Benefits of Thrift Shopping For Second Hand Clothes

Do you thrift? You do if you've ever been to a store that sells previously owned goods like clothes, electronics, furniture, books, or music. If you've ever used an online used goods site like eBay, Etsy, or Craigslist, you do

. Ever shop at a consignment store? That's thrifting. You can even call yourself a "thrifter" if you've donated items to an outreach organization like Goodwill. If you have thrifted, you've undoubtedly experienced some of the benefits of thrift shopping. If you're new to the world of thrift, we make a case for thrift shopping below.

The world of thrifting is large and growing. It includes people from all walks of life, all nations, and every possible interest. Some people intentionally shop at thrift stores at every possible opportunity because thrift merchandise is much less expensive than what they would pay in a retail store.

Others shop at online thrift stores to make a statement about sustainability and the environment. What is thrifting? The thrifting definition is purchasing second-hand goods rather than new ones.

To get the most out of the thrift experience, it's good to step back and take a look at the whole thrifting world: the concept, what they offer, how they offer it, and what impact it can have on us and our world. Some surprises are in store as we closely examine the benefits of thrift shopping.

13 Benefits of Thrift Shopping - Is Thrift Shopping a Good Idea?

If you're wondering if thrifting is a really good idea, here are a baker's dozen reasons that shopping in-person or online for thrift is a good idea. As we go forward, we'll unpack some of these reasons to buy second-hand more. Remember that this list is just for you: reasons you personally will benefit from thrift shopping. We'll also explain why it's suitable for many others.

#1 Save money!

Your money goes a lot farther when you thrift. Instead of spending hundreds on the last video game player, you can go online and find a used version—often of the same platform, buy several guaranteed games and still have money left over for pizza rolls to eat while you play.

#2 Save clothes going to landfill

You can feel good about yourself as an environmentalist when you thrift, regardless of what you buy or where you bought it, because you just kept something from going to the landfill.

#3 Make a fashion statement

Thrift shopping allows you to make a new fashion statement—one a week if you'd like, with a totally new outfit or just a hip new T-shirt. You might also be interested in grabbing some interesting pieces for DIY projects or even starting an upcycled clothing brand - whatever your interest, a thrift store somewhere will likely have just what you need.

And with many second-hand shops online these days, you don't have to trek across the country to find your picks but rather can browse from the comfort of your home.

#4 Connect with other like-minded people interested in sustainable fashion

Thrift shoppers form many communities: on the Internet, in person, at your office, and even inside the local thrift store. Once you begin to shop via thrift, you can choose to be part of various new groups.

#5 Support a good cause

You can also feel good knowing that every time you buy something from a non-profit, mission-based store, the largest percentage of the money you spend goes to assist those in need. Larger brand name chains support their own causes, while smaller thrift stores may donate to or support local charities.

#6 Experiment with new looks without the cost of buying new

Ever wonder if a fashion look that works for someone else will work for you? Ever wonder if you'd like to try a particular hobby but didn't want to pay an arm and a leg to find out? Thrift shopping allows for inexpensive experimentation with everything from vintage clothes to unique homeware finds.

#7 Avoid overpaying

Ever buy something so expensive you felt you had to use it or wear it to justify what you paid? Thrift alleviates the guilt associated with overpaying and combines the feel-good of saving money. Many also find thrift shopping great for kids' clothes when they are growing so fast.

#8 Find unused items for less than the price elsewhere

Often, both online and at brick-and-mortar stores, you can find brand-new clothes and unused items for a small percentage of what those items sold for new. Often larger retailers and department stores give end-of-the-season and unsold items to second-hand shops, which means you can pick up perfectly good clothes for far less than the price of new.

#9 Perfect for Christmas sweaters

Often used only once by the previous owner, you can find those ugly Christmas sweaters when you shop thrift. That is to say, if you know you will only need something once or twice, why would you pay retail?

#10 Replace lost treasures

You can find another version of the shirt, book, or electronic gizmo you meant to bring on this trip and accidentally left at home. Many people just love the treasure hunt vibe of thrifting, sorting through the rails (real and virtual) in search of something just right for their style.

#11 Unique gifts for less cash

Whose birthday is coming up? Since you would take the price tag off anyway, sometimes there is no better place for gift shopping. Check out our guide to secondhand gifts for more inspiration.

#12 Bring along those shopping refuseniks

There is something about the casual, wide selection of merchandise available when thrifting that erases the hesitation of your friends, grandkids, and co-workers who might be accompanying you to get browsing.

