'Clothes are cheap these days, no need for second hand'

[Upsidedownandinsideout]

Just read this exact phrase on a current thread re FB selling groups but see it again and again on here.

Am no saint, I still buy things from Zara as well as preowned, and haven't darned a sock in my life. Still I worry that if even the members here, who generally work hard to do the best for our kids and worry about their futures, think nothing of buying new school trousers every growth spurt instead of taking up or down, or buy a new costume (flown from China) every year for World Book Day, or can't see the point in bothering to sell a second hand item - that's not a great sign for the future of our environment, especially when our fast fashion industry means that there increasingly isn't much value in donated clothes either.

Realistically though, AIBU to even spend time worrying about this? I feel like a (small, full-time-working and time- and money-poor) drop in a very large ocean every time I think about these things.

No need to be rude @squeekums
yy to buying new if it is the same price.

My dd has a gorgeous Zara coat bought from a charity shop for less than £5 as it was on a clearance rail. She has loads of designer kids clothes, all bought from charity shops. My MIL thinks I buy them new so she's happy and I save a fortune!

If you don't want to trawl around the charity shops have a look at Oxfam on line - there are loads of bargains on there, lots of designer labels and free returns if they don't suit.

www.oxfam.org.uk/shop

I never buy second hand clothes as they generally have a funny smell to them. Also, I find that a lot of (even quite expensive clothes) look tired quite quickly and even get holes

I haven't experienced things having a funny smell, but I mainly buy online, often from the same people. Always 'from a pet free & smoke free home' so if something did arrive smelling of smoke or covered in pet hair, I'm protected by PayPal and will get a full refund including return postage. Almost all the clothes I order come freshly washed, ironed and nicely packaged. When I sell things on I always iron with scented water, then fold between sheets of tissue paper.
I tend to avoid charity shops as my toddler gets restless, and TBH the smell in some shops puts me off. I don't understand why staff don't take the clothes to a laundrette before selling, I'm sure they'd attract more customers and make a lot more money if the clothes were clean and the shop had a fresh smell.

I didn't know until recently that most charity shops chuck out straight away anything smelling of smoke, it is a shame that they simply don't have the facility to freshen stuff up before putting it out and don't want to taint everything else in the shop.

SheWho - our "freshening up" consists of a steamer and a bottle of Febreze ;-) And steamers don't do much to freshen up, they just get the creases out.

It's not unknown for a volunteer or the manager to take something home to run it through the washing machine if it's very smoky or dirty and we think we could get good money for it. We'll also hang smokey clothes by the back door to try to get rid of the smell but it lingers SO badly and if it's a really heavy smell it can contaminate the whole shop. We don't get that many smokey donations but when you do it hits you as soon as you open the bag.

eBay is my friend. I got my dc1 a beautiful Zara coat for 99p looked brand new. She has some amazing monsoon stuff which cost £2/3. Dc2 is mainly from sainsbugs or eBay I buy bundles for £10 which last months then they go to either charity or my childminder.

A lot of my clothes are my sisters cast off’s.
I’m not particularly fashionable and wear what I find comfy. I do own some very expensive quality clothes which I’ve had years.

I don’t really do charity shops as I find them around here very expensive, I’ve had a few bargains.

People who buy lovely things in charity shops - do you spend hours hunting through crap for every great find?
Oh yes Where I live (not particularly affluent) it's no good calling in occasionally. It needs to be at least once a week.

Or do particular shops have better stuff than others?
Also yes. But round here it's not enough to just target the better off neighbourhoods - you also need to know the patch pretty well. For example, I find the best stuff is often in the shop for the local charities, e.g. the hospice, because they attract one or two very well off donors who presumably have a personal connection. But the other stuff will be crap. Whereas in a shop for a big, national charity, the overall quality might be a bit better but you don't get the absolute gems.

It takes a lot of time. I do it mainly because I enjoy it.

No need to be rude @squeekums
yy to buying new if it is the same price**

Who was being rude? If someone wants to tut tut about others buying new but are on an iphone or the like they really have no leg to stand on
yy? Dont know that acronym sorry

please please please keep using second hand - we can't afford to be a throwaway society - and what terrible messages to give to our kids to always get it new.... let alone the cost implications!

yy I basically mean yes.
I think it was just how you said shut up sqeek (-:

The majority of my household goods are second hand. The charity shops round here are hit and miss but I love a good charity shop search wherever I am. The majority of my daughters clothing is second hand and so is quite a bit of mine.

please please please keep using second hand - we can't afford to be a throwaway society - and what terrible messages to give to our kids to always get it new.... let alone the cost implications!

