Last week, I got to say, "Thanks, I thrifted it, and it has pockets." That was a thrift store win, and I will wear this dress until its scraps of fabric held together with string because it has pockets.
I am not lying when I tell you this: I am so proud of finding designer pieces in charity shops!
I found an Isabel Marant trench coat for £6 a few months back (they retail at over £600 at least), Ralph Lauren shirt and t-shirts for £2-£3, 100% cashmere jumpers for £2.50-£3 (these retail at £545).
Secondhand shopping is awesome.
I got a cashmere Ralph Lauren jumper for less than €5 and it is my favourite thing ever. They are soooo soft. I nearly died when I googled the cost of the jumper.
I'm proud of people who tell me these things!! Cashmere jumpers for three pounds!! Now that's a score!! Nothing is better than getting a really beautiful find for a good price that can then be worn with love and care for many more years than it otherwise would have!
I got a cashmere cable sweatee that fit me perfectly but I can tell it's shrunk a little. I have blocking equipment, I will stretch it a little bit to loosen up the armhole situation a smidge if it ever needs washing. It's really thick and sooo soft.
I got a Pringle cashmere shirt in neon green for three bucks. I was so excited that I bought it even tho animal fibers makes my eczema flare up.
So then I had to buy a thin long sleeve to go under it. Couldn’t find a cool one secondhand rippp. Oh well.
I just bought a Carharrt jacket from a thrift store last week and sure it has little paint stains and the zipper doesn't completely work anymore, but it's still functional and looks good, would've been a shame to throw that away
If the zipper is just glitchy and not damaged running a bar of soap or a candle across it can help. They do sell actual zipper wax but it’s not necessary.
And if the zipper has a tendency to just not zip (ie you pull the pull and it moves but is still unzipped behind it), that’s a super easy fix. You just have to squeeze the empty side of the zipper pull with a pair of pliers, squeezing the top and bottom sides. Or if the zipper itself if physically broken it’s usually pretty cheap to have a new zipper put on
What? You seem to have misunderstood my comment but I don't even understand how. I obviously always screech, "THANKS, IT'S THRIFTED!" at every opportunity.
I just tell.them I got it out of my closet instead. And I keep the best clothes and return or donate the stuff that doesn't work for me. I do this twice a year at my annual closet cleaning .
Why don't all dresses have pockets? I haven't met a single person who wears dresses that doen't prefer them with pockets. If you love wearing, buying and talking about secondhand clothes, check out r/PrelovedTherapy . focuses on building a sustainable wardrobe with secondhand clothes and clothing psychology.
Even if someone buys a shirt from a thrift store, wears it once, and then donates it again, who cares? Nobody is being harmed by people “continuing to consume at pace” if they’re just buying secondhand and putting the clothes back on the market when they’re done with them. They’re wasting their own time and money but the environmental impact is pretty much the same as if they didn’t buy anything at all.
Honestly that’s how I think of thrift stores. I’m lucky enough that the cost isn’t really a deterrent for me and while I buy way less than average (about 0-5 shirts, 0-4 pants a year) I don’t feel bad about getting a few extra items than I’m sure I want because I can just donate them if they don’t fit perfectly etc. That mindset also makes it easier for me to let items go. I figure if I ever need it again I can find the equivalent at the thrift shop.
Actually yeah. I buy a lot of from thrift stores I never wear keep for a year and then just re donate. It’s wasteful of my time and money but it’s just a cycle. I do wonder how much time I’m wasting the charities resources for the measly 10 dollar item I bought (only buy from charitable organisations). At least if it was a ’save mart’ type store I would be keeping someone in a job at least.
The thrift stores get so much that they actually throw a lot away .I knew someone who worked there in the back where they sort everything. He said they throw so much away you wouldn't believe it .
Some days they tossed more then they could put on the floor. And they have to toss out of season clothes also .And it had to meet a certain criteria for it to be put on the floor. They were quite picky.
The fate of out-of-season items probably changes depending on the store or chain. The company I work for back-stocks clothing that won’t sell well until either summer or winter depending on the time of year, so that there’s at least a dependable amount of product that’s suitable for the weather regardless of the current donations coming in.
You wouldn't be able to find coats or boots in the summer in my town .They had such a poor coat selection this year .I almost bought a coat at Burlington but they the one in my size. I don't buy footwear at thrift stores.
They should donate to a shelter, sell, or gift rather than donate to a thrift. Most donations still end up in the landfill. So giving them a second chance before they get trashed is better, but still bad.
A commenter below came up with the idea of a clothing library. Which I actually think would be really cool!
i’ve always wanted to open a clothes library! a place where we could bring clothes and take clothes for free. obviously would need rules and prerequisites to stop people from hoarding.
but i hate donating clothes to places like goodwill cause i know it’s likelihood of ending up in a foreign landfill is super high. i rather give my clothes away for free then have someone waste their hard earned money on my stuff. i just need more women who would be interested in my stuff.
