'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.

I don't buy second hand. I used to, when I was poorer and had more time on my hands. Now I'd rather spend my Saturday doing something I enjoy, not trawling through charity shops. I buy quality and my clothes last.

I volunteer for charity retail and buy regularly in all the local charity chains. Shopping charity is a quick win on quality, price and the environment, even for an appalling clothes snob like me.

But a lot of clothes - summer stuff, sportswear and T shirts - I would never buy in a charity shop. They wear fast, look it, and are cheaper new in HM, Primark, or Zara - ie most everywhere. Who the hell wants to wear, let alone buy, a knackered top? When you've paid new for it?
And, it has to be said, there's nothing like one new crisp, new garment to lift the rest of your look out of the danger of secondhand hell.

When DD was little I used to get most of her clothes from ebay or charity shops. As she has got older there is less choice and postage costs have made ebay a waste of time. I mainly bought better quality items that washed well as she is a slow grower! I still look at ebay occasionally, especially for things like ski wear but often sellers are deluded about the cost when you add on postage.

I have heaps of second hand stuff. You just need to be ready to rummage, and sometimes you strike gold.

My wardrobe is a mix of new and secondhand....I dont bother with Primark anymore as its mostly just cheap tat that lasts a couple of washes....Its very rare that i find something i love...in my size that doesnt look bobbled or washed out in a charity shop....sometimes its just easier to buy new.

No they’re not 😑

I don’t buy secondhand however I do donate my unwanted clothes to charity shops.

I don't buy second hand clothes. I have OCD and have struggled in the past when going in charity shops.
That's my issue though and I don't care what other people do, lots of people I know like a good look around the charity shops,
Just not me.

We do however pass on and donate.
I don't throw clothes away unless I wouldn't pass them on i.e. If stained or ripped.

We do unfortunately have way too many clothes in our house.

I buy a few well made things and buy stuff second hand too. I’d rather that than buy stuff for DD that was ruined by the second or third wash.

I then sell on all of the well made things. It’s like the circle of life but for clothes.

Pretty much all of dd wardrobe is secondhand. Alot of mine is. Its vvv common where we are to buy second hand. My local charity shop sells 50p per item which is great.

i work in a charity shop and its surprising how many clothes come in that are brand new with the tags (and high prices) still attached to them, in our shop clothes that are tatty or bobbled go straight in the rag bags, and people who have wondered about childrens sizes, very young babies outgrow their clothes before they wear them out but when they get active from say 1-3 yrs they wear the clothes out before they outgrow them, and then as they get older their clothes dont get so badly treated , we get lots of clothes for new babies and over 3-4s but not many in 1-3 yrs

I get clothes from Charity shops, but it is generally a n 'ooh I like the look of this' rather than going for something specific, though I often have things at the back of my mind that I need.

I don't put trousers up and down - MIL is continually offering to do it for me, but I just won't, no real reason why, but trousers aren't really designed to be taken down and I always think there will be a stitch line behind if you take them up and then drop them down again.

I have some tops, I put on weight from meds and I didn't want to spend a huge amount, I could have done I guess and bought new as I have stayed at this size a while, but at the time I was struggling with having to buy the next size up. I did get a winter coat though - not really my style, but has got me through the winter.

I have no problem buying second hand but its hard to buy things you need second hand. Easy to buy stuff you like.

We have lots of charity shops on our high street. Since the area has become desirable the quality of the clothing has improved. The prices have gone up too.
You can buy a fantastic high end high street frock for £20. Bargain if its lightly worn but expensive if you genuinely need to buy second hand rather than just love a rummage for a bargain.

Boy's clothes are hard to come by as are practical girl's clothes. Lots of party stuff. Jeans and shorts are usually plentiful because they wear well.
Good quality winter coats are like gold dust.

Basics for women are not plentiful. Why would someone give away useful, wearable, quality long sleeve plain tops, teeshirts etc? They are the sort of thing we hang onto.

I get annoyed at what charity shops charge. I know they are raising money but our locals are firmly in the 'providing a source of exciting bargains for people who can afford them' camp rather than the 'providing a source of clothing for those on a low income' one.

There will always be people who cannot do second hand. My mother never would. She was bought up in poverty. She doesn't want to wear someone else's clothes again.

Maybe we will need to be more conscious of what we buy new when we leave the EU.
When I was a child pre joining the EU quite a lot of our goods were locally sourced, make do and mend was still a thing as clothes were expensive.
My family and friends rarely got new clothes, shoes were usually proper leather and new though.
Some of my clothes had been from cousins then to my older sibling before me, and this was common.

