How Depop RUINED Thrifting
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 18 янв 2022
- Depop has done impressive work popularizing second hand clothing with younger generations but in doing so… has it ruined what thrifting is all about?
Subscribe to Future Proof!
/ @futureprooftv
Stay updated on our socials
Instagram: / futureprooftv
Facebook: / futureprooftv
TikTok: / futureprooftv
Reddit: / futureproof
For further reading, check out the sources for this video here:
docs.google.com/document/d/e/...
Script: Holly Conklin
Editor: Reid Valaitis
Animator: Zachary Kastrukoff
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand
Want to work with Future Proof? Get in touch:
contact@befutureproof.ca
I still only have $20 in my pocket, but can no longer afford anything at the thrift store because I was priced out of everything cool by people who are going to immediately resell it online
That's so unfortunate - we're definitely looking into making a video dedicated to large chain thrift stores and how they operate sometime soon!
@@FutureProofTV That’s awesome! I’d love a video like that.
Cruel irony that Depot is cutting out buyers of community ran thrift stores from enjoying the fruits of the town’s thrift store.
That's why I only donate to the Salvation Army. Their prices are better.
Why are we turning this into a classist exchange? "Priced out"? Ever care to think that resellers are small businesses trying to make a living too?
The other day i found a thirft store that ACTUALLY had thrift store prices!! I was so shocked and refreshed!! I over heard the owner talking to an older customer saying how they aren't going to become "like those fancy thift stores" 😂😂 they seemed so passionate about it too. I hope so. Ill donate my old stuff to them just for that!!
Me too. I hate thrift stores that have boutiqued. No longer as random as before more “curated” now and so less thrilling because weird stuff no longer makes the cut.
What is wrong with becoming a fancy thrift shop; those shops sell stuff that is not going into landfills.
Go to small thrift stores at churches they have great prices and will aptly do good with that money.
@@hihowareyou6195 The second problem is that so many people are buying fast fashion that will not last for long.
I have one of those about a half a block from my house. Everything is donated and the proceeds go to fund their food pantry. I've found plenty of nice clothes, shoes, jackets, and other assorted goods and most individual items are priced at under $5. Most shirts and blouses are 2-3$. I think the most expensive thing I've found there was a lambskin biker jacket for $8.
Most thrift stores are filled with H&M and Zara clothes that the person who bought it never ended up using, and it still falls apart after a few washes.
Now I see a lot of SHEIN clothes at thrift stores…Eeewww
THIS
i think for me, the thing that really burns me is the fact that the chain thrift stores have such little overhead compared to a regular store... they get all their product FOR FREE... and it's literally hand delivered to their locations, FOR FREE. and then they have the nerve to charge people $15 for a shirt from a fast fashion retailer... it's basically all profit for them. and they know they can get away with it because people *will* continue to buy from them. I don't think the onus should be placed only on resellers; ultimately, I think the fact that resellers are keeping clothes in circulation for longer is a good thing, and if I can contribute a little bit to someone's student debt or rent while shopping, rather than a ceo's salary, I'm happy to do so!
That way you're paying to the ceo AND someone else's debts. Many people can only afford the first mark up for the cute clothes that they want, but not the second one, so the outrage is completely justified 🤷🏻♀
I am not sure if that is for every thrift store.. but in Europe, all of the donated/ thrown away clothes ends up in huge, gigantic facilities somewhere in Italy. Workers there sort them out. They are quite skilled to recognise what vintage is, for sport and other categories, and what's worthless today. The clothes will be shipped accordingly. Some may end up in the same town they came from. The worthless ends up somewhere where poor people live. There are also categories for west Europe, east Europe.
So thrift stores really buy the clothes here in Europe
And keeps clothes out of landfills 💯💯
Depop is just an example of the same trend seen all over the place. Originally, Air B&B was meant for people to sometimes rent out their spare bedroom or a temporarily empty condo. But it's become gamified and commoditized by big businesses, who take housing units off the market and flog them on the platform. Where there's money to be made, whether it's a lake cottage or used jeans, someone will find a way to turn the tables on the business model indentions.
As someone who relies on thrift stores, they have been raising their prices. I can't really afford their furniture anymore, I pick up free stuff people leave on the curb
We've heard lots about specifically Goodwill upping their furniture prices - that's so unfortunate! Stuff off the curb sometimes is even in better shape than what you'll find at the store... it's all luck of the draw at this point 🙃
So true.... to see used single mattresses for $180, when you can get a brand new one for the same price or even less on prime days, is surprising. I stopped thrift shopping at the salvation army and goodwill next to me because their prices were the same as buying from target or walmart and as someone who has thrift shopped for nearly 25 years, I will not be buying any used target photo frame for $35, when target is selling it brand new for $15
I don't really comment often but as a goodwill employee whose job is to go through bags of clothes and hang them, I don't blame you. Goodwill is so greedy marking up their prices. Anything with good brands or new tags is automatically boutique. I guess it's not a bad idea to price good name brands a little higher but the fact that goodwill is supposed to be a thrift store not a retail store is insane. Everything is so expensive now in my opinion.
@@MyreneHanley they are becoming like what ROSS Marshall's Burlington TJMax use to be now they are complete retail stores when they use to be discounted stores.
Those $125 Levi's are vintage orange tab. No longer made and no longer that kind of quality/fit. There's a buyer for everything
My thought as soon as I saw that. Legit vintage in good condition? Yeah, you'll pay for it
SOMEONE gets it
Yes, this is super frustrating, that they can point out the overall volume of garbage used clothing has increased, without examining why.
Garbage in/garbage out.
Yeah my son has a pair of vintage jeans and he plays hard in them. They hold up fine. I bought him a pair of pants from Target and he busted a hole in them in 2 wears. Sometimes it better to get the used expensive items.
I definitely appreciate a great thrift find and it’s interesting to see how things change when the internet has eyes in something that was already available to the world. I personally think that the opportunity to go to the thrift and find a solid piece for your wardrobe to keep is more work than a lot of people are willing to do but it’s usually worth it
Agreed, sometimes you just don't have the time to sift through so many options at the thrift store - but it's worth it when you cop a great find!
I agree that a lot of people don't want ot hunt! That's what resellers are being paid for. They find, clean, list, and store the item so someone who really wants it can find it. More than likely if it were left at the store nobody would have purchased it. Obviously some people are overcharging, but someone asking for 20 dollars plus 8 shipping or something isn't crazy.