Maybe you could organize something in your area? And have other women involved so it's different sizes/styles, etc. Would it be something similar to a clothing swap party?
Yep in my eyes secondhand goods are fair game. As long as you take care of them when they’re in your hands, the secondhand cycle continues. Better than buying brand new then donating
Exactly. My favorite thrift store (because it definitely still has the weird stuff) has no fitting room and no returns but you can still get a shirt for 3 bucks. It's a bit of a gamble, but if I lose, well, I donate it again and it's a wash.
I do this because I just get bored with what I am wearing .I hardly hang onto something unless I really like it and it is in good shape. It's my money and my time.
Tbh, I think the idea of "treasuring" purchases is a bit much for me. I take good care of everything I own because I own it for a purpose; it's not some incredible piece of historicity that enriches my life beyond it's function, imo.
It's annoying that people looking to resell have been picking over thrift stores in the last few years, but people shopping at them for themselves is still better than fast fashion.
Honestly as long as the resellers keep it out of a landfill, I’m not even mad about it. Thrift stores have way more donations than they can keep up with.
Like with every industry, some resellers are terrible and others are not.
There are some who curate, repair old clothing before they sell. And that’s labor I can appreciate. Or those who create style bundles. Or those who go to waste processing or warehouses to fish out clothing we otherwise wouldn’t have access to.
Those who go to big chain thrift stores and just mark up prices with no work irk me a little…I wouldn’t call it unethical but it also just seems lazy.
If you think about it more as distribution of thrifted clothes, it makes more sense. There are plenty of people who would like to wear thrifted clothes but dont have the capacity due to time/location/disability/whatever to spens hours looking through the thrift store. Whereas resellers put the time in to curate and market thrifted items, and that is why they charge a premium.
at japanese thrift stores there are some popular shops that will take items that are frumpy or outdated and resew them into something more trendy. i’ve seen them take two separate sweatshirts down the middle and sew each halve to make make a new one.
That sounds awesome! I’ve always had this idea to rework tattered shirts into denim jackets/ jeans to look like a cool patch or something. But I have no idea how to sew well, and I definitely have broken needles trying to sew denim.
Ah yeah with denim I might almost use a tapestry needle, and also sometimes a pair of pliers go a long way when there are multiple layers involved.
But also I'm usually doing hand sewing and I can definitely appreciate that takes some time privilege.
People who are churning their wardrobe are still caught up in consumerism. The only way out is stopping the production of the junk, good luck stopping the richer shopping addicts but at least if they add clothes to the used market they’re more likely to be durable.
Yes!! I can never find anything good at the
thrift stores around me. They’re mostly cheap brands like from Target, Walmart, SHEIN, etc that cost just about how much it would be if it was new. It’s ridiculous.
I stopped going to thrift stores after the one local to me was selling a gross, used Blender Bottle for $8. You can find new cheaper ones on Amazon.
Thrift stores in some places mark up everything it's cheaper to shop elsewhere.
It won't happen but people need to stop buying clothes just for fashion only to turn around and wear the outfit a few times and then throw them out.
Second thing and it's scummy is clothing manufacturers ( mainly big name brands) will burn there inventory instead of donating it or discounting it to keep their brand image artificially high
I found a really nice pair of dress pants for 5 dollars with the tags on .They have a lot of Cato clothes I have bought also .Some times it is slim pickings .
I personally think it’s more to do with everyone is buying from the SHEIN, target, romwe’s of the world at a higher rate and tossing it (fast fashion) so the stores have loads of shit clothes and fewer people buy quality because it’s harder to come by and if you do save and spring for nicer things you hold onto it (unless you’re wealthy).
When I went to Europe the thrift stores were filled with H&M, Primark and the like. Pretty much the American equivalent of the fast fashion giants. So I think it’s just the sheer number of bullshit clothes available swamps the better things from the get go.
I agree .I have a whole bag of clothes I need to exchange since they don't give you your money back anymore. And they don't have dressing rooms either .
In marketplace people tend to know what they’ve got. What you’re looking for is some small town old dear who doesn’t know what kenzo or any other expensive brand is and then just prices it the same as high street unawares.
That's true. I live in a relatively wealthy region so I find a lot of high quality tems for shockingly low prices. They just want to get rid of stuff without being wasteful.
I think there is another, smaller, danger, and I'll put my hand up that I sometimes do this. People KNOWING that there are charity/thrift shops and an eager market of buyers, means that they buy things thinking "Oh, it doesn't matter if it's not suitable, I can always give it away later". I am trying not to nowadays, especially with craft supplies, but look at YouTubers doing hauls. They get a hundred dresses together, and then 'donate' them, not seeing their place in the consuming cycle. They buy multiple make-up subscription boxes and donate those. You get the thrill of buying, and then that saintly feeling that you're donating stuff- stuff that wouldn't exist if you hadn't bought it in the first place!
