Where To Buy Second Hand Clothes __FULL__
While not all donated second hand clothes find a second home, the unsold stuff from organizations like Salvation Army and Goodwill typically go to for-profit clothes recycling centers, such as Viltex.
where to buy second hand clothes
If you need some ideas for places to buy secondhand clothing, check out your local thrift shops, garage sales, an online marketplace such as Facebook, and Poshmark for another online secondhand market!
Poshmark is a great place to buy second-hand clothes with affordable shipping costs, and quick delivery. You can also find new clothing on Poshmark that even still have the tags but at a super discounted price.
So whether you are new to the pre-loved market or an experienced thifter, we have put together a comprehensive guide on where to buy second hand clothing to help you find your next vintage treasure in person or online.
By and large, thredUP is the cream of the crop when it comes to an online retailer for secondhand items. Launched in 2009, the site jumpstarted the online secondhand movement by selling thousands of articles of clothing at discounts as great as 90%. Unlike other platforms, thredUP prides itself in its diverse categories and price ranges. Tried and true, this platform proves itself time and time again as the most well known virtual marketplace for thrifted pieces.
Many of us are familiar with the image The RealReal presents in their TV commercials as lithe bodies prance in front of a white backdrop. Founded in 2011, The RealReal is an online retailer that sells luxury secondhand pieces at a discounted price. As a brand that champions sustainability, diversity, and quality, the online platform ensures that each piece hosted on their site undergoes a rigorous authentication process that tests for quality and authenticity. Because products are typically high-end, ready-to -wear items, the price range tends to fall on the more expensive side.
In our study, we found the higher people rate on style-consciousness, the more likely they are to shop second hand. In fact, style-consciousness was a bigger predictor of second-hand shopping than being frugal or ecologically-conscious.
However, sales data from online platforms shows an explosion in growth. James Reinhart, CEO of online second-hand fashion retailer Thredup, has predicted the global second-hand market will double in the next five years to US$77 billion (A$102 billion).
While we found there are frugal and ecologically-conscious second-hand shoppers, our research revealed overwhelmingly that style-consciousness is the greatest predictor of second-hand fashion shopping.
Traditional thrift shops run by charities are responding to consumer demand, reinventing their stores with carefully selected, high-quality clothes, improved merchandising and store design, online sales and improved digital and social media marketing.
Social media influencers have driven much of this growth. Their accounts embrace second-hand fashion, the circular economy (which highlights reuse, repair, repurpose and recycle) and promote the notion of #secondhandfirst.
Thrifting in person is always an adventure, and with so many online thrift stores and apps now available, purchasing (or selling) used clothing has never been easier. Online options make secondhand shopping more accessible and considerably less frustrating if you are having trouble finding your size. For the best success, choose items with photos showing all sides of the garment, list measurements, type of material and condition.
One of the most obvious and well-known benefits of buying secondhand is the cost savings. You can often find secondhand goods up to 50% cheaper than you could if you were buying new. When you consider that Americans spend over a trillion dollars annually on nonessential goods, those savings can add up.
With the introduction of mass, low-cost production, more and more people feel less incentivized to buy used products. Regardless, the market for thrift items holds strong4. Many of us have at least one item we purchased at an auction, a second-hand store, or a charity shop. So, why buy second-hand when you can buy new ones?
Buying used goods, especially clothes, doesn't necessarily mean you cannot afford something new. It could be that the items in second-hand shops may be rare vintage, limited in stock, or something of significant value that you may never have the opportunity to buy again if you miss out on it.
But the most important reason is the environmental cost you'll be saving. Whatever your reasons, choosing to shop for second-hand items is a great idea. They offer great value to you while doing the environment a huge favor.
When talking about second-hand items or going thrifting, we might easily think of clothes and garage sales. Yes, shopping at online thrift stores for second-hand clothing and other fashion items is most common. But we can also buy items like furniture, books, electronics, baby gear, a new car, pre-owned gift cards, tools, kid's toys and home care items, musical instruments, collectible toys, video games, and many others as second-hand.
