Online thrift stores in Singapore
Thrifting online in Singapore means choosing between two different things that both get called thrift stores: managed shops that hold and ship their own stock, and marketplaces where you buy from the person who owns the item. They suit different jobs. Here is what each is actually good at, what it costs you, and the honest answer on where the risk sits.
· written by the Tela team in Singapore
The options, side by side
| Where | You buy from | Price | Payment protected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carousell | The seller | Lowest | Only on some transactions |
| Refash | Refash itself | Highest | Yes, like any shop |
| Tela | The seller, ID-verified | Low | Yes, held until delivery |
| Facebook Marketplace | The seller | Lowest | No |
| Instagram and Telegram | A curator | Varies | No |
Each one, in detail
Carousell
Classifieds marketplace
- How it works.
- You browse listings and message the seller directly. Delivery is arranged between you, or through Carousell Official Delivery.
- Good for.
- By far the largest pool of stock in Singapore. If an item exists second-hand here, it is probably listed.
- Price.
- Lowest prices, because you are buying from an individual.
- Worth knowing.
- The volume is the strength and the weakness. Listing quality varies enormously, and arranging the handover is on you.
Refash
Managed online thrift store
- How it works.
- Refash takes in stock from sellers, photographs it, holds it, and ships it to you. You buy from Refash, not from a person.
- Good for.
- The least work of any option. Consistent photography, one checkout, and returns handled by one company.
- Price.
- Higher than peer-to-peer, because one business is covering warehousing, photography and shipping.
- Worth knowing.
- Owned by Carousell since 2022. It also runs physical outlets, so you can collect or drop off in person.
Tela
Protected peer-to-peer
- How it works.
- You buy from the person who owns the item, but the transaction is structured. Sellers verify identity with Singpass, and your payment is held in escrow.
- Good for.
- Peer-to-peer prices without having to trust a stranger. Searchable by brand and size, and the listing price already includes Buyer Protection.
- Price.
- Close to classifieds, because the seller keeps the price rather than a shop taking a cut.
- Worth knowing.
- Smaller catalogue than Carousell. You can post with a tracked label or meet in person, and the payment is protected either way.
Facebook Marketplace
Informal classifieds
- How it works.
- Listings surface through Facebook. You message the seller and settle payment and handover privately.
- Good for.
- Free, local, and occasionally very cheap, particularly for bulk lots and house clearances.
- Price.
- Lowest, and the least predictable.
- Worth knowing.
- No structure behind the transaction. You are paying a stranger directly, which is where most resale scams begin.
Instagram and Telegram thrift accounts
Curated independent sellers
- How it works.
- Individual curators post drops, and you claim an item in the comments or by direct message.
- Good for.
- The most interesting curation online. Vintage denim, band tees, genuinely rare pieces.
- Price.
- Varies widely. You are paying for the curation.
- Worth knowing.
- Drops sell out in minutes, and payment is usually a direct transfer with nothing behind it. Fine with a seller you already know, risky with one you do not.
Platform details are as published by each company and checked in October 2026. Ownership and delivery options change, so follow the links before relying on any of it.
What you cannot use here
Vinted does not operate in Singapore. It offers no shipping to Singapore addresses at all. It opened in Australia in July 2026, and some shoppers now buy with an Australian delivery address and pay a parcel forwarder to send it on. That works, but you are adding a forwarding fee and a week or two of transit to a second-hand garment, and the buyer protection stops at the Australian address rather than following the parcel to you.
Depop technically works, but barely. Its sellers and stock sit overwhelmingly in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, so almost anything you find ships internationally. On a S$20 top, the postage is frequently more than the garment.
What to check before you buy
You cannot touch the fabric or try it on, so the photographs are doing all the work. Good second-hand listings photograph the problems: the thinning underarm, the pull in the knit, the mark near the hem. A listing with four flattering photos and no close-ups is hiding something, and it is nearly always the thing you will notice first when it arrives.
Ask for the care label and a shot of the inside seams. The label tells you the fibre, which tells you how it will wash and whether the price is sensible. Measurements matter more than the size on the tag, because sizing has drifted across decades and across brands, and a vintage UK 12 is not a current UK 12.
Then look at how you are paying. If the answer is a bank transfer to someone whose identity nobody has checked, you have no recourse once the money has gone, and that single step is how almost every resale scam in Singapore works. The patterns are worth recognising whichever side of the transaction you are on.
Peer-to-peer prices, without the trust problem
The trade-off running through this whole page is that buying from a person is cheaper and buying from a shop is safer. Tela is an attempt to stop that being a trade-off. Every seller verifies their identity with Singpass before they can list, so you are not buying from an anonymous account. Your payment is held in escrow and released 48 hours after delivery, or as soon as you confirm the item is as described. The price on the listing already includes Buyer Protection, so nothing is added at checkout.
You can have it posted with a tracked label or meet the seller in person, whichever suits. The payment is protected either way.
Browse what is listed right now, or read the full comparison of ways to buy pre-loved in Singapore.
Questions
Is there an online thrift store in Singapore?
Several, and they work differently. Refash runs a curated online store where it photographs, stores and ships the stock itself, so it behaves like an ordinary shop. Carousell is a classifieds platform where you buy from the person who owns the item. Tela is a peer-to-peer marketplace where sellers verify their identity with Singpass and payment is held in escrow until the item arrives. Facebook Marketplace and Instagram and Telegram thrift accounts sit at the informal end, with no structure behind the transaction at all.
What is the best online thrift store in Singapore?
It depends on whether you want convenience or price. A managed store like Refash is the least work, because one company handles the listing, the shipping and the returns, and you pay for that in the price. Buying directly from an individual is cheaper for the same item, because nobody is covering rent and staff out of it, but you need some protection in place so you are not simply trusting a stranger. There is no single best, there is a trade between the two.
Can I use Vinted in Singapore?
No. Vinted does not operate in Singapore and offers no shipping to Singapore addresses. It launched in Australia in July 2026, and some shoppers use a parcel forwarder with an Australian delivery address to get items here, but that adds forwarding costs and shipping time and you lose Vinted’s buyer protection once the parcel leaves the original address. For most people a local platform is the better answer.
What about Depop?
Depop’s business is concentrated in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, so Singapore stock and Singapore-based sellers are thin, and anything you buy usually ships internationally. It works, but you are paying overseas postage on second-hand clothing, which often cancels out the saving.
What is the difference between Carousell and Refash?
Carousell acquired Refash in 2022, so they are the same company, but they are not the same product. On Carousell you deal with the individual seller directly over chat, and you arrange delivery or a meet-up between you. Refash buys or takes in the stock, photographs it, holds it and ships it, so you are buying from Refash rather than from a person.
Is thrifting online cheaper than going to a thrift shop?
For a specific item, usually yes, because you can compare several sellers for the same piece and you are often buying from an individual rather than a business. For browsing, a shop can be cheaper per item, since it is clearing stock in bulk. The bigger difference is time: online finds one thing in minutes, a shop needs an afternoon and may not have it at all.
How do I avoid getting scammed buying second-hand clothes online?
Do not pay by bank transfer to someone you cannot identify, which is how almost every resale scam in Singapore works. Prefer a platform that holds your payment until the item reaches you, check that the listing photographs the flaws rather than hiding them, and ask for a photo of the care label and the inside seams. If a seller pushes you to move the conversation and the payment off the platform, that is the warning sign.
Prefer to shop in person? Thrift stores in Singapore covers the chains, the charity shops and the neighbourhoods worth walking. Clearing out rather than shopping? Where to sell old clothes compares every option on what it pays and how long it takes.