@@TMeyer-ge5pj i mean it can be discouraging when you've been shifting through clothing for 2
30mins and all you see is SHEIN quality clothing 🤢 I wouldnt have been annoyed or enjoyed it more if there was only a handful of SHEIN H&M clothing but there is way more of those clothing then anything else
i attended college in a small town and thrifting was always amazing bc the prices were actually affordable and i could find handmade and vintage clothing more easily. miss those days lol
I price clothing at a Value Village, and first of all, those Levis jeans you showed at 2:37 are Vintage. The quality was way better back then than it is now, 100%. Second, Value Village knows its "trendy" to thrift so the prices are way high, and I personally don't agree with it, but I have no control over that part of things, and it sucks. We have people come into the store every single day and spend the entire day there just looking for valuable things, like vintage, or designer stuff. Its insane, the world we live in.
Also Value Village is a Corporation that is only about Big profits‼️💸💵🤑
How's the company for you? I'm not a pricing processor but I am a clothing processor whose job is to go through bags of clothes and hang them. I work a 8-4:30 job five days a week. Every hour i have to put a rack of clothes with 100 pieces. My store's manager manager lol, expect us to do 900-1,000. I used to do 800-830 which isn't bad but then the company wanted us processors to go out on the floor every morning now and clean up for a hour which takes 1 hour of a rack away from me and they still expect 900 pieces.
At that pice, 125 bucks, i am not going to buy levis.
Im actually happy that there is Depop. There is so muuuuuuch freaking used clothes coming to my country from US. That I don’t think North Americans are even conscious about it. Even with the amount of people selling on Depop we still get so much things. So clearly there is more than enough supply.
I agree with this. Plus, I love to support other college students making a little money to cover their expenses over big corporations. Anyway, many of the shops I buy from on depop don’t even resell- they just sell their own clothes. It’s a little more expensive to cover fees and shipping but I would prefer that to buying something trendy and new. Or I’m buying limited edition items that I can’t get anywhere else (lazy oafs collabs, etc). I get it’s a privilege to be able to buy that stuff but it’s helpful
Just curious are you saying this as a positive thing or negative thing? Also are the used clothes being sold in your country or are they being thrown away?
@@kennyb1588 i believe its a good thing rhat places like depot exist. It might not be perfect but at least is helping people with their economy.
The clothes comming to to my country from US is sold but must of it gets thrown away.
The amount of clothes coming daily is so massive that there is no way everything cam be sold. Even though there is a huge amount of second hands stores and sellers we are a small country with only 7 million people.
same! i live in the dominican republic and i swear i have found so many quality pieces for less than half a dollar in La Duarte haha
You're absolutely right! Most Americans aren't aware of the clothes/things we give-up and throw away (including food), we're fucking spoiled. The U.S. and it's consumerist binge lifestyle makes me wonder that we don't need market economies any more because there's so much crap out there. We are drowning in it. Developing countries just end up being the dumping ground of the global north :(
What I love about depop is that I’ve found items I owned previously (most of my clothes got stolen awhile back) that are no longer made and for like half the price! I appreciate the sellers that price fairly especially for something used. What is annoying though is when sellers overprice items, I understand everyone’s gotta get that coin now a days but when I see something that is priced super high, labeled as “rare” when it’s still being sold that’s annoying. Also a lot of things are labeled vintage that are not vintage.. it’s cool if it’s like 10 years old but if you got it two years ago or it just appears to be vintage style; it’s not vintage.. I could keep going bc there’s good and bad but this comment is already long. Great vid on the topic tho just subbed!
I try not to go on depop anymore because some sellers i deal with can't communicate well or if i have a negotiation, they just straight up ghost me lol. Or a time when i wanted to buy something a seller lied and said she was on vacation and could'nt ship and then the next day she sold it to someone else.
Years ago I used to visit the thrift shops with some regularity. In those days it was still possible to find reasonable deals on things like cameras (film cameras especially), electronics, and the like. Once stores like goodwill discovered the internet however the reason to thrift went away. Anything remotely useful is immediately pulled, marked way up and put on their web store. The stores are just filled with junk now so not worth the time or fuel to get there.
Absolute junk.
Yup, many goodwills in our area are filled with Walmart brands and school pride shirts
The problem I’ve realized for most local Ontario people, Value Village and Salvation Army are the monopoly of Thrift Shopping. Many small towns only have those options, which is a shame.
What really stinks about these platforms like Poshmark and dpop is the places like goodwill, and other thrift shops are catching on and either keeping the really good items and selling at higher prices online, or price gauging in store. I used to be able to get shirts for $2.50 at goodwill. Now they are $4.50! They even have their pink “boutique” tags where they price “high end” stuff even higher. They had the most disgusting north face jacket, holes zippers didn’t work, priced for $45!! They have American eagle marked up anywhere from $10-15…AT GOODWILL! I saw a mom tell her daughter that she could only choose one new shirt because they couldn’t afford the new prices of goodwill in our area. It broke my heart. But because of the resellers looking to make a profit, they know they can get those prices, at the expense of what their main cause is… to help people who need it.
That's honestly one of the worst parts about all of this, that these thrift stores have stopped catering to those in need because of the opportunity to make a bigger profit margin. Thrifting should be, above all else, accessible. Thanks for taking the time to share with us, we appreciate the support!
When cheap clothing becomes not cheap anymore, then eventually something will fill that niche. The market is there, so it's inevitable that some place will eventually fill it.
Damn, I didn't know that depop was so full of resellers. Here in Lithuania, Vinted is really popular, and it was made so people could sell their old clothes, I love that idea, but even there I notice that many accounts have hundreds of different clothes which is not so realistic if you only sell clothes that don't fit your needs anymore.
in Poland there's the same story with vinted.
Heard about Vinted being popular in Europe, we'll have to look into it more but people selling their old clothes is definitely the ideal! Wonder if there's any issue with dropshipping on Vinted too
@@FutureProofTV At least they're really strict with using pictures from the internet. And it's common to just receive everything in a few days so nobody would want to wait weeks or months for their purchases to arrive. Personally, I only saw cheap trendy clothes sold in many sizes but it seems like they just bought them from Poland and they are reselling them there.
Of course, what is sold depends on each country, I'm only sharing my experience with using Vinted in Lithuania.
@@FutureProofTV there are some people, who use Vinted to run their bussiness (without paying any tax, even though they should), but the majority of the sellers are private people.
I am so sad we don’t have vinted in Romania yet…
There’s a buyer for everything. Most people who resell clothes online are broke themselves. Take your anger up with corporations like Goodwill and Salvation Army that get items for free but mark it up to unacceptable prices.
they get them for free, but the work they put in to have their stores running for resellers to shop in is not free so
I got almost all my clothing through thrift stores... let me tell you I have noticed the prices gone way up and resellers everywhere. its real sad, its now becoming more and more unaffordable to cloth oneself or furnish ones house. Even childrens toys are targeted now. I can afford to buy new, but still choose to thrift because I can get alot more on less and for better quality, though quality has gone out the door as well in recent years. it stinks.
