To think we all need to learn to love second hand

[Ravenspeckingontheroof]

Second hand almost everything? Go onto eBay; there are 92000 used size 10 tops for sale, 4500 used travel systems, 1700 used Bluetooth speakers. Go to your local recycling centre and watch people throw perfectly useable furniture away.
We are literally drowning in cast offs many of which will go to landfill, but which are perfectly useable.
I’d say about 1/3 of my wardrobe is preloved and maybe 10% of our household furniture. I love going and choosing new things. But I think choosing preloved needs to become a first choice, and we should be incentivised to do so.
But if I walk down any high street, read any magazine, pick up my phone I am bombarded with ads for all the new things I ‘need’. Every single shop is rammed with more stuff to buy. Our society depends on us buying more stuff. How do we fix this?

@AfternoonToffee I hope the things disappear easily for you.

It's a big job clearing the house of a loved one. It really makes me think that as I get older I should declutter as much as possible so DS isn't left with a lot of lumber to deal with.

Good luck!

@Bard6817 You are spot on there. Consumerism is meant to be addictive - its how the whole thing works isn't it? Making us hungry for the next thing and the next.... 'Upgrading' often doesn't create happiness though...or at least not for very long. Its like junk food for the brain.

I went to a garden centre/DIY shop today (needed a new tap - fairly essential purchase), and managed not to be tempted by all manner of things I didn't know I wanted until I stepped through the door.

Just marvelling at my will of iron there.

Its not usually like that (I do like new plants for our plot) but I do want to pay off my mortgage as soon as possible so I kept that thought uppermost!

I haven't read the whole thread but ASDA is going to sell second hand clothes fromthis summer.

That’s really interesting, I wonder how it will be organized and if they will manage to present it so it doesn’t seem untidy.

IKEA is now also operating a system where they will buy back your furniture once you ok longer want it and sell it in their second hand section. There are restrictions. I think it has to be less than 5 years old.

Just checked and it’s seven years. They give you IKEA credit notes in exchange.

@HasaDigaEebowai

Just checked and it’s seven years. They give you IKEA credit notes in exchange.

Wow thats fab... my 20 plus year old Ikea draws won’t cut it

I have lots second hand, what is not to love ?

Property & lots of things in it
Car
Clothes
Things in the garden

I have Champaign taste but tragically a beer budget. Just bought a £400 Derek Lam silk dress for £15 on Ebay. Still has tags on too 🥳 and some boden shorts for £9. All set for summer

I have only recently had the money to buy new. Everything I owned before 2010 was second hand except for my cds and some of my books. I got u/wear etc new for birthdays and Xmas. So I don't need to learn anything...

I agree with the people who mention secondhand polyester primark sweatshop clothing. I have always gone secondhand because it gave me access to quality items that I could never afford new but its rather sad that the charity shops are tasked with recycling mountains of badly made fast fashion made out of synthetics .Polyester clothing breaks me out in a sweat. I learnt through jumbles and thrifting the quality of craftsmanship and the feel of beautiful fabrics. If something was made in a disposable way with a short life span in the first place thinking home appliances here too. Its just such a short term view of our environment. So over production industrialisation of producing everything from food , clothes etc seeing cheap veneer furniture swollen from being out in the rain or faux leather seats cracked and peeling discarded and escalators of shoppers feeding on shopping like ants on sugar. Worshipping at the Cathedral of shopping Things need to change at the point of production. What I find bizarre is the loss of life skills to repair things or even treasure quality over disposable . We need to learn to be more discerning about where it came from, how well it’s made and not buy into the gimmick of the emperors new clothes. Be wise be smart and get actual value for your money and things that hold that value also the quality of things beautifully made by someone who actually took pride in making it. That’s a massive thing who wants to buy into people’s misery or taking a view of making things to be so undervalued. We have industrialisation to blame it’s a model that over produces waste be it mountains of meat being thrown away or piles of polyester trashion. I shop secondhand by quality of materials and I sell on of I need a change it’s a very enjoyable lifestyle choice because I am constantly learning about how people made things and people often give feedback at loving the clothes I have rehomed. My partner has made a documentary about a lady who runs a curiosity shop and it’s a lovely community of people from all walks of life looking for treasures. It’s just a fuller community when we actually value people’s contribution and their possessions and generally have this mind set to restore and treasure people and things. I can’t wait for a vintage department store with every department and the repairs section where people can learn to repair things again. I am learning dressmaking so I can alter things to fit well and I apply darts so that these can be unpicked so that there is selvedge .

Agreed with pp who said larger sizes are hard to find. I've no objection to secondhand but finding good quality clothes in larger sizes is very difficult. If you've got anything nice in a plus size, you wear it until it wears out, unless you change sizes.

So I do the same; I buy less and wear it out until it's useful for nothing but cleaning rags.

Haven’t read all the replies. But i love a good rummage in a charity shop. We have a lot in town and most say “oh another bloody charity shop “ when they open and im bursting with joy!