Well said!
We all need to make an effort, especially setting a good example to our children. If they see their mum buying cheap Primark stuff every season, they will copy. We need to educate them (and ourselves) about sustainable, ethical shopping. Teach them to take care of their clothes, to buy a few quality pieces instead of excessive amounts of high fashion stuff. It's almost become a right of passage for teenagers to buy and discard clothes like they're worthless. Fashion's a fickle industry, what's in one season is out the next. Marketing leads you to be believe you'll be happy/slim/alluring/exciting etc if only you buy their handbag/bra/lipstick/perfume! We're being sold images. It's all instant gratification, the dopamine buzz of the next purchase.

Better yet, teach teenagers how to use a sewing machine so they can customise things/create their own clothes/accessories.

iPhones are irrelevant here. I don't know anyone who doesn't use a smartphone to check their emails/calendar/WhatsApp etc. It's a communication device. I've had the same phone for over 5 years.

Things last if you take care of them.

Surely some people will have to buy new clothes, else there won’t be any second hand clothes for people to buy...! (Runs and hides)

Or do particular shops have better stuff than others?

You need to get to know your local charity shop staff & volunteers - I have lots of 'regular customers', i know what they like, I point it out to them, I keep an eye out for good stuff - it's called 'customer service' and no wonder my charity shop does well .

starlightafar yy I basically mean yes.
I think it was just how you said shut up sqeek (-:

Ahh cool cheers
Yeah fair call lol

I think the people advocating getting everything from charity shops have to take into account different kinds of areas. Yes, in a rich area, you might find very nice things in charity shops. In poorer areas, it's just very, very old clothes, usually already bobbly and not in good condition. I can still find good things in the charity shops near me, but it's very hit and miss and I couldn't rely on them.
We have an Oxfam one in town that has nice clothes than most charity shops, but there are still things there that look pretty bad.
So if it's a choice between something new from Peacocks or an old bobbly thing from the charity shop...

Cheaper brands such as primark are absolutely useless ime. I don’t mind buying the DC undies or socks from there but anything else is a no purely because it just doesn’t last! And I hate nothing more than wasting money.

I buy a combination of first and second hand now but when my DC were babies the majority of their things were second hand because I really didn’t see the point in wasting money on first hand things they would grow out of in a matter of weeks.

Charity shop things don't last either though Pink. They're already old when you buy them.
Peacocks is slightly better than Primark imo and you can get the clothing of your choice in the size you want rather than hopping for pot luck.

When DD hit teenage years she started refusing stuff from the charity shops in case she got ripped at school. The solution was to put things in my wardrobe so that if asked she could say truthfully oh I nicked that from my mum. Times change eh - when I was at school it would have been social death to wear my mum's clothes.

Charity shop things don't last either though Pink. They're already old when you buy them

I've found they do last, if you pick good quality brands. I have an All Saints wool jumper that I've worn for 10 years, my mum wore it for a couple of years before me. It's in great condition. I debobble it every few months and wash with woolite. When it gets holes I'll mend them. It's kept it's shape and softness beautifully. Natural fabrics last much longer than synthetics. My leather handbags are all over 10 years old, I clean and condition the leather. My faux leather bags all peeled and looked old after a couple of years. Better to have a few good quality items that last, than cheap ones you have to keep replacing.

I always buy new clothes - I can get cheaper t-shirts in Peacocks than I can in the charity shops. Trousers are more expensive new but I buy them online so they are cheaper.

"I've found they do last, if you pick good quality brands."

You can't just pick a bran in a charity shop. You have a limited choice of things in your size.
I did mention above that it seems that there are better things in the charity shops in richer areas.

People who buy lovely things in charity shops - do you spend hours hunting through crap for every great find?

Probably, but I have a wander round when I'm fed up with work and need to get out of the office for a bit. If the weather is nice and I have the time I walk down to the seafront, if it's raining or I only have half an hour I mooch round the charity shops. I know the sort of things each one has now, so Oxfam is no good for jewellery but PDSA is, Tenovus has nice things but trends to over price brands and so on. I'm mainly looking for jewellery at the moment, to turn into something nicer (I refuse to use the term 'upcycle'), found some good pieces - as in good for dismantling, and made some nice necklaces.

do you spend hours hunting through crap for every great find?

No. The place I go to has a huge turnover and is well organised by size, colour, and type of clothing (and housewares, shoes and bags), and I'm very likely to find something nice with not a lot of rummaging.