I found a beautiful pair of orange tab Levi’s in a really thick weight at my local thrift shop today. 15 Euro for a well conserved classic from 04/1992, Made in Spain. Unreal, makes you say “F you fast fashion!”
Our local Goodwill pretty much only has stained and holey clothes anymore. It makes the brand-new, neatly organized clothes at other stores very tempting.
Give me the stained, hole-y clothes that have a weight to them over the thin, paperweight crap that is a step above toilet paper
I can no longer find anything I like or can afford at thrift stores anymore. It is aggravating. It is actually cheaper to buy clothes at walmart now. They usually fall apart after one wash. I can't afford depop or poshmark. Good thing I know how to mend my clothes.
You can't afford depop? When I see things on there for $5 all the time?
@@zachariah7114 shipping and handling is a thing dude
I think the issue is that when normal people resell, we as a society villainize them for doing what they can do make what is essentially pocket change to survive. If we want to make a real change we need to demand governments and companies to do better instead of putting so much pressure on the little guys to take steps that only make a marginal difference instead of addressing the real root of these societal issues. For every person on depop reselling clothes there’s a big fast fashion company out there doing more horrible things both ethically and for the environment. That said dropshipping can suck ass but I don’t see an issue with people reselling vintage clothing just trying to survive, especially in this economy.
Thank you for having this perspective. I genuinely struggle with all the negativity towards resellers. I do a bit of thrift stores but mostly garage sales, estate sales etc. But I feel the need to let people know there are many grander schemes at play bringing us down collectively.
You're missing the point. Depop hauling is hurting those trying to survive because they can't find affordable used clothing anymore. Making a little bit of extra cash from Depop is fine but within reason
@@liz8597 dude I can walk into a thrift store and find thousands of articles of clothing what are you talking about
@@liz8597 Maybe the thrift stores shouldn't raise their prices then because it's not like supply is becoming limited. People are still donating tons and tons of clothes, it's actually a serious problem. This is corporate greed and they're charging more because they can. We're blaming the wrong people.
@@liz8597 The US literally ships tons and tons of used clothing daily to other countries to be sold by the BARGE. And that's the stuff that is in good, salable condition. The stuff that's genuinely trashed goes to the landfill. There is not a shortage of used clothing basically anywhere in the world at this point. People struggling to survive (can only speak to my experience in the US) are much more worried about access to housing, food, medical care, etc. There are tons of programs out there literally giving out free clothing for those who need it.
I’d love to hear more about large chain thrift stores. That seems like an interesting topic to get into.
I was unaware their business practices were problematic
I too would like to learn more about the way the large chain thrift stores are bad. Could be a cool future video idea.
I agree! I know goodwill is no longer accepting furniture. New vid idea?
Salvation Army is anti-LGBTQ. Both Salvation Army and Goodwill pay their top executives huge amounts of money. Goodwill is taking the good vintage clothing and selling it online. That's why you don't see the good stuff anymore. Value Village and Savers are for profit companies, even though they pretend to be not for profit.
Well everyone knows that Value Village CEO makes all the profit there, it's not a charity.
LOL your little Levi's comparison there @ like 2:40 is soooooooo ill-informed! While I don't deal in vintage, that was likely a older style of Levi's which can go for a lot compared with a readily available new style on their website. Apples to oranges!
I have thrifted most of my life. I went to Goodwill today and couldn't believe the prices. It used to be you could get something nice for a great price. The resale movement has really ruined it for people like me who can't afford to shop for clothes because I'm on Social Security. I can't believe people pay the prices these resellers charge. Now Goodwill is thinking why should we let them make all the money? Well, I will not go back to that Goodwill because I can go into a store like Kohls and get a dress or pants for just about the same price and new. People need to think that what they are doing is affecting others in a negative way.
Do I know? Most clothes land on landfills anyways. And those who plan buying from Shein I warn about high levels of lead and toxic dyes.
lol no. clothes is sp cheap, maybe some might have gone up but you can still buy plenty of clothes for under 5 bucks
This subject is a lot more nuanced than what you’ve discussed. I use depop for higher prices, rarer items I can't find at thrift or charity shops. Comparing it to thrifting doesn’t make sense imo.
You are missing the point. The reason you can’t find quality items in thrift stores anymore is that those items have been pillaged by resellers, leaving behind just junk.
@@klardfarkus3891 You are missing the point... reselling has been around since the dawn of time, minus the new age of internet. Ebay has been around since the 90s and we never heard a complaint about resellers back then. It was only until the global pandemic that made haul videos a "thing" that people are blaming resellers (like myself) for increase prices or the lack of high-end inventory. If you want to tackle the true problem, look at fast fashion that fills up the thrift stores (that many families still buy) and also look at the jobs not increasing their wages for workers, which might lead a person into reselling. Don't blame the person who goes into the store for 2-4 hours, pays 100-200 dollars and profits 100-300 off of that. That's a very lazy argument.
@@JacobWoodring you just have an inability to understand to understand any complexities beyond your own self interest. I am just saying that people who work full time cannot compete against professional resellers. Keep doing what you are doing.
Selling on depop was never a problem until sellers started making thrifting content on tik tok to maximize profit. That’s when thrift stores started catching wind of it bc of the blatant in your face glorification of it
When I'm looking for something specific, I love that I can check online for a secondhand version of the item and a discount. My wallet and my conscience are happier for it. I've bought and sold several items over the last five years (I'm not a reseller; I try to sell _my own_ things for which I believe there may be a particular market before donating to our overwhelmed local resale centers). I can count on one hand (frustrating that it is) that something has obviously been resold at a ridiculous markup, or with the condition misrepresented, and though it's frustrating, I find it less frustrating than paying full price for a retail item and realizing it's crap. I love thrifting, though it's hard to find time to do it as often as I'd like, and around me, it's hard to find the local spots - Goodwill, Savers, Salvation Army, etc definitely are the bulk of the stores (but also receive the bulk of the donations, so often have the best inventory)... I'll try to find some smaller resale shops, though, because I do think that's a good point.
This! I am a part time reseller and even I am willing to pay extra on sites like depop, poshmark, etc if I'm looking for something specific. I.e. I am a big fan of pacsun jeans, I am more than happy to pay a reseller to buy it second hand rather than going and paying full price. The reality of me finding that specific item in my size in the brand/style I want in a thrift store near me is SO unrealistic. I am thankful for resellers lol. I'd rather pay someone $20 for something I very well know they probably thrifted for $5 than go pay a fast fashion store $60! They took the time to thrift it for me lol. I will always pay for convenience....
