thredUP: Think Secondhand First

Thomas  Eisenmann; Allison  Ciechanover; Jeff  Huizinga

Case | HBS Case Collection | December 2016

thredUP: Think Secondhand First

by Thomas Eisenmann, Allison Ciechanover and Jeff Huizinga

Abstract

In the fall of 2016, the management team at thredUP, the largest U.S. online retailer of second hand clothing, is deciding whether to expand into international markets. Over the past 12 months the 7-year-old startup, which had raised over $130 million in venture capital, had seen revenue grow 100% and gross margin double. Would moving abroad expand thredUP's total addressable market and help position the company for an IPO? Or would it prove a distraction, derailing momentum in the core U.S. business?

Keywords: scaling start-ups; international expansion; online consignment; Apparel; entrepreneurship; e-commerce; Online Technology; Expansion; Entrepreneurship; Global Strategy; Business Startups; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Retail Industry; San Francisco;

Language: English

Format: Print

22 pages

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Citation:

Eisenmann, Thomas, Allison Ciechanover, and Jeff Huizinga. "thredUP: Think Secondhand First." Harvard Business School Case 817-083, December 2016.

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thredUP: Think Secondhand First

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