Best Second Hand Shopping Online
Image: Vestiaire Collective
Second hand and preloved fashion is having a moment and we’re here for it. We have found the best second hand shopping online.
Second hand shopping has never been this glorious. Lockdown gave consumers more time to reflect on their shopping habits. This has led to 12 million people in the UK purchasing a pre-loved item in 2020 so far. According to eBay, there have been 30% more second-hand sales in June 2020, compared to March of the same year. Thats 1,211% more pre-loved sales than at the same time in 2018.
Did you know that the British buy more clothes than any other country in Europe? And that 350,000 tonnes of discarded garments go into UK landfill each year? Fashion is notably one of the most polluting industries and accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions and 20% wastewater. This means that second-hand shopping is one of the most sustainable choices you could possibly make, and it is also one of the cheapest. Second hand shopping also means that you can purchase items you wouldn’t normally afford. Making sustainable shopping a completely affordable option. If elbowing old ladies out of the way at Jumble sales, or getting up early enough for a carboot sale doesn’t sound like your thing, then get online. A recent surge in digital platforms and apps are making your experience smarter and safer. These are a few places we love to browse regularly and have found some real gems.
Depop
Originally designed as a social network where PIG magazine readers could buy items featured in the magazine, it quickly escalated as a global marketplace. Gen Z is the generation obsessed with second-hand shopping, now Depop functions as a social mobile space where you can see what your friends and the people you’re inspired by are wearing, reselling, or looking for. This new generation ecosystem is home to 21 million+ stylists, designers, artists, collectors, vintage sellers, sneakerheads and more. Depop is aiming to become climate neutral by the end of 2021. The platform also provides educational resources and mentorship opportunities to help entrepreneurs, creatives or small businesses from underrepresented groups grow their businesses sustainably.
Loopster
Loopster was founded by Jane Fellner, previously an investigative filmmaker. When creating a film in Bangladesh about child labour used to makeclothes for a British retailer, she learnt about the real cost of fast fashion. Since then, Loopster has been on a mission to reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry by buying and selling second-hand fashion. It offers premium quality, women’s clothes but also kids’ fashion at a fraction of high street prices. Need to clear out your closet and want to resell your good quality items? Then Loopster has to be the easiest choice, as you don’t have to sell every piece of clothing separately. If you have items to sell, simply create a Loopster account, request a Loopster Clear Out bag to fill with at least 15 items, and they pay you upfront for all the items they can resell.
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Thrift
Thrift+ founder Joe Metcalfe, left his job in 2014 with the mission of bringing charity shops online. In 2015, he built & launched the UK’s first Click & Collect app for high street charity shops. Thrift+ was originally founded to make the charity shopping experience as good as the best online clothes retailers. He wanted to build a great online shopping experience for second-hand clothes while making it easy for individuals and brands to re-sell unwanted items to give them a new life. Thrift+ also raise funds for charity with every sale. The majority of us already donate our second-hand clothes to charities, so they want to supercharge the impact of that generosity by asking every seller to nominate a chosen charity to benefit from their sales on Thrift+.
Vestiaire Collective
If you’re on the look for some great designer pre-loved or vintage items, then Vestiaire Collective is for you. They have a selection of over 300,000 luxury and premium items at up to 70% off retail price! Whether you’re looking for an investment piece at a more reasonable price or something old season, their range is unrivalled. All items are authenticated and quality checked by their team of in-house experts when sold. Meaning you won’t have to worry about being scammed. Their team is made of proud Fashion Activists who believe business can be a force for good. Thats why they’ve created an internal task force with 5 teams to promote and support: Equal Opportunity, Women’s Empowerment, Ethnic Diversity, Disability, and the LGBTQIA+ community. Plus their ‘less is more’ packaging has just launched, and it’s 100% reduced, recycled and recyclable.
Beyond Retro
At Beyond Retro, product is sourced up to six months in advance, aided by a sophisticated information management system that gives constant internal trend updates, which helps them respond to shifts in the fashion zeitgeist on a weekly and monthly basis. They also rely on a network of trained treasure hunters who look for great quality second-hand clothes: only 1 in 1,000 items make the cut. Based in their East London HQ, they process one shipping container per week, where their product experts examine each box for quality control before hanging items for pricing. Last year, alongside their parent company Bank and Vogue, they rehomed 90 million items!
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Disclaimer: The people and models in the images featured are not associated with The Vendeur and do not endorse it or the products shown. This post may contain affiliate links. Prices correct at time of publishing.
