Buying your clothes second hand has many benefits – it’s more eco-friendly, usually cheaper and you can find some really cool, unique pieces, just to name a few. But if you go into it unprepared, you may be overwhelmed by the rows and rows of racks and end up walking out with things you’ll never actually wear or even nothing at all. Before you go shopping second hand, take a look at these tips to get the most out of your trip.
- Know where you’re shopping
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Not all secondhand stores are the same, so choosing the right one for you is essential to having a successful shopping experience. First, you need to choose between in-person and online stores. Some people prefer shopping online to shopping in person. Services like ThredUp and Poshmark have made it possible to shop secondhand from the comfort of your own home, an option that is especially valuable during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Next, you need to figure out how much you want to spend and whether the price range of the place you’re going will allow you to get the number of items you’re looking for. Vintage shops tend to be on the more expensive end of the secondhand spectrum, with donation-based stores on the opposite end and consignment stores usually falling somewhere in the middle. So if you are looking to buy several pieces without spending much money, you’ll have a better time going to a donation-based store like Goodwill or Value Village.The final step in selecting the right store for you is figuring out which stores will have clothes that best match your aesthetic. Donation-based stores, like those previously mentioned, usually have older clothes that are further out of style and often from less “hip” brands. Consignment stores like Plato’s Closet and Buffalo Exchange carry more pieces that are currently or were more recently in style and will have more better-known brands because they hand-select the clothes they sell. Vintage stores are the most carefully curated of the three so even though their pieces will be older, they will likely still be stylish and from well known, potentially designer, brands.
- Know what you’re looking for
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Depending where you decide to shop, the sheer number of pieces to look through can be overwhelming. To make your shopping experience more efficient and directed, you should go into it with a specific aesthetic in mind or even better, specific articles that you’re looking for. Something that can be extremely helpful is putting together a mood board of outfits that you would like to emulate and then looking for pieces to help recreate those outfits. Otherwise, you can identify specific articles of clothing that you need more of, like pants or long sleeve shirts, and then concentrate your search in that section of the store. That being said, you can still keep an open mind and if you happen upon something that is screaming your name, you don’t have to deprive yourself from having it.
- Know your level of commitment
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One of the most frustrating things about buying secondhand is that not everything is in the size that you want it and it’s easy to fall in love with a piece that doesn’t fit you quite right. That’s why you need to know yourself and your level of commitment to making a piece work. Are you willing to tailor something that doesn’t fit perfectly? If not, then don’t bother buying it.
- Be realistic
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This leads me to my final tip, which is to be realistic, about both the clothes you are thinking of buying and whether you need to be buying at all. It’s easy to get carried away with shopping (hopefully less so if you follow the previous three tips) which is why this is an important rule to follow: if you can’t imagine at least five outfits to wear the piece with using clothes that you already own, DON’T BUY IT. And before you even go to a store, consider an alternative way of getting new secondhand clothes like a clothing swap with friends or asking for hand-me-downs from a friend or relative.
Shopping secondhand can be difficult if you don’t prepare properly, but don’t give up on it because the benefits to the earth and your wallet are definitely worth it. Everybody is different, so learn what works best for you and try to stay aware of the best ethical practices when buying secondhand.