🛍️ A Fresh Way to Sell Secondhand
Pinstripe launched in June to offer NYC sellers a new approach to secondhand sales. Unlike Depop or Facebook Marketplace, Pinstripe lets sellers drop off items at consignment shops or vintage stores, where employees handle transactions. This saves sellers from in-person meetups and simplifies listings. Co-founder Sam Blumenthal says, “It’s easy to buy secondhand, but hard to sell.” Pinstripe, now exclusive to NYC, allows sellers to keep 70% of the sale revenue, with Pinstripe and store partners sharing the rest.
📲 Using AI to Streamline Sales
Pinstripe’s app includes an AI-powered “Offer” feature to help sellers manage bids. Instead of handling each offer, sellers can let the AI assistant respond, making the process faster. Buyers can also filter listings by size, price, and more, and use a map to locate nearby sample sales and shops. Blumenthal notes, “Stores get more traffic, and sellers can monetize instantly,” offering both online and in-person options for shoppers who like to try on items before buying.
🛒 Addressing Buyer Concerns
Pinstripe addresses common buyer frustrations with platforms like Poshmark, where trying on items is not possible. With Pinstripe, NYC buyers can shop online and visit the store to try items before buying. If they don’t like an item, they can return it. For a $10 fee, customers can also opt for next-day courier delivery, but all courier sales are final. Pinstripe also allows unsold items to be donated automatically to charities if they don’t sell after 30 days.
🌱 Supporting Sustainable Shopping
With thrifting trends on the rise, Pinstripe’s founders saw an opportunity to fill a gap in secondhand retail. Their previous startup, Banter, evolved into Pinstripe after they realized the demand for streamlined secondhand selling. The platform has a few thousand active users and partners with several NYC stores like Club Vintage and Brooklyn Vintage Club. Backed by advisors such as Stitch Fix’s Julie Bornstein, Pinstripe’s founders hope to expand and make secondhand selling easy and accessible for a growing audience.
Could Pinstripe change the future of resale platforms?
