Where Do You Buy Secondhand Clothes?
Ebay, Poshmark, Depop, The RealReal, Instagram, or IRL? Plus my go-to sources.
A stressful statistic that I think about a lot is the fact that according to the British Fashion Council, there are enough clothes already in the world to keep everyone clothed for 100 years. Whether that is precisely true or not (I have questions about how much of that clothing is 4x & above) it still feels like a great reason to shop secondhand.
Used clothes can have a special allure. Older stuff is often better made. Vintage leather and denim develop an appealing patina. And for me, just knowing a clothing item has been worn and used by someone else gives it special value. It can also feel like an exclusive find because you know this is not something available to everyone shopping at Old Navy or Target.
I like to browse eBay for denim shirts and old Carhartt jackets, but I won’t buy anything unless they list the measurements. For other clothes, if I have a specific style, brand, and size I’m looking for—Superfit Hero Shorts 4x—I check Poshmark first. I feel like I haven’t really figured out Depop yet, and a friend recently recommended the app Gem to me which searches all the vintage and resale sites at once.
When I’m selling my own stuff, I use SellTradePlus, obviously. But I’ve had pretty good luck with eBay, too, especially for shoes and jackets.
So let’s discuss: Where are your favorite places to buy or sell secondhand clothes?
I want to know where you’ve had good experiences and where you’ve had not so good ones. This could be in person or online or some other way! Do you prefer to shop curated secondhand or go straight to the bins?
i LOVE selltradeplus of course -- it was a gamechanger for me! as my size has changed over the years, i'm no longer able to find much stuff thrifting and it's a real sadness bec i've always loved thrifting and love vintage clothes. i only really got into poshmark the past couple of years and i think it works very well for specific brands and searches. i still do miss the thrill of fishing out a treasure at a thrift store but the experience of going to store after store and finding nothing is depressing!
If anyone is in the Seattle area, I’ve heard great things about two big blondes – plus size resale boutique. Have not made the trip there yet, but I’m so intrigued. They do post some of their stuff on Instagram and they have amazing closet sales now and then from local plus size celebrities like Lindy West.