Great points made throughout but I will add that specifically for the example comparing the $125 levis to the $70 levis, the $125 ones are orange tabs, which were primarily made in the 1970s. Those jeans genuinely are rare and would justify a higher price than the $70 ones shown on the levis' website.
local op shop centres down under have developed “boutique” sections, and generally have marked up prices across the board. in primary school, i got picked on for buying stuff second hand, but now it feels like i can’t even afford it (seriously, op shops should not be selling clothes for more than 20AUD, 50-70AUD for a used jacket or shirt? at a charity shop? unless it’s limited edition or collectable or whatever, that’s horrible. second hand shopping is just irl depop at this point, at least in my area)
I use Depop to buy clothes because my style is too specific and there’s nothing that fits it in the thrift stores near me
Interesting, it would be interesting to see a video that compares the social and environmental impacts of different thrifting options, online, consignment, national thrift stores and local thrift stores.
That's a great idea, thanks Amy!
I always have to evaluate pieces I thrift for the quality and wear of fabric and seams. It's a bit harder to do that when buying online. Multiple items I've gotten from thred up are not as advertised imo. For higher quality items it's better to go to consignment stores in persons and not necessarily thrift shops.
I wish there was an alternative use or way to dispose of the clothes that won't sell other than a dump. I helped at a local thrift store and they would just throw bags of clothes away bc they didn't have enough space or people to sort it. Same with toys or housewares. They had enough kitchen dishes and other glassware to host a ball though.
There are charitable donation centers at many churches that give clothing and items to the poor and needy. I know there are many Catholic and Lutheran churches that operate charitable donation centers, often in or near areas where there are many people in need. Call and see which ones have a donation location and even which ones are in particular need of items.
textile cycling is a good option. you can look up if there are any places near you, or look up charities or companies that recycle textiles via mail-in. it takes a bit more effort to find the options that work for you, but it feels great to know that your clothes aren’t going to landfill.
Turn it into t shirt yarn and weave a rug or something
I love depop. What i dont like is sellers making tiktoks and videos about their best hauls bc then companies like Goodwill are definitely watching those and making executive decisions based your content now that they are very online. Like an average day is usually not as bountiful as content creators are making it seem. Influencers do the same thing with city life and then gentrification follows. It was kind of an unspoken rule to be low key until tiktok happened and everyone sold out for their own self gain. Everything comes with consequences. Now the jig is up and those content creators awakened the sleeping giant
I mean reselling is not new,,, even before ebay antique and vintage dealers were going off at flea markets buying mid-century or antique clothing stuff to resell for exemple. With the rise of depop for clothing (and before that ebay in general) it just make it easier for anyone to do that, and way cheaply made clothing is "valuable" like forever 21 from the early 2000s. I don't agree with resellers buying everything decent in the store before they got there first but at the same time, thrift stores won't run out of clothing. I volonteer at a small non-profit thrift store and the amount of clothing we have in stock is insane. Every person coming could buy 20 pieces we still wouldnt run out anytimes soon.
There’s a Plato’s Closet near me in San Diego and I’ve been going there few times a month just to see what speaks to me. It’s not the 99¢ thrifting once was. I feel really good about finding good quality items, supporting my community, and finding unique pieces.
I sell my clothes there for a few bucks rather than trying to sell online
I think the unaffordability issue is definitely a reflection of our uber-connected post-internet world and the fact that mentally, we still shop for clothes like they're disposable.
Obviously, I might have a much smaller client base if I were to sell an old vintage piece my mom no longer wants in the small suburbs I live in, so I'd be willing to sell it for whatever, as opposed to finding a buyer halfway across the country who would be willing to pay $$$ because they actually love the piece.
Furthermore, the reason people there are some over-priced products on the second-hand market is that people are still buying clothes for clout or to follow fashion trends. It's not like we all suddenly have no clothing and therefore have no choice but to buy more clothes, most people in Western countries have plenty of clothes accumulated over the years, and are buying more, regardless of whether it's from H&M or Depop, simply because most buyers WANT more clothes, not because they need it.
In an ideal world, the only sustainable reasons for buying more clothes is because we've had significant changes in body shape (weight gain, weight loss, people undergoing gender transition), we need clothing for a specific occasion (say, formals for a young person starting their first office job), or because we literally need them (clothes lost in a fire/theft).
Unfortunately, this also means that we'll need to decouple from "fashion" and its endless seasons and trends cycles. This hurts me as well, since I actually enjoy the creativity and self-expressiveness of fashion, and also benefitted from certain clothing trends, such as skinny jeans looking better on me than flared, for example.
This is so well-developed and thought out, thank you for taking the time to write this comment! We agree - consumerism is definitely the largest player in the overarching problem surrounding fast fashion, thrifting, clothing manufacturing, etc. We should definitely be moving away from thinking of fashion as something disposable. Great food for thought!
So well said
I agree chasing trends is a problem. But I think you're forgetting that some clothes literally just wear out. And there's a limit to what the average person can mend.
Ahhhh BUT orange tab Levi is worth a lot more then Levi’s brand new. 1. Made in the USA 2. Orange tab means they are either from the 70s or 90s which are much more valuable in my opinion.
I shop at the goodwill outlet by the pound, items come out to about $1 or $2 each. I’ve talked to employees that have told me they don’t have enough time to process all the items dropped off at goodwill stores which is why they created the outlet. Anything not sold at the goodwill outlet goes to the landfills next.
I grew up pretty poor. I never had a single piece of clothing that was new, always a hand-me-down, sometimes 2 times over. I was always out of style. When I started working my second job at 16 I thrifted all of my clothing because I was done being ostracized for my horrible “fashion sense”. Thrifting made me feel like I finally had control over my appearance. Like I could crush an interview for an internship and look like a really put together person. It crushes me to see yet another thing made so “trendy” that it then prices people like me out of being able to afford nice clothing. I think this trend of thrifting, like it’s a game, perpetuated by people gouging prices is causing way more harm than good for sustainability. Thrifting was once the only option for people in a lower income level to afford clothing. Now most of us are finding the only option we can afford now is fast fashion. It’s great to see people take a sustainability a little more seriously but sometimes I think a large amount low income people are being priced out of that lifestyle all together.
Great video by the way! Sustainability, especially in the context of low income families, is really important to talk about!
Time to go back to just gankin' mofos?0))
This is false. There are millions of blazers and dress pants in thrift stores and on reselling sites online. Some as cheap as $10 online. Maybe you are just not savvy enough to look in the right place.