Absolutely! Children play with certain toys for a period of a few years, yet factories in China keep churning the same stuff out over and over. Why? It makes no sense environmentally and not even financially. Thing is proper "passing on" requires us to have that in mind when the stuff is in our own homes. I think the current mentality is the item only matters as long as we need it, but we really need to be thinking of the item's lifespan across multiple households and even generations. Things like Duplo Lego, Schleich animals - these are toys that come to mind as potentially lasting forever.

I take clothes for my daughter from a friend who spends quite a bit on her own daughter's clothes. It's been a real education for me to witness the longevity of decent quality brands versus the "fast fashion" from Primark etc. I am able to pass those same clothes on to one friend, who then passes to another friend. That's 4 children wearing the same items that still look like new. The environmental impact of that is massive. I definitely agree with you!!!

I rarely buy clothes for myself or my dc but I do buy them new mostly, although my dc have a lot of hand-me-downs. When they tear I try to mend them.

I buy 2nd hand books rather than new ones where possible.

I had my new glasses made using my old frames rather than buying more. They just replaced the lenses and the screws.

I have two 2nd hand lenses for my camera: much, much cheaper (though you have to be careful with them and clean them properly to make sure they don't spread fungus to the camera.)

I haven't upgraded my phone in something like 4 or 5 years because this still works fine; however, when I do get another I'll probably get a used one because so many people get top of the range models, use them for a year or two and then upgrade again for no other reason than wanting the latest one.

I rarely buy second hand because of the time it takes and because I try and buy new in the sales at really good prices.

I don't want to wear clothes til they are fit for nothing but rags. I like wearing nice things, it makes me feel good about myself and I enjoy it. I try and buy things that I think will last for a decent amount of time but regularly buy more because I just like having a choice and it's a hobby for me.

I'm not going to feel bad for it. I've not been on a plane for 19 years, didn't have a car til I was 32 and barely drive anywhere now I do have one. So my impact is less in those areas. We all have different priorities.

No one is saying you shouldn't buy new stuff at all but it's good to mix and match. I have new, second hand and vintage. It's more the cheap stuff that gets worn once and washes rubbish then binned, that's the problem

My children are still in the trash everything with stains (usually sliding in mud or dropped food with a side helping of pen). Or running too fast and sliding on knees or sliding down rocks on their behinds. Adventurous kids...

Most of their clothes are trashed before they get outgrown (both slim) and I hand down between them.

Something more expensive isn't immune from pizza or stains or properly ingrained mud and we have very little need for "smart" clothes!

We have free-table day in our village once a month. People put out what they no longer need and pick up other stuff they would like. It's a really easy way of recycling. Got rid of a ton of old books last month and my DS chose himself some Hotwheels cars from someone else's table. It's good fun

[quote KisstheTeapot14]@AfternoonToffee I hope the things disappear easily for you.

It's a big job clearing the house of a loved one. It really makes me think that as I get older I should declutter as much as possible so DS isn't left with a lot of lumber to deal with.

Good luck![/quote]
Yes, I'm trying to buy only what I need. Lovely charity shops where I am at the moment with pretty China items but do I need them - no

Totally agree! I love shopping but trying to make a big effort to buy second hand now because I feel it is the right thing to do. Only problem is I'm sick of trying to bid on ebay auctions which I lose out on, instead of just being able to pick and pay for something right away!

I love preloved stuff and have since a teen.

I hate being dressed the same as everyone else which is why I started in charity shops but when you look at the savings you make and stopping things going into landfill - it's a no brainer for me.

The kids love a rummage too. Our local one has a Christmas event with boxed goods and all the top notch bits. The kids loved it because they could spend pocket money buying excellent gifts (i got a full size Angel perfume box set from them! Which I love) I picked up some designer jewellery and ornaments and kids bits. All excellent condition.

Most of my wardrobe is charity shop as are the kids our huge TV came out a skip, dining table and chairs was ebay, rugs were from a church give away and I'm making a coffee table from old wood and also some pet cages from skip finds. We have a mud kitchen I made from pallets and an old wash bowl, a garden sofa from pallets...

I only by new as a last resort now. Just so much perfectly good stuff going in the bin and that is terrible.

If I need to buy gifts for someone not in my 2nd hand gifting circle I do buy new - i know a lot of people aren't OK with used gifts so i only 2nd hand gift to those I know are happy with it.

@Wanderlust20

I love Vinted for that reason. No auctions, just click and buy. Bought an immaculate silk M&S shirt there last week for £4 +postage

@bemusedmoose, the lockdown hit me hard financially, but by browsing in shops and charity shops, for her birthday I got my DM some brilliant clothes from brands she likes (Seasalt etc) that were as good as new and some toiletries that I knew she likes.She's a keen charity shopper too so it was ok.

I got the clothes from local charity shops - 2 tops, summer trousers and a coat. Cost £15

The toiletries were from Boots clearance section. Had they been full price they would have been about £25. Cost £3.50.

I added some nibbles that were the third item in a 3 for 2 bought previously.

The whole amount I spent was under £20.

I do love second hand. The problem is I don't like buying them from eBay (too many scammers) or Depop (massively marked up) and charity shops only get the dregs from Primark etc that people can't sell online