Thrifting or second-hand shopping has been a staple in the lives of low-income families and college students for decades. From places like Goodwill to the Salvation Army, it is a place where people can shop for less than the price you would get at stores like Marshalls or Zara.
The newfound popularity of thrifting
However, in recent years, thrifting’s popularity has skyrocketed. Its popularity came from YouTubers like Emma Chamberlain and Adelala showcasing their thrift store finds, from trendy outfits to vintage pieces, and all for a very low price. But, with recent popularity, it has become increasingly hard to shop at these stores, because with the surge of popularity came the surge of prices, with their prices matching the regular prices in stores such as H&M and Urban Outfitters.
A couple of months ago, I went to a thrift store near my area for a concert, and a single jersey was $29.00! And while I still bought the jersey, I was shocked! Although it was the thrift store everyone goes to in my area, $29.00 for a second-hand jersey was outrageous, especially because only months before, I’d bought a similar one for $10.00. I could’ve bought that new jersey at Ross for the same price. Why should low-income families and college students thrift if prices are going to match regular stores? They shouldn’t pay these prices for second-hand items.
The rise of resellers
Resellers have been around for decades. With thrifting comes resellers. Resellers are people or businesses that purchase products from a supplier and then sell them to a customer for profit. They’re not necessarily a bad thing, but they aren’t a good thing either. However, resellers’ sales have doubled with thrifting’s rise in popularity. This makes it much harder for low-income families and college students to shop.
With second-hand shopping in stores being a thing, second-hand shopping online has always been there simultaneously. With apps like eBay and Depop, people can sell or buy their items for half the price, where I’ve done my fair share of online shopping (though that’s a conversation for another day). However, the issue of resellers is just as widespread online as it is in physical stores.
Resellers have become a big problem in the second-hand online shopping community, with difficulties including buying design or vintage things at the thrift store and selling them for twice the price they were sold for online. The people who shop at these stores already can’t afford high prices, yet these resellers are making it impossible to shop at places that used to be accessible to them. With thrift stores taking notice and upping the price of items, where does that leave the people who can’t afford this price increase?
Even so, I still indulge in thrifting even with these recent high prices: I have to adapt to these things, and sometimes they have good deals, finding some hidden gems for cheap. But not everyone can adapt, which is what resellers and second-hand shops should keep in mind.