I think you made two statements that are contradictory with each other.
1. You stated, that the new way of buying used is pricing out people because there is a lack of used clothing and prices go up.
2. You stated, that regardless of reselling clothing there is so much clothing coming into the US. that there is no way it could all be consumed by the people and it ends up in a landfill.
So which is it? Because I feel like they can't both be true.
I would argue that they can coexist: 1/The number of items that are resalable is going down as demand increases; notwithstanding that, as long as we're buying Old Navy, Shein, H&M, etc., many of the items people are donating (because they didn't hold up to their first laundering or buttons fell off or they felt cheap or the seams gave out on first wearing) far outpaces the well-made items making their way to the secondhand clothing market. That stuff doesn't sell, can't be recycled, and ends up in landfills. Think about the thirty-wears idea, too - if I buy a pair of 100% cotton denim Levis, I can probably wear them thirty times, and more. They will get better with age, even if they show their wear (and may even have a niche market BECAUSE of their wear; see 1980s 501s). If I buy a pair of stretchy fast-fashion leggings, they will likely start to warp (because elastic and plastic don't like heat) and I'll be lucky to get a third as many wears before they are essentially garbage.
Great video! I volunteer at a local thrift store that supports our animal shelter. We curate the items that we sell so there are no stained clothing or ratty underwear. The clothing we will not sell on the floor is sold by the semi-load to a company that shreds them for insulation. There are so many creatve ways to use the products we have over produced!! And so many ways we have not yet discovered!!
When I wanted to gift a secondhand character mug, I took to mercari since buying online can give specific results of what I wanted, unlike going to my local thrift stores in a surge. What I found was new. Multiple sellers with “unopened” figurative Grinch mugs. Guess it at least might save some stuff from the landfill if it was overstock or something
Great video. Between green washing and drop shipping, I just feel like my good intentions are being taken advantage of by everyone (but maybe that's just capitalism 😅). Overall, I'm working on buying less in general and also higher quality so I can wear it longer. Buying local will be added to that list :)
We've all got areas to improve upon, happy to see more people looking towards local options moving forward!
I’ve been selling on depop for almost a year now and it’s seriously has changed my life for the better. Textile waste is one of the most prevalent things filling up landfills and I like the idea that I’m give clothes a new home instead of having them rot in a landfill.
I tend to shop secondhand online. The town I live in has a few thrift stores, I always check out the clothes, with years of doing this, I didn't even found a hand full of items that matched my style. Online I always look for people who clearly are just cleaning out there closets and I always ask for extra information about the fit and fabrics. This way I can thrift my style and avoid buying from a person who buys to sell or drop-ships. For me the online secondhand platforms give me a way to shop secondhand and I can use something others don't anymore.
I might be crazy but it's the opposite for me here in Atlanta. Big name thrift stores I've always found quality brands and clothes for cheap and it's the local white hipster run places in the grungy gentrified areas that sell for ridiculous prices and throw around words like "curated"
I can't help but to feel the issue of re-sellers is being inflated here. I've too noticed that there's a lot more fast fashion items on the racks at thrift stores, and I don't always have "luck" (Though I feel that has always been the case) but I think that says more about what people are buying and then donating than this idea that the thrift store is being picked over every day by re-sellers.
i agree. i went to a consignment shop that is supposed to have higher standards than thrift stores who don’t choose what to take in, and i saw shein pants for $14. since so many people buy fast fashion now, that is what they end up donating to the thrift store and it creates a really weird cycle where a lot of the newer things being donated are terrible quality. i hope this trend changes. edit: typo
EXACTLY. The trend has changed, more people have gravitated to vintage in just the past YEAR than we've ever seen prior. So naturally, they donate their old 2010-2017 H&M, Zara, Topshop stuff, and search for a Nirvana tee, or Patagonia fleece or Made In USA Nike and Levis. I sell vintage clothing, and we find this video as pretty comical. The act of reselling is NO WHERE to being a new thing, it's only new to being talked about or noticed by.."normies" 🤷♂️. Vintage stores have existed LITERALLY since the 1970s. Buying and curating vintage has always been a thing was always being done before any silly little app came along.
EXACTLY why do so many people miss this? It's so obvious, especially with the way that sites like shein encourage buying a huge "haul" and just donating what doesn't fit/is too bad quality to keep. Like no shit our thrift stores are gonna be overrun with this crap as a result. Thrift stores have always only been as good as what is actually donated. If more any more people are buying cheap, disposable crap, then that will make it to the thrift stores instead of higher quality items.
Levi I must admit,
I was quite hesitant ab the rebranding of your other channel and the birth of this one. I was worried it was gonna be a break from form and would result in the downfall in quality in both channels, as we've seen with other creators before.
BUT
Ive been watching all of the FP videos and have to say I really enjoy what youre doing here. You've been able to have two places that can inform me and create a place for safe discussion ab the planet and what we love. Its truly a culture Im glad youre fostering and I hope to see you grow.
Thankyou for all you guys do.
Thanks so much Edgar! So glad to have you on board!
I'm sure I will get ugly feedback on this, however I think you might be missing a few things. Yes there are those that don't do handmade, yet the person who wants unique will know the difference. As far as people who need the 2nd hand items, everything that is sold at my local St. Vinnie's puts extra food in the pantry, helps someone who needs warm clothing or blankets by free vouchers, pays someone heating or electric bill, and also helps when they are short on rent. Some items would be left due to age, size, or damage. A reseller see's opportunity to clean, mend or upcycle in to a new article to be used and not tossed. As well as the people who can't get the styles they like where they live and now has something they love. There are a lot of factors that go into this, thank you and I hope this gives you a little extra insight.
My roommate lost his job and turned his hobby of thrifting into his current job. He now makes more money, is much happier, and not to mention it saved him when he was struggling financially. The vintage Levis that are shown are only overpriced because of the size. People want good 100% cotton jeans but they don't exist anymore unless you pay the big bucks, or slightly less for vintage. Most resellers are not hunting through Goodwill stores but are going to Goodwill outlet bins (which are MUCH different) or warehouses where most of the stuff not taken from there is thrown away. The mass influx of reselling is a huge indication that the outsourcing and cheapening of clothes over the past two decades has hit a boiling point. Less and less people want to buy new garbage and they are right to feel that way. Resellers are not the problem.
The same issue with increased demand and "curators" "hauling" is happening to estate sales as well. The days of seeing a card board sign late on a Sunday and it not being picked over are gone.
Would you rather the items not be purchased at all so that you might get a pick of the (imagined) cream of the crop?
