The Key to Shopping Second Hand

Cover Photo by Jordan Nix on Unsplash

In our last few articles in the Issue Magazine’s sustainability series, we talked about six different ways to start shopping second hand and how to thrift quality pieces and accessories. In this next article, we’ll talk about some tips and tricks to buy second hand pieces that fit your style and where to find those pieces. 

 1. Allow yourself a full day of shopping

 When it comes to digging for hidden treasure, allow yourself at least two to three hours of shopping.  It can take quite a while to dig through a store full of different items such as Value Village, and impatiently shopping can lead to both a headache and disappointment. Tip: try taking a lap around the store to see exactly what is in stock, before taking a few more laps to look at and check out any items that particularly stuck out to you. For the last lap, dig through everything you haven’t looked through already to see if there was anything hidden that you might like. This way you’re able to comb through the entire store and make sure you haven’t missed anything.

2. Figure out what you want to buy ahead of time

One of the best parts of shopping second hand is the thrill of the hunt. Finding unique pieces for much cheaper than one would find at a big box retail store is certainly one of the appeals of thrifting. However, this can also be a pitfall- being able to buy so many different items for so little can lead to buyer’s remorse once you’re past the peak of the dopamine hit. There’s been many a time where I’ve had to give away or recycle clothes I thrifted as they didn’t suit me anymore. One of the things you can do to avoid this is to think of what you want to purchase ahead of time- are you looking for pants today, or shirts? What specific style or silhouettes do you want? Don’t compromise on what you’re looking for as well- if an item only checks a few things off of what you want, don’t purchase it. You could end up fixated on exactly what you don’t like as opposed to what you do like about it. 

3. Research the secondhand shopping in your area according to what you’re looking for

As discussed within our ‘Six different ways to start shopping second-hand’, there are many different places you can shop second hand. Different second hand stores, whether online, consignment, vintage, or traditional thrift stores, tend to carry different styles in stock. Certain consignment or vintage stores tend to be curated by their owners for a preferred style. Some stores may lean towards a street wear style, while others might have vintage offerings for you to comb through. When it comes to big box stores such as Value Village or Goodwill, take note on each visit of their items- some may have a large stock of lingerie slips, for example, while the other store across town might have more donations of leather jackets. It’s also always a good idea to do some research ahead of time on sites such as Google Reviews and Reddit so you’ll be able to find exactly the style and type of clothes you’re looking for once you’re in store. 

4. Online browse ahead of time

Some curated vintage and consignment stores will have select items online, either on their website or on sites such as Instagram or Etsy. This is also a part of research- you can look to see what kinds of clothes and sizing are available, and try on items in person in rather than blind order. 

5. Make sure you purchase items that fit into your life and style 

Second hand shopping can offer up some of the most unique and interesting items you can find. However, it’s a good idea to keep in mind to try on and purchase clothes and accessories that work with your current lifestyle. If you mainly gravitate towards one style of clothing, give extra care if you’re thinking of buying an item that is completely different. Referring to point number one, while you might love the style of a piece that is completely different from yours, if it ends up gathering dust in your closet because you can’t pair it with anything else in your wardrobe or you don’t have any occasion for it, buyers remorse can be overwhelming.

Certain clothes and fabrics can be hard to clean and upkeep- think fur or intricately beaded fabric- that you would need to hand wash, purchase special cleaners for, or dry clean only. In addition, some clothes need to be kept away from light, excessive warm temperature, and moisture to be pristine. 

The second hand market, whether online or in person, is a great way to find unique clothes, reduce your contribution to fast fashion, and keep clothes out of the landfill. With this guide of tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your second hand experience you can be confident when you hit the shops. Happy hunting!