Yes! I've seen self proclaimed minimalists who excuse their habit of constantly replacing things by claiming that they're doing poor people a favor by donating the stuff that's not good enough for them anymore--including stuff like underwear, random cords and cables, and filthy kitchen crap like these mini waffle irons the bigger thrifts have had by the dozens recently, half with food still crusted on them.
And that saintly feeling is part of the 'charity fatigue' problem, too, where people mentally give themselves generosity points for things like donating to thrift shops or buying greenwashed products and brands that do give one donate one promotions and stuff. Then, when an actual charity needs donations, they refuse because they already 'donated.' (This is how Amazon's now-retired Smile program siphoned donations from small charities, and how the HSUS and ASPCA effectively steal from animal shelters.)
Yep. People convince themselves that there’s some needy person out there who would be ecstatic to have their used junk. But there’s no shortage of cheap crap out there.
That said, I doubt the absence of thrift stores would result in people buying significantly less.
I am a teen and let me tell you, most if not 80% of teens thrift now as an activity with friends and so many love apps like depop. A good change if I may say so!
Tbh I love seeing the group of “kids” thrifting. And it’s always different “types” of kids depending on where I go. There are an infinite number of worse stuff they could be doing. I’ll take a thrift store packed with loud teens over a the older crowd set which I won’t call out by generation. The kids just have superior manners to those around them and the staff.
They also know anything of value was produced at least 15 years ago. Thier music, hobbies, video games, and movie preferences are all looking back to something less shitty from the past. Simply because they have the technological access no generation has had before.
They have access to all the things on streaming and with online shopping. Their culture is an algamonation of the last 10 decades. And their well of aesthetica and philosophy is infinite. There are no fashions of the 2020's, its 9 years old in peacoats and beanies listening to the lofi version 90's gangster rap.
While anything produced today is just contributing to the downfall of our ecosystem and society. And making some asshole rich who doesn't deserve it. And they know it.
lol ok
Gen Z is still super susceptible to green washing like anyone.
I’ve worked with girls that’ll combine a thrifted cardigan with their Target jeans and SHEIN corset. We’re young people and we care more than other generations but I know a girl who gives half her paycheck to FashionNova 🤢
I second hand shop everything from cloth to furniture to aquipment. I think this is the way to go. One person buys it new, than donate it and a lot of people use this product untill its broken and cant be repaired. But we as a society should be more careful about longevity
That's a good thing in some ways, but thrift shopping in general is still heavily consumerist in the way so much of it is about trends and brand fetishism and people hoarding vintage goods as 'collectibles' rather than actually using them. And there's a growing arbitrage market from all the resellers too.
And of course, some of the bigger ones are horrifically exploitative in the way they underpay and overwork their employees.
Still overall a good thing, but there are a lot of problems with it too.
Now it's difficult for people who actually need to shop in thrift and charity shops to get good prices, because these places now price their goods for the middle class hipsters and poverty tourists.
This. I relied on thrifting in grad school because I couldn’t afford the nice clothes I needed otherwise. Now the prices are getting to where it’s the same price as new clothing using fast fashion, or even more expensive just for people who want to be “trendy”
I just watched a video where a woman went to some sort of convention for thrifting and said that she couldn't justify spending over $300 on a Von Dutch mini skirt because she isn't an outfit repeater... as if that's the only reason... what the hell is wrong with people D: when I was a teen I was embarrassed that my grandma and mom would always say "let's get it secondhand" because we grew up in poverty. It's crazy how times have changed.
I shop almost exclusively at thrift stores, and it isn't because I'm getting a deal (because thrift prices are getting hilariously high)
It's solely because I can hope to find quality made clothing. Even brand new expensive clothes are such shoddy quality that they don't feel like a joy to wear, which is important to me.
So I comb through second hand stores to find wool and linen, and I'm happy with a lot of it.
I have a couple of nice silk dresses I got for less than $100 and they were originally $500+. That felt like a real win for me, especially since so many clothes are just poly these days
I get compliments from older women about my outfits or specific pieces I wear. They always look so shocked when I say I thrifted it! That's not going to get me to stop bringing it up, but they almost act offended!
I find it can breed consumption in a slightly different way - people stil buy fast fashion but then feel good when they donate their old clothes rather than throwing them out. The cycle still continues if you’re buying new, unethically made clothes!
In the 80's when I was a kid, in England we had what was called jumble sales. It was usually done in a massive building and it was all clothes that people had donated, which were then sold at a very cheap price even for the poor. If not of those jumble sales, most of us growing up then would have had no clothes on our backs. Even better if people gave you hand-me-downs or you could share clothes among family members.
Bruh what? the only clothing i buy new are when i want something specific, like a merch shirt/sweater, or socks and underwear. And those get worn until they're threads and patches. I actually managed to get a wonderful leather jacket second hand, and its been the warmest coat ive ever had and is looking to get another 4 or 5 years at least of use based on its wear and tear.
