Buying secondhand and vintage is a more responsible choice than buying new. I mean, if you think about it when you buy new it takes resources and energy to make all that brand new stuff. When you get secondhand and vintage it helps because it prolongs the lifecycle of those goods and you do not create more demand on the marketplace for new items. When you buy new companies have to keep making more of those products to meet demand. Seriously, if everyone on the planet only bought second hand goods it would truly be a godsend toward helping curb emissions caused by factories and put more resources into the hands of individuals selling their old stuff.
But the pandemic has really changed the way that people buy second hand! Now that Covid is on the scene, a lot of local thrift stores have stopped collecting donations. And knowing that Covid can live on surfaces for a while makes it more challenging to go local to shop. Did you know that Covid lives on fabrics for a week or more? Pretty unsettling if you are worried you might get sick!
Being a plus size woman, I have personally found it really hard to find my size at local thrift stores. I mean, surely there must be other plus size women in my community! But at a lot of the local thrift shops the selection is really small of clothing in my size, and what is there is less than desirable. So it can be hard to find what you are looking for locally when you are thrifting unless you are really tuned in to the type of goods local thrift shops carry on a regular basis.
Online thrifting is just exploding! And there are all kinds of ways to buy directly from individuals instead of chain stores. It is easy to both list and sell your own items today, and just as easy and fun to shop for second hand goods online. Modern times and technology have totally transformed the way that people shop second hand.
Websites like Poshmark make it easy to both buy and sell used clothing and home goods online, and the market is huge for those items! One downside of Poshmark is people often buy clothing on a discount in bulk from stores online and then mark it way up to sell on there. It becomes obvious if a seller has a lot of one item, so it doesn’t hurt to actually research the item at the store it came from to see if that item is actually worth what they are asking for on Poshmark. That being said, Poshmark is so much fun…it is like a huge garage sale only it is filled with items that you truly want to wear and use. I sold some clothes on Poshmark, and shipping became a chore because I had to go to the Post Office two to three times a week. Demand there is especially high for name brand and novelty items.
ThredUp is another great option for buying clothes and fashion accessories. I have had some mixed experiences with ThredUp though, because often times the clothes I have received from there are not even washed and have hair and debris on them or seams coming apart…yuck!! ThredUP does not accept returns, but if you sew you can easily alter or mend items if seams are worn. I bought some clothing from there when I was upcycling in the past and I noticed ThredUp often charges the same price that you would pay for the item brand new. But ThredUp has options for unloading your clothing and they claim to recycle things that don’t sell, which is bonus.
Etsy is a great place to buy vintage goods! I absolutely love shopping for old books and other vintage items there. I actually sold vintage semi-precious stone pendants on Etsy with great success. Etsy is great for if you have an old collection of goods and want to set up shop with ease. Adding items goes pretty fast, but there is also steep competition. Lately I have noticed some sellers leaving Etsy because they have recently changed some of their policies regarding shipping. Etsy is a great place to shop if you want to support small businesses and independent makers and creatives! I’m not sure about today, but in the past Etsy considered anything over ten years old to be vintage. I’ve noticed that there are sellers marking items as vintage on the site, but then saying they aren’t entirely sure how old the item is. So just know that if you are looking for true vintage pieces you might have to do some homework and research items before buying. Also, some shops on Etsy call themselves vintage shops, but are actually Goodwill Industries hiding under a different name.
EBay is another option for buying and selling vintage and second hand. I don’t have as much experience with EBay, but I do know it is fun to take part in auctions and even just look to see what people have on offer! My Aunt sells records on EBay and has great success there. EBay is a bit more intricate to set up if you are trying to open an actual storefront online, but there are books, articles and resources online that can help you figure it out. One thing I noticed about EBay is that there aren’t as many protections if you do not receive an item that was shipped to you. One time I ordered vintage sewing patterns that never arrived on my doorstep, and I never received a refund or compensation of any kind for that botched order. Poshmark and Etsy are much better as far as buyer protections, but there are ways people try to scam others out of designer merchandise on those sites so you have to be careful.
Above all, depending on what you are looking for there is a way to shop and sell it second hand online. If you just put a little effort in you can find all kinds of super cool vintage and pre owned pieces that will quickly become your favorite items to use and love. Also, setting up shop is just as simple! If you have lots of old clothes and need some extra cash, give Poshmark a try. Or if you have a lot of vintage home goods like books and housewares, Etsy is a great bet for selling. Gifting second hand is also fashionable and a great way to have eco friendly holidays. If you are looking to sell your old clothes and items online there is probably a venue that would be a perfect fit! My motto is becoming…shop second hand first before considering buying something brand new!
