On more online platforms, Second Hand Shopping offers digital upgrades and deploys features like livestream shopping and AI-powered search to make savings faster and more exciting.
In many cases, choosing second hand over new items is a more sustainable option, but experts say it’s not a license for something overkill. They warn that there are restrictions on resale as they can still buy more than they need fuel, and whether online shopping can add emissions from servers and transport.
Industry experts and fashion forward shoppers also have a way to shop for second hand sustainably and find high quality pieces that last longer to look cool.
The rise of used fashion online
At eBay second-hand runway shows in New York and London, models wore pre-loved designer pieces that allow guests to shop live. Such second-hand items account for 40% of the company’s sales, according to Alexis Hoopes, vice president of fashion at eBay.
“One of our big priorities is making second hand items as much as shopping in major markets,” she said.
Thredup and The RealReal have reported record sales this year, indicating the rapid growth of the online resale market. The live auction app offers shoppers more platforms to bid on used clothing.
Shoppers looking to sustainability and navigating the growth of online options will end up buying more than they need to.
“We found that people who buy second-hand clothes buy more clothing than people who don’t,” said Meital Peleg Mizrachi, a postdoctoral researcher studying textile waste at Yale University. “Not only that, they tend to remove those clothes faster than other consumers. So they’re buying more and using that clothes for a shorter period of time, creating more textile waste.”
According to the Textile Recycling Council, less than 20% of clothing donations to charities are resold in stores. The rest is downcycled and exported – often in the country of the Global South – or ultimately dumped in landfills.
Alana James, a fashion professor at Northumbria University, said online resale generates emissions from transportation and packaging, and consumes energy by running a large e-commerce platform. But all of that pales in comparison to the environmental impact of producing new clothing, she said.
Experts say that true sustainable fashion requires moving away from the thinking of first fashion. It’s constant pressure to “buy now” and the manufactured rarity that promotes overdose.
“Social media trends showing off large shopping sprees” are “social media trends showing off large shopping sprees) said Katrina Kasperich, communications director for Remake, advocacy group for fashion human rights and climate justice.
“Responsible second-hand shopping means choosing the pieces you really wear, investing in quality, and resisting the pull of an endless trending cycle,” she said.
Find the best quality pieces
While it can be difficult to judge quality when shopping online, asking sellers about garments composition can help, said Wisdom Kay, content creator for menswear.
Natural fabrics are a good place to start, Kasperic said.
“We are looking for silk, cotton and bamboo compared to synthetics like polyester and nylon.
Shoppers need to look for items in line and note the quality of the stitches, says Julian Carter, content creator for menswear.
Wes Lee Breed, a content creator in fashion history, wants to buy heavier clothing made when more American products were made by the mid-1990s than more American products were made.
Shoppers sifting through hundreds of thousands of search results online, from 2018 to colour, should be very specific about what they want, said fashion content creator Amy Kelly.
“It helps you find cooler pieces,” she said. “And you have patience – look around, you’re going to find it.”
Make your work last
Finding the right item is just the first step. By caring for it, you ensure it remains a cycle.
A stuffed bag to keep its shape, put clothes in a clothing bag, and use muslin bags and lavender spray to keep moth eating natural fabrics like silk, wool and furry, said Liana Satenstein, host of eBay’s endless runway second-hand fashion show.
You can also learn to wear clothes and sew between cleaning, spot clean and air dry clothes.
“The buttons have fallen, so we’ll be shocked by how many people just throw cardigans,” Kasperic said.
Keep fashion in the loop
Second-hand sustainability isn’t just about avoiding clothing from landfills.
Mizrach, a Yale researcher, said anyone who sells or tries to hand over clothes should keep in mind where they are heading.
“Take it to a small community store or shelter. Where you know, they’re happy to have those clothes,” Mizurachi said.
Zara, H&M and other brands have launched their recycling programme.
eBay recently partnered with UK retailer Marks & Spencer for a takeback programme that allows shoppers to resell and return items in-store on eBay.
But the most sustainable choice is simply to buy fewer, Mizurachi said. The only way to change the way fashion companies do business is to make overdose unprofitable. That means buyers need to change their habits, she said.
“We can’t get out of the climate crisis,” Mizrach said.
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