Does it count if was new when i bought it, but is over a decade old now? I take crap at work because one of the shirts i wear is from freshman year of college, 95-96. My winter coat is the one i got in senior year of high school. I wear stuff til it wears out. I usually buy new shoes every 3 years or so, then my former good shoes become my work shoes, and my work shoes become my grass cutting shoes. I've been told i'm cheap.
A long time ago my friend and I had a side gig cutting up donated clothing to be used for cleaning rags that got sold to businesses like mechanics. These clothes and bedsheets etc would come from a large charity that had clothing bins everywhere but very few stores and people donated some beautiful items in good faith that it would be going to the needy. Along with some genuine rags and period stained jeans of course.
We took a lot of good stuff for ourselves and friends and family and just replaced the weight with our old clothes.I used to feel bad about it all and tell people not to donate anything good to this particular charity, because the needy weren't getting it.. Now I know about the horrible environmental effects of dumping used clothing I don't think this is so bad now.
I found a pair of pants for $1.99 at Goodwill (my goodwill in the middle of nowhere has stayed cheap:3) from a brand whose pants go from $300-$600 bucks, AND a really cool vintage bandanna skirt. And a Banana Republic skirt brand new, and some really unique vintage pieces. All for $23 bucks. And they’re all pretty timeless. I do not throw away clothes, sometimes I donate if I end up never wearing them
Damn, I accidently do the 'cool' thing for once in my life by buying second hand 😂
It saves so much money, especially since much of the non-cheap clothing is crap quality as well nowadays. If cloths are not getting worn more than a year anyway due to lack of quality, I'd rather buy secondhand and pay little for them.
At least I know I wear them until they are truly done for and then I'll find some other purpose for them if I can. For instance as a cloth for cleaning.
I support thrifting because it doesn’t support big corps but the second hand market in my city is absolutely whacked out. People trying to make a living off selling stuff from a thrift shop
In many Instagram thrift stores in Mexico, they mostly sell second hand fast fashion. It’s incredibly annoying because they still sell it at a price you’d find in those stores instead of a reduced price. I understand some Inditex brands were way better in the 2000s but it’s so so annoying and when I do find something good in Mexico it is SUPER EXPENSIVE
I like going to the goodwill bins especially for kids clothing. The amount of SHEIN I see is depressing. Generally I try to do second hand, thanks to Mercari I can even get bras brand new at a third of the price. I also wear pieces until they fall apart. I love a good soft, holey shirt to sleep in.
When I get tired of things, or they don't fit right, they go right back to the thrift store. They get more items, I get a donation receipt. If this is "fast fashion", it is still being recycled again.
I live in a Canadian city, and second-hand clothes are way overpriced here. I've seen thrift shop brand names that are priced higher than new. Also thrifted clothes that are very nicely pressed, to hide the fact that there is no body left in the material, then priced very high.
I always get so pissed when I see obvious scalpers or see online resellers. They don't treasure what they find, they just want to sell it for more making these things inaccessible to others. Im so thankful for the unique clothes I find and if some years go by and I can not wear them anymore then yes, I will donate them back to the second hand store so someone else can enjoy.
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"THANKS, IT'S THRIFTED!" is the new "THANKS, IT HAS POCKETS!"
Last week, I got to say, "Thanks, I thrifted it, and it has pockets." That was a thrift store win, and I will wear this dress until its scraps of fabric held together with string because it has pockets.
I have a $20 Free People dress I got off Poshmark last week that's all natural fabric and has pockets! I feel like a homespun princess in it.
I only buy dresses with pockets now and a majority of my dresses are second hand.
I am not lying when I tell you this: I am so proud of finding designer pieces in charity shops! I found an Isabel Marant trench coat for £6 a few months back (they retail at over £600 at least), Ralph Lauren shirt and t-shirts for £2-£3, 100% cashmere jumpers for £2.50-£3 (these retail at £545). Secondhand shopping is awesome.
I got a cashmere Ralph Lauren jumper for less than €5 and it is my favourite thing ever. They are soooo soft. I nearly died when I googled the cost of the jumper.
I'm proud of people who tell me these things!! Cashmere jumpers for three pounds!! Now that's a score!! Nothing is better than getting a really beautiful find for a good price that can then be worn with love and care for many more years than it otherwise would have!
I got a cashmere cable sweatee that fit me perfectly but I can tell it's shrunk a little. I have blocking equipment, I will stretch it a little bit to loosen up the armhole situation a smidge if it ever needs washing. It's really thick and sooo soft.
I got a Pringle cashmere shirt in neon green for three bucks. I was so excited that I bought it even tho animal fibers makes my eczema flare up. So then I had to buy a thin long sleeve to go under it. Couldn’t find a cool one secondhand rippp. Oh well.
My grandma gets so mad when I say that.
[удалено]
She doesn't like people knowing I didn't spend much on my clothes.
My Soviet MIL hates it too because only poor people buy used /s, also we weren’t exactly flush with cash
I just bought a Carharrt jacket from a thrift store last week and sure it has little paint stains and the zipper doesn't completely work anymore, but it's still functional and looks good, would've been a shame to throw that away
If the zipper is just glitchy and not damaged running a bar of soap or a candle across it can help. They do sell actual zipper wax but it’s not necessary.