I love second-hand, and have got loads of brilliant bargains. Boots, coats, trousers, skirts, jumpers, dresses...
I'm picky about condition and quality of fabric, but I find you can tell quickly by looking at the rail/touching the fabric. It can take me just a couple of seconds to assess the children's rail. I've saved myself a fortune.
I obviously do rely on others buying expensive clothes and passing them on to charity shops, though .

I always buy new, usually from cheaper outlet like Asda for the kids and Next etc for myself. However I do give all of my things to charity every couple of months. Yet when i’m there I never find clothes that are like new. I don’t have time, inclination or the originality/creativity to trawl charity shops looking for bargains.

I get almost everything for DS and I second hand, I like charity/ eBay shopping! The only things I buy new are underwear, shoes, and I like to get babygros/ onesies new as well. My mum is a brilliant seamstress, and also had a very low income as we grew up, so everything like costumes was made by hand and we had a dressing up box full of my grans old clothes from her youth. She'd die of shame if she saw me buying ready made costumes from a shop! Then again my son is still only small and world book day is many years away yet. I'll be back at work by then (I hope) so I can't promise it won't happen.

Agree with MrsDV. Charity shops are fine if you're shopping as a thing to do or a leisure pursuit. If you need a particular item in a particular size and you've got a half hour lunch break in which to find it and get back to your desk, they aren't so great.

I am lucky enough to live in the US and to have a Goodwill shop fairly close by. I find lots of basics there - t-shirts, both short and long sleeved, leggings for exercise, shorts, jeans, long cardigans, as well as cashmere sweaters and the sort of items I could wear to work. I tried to interest DD1 in a LK Bennett jacket last time I went out for a browse, but it had a Peter Pan collar. Goodwill has pretty much everything.

I buy a lot in charity shops and some online. I've had some lovely stuff eg white stuff shirt £3.99 and next dress £5.99 yesterday. It feels great that I'm helping a charity and the environment. I do check the condition carefully before buying and tend to go for more expensive labels. Those of you who don't give ripped clothes to charity shops most accept clothing for rags ie recycling so you can still donate unsaleable cloth goods, just check the shop takes rags. .

Before I became a mother I used to spend a fortune on clothes. Literally. Now I sell everything off when I'm finished with it I don't wear second hand and neither does my child supermarket clothes and primark for me I dress my daughter very well mainly next and a lot of supermarket stuff never bought second hand in my life until I had my dd not clothes but her toys by god I've had some amazing bargains and have sold them on for the same price I paid when she has finished with them.

I think that it's fun and agree you can feel less wasteful than participating in ' fast fashion'. If I mention going second hand shopping to a group of more recent migrant women than me , they all look uncomfortable and say its something they would never do.
Then I remember how embarrassed I felt growing up, being seen queueing up at the jumble sales with my Mum. I didn't want people to think we were poor. I think once you're further removed from ' poverty' you can be more comfortable with doing what traditionally poor people did.

I tend to buy the kids new and would rather they wore new primark than old gap as it looks cleaner. I have friends obsessed by labels so they'd rather go for next etc.
I have sensory issues and cannot stand the feel of new fitted clothes, most specifically the hardness. So I get most stuff second hand but will get new tops from asda etc.
Shoes also second hand but prefer clarks for comfort.
I don't look good though. In my 20s went to Debenhams. Looked lovely but I have had a lot of shit since then and have no energy for looking good anymore.
I like that I help charities but the quality varies. Our local hospice shops are ace. But cat protection not so much (and I would donate stuff to the animal shops that I would never send to hospice. I suppose I see the dying as more worthy than cats, sorry if that's bad but for me it's true).

I buy woollens second hand because that's where you get the good old-fashioned hand knitted stuff.

The rest of the time I use op shops (Au) for DVDs, books, furniture, vintage kitchenware. When I'm not in the op shops I scan the nature strips and have picked up garden pots, shelves. and outdoor settings.

I did this when DH was alive and we were comfortably off.

Proud that DD is an avid op shopper.

Cheap clothing is a false economy. It loses its shape after a few washes, fades, bobbles, cuffs and hems buckle, necklines sag. Seams are badly finished. It's easy to tell if an outfit is supermarket/primark.

I'm against cheap, unethical clothing. People (including children) are working in appalling factory conditions to produce this stuff. If we all bought from ethical brands or secondhand, the sweatshop industry would be brought down.

I think it's our duty to educate our children about ethical clothing. Teach them the human cost of disposable/fast fashion. Encourage them to choose quality clothes and how to take care of different fabrics.

I buy lots secondhand. I didn't used to as I don't like charity shops, but I joined buy/sell FB groups of brands I like. You're protected by PayPal if an item doesn't arrive or isn't as described. I get most of my DC's clothes this way too.