against these numbers, each person’s individual action can help make a wide spread draw back in demand for fast fashion and prevent further stress on the earth’s resources for the sake of style. While there are undeniable sustainable benefits to thrifting, it would be irresponsible to not discuss some of the ethical concerns with second-hand shopping. Many people are surprised to hear that the highest demographic of thrift shoppers in the U.S are middle class Generation - Z women⁴. This surprising demographics, brings up questions of whether or not our generation should be shopping at stores used as primary clothing resources for under resourced communities. While there is more than enough clothes in the world for all 7 billion people on the planet to be clothed, in fact with about 150 billion pieces of clothes made per years, that’s about 20 pieces of clothing per person⁵, because clothing is dispersed unproportionally secondhand shopping in certain communities may raise ethical concerns. For example if you live in an area with minimum second-hand resources for under resourced communities, shopping for leisure at these thrift stores may deplete clothing resources for the communities that need them the most. On the other hand major second-hand companies such as Goodwill and Salvation Army often get a surplus of donations. When these stores receive too big of a surplus, clothing in poor condition may get tossed in the landfill and donated clothes often get sent overseas to under resourced communities in developing countries. While the intention is that the clothes go to provide for these communities, providing free clothing can undermine these communities’ local textile industries and disrupt local economies⁶.
online selling apps or social media, thrifters may try selling a secondhand item for more than they purchased it or more than it is actually worth. While this gives access to unique thrift pieces to people who may not have access otherwise, overpricing cannot be justified and is difficult to regulate. The best way to avoid this is doing your research on the brand of the product and communicating with the buyer when you are preparing to purchase a secondhand good online. We have all heard that it is important to spend money wisely. When it comes to clothes, this phrase does not just mean to be carefully on your spending. We need to make sure that we shop thoughtfully and make fully educated decisions when we spend our money. No matter how you decide to shop just remember “ Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want.” - Anne Lappe.
The way to minimize these ethical concerns about thrifting is to do your research before you go shopping. Avoid going to thrift stores that are primary sources for people in need, or if you do go, be smart about your shopping and donating. For example, as we head into the winter months avoid shopping for coats, scarves and other essential winter items as this may be one of the only places that certain people can afford to get these necessities. Instead try going to a thrift store you know has a surplus of clothes or use one of the many second-hand shopping apps like Depop, Poshmark, Thred Up, Curtsy and more. Because thrifting has become so popular among the younger generation over the past couple of years, some consignment and secondhand stores have begun exploiting prices of their used items. Not only is this a concern for the accessibility of clothing for communities who rely on it, it’s causing pieces to be priced more than they’re worth. In the same vein, young consumers have been known to use the low prices of thrifted clothes for their own personal profit. Using
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