What happens to ThredUp balance when someone dies
thredUP publishes no process specific to a deceased person's account; a written request goes by email to support@thredup.com.
thredUP decides what happens to ThredUp balance after a death case by case; its terms promise no transfer.
thredUP publishes no process specific to a deceased person's account; a written request goes by email to support@thredup.com. The request takes one document.
How to request a transfer
- •Ask which items are still listed, when each listing window ends, and whether ThredUp will return or hold unsold items for the estate.
- •Ask Support to treat the request as a reclaim. A seller reclaims in the final seven days of the window at $5.99 per item plus shipping; Value Brands cannot be reclaimed.
- •For a Premium Clean Out bag not yet received, ask whether the return service for unaccepted items is on the bag.
- •A copy of the death certificate
- •Letters testamentary or letters of administration, or the state's small-estate affidavit
- •The email address on the ThredUp account
- •Photo identification for the person making the request
Required Documents
- The email address on the ThredUp account: ThredUp sends cash-out codes, notices and converted gift cards to that address.
What thredUP Inc.'s terms say at death
- The terms
“ThredUp may terminate these Terms immediately without notice for any of the following reasons: (a) if you fail to make any payment when due; (b) for any unauthorized access or use by you; (c) if you assign or transfer (or attempt the same) any rights granted to you under these Terms;”1
What thredUP Inc. says happens6
- Who owns the asset
Under the Seller Terms the seller owns and has title to each accepted item until it sells. Unsold items immediately and irrevocably become ThredUp's property when the listing window expires and are not returned.2
Unaccepted items from a Standard Clean Out cannot be returned and are recycled; on a Premium Clean Out the seller may elect, for a fee, to have them returned.2
The return service for a Premium Clean Out bag is deducted from bag earnings and cannot be added after the bag reaches a ThredUp warehouse; unlisted items are otherwise processed and cannot be returned.3
- Fees
Reclaiming an accepted item costs $5.99 per item plus shipping, during the final seven days of its listing window, and Value Brands cannot be reclaimed.4
- Inactive accounts and expiry
Earnings remain in the account for one year. If not cashed out within that year they are converted into an e-gift card, emailed to the account holder, that can be used only on ThredUp.5
The Terms of Use make the conversion discretionary: credit held more than one year may be converted into a ThredUp gift card after notice to the email address on file.1
A gift card issued for converted credit is sent to the last email address on file and does not expire.6
- Balances, payouts and refunds
Earnings for a sold item are issued 24-48 hours after the 15th day, once the 14-day return window has passed; final-sale items pay out at shipment.7
Cash outs go to a PayPal account or to Stripe direct deposit, confirmed with a verification code sent to the email address on the ThredUp account.5
ThredUp gift cards carry no fees and never expire, and are not refundable or redeemable for cash except to the extent the law requires.8
- Closing the account
The Terms of Use allow ThredUp to "immediately deactivate or delete your account."1
- Deletion and data retention
An account can be deleted from the My Account section, and deleting it does not cancel orders already placed.9
Other companies and product lines involved2
Not in ThredUp's published guidance11
- A process for a deceased account holder
- A form for estate requests
- How long a request takes
- A mailing address for a written request
- A complete list of the documents to send
- Whether a certified death certificate is required
- A path to refund a balance to the estate
- An email address for estate requests
- A voice phone line
- The length of the listing window for Clean Out items
- A procedure to return or hold unsold items for an estate
Sources9
- 1.Terms of Use, Last Updated: July 14, 2025
- 2.Seller Terms, Last Updated: December 5, 2024
- 3.When should I expect my unaccepted items back?
- 4.How do I reclaim items?
- 5.How do I find my earnings and cash out?
- 6.What happens to credits that expire?
- 7.Can you explain how I get paid out?
- 8.Gift Card Terms, Last Updated: June 2, 2025
- 9.How do I delete my account?
A written request to thredUP can ask it to transfer the balance to the estate, preserve the account while the estate is opened, provide purchase and transaction records for the estate inventory, refund an unspent balance and close the account.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter for ThredUp drafts that request from the estate's details.
Sources
Data sourced from thredUP Inc. primary sources (13 pages reviewed). How we research.
ThredUp estate claims
ThredUp Customer Support
Website
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.
Affidavit of Death
Put a joint owner's or a transfer on death deed owner's death on the land records with the affidavit your state's statute names, laid out for recording.
IRS Form 56
Notify the IRS that you are the fiduciary of an estate, a trust or a person, or end a notice filed before, on the official form.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
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A step-by-step checklist for the days, weeks, and months after a death, with state rules noted where they apply.