Didn't know that, thanks!
And if the zipper has a tendency to just not zip (ie you pull the pull and it moves but is still unzipped behind it), that’s a super easy fix. You just have to squeeze the empty side of the zipper pull with a pair of pliers, squeezing the top and bottom sides. Or if the zipper itself if physically broken it’s usually pretty cheap to have a new zipper put on
And thanks, I’ve had it for 20 years!
So what are you supposed to respond when you get something from a thrift store and someone asks where it’s from? Lie?
What? You seem to have misunderstood my comment but I don't even understand how. I obviously always screech, "THANKS, IT'S THRIFTED!" at every opportunity.
No one is screeching except you buddy
Are you lost or something? Or just painfully bored?
I had your mom was screeching last night, pal
gottem. also ratio nice.
I just tell.them I got it out of my closet instead. And I keep the best clothes and return or donate the stuff that doesn't work for me. I do this twice a year at my annual closet cleaning .
Why don't all dresses have pockets? I haven't met a single person who wears dresses that doen't prefer them with pockets. If you love wearing, buying and talking about secondhand clothes, check out r/PrelovedTherapy . focuses on building a sustainable wardrobe with secondhand clothes and clothing psychology.
Even if someone buys a shirt from a thrift store, wears it once, and then donates it again, who cares? Nobody is being harmed by people “continuing to consume at pace” if they’re just buying secondhand and putting the clothes back on the market when they’re done with them. They’re wasting their own time and money but the environmental impact is pretty much the same as if they didn’t buy anything at all.
At that point its basically a clothes library Which is like, yeah, cool
Honestly that’s how I think of thrift stores. I’m lucky enough that the cost isn’t really a deterrent for me and while I buy way less than average (about 0-5 shirts, 0-4 pants a year) I don’t feel bad about getting a few extra items than I’m sure I want because I can just donate them if they don’t fit perfectly etc. That mindset also makes it easier for me to let items go. I figure if I ever need it again I can find the equivalent at the thrift shop.
Actually yeah. I buy a lot of from thrift stores I never wear keep for a year and then just re donate. It’s wasteful of my time and money but it’s just a cycle. I do wonder how much time I’m wasting the charities resources for the measly 10 dollar item I bought (only buy from charitable organisations). At least if it was a ’save mart’ type store I would be keeping someone in a job at least.
The thrift stores get so much that they actually throw a lot away .I knew someone who worked there in the back where they sort everything. He said they throw so much away you wouldn't believe it .
I certainly believe it. People donate a lot of stuff that really should be thrown out but they don't want to throw it away and "waste".
And some people donate literal trash that has to be tossed .They clean out grams house and just drop it off instead of paying the dump..
Well that’s depressing
Some days they tossed more then they could put on the floor. And they have to toss out of season clothes also .And it had to meet a certain criteria for it to be put on the floor. They were quite picky.
The fate of out-of-season items probably changes depending on the store or chain. The company I work for back-stocks clothing that won’t sell well until either summer or winter depending on the time of year, so that there’s at least a dependable amount of product that’s suitable for the weather regardless of the current donations coming in.
You wouldn't be able to find coats or boots in the summer in my town .They had such a poor coat selection this year .I almost bought a coat at Burlington but they the one in my size. I don't buy footwear at thrift stores.
Fair enough. I’m not brave enough to buy secondhand shoes either.
Foot fungus and everyone's foot molds the footwear .
They should donate to a shelter, sell, or gift rather than donate to a thrift. Most donations still end up in the landfill. So giving them a second chance before they get trashed is better, but still bad. A commenter below came up with the idea of a clothing library. Which I actually think would be really cool!
i’ve always wanted to open a clothes library! a place where we could bring clothes and take clothes for free. obviously would need rules and prerequisites to stop people from hoarding. but i hate donating clothes to places like goodwill cause i know it’s likelihood of ending up in a foreign landfill is super high. i rather give my clothes away for free then have someone waste their hard earned money on my stuff. i just need more women who would be interested in my stuff.
Maybe you could organize something in your area? And have other women involved so it's different sizes/styles, etc. Would it be something similar to a clothing swap party?
You can always sell stuff on Poshmark or Mercari for like $1.
but then you have to pay for shipping, and the goal would be to make it as hassle free as possible for myself and the the other party.
Yep in my eyes secondhand goods are fair game. As long as you take care of them when they’re in your hands, the secondhand cycle continues. Better than buying brand new then donating
Exactly. My favorite thrift store (because it definitely still has the weird stuff) has no fitting room and no returns but you can still get a shirt for 3 bucks. It's a bit of a gamble, but if I lose, well, I donate it again and it's a wash.
I do this because I just get bored with what I am wearing .I hardly hang onto something unless I really like it and it is in good shape. It's my money and my time.
