Shopping for items second-hand has become my new favorite pastime. While I may have been part of the surge in consignment shopping the sector saw throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, shopping second-hand is a great habit to get into. Not only is it a great way to give some of your old items a fresh new life and home without them going to a landfill, but this sustainable practice reduces waste as well, and prevents the manufacturing of new materials by shopping from what is already out in the world. Not sure where to start? Here are a few of my favorite retailers that have changed my purchasing habits for the better.
1. Poshmark
The second-hand retailer I definitely shop and re-sell my items on the most is Poshmark. It is a platform where people can buy and sell second-hand clothes, home goods, and electronics. This was a great way for me to clean out my closet and feel good about giving my clothes a new home, while avoiding a donation bin that may or may not leave the item in the landfill, creating more waste. Not only have I been able to recycle a lot of my old items, but this is a great side income to get some return on these items I invested in as well! To increase reach, not only are items listed by brand and other filters but there are Posh Parties for certain styles of clothing or brands that any user can re-share to get higher visibility on items — a major way I was able to get audience reach on my listings! On the purchasing side, I love finding items I either may not be able to find in stock or in stores anymore, or items that are a few years old and aren’t being produced anymore, and giving new life to them. Oftentimes too these items are less expensive than their face-value worth, and many sellers are open to offers, so you can negotiate on items as well.
2. Mercari
Another marketplace that has influenced my second-hand shopping behaviors is Mercari. As a general e-commerce marketplace, it’s marketed as “the perfect place to declutter and discover items that are uniquely you.” I have found the most niche items I could ever look for on here — an old film camera, unique Taylor Swift merch, brand new Beats Headphones, and more. Similar to eBay, this marketplace truly has everything you could search for, and has the same opportunities for rare finds as Poshmark as well. Items are also open for offers or quick buy-nows, so there is room for negotiating, though again many items will be in great condition at way less than market value which is a plus, especially for students on a budget!
3. thredUP
Not only is thredUP great for finding top brands resold second-hand, but it recycles clothes as well; and will give you various store credits for doing so. As an online thrift store, thredUP brings the unique experience of thrifting clothing in person to the online space, and in my opinion, makes it easier to sift through brands or types of clothing you may be interested in. They also filter their different clothing and accessories categories by price, usually in brackets from $10-$60, which for some big-name brands is huge — especially on a budget! On top of this, thredUP offers a unique program called clean-out kits. When ordering a clean-out kit from the brand, they send out a bag to fill with clothing, and then once shipped to them they assess the items’ resale values, and give you cash in return or store credit from their brand partners. This is another brand that guarantees a second life given to used clothing and keeps them out of landfills as waste, either from the purchasing point of view or in reselling clothes for a payout.
While fashion is ever-growing around the world, much light has been shed recently on the surplus of environmental impacts this industry has on the world in terms of climate change. Fashion production makes up 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions, dries up water sources, and pollutes rivers and streams. On top of this, 85% of all textiles go to landfills each year, and washing some types of clothes sends a significant amount of microplastics into the ocean.
To combat this, shopping second-hand can make that much of a difference in helping to reduce carbon emissions, even on an individual level. While these are just three of many amazing platforms out there to reuse items second-hand, every little change to make the Earth a greener place makes that much of a difference.
Can’t get enough of HC UMass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets!