mindful solutions for buying Secondhand

As the rise of secondhand buying increases, we think it is a great time to spread the word about upcycling and mindful shopping.

Gen Z has spiked an interest in secondhand buying from thrift stores and resale shops, it’s everywhere now, all over TikTok and Instagram. As a sustainable consulting studio we are thrilled people are finally hopping on the bandwagon, but there are some concepts to think about when buying second hand. 

Just because items are cheap or seem abundant (which they are definitely not even though it may look that way), getting in a routine of buying excessively isn’t a good habit. Second hand buying is the most effective when people take part in mindful shopping. 

Below are a few tips we have found to help with mindful buying as people who have spent some time in the second hand buying realm.

• Buying items for a specific event

• Shopping with a list of interested pieces/trends

• Buying to resell or gift 

• Giving yourself boundaries for how much to spend

• Proactive swapping (when you buy an item you then resell one already in your closet)

Second hand shopping is a way to minimize the clothes already outputted to the cycle and keep them rotating to new owners, especially when they still have so much life to live. It was built on the concept of keeping your closet sustainable, and when you are done using an item you pass it on to someone else. So buying excessively or just for the bargain can become a bit contradictory to second hand buying itself. 

We hope these tips help and become useful to you as you’re shopping. Our main goal is to keep the love of thrifting and second handbuying alive and well.

If you are looking to implement a sustainable purchasing policy at your company, then let’s chat about what that could look like for you!