#13 Enjoy a pressure-free shop

The atmosphere is laid back, the parking is closer to the front door, and the browsing is less anxious than in retail stores. If you're thrift shopping online, all this is doubly true.

What's Available When Thrift Shopping?

You can find practically any item that was once new, either sold or was available for sale in some type of thrift setting. It's important to know that some items that could have been sold legally in the past are now illegal.

For instance, merchandise made of an elephant's ivory is only available for sale under certain, very specific conditions. Food, drink, and medicinal items with dates also have sales restrictions. Apart from such exclusions, retailers can resale virtually anything.

Many thrift stores specialize in what they offer. In-person or online consignment stores may specialize in name-brand designer clothing or high-end furniture. Non-profit brick-and-mortar stores may seem to have a little of everything, but a close look reveals they specialize in clothing, furnishings, and household items.

Growing moves to online thrift

Recent years have seen a burgeoning list of new web-based second-hand retailers. Many of these maintain lists of items that they do not allow posting for sale. Internet search engines are pretty effective at finding sites that will enable the sale of specific items, whether you desire to purchase a particular piece of merchandise or sell it.

Some shops specialize in acquiring brand-new items that failed to sell for the first time at big-brand retailers. They often deeply discount overstocked merchandise such as this from the original retail price. Fortunately, such merchandise often comes with an intact factory warranty.

This is the age of home goods stores that specialize in selling discount clothes, shoes, electronics, and decorations. A close look at the price tags on these items often reveals markdowns, new labels placed over old labels, or partially removed tags. This merchandise probably started at a large, fashionable department store, and when it didn't sell or the marketing season changed, they sent it to a deep discount store—a thrift marketer.

Thrift Shopping Destinations

The practice just discussed for for-profit stores buying inventories from more prestigious retailers is only one of the many types of thrifting organizations today. We could go so far as to say that any merchant offering any form of used goods is a thrift marketer. Of course, that would mean yard sales and pawn shops are thrift destinations. Rather than getting that far into the weeds, let's take a look at the significant versions of thrift marketers.

Different Types of Thrift Shopping:

Non-profit mission-based stores

Think Salvation Army and Goodwill. These were the original thrift outlets in England called "charity shops." From the beginning, the income made from selling used household goods and clothing has provided for those living in poverty, particularly by creating work, housing, and skills training.

It's noteworthy that this concept is highly developed in some international venues. For instance, Oxfam, the British thrift chain that began just after World War II, operates many specialized marketplaces internationally. (read more about the history of thrift shopping)

Consignment shops

These broker brand name used items for those who own the merchandise. The stores share a percentage of the purchase price with the original owners. Purchasers will still save money.

For-profit brick-and-mortar

Like the discount houses mentioned above, these stores acquire significant volumes of unsold merchandise from retail marketers and offer it to consumers at discounted prices.

Internet thrift shops

This category includes a dazzling variety of different types of marketers—everything from international behemoths like eBay to locally based sites like Next Door. While there will always be brick-and-mortar thrift shops, there is no doubt that the world has begun to look for bargains and make thrifty purchases through the Internet.

Many online thrift marketers have developed apps that allow sellers and purchases to conduct all phases of online purchases from their smartphones or tablets. We cannot overstate the growth potential for online second-hand sellers. It's worth remembering that Amazon, the world's largest marketer, began selling used books online.

What Is the Environmental Impact of Thrifting?

The one aspect of thrifting about which there is universal agreement is that thrift shopping to buy and sell is environmentally beneficial. Thrifting is the essence of sustainability. Every item purchased is one less item that makes its way to a landfill or which negatively impacts the planet in other ways.

For instance, the "fast fashion industry," of which so many appearance-conscious individuals are enthralled, produces over 15 million tons of waste annually. According to the New York Times, if this material is not donated or recycled, the industry often burns the excess - 85% of it.

Read more: 37 Fast Fashion Facts & Statistics

The polymers in the burned material emerge as air and water pollutants. Of course, these pollutants prove unhealthy for breathing.

But additionally, the microfibers often end up in the ocean, where fish consume them, which are, in turn, consumed by human beings. What is true for textiles and clothing production, in principle, is also true for other forms of merchandise as well. With this in mind, it's good to know that you engage in a form of recycling every time you purchase second-hand items.

Buying from thrift shops helps reduce wastage and conserves precious resources.