@@sammonicuslux The way I see it is purchased to resell is a bit different than purchased to use. I'm not saying people shouldn't make there living curating or flipping these items. Just that the side-effect is an increased competition or price for the person who is purchasing the item to reuse it.
Also, I don't think that "cream of the crop" is very imagined. While trends come and go condition and quality consistently make items more desirable vs not. Fast fashion brands that fall apart after 3 washes will never be on par with something that was made to last years +.
I hope you could also include or touch on the massive industry of preloved clothes/bags/shoes in developing countries in the future. In my home country, thrift-finds called “ukay-ukay” is so profitable, there are shops dedicated to preloved items almost everywhere and they also have strong presence online thru live-selling. Importers get them in bulk from overseas usually from first world countries hence, the imported/first world country surplus marketing employed by most shops/sellers. It would be very interesting to see their supply chain.
What is preloved
@@clashoflands Just another term for used/second-hand items, meaning its pre-owned.
@@Riri-ho7pm y complicate things
@@clashoflands I don't know who coined the term or from where it originated but "preloved" tends to connotate the item is used but not abused/basically used with love thus, still in good condition
I sell curated 2nd hand and vintage clothing. I am happy that I watched this video because I knew that I have needed to change the way I sell my clothes and I haven't figured it out yet. But I am grateful to hear the points that you mentioned, as this is a talked about topic a lot in the community... often times heated and you mentioned somethings I haven't heard often. Also definitely also recommend going to local thrift instead of big ones! Thanks for mentioning that.
The used market has always been huge. The biggest difference is that in the 2000's and before it was done through holding garage sales. The money was taken as cash, then used to buy some clothing from a different garage sale for your now bigger offspring from someone with slightly older offspring and the rest was put towards the weekly grocery trip. It was never reported. Now a lot of it is bought with a credit card, online and shipped which means it is automatically reported.
Such an awesome video with so much that needed to be said. My only thing to add is reselling sites are the best places to ensure a more niche items finds a home where it’s wanted and will be used. As a dancer I often buy second hand leotards from online and will even resell some of my own on those sites. Without such outlets I would have many dancewear item that would go to waste and I would need to buy brand new leotards online for myself. This is such a nuanced conversation and one without a simple solution.
Definitely! Reselling vintage items so they reach the people who will love them isn't really the issue here, more the culture around overconsumption and the "I can just resell/donate later" mentality... but we agree, there's no simple solution. Thanks for being a part of the conversation here!
I go to 50¢ Thursday at Last Chance Goodwill every 3 months to get my clothes. I don't really care about fashion, I just care about if they have anything in my size.
It’s funny because my ex girlfriend, who had college paid for by her parents, used goodwill as a side hustle with poshmark. I don’t understand how you could even ethically do that.
I am fully supportive of buying second hand clothes, mainly because I'm cheap, but in the "Vintage" space, it has gotten a bit carried away with itself. I used to work in a warehouse sorting clothes for a trendy vintage shop and a lot of these clothes have made multiple trips around the world. A most of the stock I sorted came in from India where they had previously been shipped as charity donations years ago and just sat in warehouses. Naturally, they don't tell anyone this because they're charging obscene prices for clothes that they buy for pennies and for a bit of the good old greenwashing.
Another thing to note is that vintage 90s clothing is still fast fashion crap arguably worse than what is available now and not worth the premium that's charged for it. You have to go pre 70s for any affordable, very high quality stuff or milsurp, if that's your thing (though that has also travelled far but they don't hide that.)
I'm in the UK and the state of our charity shops are awful. They've caught on to the vintage thing and are now really hot on pricing anything trendy accordingly, and they are also filled with crap that I could get brand new for the same or less. Only a few years ago, you could snap up excellent clothes for a couple quid. Homewares are still pretty decent though, got some good crystal glasses for 99p each, so theres still hope.
Would love to see a video digging into the large second hand store (Savers, Goodwill) and how/ why they are good and bad
I'm a student and reselling allows me to live without having to go into debt. There's an overabundance of cute low-priced clothes in thrift stores and online, you just gotta know where & how to find it. I think this is a very sustainable and ethical job, because it does not involve any industry or production, and it does not deny anyone of anything essential. I definitely have a problem with putting a high price on health care, housing, food and education, because these are essential and should be accessible to everyone. But access to the fanciest rarest vintage pieces is just not a necessity
I feel like there are a lot of voices complaining that the things they “want” are overpriced (I.e. 2000’s “y2k” retro items - which by the way when the trend cycle ends are going to end up back at the thrift store / will lose value eventually) vs people who shop outside of trends for what they need (like myself) don’t have a problem and easily can buy from individuals who are simply selling excess in their wardrobe for a decent price. I don’t think having access to items popularised on tiktok or in the micro trend cycle really vibes with what buying less and buying second hand is meant to be on a personal level but would I rather people who want to follow those trends buy from resellers rather than chase those trends on shein? Absolutely. Is this a viable and ethical way to have a business? Absolutely. Having the skill and time to curate for style trends is valuable and it absolutely helps cycle clothes that might otherwise be thrown out or sent to other countries back into the wardrobes of people. It might not fix the problem (general overconsumption) but it definitely helps mitigate some of the really awful effects of fast fashion for people who still want to participate in trends, wether I agree with that participation or not!
@@Jellibox yess true! There's plenty of affordable clothes available outside of trends, and honestly even inside trends, just not under the name "rare sought-after y2k" 😅 But scrolling through hundreds of "denim skirt" results takes a lot of time and effort, which a lot of people don't feel like doing, and that's the service resellers provide
I'm pretty sure the local Goodwills are the busiest places in town. We quit going there entirely after they built themselves a very swanky building & found out the CEO makes 3/4 of a million a year & instead support our local Restores.
Keep up the great work. I love the topics covered by your channel!
Glad you like them! Thanks for leaving a comment 👍🏻
That's not an artichoke shirt, that's a PROTEA shirt.
Lol came to say the same
I LOVE physically going to a thrift store and browsing around. It makes the experience worth it. Buying overpriced online basically makes me steer towards buying new, so while I understand the convenience of the good items having been chosen for you and put together in one website... It just doesn't appeal to me. Especially when you consider those things are vintage and sizing is probably really different from today.
It’s the same thing with the housing market. Flippers buying all the houses and people have to live in cars or rent 4000$ apartments.
I restore vintage computers, like Macintoshes. I'm working to keep old computer hardware out of landfills. Its rewarding to help someone be able to use something they used a kid and know it's reliable.
That's awesome! We need more people like you making sure what's being resold is reliable and in good condition. Thanks for joining us here, Thomas!