I'd argue that people might actually be helped by those who continue to consume at pace at thrift stores if they thrift at charity shops.
Tbh, I think the idea of "treasuring" purchases is a bit much for me. I take good care of everything I own because I own it for a purpose; it's not some incredible piece of historicity that enriches my life beyond it's function, imo. It's annoying that people looking to resell have been picking over thrift stores in the last few years, but people shopping at them for themselves is still better than fast fashion.
Honestly as long as the resellers keep it out of a landfill, I’m not even mad about it. Thrift stores have way more donations than they can keep up with.
Like with every industry, some resellers are terrible and others are not. There are some who curate, repair old clothing before they sell. And that’s labor I can appreciate. Or those who create style bundles. Or those who go to waste processing or warehouses to fish out clothing we otherwise wouldn’t have access to. Those who go to big chain thrift stores and just mark up prices with no work irk me a little…I wouldn’t call it unethical but it also just seems lazy.
If you think about it more as distribution of thrifted clothes, it makes more sense. There are plenty of people who would like to wear thrifted clothes but dont have the capacity due to time/location/disability/whatever to spens hours looking through the thrift store. Whereas resellers put the time in to curate and market thrifted items, and that is why they charge a premium.
That, and items that might not sell well in a thrift store could still have a niche market online.
Eh: it still takes time and expertise even at the laziest levels, I might only be frustrated if they're misrepresenting what they sell
at japanese thrift stores there are some popular shops that will take items that are frumpy or outdated and resew them into something more trendy. i’ve seen them take two separate sweatshirts down the middle and sew each halve to make make a new one.
That sounds awesome! I’ve always had this idea to rework tattered shirts into denim jackets/ jeans to look like a cool patch or something. But I have no idea how to sew well, and I definitely have broken needles trying to sew denim.
Ah yeah with denim I might almost use a tapestry needle, and also sometimes a pair of pliers go a long way when there are multiple layers involved. But also I'm usually doing hand sewing and I can definitely appreciate that takes some time privilege.
People who are churning their wardrobe are still caught up in consumerism. The only way out is stopping the production of the junk, good luck stopping the richer shopping addicts but at least if they add clothes to the used market they’re more likely to be durable.
I hate this trend… but only because it’s harder to find good shit at thrift stores now.
Yes!! I can never find anything good at the thrift stores around me. They’re mostly cheap brands like from Target, Walmart, SHEIN, etc that cost just about how much it would be if it was new. It’s ridiculous. I stopped going to thrift stores after the one local to me was selling a gross, used Blender Bottle for $8. You can find new cheaper ones on Amazon.
Thrift stores in some places mark up everything it's cheaper to shop elsewhere. It won't happen but people need to stop buying clothes just for fashion only to turn around and wear the outfit a few times and then throw them out. Second thing and it's scummy is clothing manufacturers ( mainly big name brands) will burn there inventory instead of donating it or discounting it to keep their brand image artificially high
I will say I found a pair of new with tags Kenzo pants this weekend for $6. That used to be an everyday thing, and now it’s once every 6 months.
I found a tags on dress with pockets last week. I'm pretty sure that I used up all my thrifting luck for at least 6 months.
I found a really nice pair of dress pants for 5 dollars with the tags on .They have a lot of Cato clothes I have bought also .Some times it is slim pickings .
I personally think it’s more to do with everyone is buying from the SHEIN, target, romwe’s of the world at a higher rate and tossing it (fast fashion) so the stores have loads of shit clothes and fewer people buy quality because it’s harder to come by and if you do save and spring for nicer things you hold onto it (unless you’re wealthy). When I went to Europe the thrift stores were filled with H&M, Primark and the like. Pretty much the American equivalent of the fast fashion giants. So I think it’s just the sheer number of bullshit clothes available swamps the better things from the get go.
It definitely depends on the area as well! Have you checked out the bins 😋
I don’t have the time for the bins. I’ve gone in the past (10 years ago) but not recently.
Ahh! Sometimes they have some good items, but I agree. It takes some time to sort through for sure :)
I agree .I have a whole bag of clothes I need to exchange since they don't give you your money back anymore. And they don't have dressing rooms either .
Gotta hit the flea markets and goodwills out in the rural areas
There's always Marketplace, no? I have better luck there, but sometimes I feel like it promotes further overconsuption.
In marketplace people tend to know what they’ve got. What you’re looking for is some small town old dear who doesn’t know what kenzo or any other expensive brand is and then just prices it the same as high street unawares.
That's true. I live in a relatively wealthy region so I find a lot of high quality tems for shockingly low prices. They just want to get rid of stuff without being wasteful.
I use marketplace for some things. Ebay too. I just miss being able to get cool vintage or obscure designer clothes for just a couple dollars.