Buying these items from swap shops does not only save money when compared with what a new one costs. It also encourages reusing, which is sustainable for the environment. In other words, you are doing yourself and the environment some good when you shop for second-hand items.
This remains the driving force behind buying used rather than new. Many people prefer buying their clothes, handbags, furniture, and kids' items from thrift shops. Their reason is that several branded new items, especially clothes, are made with lesser quality materials and sold at high prices.
Furthermore, when you shop at local retail stores for secondhand goods, you support local businesses and help reduce emissions from shipping and traveling further afield. Purchasing locally is almost always better for the environment.
People who buy used cars help reduce the need for companies to source materials required to build the car and ship it around the world, thereby reducing pollution to some extent. According to a 2015 study, the demand for more new goods will decrease if there is a constant supply of used products that are still valuable. In other words, second-hand markets have a positive impact on the environment2.
It's very possible to come upon a lucky luxury find when shopping second-hand. In fact, some people earn a side income by browsing for high-valued items and reselling them for a profit. You can buy those items you may only see online and are beyond your budget for less money or by using a gift card at a second-hand store.
Instead of buying something new from fast fashion brands, buying secondhand clothes or products from a thrift store extends the life cycle of second-hand clothing or products, which is an incredible way to avoid waste pollution.
Whether you shop secondhand to use that item, donate, or gift someone, you are making it useful and giving it a new life. Second-hand clothing also makes an excellent choice for upcycling clothes you already have through repair, patching, or restyling them.
Another community movement on the rise is "buy nothing new groups." Check if there is one already in your area, or you can set one up to facilitate second-hand trades, or start a buy-nothing-new challenge.
The sixth-largest expenditure for households in Europe is buying clothes. Although this isn't a waste of household income, some of that money can do well for other needs. Also, the effect of having so many clothes on the environment is extremely high. The clothing industry creates a vast amount of waste in the supply chain and at the end of clothing life, where it often gets thrown away in any area.
End-users prefer throwing a lot of their used clothes in dumpsites and landfills, and the impact of such actions is not sustainable. Regardless of its size, no country in the world has the land space to sustain this waste practice. The ECAP offers several solutions5, including the option to sell these clothes as second-hand clothes.
There are lots of online shops/platforms where you can get quality second-hand commodities. Some popular options are eBay, Craigslist, Poshmark, and Facebook's online marketplace. Our list of the best online thrift stores also offers more options.
There are many benefits when you shop secondhand. Purchasing a product that will serve its purpose for a long time is more sustainable than one that you may need to change now and then. Items that last well enough for the owners to resell are often made using high-quality materials.
You can ditch the easy-to-break, mass-produced, low-quality stuff we often see in stores with second-hand items. Let us take suitcases, for instance. Some of us may have seen those of our parents and grandparents. These suitcases were constructed with durable and quality products, which is why they lasted long enough for us and even our kids to see.
Beyond quality and durability, buying second-hand means that you're playing your part in reducing waste. When you buy second-hand, you maximize the resources taken from the Earth and deviate from the throwaway culture.
You can save yourself thousands of dollars buying second-hand. I just watched a video about a 20-year-old girl living in a van for the past two years. She fitted out the van with mainly second-hand products and the vehicle itself cost her $2,500 used.
One of the most popular ways to buy second-hand is through online platforms like Facebook Marketplace and eBay. There are many others, again depending on your country and city. There is one in Australia called Gumtree.
Before you become the best thrift shopper in the world, you need to reset your expectations. Shopping second-hand can be fun as much as it can be frustrating. Here are four hard truths you need to be prepared for:
However, if you find it hard to go in and out of second-hand mode, it might be best to shop new instead. That way you can remove the fear of missing out on products and simply execute on what you need to buy, nothing more. 041b061a72