I volunteer at a local charities consignment shop. It is almost heartbreaking to see how some consignors need the income from their items that sell. For others it is a community where they can get some regular human contact .. sort of like CHEERS but with no booze (everyone knows your name)..
Thrifting takes time, energy and you are limited in location (unless you are able or want to drive for miles every time you are looking for a "new" pair of pants), so depop and other reselling site can be useful and welcome. The people are the solution and the problem in such cases. They can resell thrifted clothes, help the environment and earn their living, or they can abuse the system for the profit not caring about the world or their customers.
Great topic as always Levi and the team :)
What does it look like for a reseller to help the environment vs abuse the system? Is there a different between good and back resellers?
Thanks for taking the time to share with us, Karin 👏
@@sarahr.3241 There is a lot of gems in thrift stores, that might not get purchased because fo time and location restriction. And also because it need mending or a thorough wash. I don't mind if somebody earns money, because somebody found it, washed and maybe even fixed it.
Maybe saying that both are resellers is doing a disservice to those who care about clothes and people, but I just wanted to point out, that it is not all bad :)
There are people who upcycle on Depop as well - who modernise pieces that might otherwise not be sold and make them appeal to a new audience. Also if you aren’t a conventional size thrift stores near you might not even stock items in your size forcing you to buy from ff brands like shein or Kmart etc. There is so much nuance to this conversation that is lost.
Thank you for this!. Great points. I also think supporting your local consignment shop (not a chain but locally owned) is a good idea too. Yes they are more picky about what they take and it won't necessarily sell but it gives people a chance to keep money local and buy second hand. I also love our local charity shops and have found the best prices for wonderful items. They are also always staffed by volunteers who are the sweetest people ever. We have one that supports hospice and another that supports cancer patients and you can always donate more at the register if you want. I've seen people with designer items at the register simply donating more because they know what they have is worth way more than its marked for and want to support the cause.
Hey Levi. Loving the content as always. Just food for thought as these videos remind me of a podcast -- have you considered making a podcast where you discuss issues like these? You could talk with special guests and continue adding to your videos like this while discussing other ideas around the world. Love these style of videos!
I have had a lot of luck with Patagonia’s Worn Wear program. The prices are a bit higher obviously but their clothes are great, it’s still cheaper than new and they are an ethical company.
And buying Patagonia secondhand is also ethical.
While I think all the criticism that you've made is valid, I do think Depop has made a huge impact in making clothes that would usually be seen as undesirable into "trendy," such as styles as "grannycore/cottagecore" or Y2k that would have been seen as outdated/unstylish just two years ago. Aside from the vintage styles/brands like Levi that have always been popular, a lot of what I see on Depop isn't really stylish in a mainstream sense, or was made trendy by younger users, such as sweater vests or those Twilight-era ruffle shirts. Selling these clothes at least gives them a new life and saves them from being trashed. Depop also makes thrifting assessible to people who might not have thrift stores near them, or don't want to support Goodwill/VallueVillage ect.
I live near a thrift that sells clothes for 50c. NOT. Most of those clothes sit for months at he 50c price and GW sells clothes way more than that. The next store has $1-2 shirts, Salvation Army was $1-10 for anything and they closed. What's worse is Salvation Army had bigger selection of dress pants/khakis and $3-10 cheaper.
There was one time I was at a Goodwill store and I overheard the manager telling another employee to make sure they add 30-50% more to the price because of their regular 20% off email coupons and at the time 50% off Saturday sale so that the discounted price would be the same as its value
I'm a little confused, what is the difference between someone hauling to resell and people shopping at a thrift store normally? In the video it sounded like the problem was the thrift store was missing out on money and therefore the ability to help the community, but both people would be giving the same amount of money to support those causes. Is the problem with hauling that afterwards people going to the thrift store to find low cost items because they can't afford more expensive ones aren't able to?
depop resellers are the same people who will shit on people who shop fast fashion but the thrift everything that isnt grandparent clothing and resell it for as much as they possibly can. and i can guarantee you they probably have an iphone and/or wear nikes.
also, thrifting is generally not even an option for some people. whether it be because theres none within a reasonable distance or the thrift stores near you just dont carry anything that’ll fit you. plus sized people and people who are more petite usually have very few option at thrift stores, the thrift store near me, i’ve NEVER, and i mean NEVER seen it carry anything smaller than a medium except for childrens clothing, and the childrens clothing is in a size that i can’t fit in because it’s too small. and plus sized people, it’s hard enough to shop online because of the lack of size inclusivity, most times, it’s even worse in person, especially in thrift shops.
Please tell us the problems with the big name thrift stores.
Can do!
Only good things you can find at reasonable prices is dvds, not clothes, not furniture, not even appliances
So I have use depop because I am a tall woman. I am outside of women's average sizing for length, that you get in most stores thift or regular stores.
So the alternative for me is buying fast fashion clothing specifically made for tall people, which I try and avoid at all cost.
I also struggle to buy clothes at ethical and conscious brands too due to my height and there lake of size inclusivity.
Although I totally agree that depop and others like it are having a massive negative effect and are by no means good for the planet.
However personal it is the most sustainable and ethical way in which I can buy clothing that fits and I enjoy wearing.
Thanks for sharing, Alice! Our intention here is definitely not to bash the users or resellers on Depop, just to bring light to an issue and spark discussion. We appreciate that you make an effort to not buy fast fashion and be the most sustainable you can be - being intentional and mindful about your consumption practices is key here. 💪👏
It's honestly exhausting. People come in and want you to just Hand them all the most typical trendy special items. Nope, you've got to work to hunt for it like everybody else. "Where's all the rock and roll records?" As they lick their chops. "Vintage t shirts?" Rubbing their hands together. It's gone. We didn't even get any in the last bunch of stuff we got. Be more creative, y'all just watched Stranger Things or something and want the most generic things. Oh and SO many people came in looking for bell bottoms and platform shoes for a 70s Halloween costume.. groundbreaking. Surely they realize people in the 70s wore a lot of other things...
I’ve been a reseller for 4 months. I lost my job prior due to missing work to stay home with my daughter, who had Covid. Reselling has provided me with a means to contribute to my family’s financial health. I have my own business. I work hard, and long hours. Most of the clothes found in thrift stores end up in landfills. There is a place and purpose for those who resell. I would much rather individuals such as myself make money as opposed to big corporate executives. Thrift stores don’t need to raise their prices. Don’t blame resellers, we are bringing items to a larger market, and many of us are doing so with sustainability in mind.
Is that how you justify your actions? Making a profit off of something you didn’t even produce?
