directly and early.
Unaccepted items from a Standard Clean Out become ThredUp's property immediately and are reused or recycled through ThredUp's partners. For a Premium Clean Out, ThredUp's help centre describes a return of unaccepted items, but its articles differ on whether that return is the default or an optional $4.99 service, and one states the service cannot be added after the bag reaches the warehouse. The executor can ask ThredUp which applies to the decedent's bags.
Earnings for a sold item are issued 24-48 hours after the 15th day, once the 14-day return window passes. ThredUp states that earnings stay in the account for one year and, if not cashed out within that year, are converted into an e-gift card emailed to the address on file that can be used only on ThredUp. Gift Card Terms state that ThredUp gift cards carry no fees and never expire but are not redeemable for cash except where law requires. The estate can ask ThredUp in writing to release an earnings balance to the estate; ThredUp publishes no procedure for doing so and decides individually.
No transfer route is published. ThredUp's Terms of Use let it terminate the Terms if a user assigns or transfers rights granted under them, credit earned from sold items is described as non-transferable, and there is no beneficiary designation. Items the decedent still owns can be requested back for the estate; the account itself is closed.
The account holds the history of bags sent, items accepted, sales, fees, earnings, and cash outs, and ThredUp collects tax-reporting data for Form 1099-K. Those records support the estate inventory and the decedent's final income-tax return. ThredUp's help centre says an account can be deleted from the My Account section, so the executor requests the records before closure.
The recipient can use transferred balance under the program's normal terms. Keeping the deceased account holder's account number and contact details on file simplifies this process for the executor or surviving family.
Sources
Data sourced from thredUP Inc. primary sources (11 pages reviewed). How we research.
ThredUp Customer Support
ThredUp Customer Support (no dedicated estate team published)
ThredUp publishes no timeline for deceased-account requests. Two of its own schedules run regardless of a death. Unsold accepted items become ThredUp's property when their listing window expires, and the reclaim option is open only during the final seven days of that window; ThredUp does not publish the window's length. Earnings stay in the account for one year before conversion into a ThredUp-only e-gift card. Support is available by chat Mon-Fri 7am-7pm PT and Sat-Sun 7am-5pm PT, with email and text described as receiving responses within 24 hours.
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