Anyone who knows me will tell you that for as long as they can remember I have loved shopping secondhand. From a young age, I adored rifling through charity shops and since the advent of Ebay and apps like Depop I have been obsessed – I just love it! In the past year I have been making a conscious effort to try and buy secondhand where possible and the main question I get asked when I tell people this is always along the lines of – how do you find what you want, surely you miss out on getting items because you can’t find them?. This is, however, always a surprisingly easy question to answer because I am yet to ‘miss out’. Much to many people’s surprise, with a bit of patience and knowing what to search for you can almost always find either the exact item you want or one very close to what you are looking for. The advantages are huge – helping clothes avoid landfill, not supporting huge corporations & fast fashion, saving money – the list goes on.
Today, I thought I’d share a few items I have my eye on from the high street and how easily I have found alternatives. To help illustrate this I have left the timestamps on my screenshots to show you exactly how quick the process was – I found alternatives for three items within half an hour! This isn’t me trying to brag about my speedy searching skills (haha!), but actually to just show you how quickly and easily you can make a sustainable change! Plus, sometimes you come across even better alternatives to the items you were looking for – now there’s a good feeling. A fun and easy process that will save you some money too – what’s not to love? Still not convinced, let me show you!
Knitted Vest – Arket
Price: £59.00
Search Terms to Use On Depop: knitted, tank top, vest, knit, wool, vintage tank, sleeveless, black, high neck
By buying secondhand, alongside saving the planet, you’ll also save up to: £51.00
L.F. Markey – Basic Towelling Shorts Sunflower
Price: £65.00
Search Terms to Use On Depop: towelling, shorts, vintage, towel, yellow, terry towelling, elasticated, high waisted, running shorts
By buying secondhand, alongside saving the planet, you’ll also save up to: £45.00
Midi Poplin Smock Dress -New Look
Price: £22.99
Search Terms to Use On Depop: tiered dress, midi, poplin, layered, black, zara, tie-back, smock, cloud
By buying secondhand, alongside saving the planet, you’ll also save up to: £7.90
Note: Some of these items are more expensive than the original item, but may suit what you want more than the original item. There’s always a great range of prices and brands.
What do you think then? Are you convinced? If I bought the cheapest of each of these items instead of the new ones I would save £103.00 and the planet – isn’t that the loveliest thing! Wow! If you are keen on the idea of doing more secondhand shopping, why not take part in Oxfam’s Secondhand September? It is a 30 day pledge to only shop secondhand, will be great fun and is a great way to get into the habit of reaching for a secondhand source rather than the high street brands!
Note: Images from this post were taken from Arket, L.F.Markey and Newlook, as well as the featured Depop Sellers.