I personally really enjoy thred up because i can search for items in my size. But i do also really enjoy some small local thrift stores in my area
Have heard good things of ThredUp - thanks for sharing!
Thred up is horrible. Horribly priced & horrible ethics. They steal clothing, and they actually LIE about the previous value of items. They claim things are a “rare find” and jack up the price. I know this because I’ve sold to thredup and they tried selling a 20$ hoodie for almost 100$… they’re not an honest company whatsoever. I have paid more than retail for used clothing from that site & the poor sellers that gave them their clothing get literal pennies from the sale. They’re lucky if they get more than 5$ for their item that thredup took most of the cut from. This is why I would much rather buy off Depop because at least I know, the individual is getting paid and not some corporate fat cat.
@@FutureProofTV Thredup is GOOD but resellers making a little extra because their job doesn't pay a living wage is BAD? Come on! BTW Thredup sells bulk boxes of clothing that may missing labels, mens clothing (they don't sell mens clothing), really good brands, designer brands and clothing they just never bother to sell TO RESELLERS!
When I was younger (5-6 years old), my parents and I used to go hit swap meets and flea markets to resell all of our stuff (clothing, appliances, or toys). Since our economy really wasn't the best back then, my parents did this to make ends meet.
As the years passed, our economy improved and we stopped doing it, but this whole ritual of getting up early, having breakfast at the swap meet after hunting for clothes, and putting outfits together once I got home really stuck with me. I hold those years close to my heart.
However, scalpers and resellers gentrified my local swap meets. I cannot find anything for cheap now.
Great video mate!
A lot of the extra clothes from thrift stores end up getting cut up and sold as rags. We see some pretty wild shirt designs on the rags we get at my welding shop
Looks like a better alternative to Shein. It's not perfect but a great way for people to make thrifted items more fashionable and exclusive than new items for people that care about that.
Also, local thrift shops often employee people with special needs that cannot find employment elsewhere.
Workin' on it 😜
Lol he doesn’t know what orange tab levis are and says “you can buy it new for cheaper.” Bro nobody is forcing you to shop on depop you can still get down and dirty in the goodwill outlet like the resellers, no one is stopping u.
Thanks for another great video! Local shops rule!
Future video request: I know I shouldn't shop at Savers, but why? What are common bad practices across bigger thrift store chains? I would love to know more and hear your take on the chain thrift store industry.
Thanks so much for you and the team's time on making these videos. They are always something I look forward to and I appreciate all the information you make accessible.
Thank you so much, we try our best to be as informative as possible while still being entertaining, so we're glad we've kept you interested 😜 We'll definitely add that to our list for future videos!
We live in a college town. So many of the students mine the stores for resale during the school year that most quality clothes are snapped up early each morning.
This video was super informative. I didn't even know about De-pop.
i love depop, i’m a reseller and buyer, and there are definitely still clothes in thrift stores after i and other resellers pick stuff for our shops. i don’t sell everything i buy, but even if i did, there are still so many great clothes left for people with various styles. there’s a lot of effort in reselling and a lot of people crap on it without knowing the work that goes into picking, listing, and packaging items.
and there’s also still a lot of clothes at thrifts, there’s a popular idea that cheap clothes are gone after resellers stock but that’s more of an urban legend.
great video as always levi, i really enjoy this channel. and there is nothing like going to a local shop and having the thrill of the hunt for unique and sustainable items. i also can’t stand dropshippers, they ruin the platform and they’ve also taken over etsy.
I don't care about how much "work" you put into it, you are still acting as a middle man and making used clothes much more expensive. You are literally widening the class divide in our society, and I won't support it.
@@KyurekiHana a lot of people who resell are doing it to get by too, and labor has value. This is the labor of creating pictures and presenting the products to a wider audience, and cleaning and in a lot of cases and repairing the items. A lot of people don't have the time to go thrifting or the skills and knowledge and supplies to repair damaged items. Time is valuable and people all know this so they're willing to pay more money for something they find in 5 minutes online from a reseller than something that would take them a whole day of shopping to find, or maybe doesn't exist in their area. In urban areas where thrifting is trendy and tons of young people live the supply is limited for many reasons other than just resellers picking. There is just more competition for the clothing especially as what's coming in is increasingly low quality because of the fast fashion crisis. In more rural areas these clothes sit in thrift stores and eventually get thrown out. Plenty of resellers either live in good locations to source or they take the extra time and money to travel to these locations to source, then bring it to market to a wider audience of people so these things actually get used and loved. Reselling is also an extremely flexible and accessible way to make money, meaning lots of people with disabilities, single parents or people who have to stay at home more often to take care of family, or generally anyone who needs extra money but can't access normal employment as easily or people already on government benefits who can't be normally employed because of our broken welfare system but need more money to live, can use reselling as a way to earn much needed extra money on a flexible schedule. If society was set up in a way to support people better then maybe they wouldn't be attracted to reselling as a way to make ends meet or to get themselves to a more comfortable place financially. Times are hard out there for a lot of people especially right now and reselling is another flexible way people are helping themselves by putting in work.
I can’t speak to depop since it’s not a thing in New Zealand (at least I don’t think it is) but we have countless retail stores that specialise in sourcing vintage clothing from Europe and North America and then reselling them for ridiculous prices like $80 for a plain Ralph Lauren t-shirt or $180 for a pair of 501’s.. and you pay that because it’s part of the fashion of today’s market and it’s what you’re seeing everyone wearing on social media. I have seen a really cool example of genuine charity stores fighting back on this though with a Hospice charity store getting local teenagers in to help with Instagram marketing and modelling to put a new spin on the clothes that have been donated to them. It was nice to see capitalist marketing strategies being turned on its head for a good cause
Would love a video about the issues with The Salvation Army, Value Village etc!
In Poland, it begins to look similar. Vinted and other sites made thrifting in Poland more popular than ever; mostly because of big profits that could be made by selling unique clothes. It's possible because Polish 'vintage' market is not that big yet. In bigger thrift shops, hundreds of people can wait outside the store on the 'drop' day, when the new stuff arrives. There are even some organised groups travelling the whole country in order to find the exclusive stuff. Poland has many thrift stores, even in pretty small pin-sized cities, where people are not conscious about the value of things they could get there, so thats where often the resellers come acrossg
No wonder why I can’t find anything in the thrift stores these days :/
i feel like that levis example isn't the best to proof the point, the levis u showed were orange tabs which are rather rare, vintage levis already have a whole niche audience some willing to pay up to thousands for the jeans with special features. Definitely can't be compared to something generally availably sold on the levis website.
Love this video!
Can you do a video on Pela's Lomi? I live in an area without a green waste program and I am looking into a way to compost my food scraps.