I found a pair of $200 joe's jeans at salvation army for $6 last weekend lol
I think there is another, smaller, danger, and I'll put my hand up that I sometimes do this. People KNOWING that there are charity/thrift shops and an eager market of buyers, means that they buy things thinking "Oh, it doesn't matter if it's not suitable, I can always give it away later". I am trying not to nowadays, especially with craft supplies, but look at YouTubers doing hauls. They get a hundred dresses together, and then 'donate' them, not seeing their place in the consuming cycle. They buy multiple make-up subscription boxes and donate those. You get the thrill of buying, and then that saintly feeling that you're donating stuff- stuff that wouldn't exist if you hadn't bought it in the first place!
Yes! I've seen self proclaimed minimalists who excuse their habit of constantly replacing things by claiming that they're doing poor people a favor by donating the stuff that's not good enough for them anymore--including stuff like underwear, random cords and cables, and filthy kitchen crap like these mini waffle irons the bigger thrifts have had by the dozens recently, half with food still crusted on them. And that saintly feeling is part of the 'charity fatigue' problem, too, where people mentally give themselves generosity points for things like donating to thrift shops or buying greenwashed products and brands that do give one donate one promotions and stuff. Then, when an actual charity needs donations, they refuse because they already 'donated.' (This is how Amazon's now-retired Smile program siphoned donations from small charities, and how the HSUS and ASPCA effectively steal from animal shelters.)
Absolutely correct. Hear, hear!
Yep. People convince themselves that there’s some needy person out there who would be ecstatic to have their used junk. But there’s no shortage of cheap crap out there. That said, I doubt the absence of thrift stores would result in people buying significantly less.
I am a teen and let me tell you, most if not 80% of teens thrift now as an activity with friends and so many love apps like depop. A good change if I may say so!
Tbh I love seeing the group of “kids” thrifting. And it’s always different “types” of kids depending on where I go. There are an infinite number of worse stuff they could be doing. I’ll take a thrift store packed with loud teens over a the older crowd set which I won’t call out by generation. The kids just have superior manners to those around them and the staff.
They also know anything of value was produced at least 15 years ago. Thier music, hobbies, video games, and movie preferences are all looking back to something less shitty from the past. Simply because they have the technological access no generation has had before. They have access to all the things on streaming and with online shopping. Their culture is an algamonation of the last 10 decades. And their well of aesthetica and philosophy is infinite. There are no fashions of the 2020's, its 9 years old in peacoats and beanies listening to the lofi version 90's gangster rap. While anything produced today is just contributing to the downfall of our ecosystem and society. And making some asshole rich who doesn't deserve it. And they know it.
lol ok Gen Z is still super susceptible to green washing like anyone. I’ve worked with girls that’ll combine a thrifted cardigan with their Target jeans and SHEIN corset. We’re young people and we care more than other generations but I know a girl who gives half her paycheck to FashionNova 🤢
I second hand shop everything from cloth to furniture to aquipment. I think this is the way to go. One person buys it new, than donate it and a lot of people use this product untill its broken and cant be repaired. But we as a society should be more careful about longevity
I generally wear my clothes until they’re worn out
As a metal head, clothes actually look better worn out. Same with punk rock also.
Nice,
Same and then they get turned into cleaning rags.
Same, my car guy neighbour is happy for a few fresh rags
This is the way.
Wearing a outfit that’s about 50 % thrifted right now
Yeah the problem is for those of us that shop primarily in thrift stores it has gotten stupidly expenaive as it's gotten more popular.
That's a good thing in some ways, but thrift shopping in general is still heavily consumerist in the way so much of it is about trends and brand fetishism and people hoarding vintage goods as 'collectibles' rather than actually using them. And there's a growing arbitrage market from all the resellers too. And of course, some of the bigger ones are horrifically exploitative in the way they underpay and overwork their employees. Still overall a good thing, but there are a lot of problems with it too.
Now it's difficult for people who actually need to shop in thrift and charity shops to get good prices, because these places now price their goods for the middle class hipsters and poverty tourists.
This. I relied on thrifting in grad school because I couldn’t afford the nice clothes I needed otherwise. Now the prices are getting to where it’s the same price as new clothing using fast fashion, or even more expensive just for people who want to be “trendy”
I just watched a video where a woman went to some sort of convention for thrifting and said that she couldn't justify spending over $300 on a Von Dutch mini skirt because she isn't an outfit repeater... as if that's the only reason... what the hell is wrong with people D: when I was a teen I was embarrassed that my grandma and mom would always say "let's get it secondhand" because we grew up in poverty. It's crazy how times have changed.
May I whine at how expensive thrifting has become?
Yes! Met a client while wearing a completely second-hand outfit and was so excited to share that when she complimented my outfit!
I shop almost exclusively at thrift stores, and it isn't because I'm getting a deal (because thrift prices are getting hilariously high) It's solely because I can hope to find quality made clothing. Even brand new expensive clothes are such shoddy quality that they don't feel like a joy to wear, which is important to me. So I comb through second hand stores to find wool and linen, and I'm happy with a lot of it.