Also, the extent that buying used clothing online or in a brick-and-mortar, second-hand shop means there is one less item you need from the retail store. As such, thrifting diminishes the need for the sort of new clothing that fast fashion mass produces. While this might seem to imply merely a small overall impact, note that up to 17% of shoppers each year use local thrift shopping in place of regular retail purchasing.

Thrifting is also good for the human environment. Through both in-person and Internet sales, thrifting provides direct jobs. Also, it promotes the continuous circulation of usable items, which implies the need for more workers in ancillary positions: movers, shippers, clerks, IT professionals, warehouse workers, launderers, and repairmen and women.

Consumer sales stimulate the economy. In fact, 70% of the economy of the United States is made up of consumer sales. We are all abundantly aware that many retail sales practices are not environmentally friendly and are not sustainable. Thrifting demonstrates that consumer sales can be healthy for the environment and simultaneously healthy for the economy—to the tune of $18 billion a year.

Why Are More People Enjoying The Benefits Of Thrift Shopping?

Beyond all the reasons listed above for why thrifting is beneficial, there are many other reasons thrifting has become popular. However, we should recognize that thrifting has been popular for the last 120 years since first introduced in North America and Europe, from where it has spread around the globe.

In the previous 25 years, the Internet has caused this long-prevalent practice to grow exponentially in popularity. There are several important realities behind this growing popularity.

The Internet makes locating and acquiring unique, specific items much more practical and possible. Thrifting makes those items affordable and provides a more sustainable purchase option.

Fashion influencers and thrift shopping

Thanks in no small measure to social media, trends in fashion and accessories now go viral globally. Thanks to the Internet, the second-hand market and DIY suppliers (think Etsy) can respond to these trends by promoting the available merchandise sought by consumers.

Thrifting has also enabled treasure hunting. A growing number of entrepreneurs seek out brick-and-mortar shops and search online for underpriced brand-name items they can purchase and remarket. Flipping is not just for houses anymore.

When it comes to furnishings, especially for new home buyers or those living on their own for the first time, thrifting makes it possible for the décor in your residence to "hold hands." In times past, people often settled for whatever piece of furniture or needed accessory was available and affordable. This style of decoration was often called "early marriage." With the advent of online thrifting, matching accessories and furnishings are readily available and affordable—and often, shipping is free.

Read more: Click on for our deeper dive into why thrifting is so popular.

What Are the Different Ways to Shop for Thrift?

Essentially there are two basic ways to thrift shop: in-person or online. Several factors will help you determine which of these is better suited to your needs.

First, do you know precisely what it is you'd be looking for? It's okay to answer, "No." Casual, patient browsing is allowed. And nobody is going to hassle you, either in a brick-and-mortar shop or on the Internet. Any local shop in your community will serve if you're just browsing. Search for web-based thrift with the sort of items that intrigue you.

If you know to an extent what you're looking for, you have to ask whether or not a second-hand shop in your community will likely have your item. If so, the best course of action is to plan your schedule so you'll have plenty of time to peruse the available merchandise. Who knows, you may discover something you weren't even looking for. Or an item that you "can't live without," and you want to leave plenty of time to talk yourself into buying it.

The greater possibilities these days, however, are found online. There is an astounding number of resellers out there. The best way to proceed is to launch an Internet search for the item you want. It will take you to a website where you can use the site's filters and FAQs to your heart's content.

Related: Once you get those new items home, read our guides on cleaning used shoes and washing thrift clothes for some pointers to ensure you can step out in style.

Why Should You Go Thrift Shopping?

Thrift shopping is a creative process. It's interesting to note that early 20th-century mission workers used thrift to teach newly arrived immigrants how to manage money and understand American fashions and habits. Just so, thrift shopping today offers a clear, enlightening vision of American culture at a particular time of dynamism and change.

Beyond the fun and the multitude of benefits, thrift shopping quietly transforms our attitudes and undermines our negative prejudices. Many of us frown upon second-hand merchandise, notably clothing. For this reason, it's worth noting that resale clothes have been scorned in the past, only to repeatedly prove the worth of textile recycling. Thrift helped overcome the stigma of used clothing in the middle of the 20th century when synthetic fibers were commonly used in new fashions.

Many individuals sought out resale shops to purchase items they otherwise could never have afforded. Others turned to thrift to snatch up styles they loved that were out of fashion and unavailable in retail stores. Thrift proved its worth for families in the early fall enabling many parents to afford clothes to send their kids back to school.

They are thrift sites of endless possibilities, joyful creativity, and perpetual hospitality. Thrift stores will always welcome you, even if you can afford to shop anywhere you want.