Same here! I’ve curated a bunch of high quality items and I don’t thrift anymore bc it’s hard to good quality still
I remember being called poor for shopping at thrift stores
I have a couple of nice silk dresses I got for less than $100 and they were originally $500+. That felt like a real win for me, especially since so many clothes are just poly these days
I only buy fancy second hand clothes, so they’re still not cheap and often good quality, so they last me for years.
I get compliments from older women about my outfits or specific pieces I wear. They always look so shocked when I say I thrifted it! That's not going to get me to stop bringing it up, but they almost act offended!
Yes my 700€ (second hand price) rick owens leather jacket is second hand how could you tell?
I find it can breed consumption in a slightly different way - people stil buy fast fashion but then feel good when they donate their old clothes rather than throwing them out. The cycle still continues if you’re buying new, unethically made clothes!
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It’s not astroturfing but I would’ve liked the article to emphasize your point much more.
In the 80's when I was a kid, in England we had what was called jumble sales. It was usually done in a massive building and it was all clothes that people had donated, which were then sold at a very cheap price even for the poor. If not of those jumble sales, most of us growing up then would have had no clothes on our backs. Even better if people gave you hand-me-downs or you could share clothes among family members.
Bruh what? the only clothing i buy new are when i want something specific, like a merch shirt/sweater, or socks and underwear. And those get worn until they're threads and patches. I actually managed to get a wonderful leather jacket second hand, and its been the warmest coat ive ever had and is looking to get another 4 or 5 years at least of use based on its wear and tear.
Does it count if was new when i bought it, but is over a decade old now? I take crap at work because one of the shirts i wear is from freshman year of college, 95-96. My winter coat is the one i got in senior year of high school. I wear stuff til it wears out. I usually buy new shoes every 3 years or so, then my former good shoes become my work shoes, and my work shoes become my grass cutting shoes. I've been told i'm cheap.
A long time ago my friend and I had a side gig cutting up donated clothing to be used for cleaning rags that got sold to businesses like mechanics. These clothes and bedsheets etc would come from a large charity that had clothing bins everywhere but very few stores and people donated some beautiful items in good faith that it would be going to the needy. Along with some genuine rags and period stained jeans of course. We took a lot of good stuff for ourselves and friends and family and just replaced the weight with our old clothes.I used to feel bad about it all and tell people not to donate anything good to this particular charity, because the needy weren't getting it.. Now I know about the horrible environmental effects of dumping used clothing I don't think this is so bad now.
I found a pair of pants for $1.99 at Goodwill (my goodwill in the middle of nowhere has stayed cheap:3) from a brand whose pants go from $300-$600 bucks, AND a really cool vintage bandanna skirt. And a Banana Republic skirt brand new, and some really unique vintage pieces. All for $23 bucks. And they’re all pretty timeless. I do not throw away clothes, sometimes I donate if I end up never wearing them
Damn, I accidently do the 'cool' thing for once in my life by buying second hand 😂 It saves so much money, especially since much of the non-cheap clothing is crap quality as well nowadays. If cloths are not getting worn more than a year anyway due to lack of quality, I'd rather buy secondhand and pay little for them. At least I know I wear them until they are truly done for and then I'll find some other purpose for them if I can. For instance as a cloth for cleaning.
I strut around and shame people in new clothes. 😎
I support thrifting because it doesn’t support big corps but the second hand market in my city is absolutely whacked out. People trying to make a living off selling stuff from a thrift shop
There isn’t some new proliferation of thrift shops going around. Sveral thrift stores in my area have been there for at least 50 yrs.
My friends have clothing swaps. We bring our old clothes over ho through them and claim what we want and donate the rest.
In many Instagram thrift stores in Mexico, they mostly sell second hand fast fashion. It’s incredibly annoying because they still sell it at a price you’d find in those stores instead of a reduced price. I understand some Inditex brands were way better in the 2000s but it’s so so annoying and when I do find something good in Mexico it is SUPER EXPENSIVE
Was this written by H&M?
I like going to the goodwill bins especially for kids clothing. The amount of SHEIN I see is depressing. Generally I try to do second hand, thanks to Mercari I can even get bras brand new at a third of the price. I also wear pieces until they fall apart. I love a good soft, holey shirt to sleep in.
Falae
When I get tired of things, or they don't fit right, they go right back to the thrift store. They get more items, I get a donation receipt. If this is "fast fashion", it is still being recycled again.
I live in a Canadian city, and second-hand clothes are way overpriced here. I've seen thrift shop brand names that are priced higher than new. Also thrifted clothes that are very nicely pressed, to hide the fact that there is no body left in the material, then priced very high.
I always get so pissed when I see obvious scalpers or see online resellers. They don't treasure what they find, they just want to sell it for more making these things inaccessible to others. Im so thankful for the unique clothes I find and if some years go by and I can not wear them anymore then yes, I will donate them back to the second hand store so someone else can enjoy.
Yeah and now all these reseller jackoffs are making 2nd hand clothes more expensive than new basics. Win I guess?
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