Secondhand lovers - a thread for buyers and sellers of second hand clothes

[GingerBreadTeddy]

Thought I’d start a thread for preloved clothes fans.

I’ve always bought loads secondhand, used to buy a lot via eBay but now I live somewhere with amazing charity shops I mainly shop in them.

I’ve always sold second hand too, but have found the market has plummeted since Covid started. I guess so many people are having clear outs, money is tight & certain clothes like work wear are no longer sought after (although maybe that will start to change?!)

I used to use eBay but found I was paying a lot in fees. I’m now trying Vinted. I’ve listed 30-odd items and sold 6. Prices are very very low though, and I turn down some exceptionally cheeky offers!!

I’m currently getting less on Vinted than charity shops ask around here (!) so I’m being very mindful only to buy stuff in charity shops that I absolutely love as I can’t guarantee getting my money back on Vinted / eBay these days if I change my mind.

I’m also noting there’s look loads of overpriced tat on Vinted - like well worn H&M /Zara for stupid money. Assume those people aren’t selling anything?

@SquirryTheSquirrel yep - the 90s is very 'in' right now! Never thought I'd see a teenager in a patterned fleece again 😳

I buy one particular high end brand on eBay and have got some fantastic bargains over the years- I'm particular though in how much in willing to spend and what I spend on: I won't just buy because it's the brand I love at a good price.

Had some success selling but not much. Just had a look on vinted for the brand and a bit disappointed, although there's a coat I hadn't seen before at a reasonable price that might end up in my bag later 😂

That's good news, @ReluctantEarlyRiser. I will look at Vinted.

I've still got some of my original clothes from the 90s but need to lose at least a stone to get into them

I think on Vinted you definitely need to have a particular brand in mind & search for that. Just browsing brings up absolute tat in my opinion

I love buying second hand clothing

Not only does it help the environment, but I also love the price :) In charity shops near me, prices range from £1 - £3.50.

I bought a beautiful Fat Face dress for £3.50, that I wore when attending a wedding (before Covid).

I'm also happy with a Hollister skirt I found for £1, and a pair of Topshop jeans for £1.50.

Ooh you are my people! I pretty much only buy second-hand, mostly from charity shops but also nicer bits from Vestiere Collective which is a bit pricey but you can find some bargains. I sometimes sell on there or on Ebay but I don't buy to sell on, just make sure that I only buy nice quality items or good labels so I can sell them later on if they don't fit or whatever.

Recent bargains include an original 70s Laura Ashley dress for £12, a pair of Giuseppe Zanotti trainers for £30 and two Toast shirts for £6 each. DH hates it as I can sniff out a charity shop wherever we go and he always ends up stuck outside holding the baby 😂

Love this thread having recently discovered charity shops. Having limited funds for clothes I always ended up buying cheap quality items from shops. I love that by shopping at charity shops I can buy nicer quality stuff. Got some oasis denim shorts with the tags still on - should have been £27.99 and got them for £6. Got a coast occasion dress for £3!

I posted this on the other vintage thread that's running in S&B too:
I love buying from eBay but I'm mainly looking for a good bargain. Unless I'm REALLY sure that the item is in good nick and will definitely fit me, then I'm not going to spend anything like what I would if I could see the item in person. It's too much of a gamble.

Local type charity shops (e.g. hospices) in small, affluent towns are a good bet for high quality clothes.

I do find it very off putting when women on Vinted pose very sexily in their clothes. I don't want their dirty sex clothes! Also selling thong body suits etc 🤮

I was just talking about this the other day!!

And everything seems to be ' vintage'
😂

I love Vinted, I find it really seller-friendly compared to eBay. When I list try to list stuff in the same size/ brand together e.g. a batch or baby clothes or my summer stuff. I offer a discount for multiple purchases and have sold a few ‘bundles’ that way.

Vestiare Collective has better stuff but the prices and fees are higher. Designer or higher end stuff sells well there for good prices as it’s an international market, and it’s a straightforward process.

Is Vestaire Collective any good for higher end high street or is it just actual designer stuff?

I buy from outlets, charity shops and eBay
When I’m bored with something I sell on eBay - but only if it’s a fiver or above
Filters are the way to go - I’m usually looking for something specific and know what size in that brand
I also search sold items to see if things are worth bothering selling
Yesterday my charity shop purchases were a joe brown dress, max Mara linen blouse, some M n S navy trousers, some black jeggings from Next - all but the blouse were unworn with original labels on and I spent under £20
I also bought some fit flop sandals from an outlet shop in sale for £27

I have sold stuff like & Other Stories on Vestaire collective so it’s not purely designer but the high fees mean it’s not really worth selling cheaper items there, and buying stuff is more expensive than on vinted. I have alerts saved for a couple of brands/sizes and often see the same thing listed on vestaire and vinted - the price on vestaire is inevitably higher to cover the additional fees.

Bit of a bad experience here with Vinted. Bought some boots described as very good condition. They were delivered over the weekend when we were away. I opened them Monday, they were terrible condition so I emailed the seller to ask to return them. They blocked me and didn't reply. I raised an issue with vinted who said because they'd been delivered and I didn't raise an issue within 2 days there was nothing I could do. I can't even leave feedback for the seller as they have blocked me. The buyers protection thing seems pointless. Vinted customer service absolutely terrible. So I am £30 down and won't buy off there again. Be warned.

@Campervan69 sorry to hear that. Weren’t there photos of the item?

Yes but they were cleverly posed - there were chunks missing from the sole for example but no picture of that side. The seller has now deleted their account and Vinted could not be less interested. Most annoying and I won't be buying off there again. At least with ebay and paypal there is much more buyer protection.

@Campervan69

Yes but they were cleverly posed - there were chunks missing from the sole for example but no picture of that side. The seller has now deleted their account and Vinted could not be less interested. Most annoying and I won't be buying off there again. At least with ebay and paypal there is much more buyer protection.

Oh dear. I might try again with eBay then, using some of the tips here.

It's so sad; I've gotten some amazing things through Vinted from some really lovely sellers, but the chancers really wreck it all.

I do like the re-selling companies (refashion, thrift plus, sweet pea preloved) ... any place with at least a 14 day right of return. They seem to be more motivated to only offer high quality items because of that.

Might make more effort with my local charity shops too, now that in-person shopping is back.

I was just browsing Vestiaire Collective and they seemed to have a good range of designer things although many were overseas. I used to buy a lot from France/Germany on eBay but I stopped after Brexit because in my past experience of buying outside the EU (when we were members) it was a PITA with customs fees and delays so imagine the same would be true now we are outside the EU.

Has anyone bought used clothes from the EU since Brexit? (Not looking for a Brexit derail, just interested in experiences!).

I've sold a LOT of clothes this year on FB. No outstanding brands though, Primark to Joules/Boden. In all I've made about £1,300.
I have joined multiple selling groups, taken clear photographs and researched what I knew I could reasonably get for each item.
I haven't bought anything from FB as its overpriced, I pretty much only buy on ebay as that's where you can find actual bargains, well there and charity shops. But like a pp I will try and research the item and look at size guides etc before bidding so I can be reasonably sure it's going to fit before it arrives. Obviously not always possible with vintage.
I have still got a pile of "better branded" items I'm not sure what to do with yet, I might just leave them in the hands of the local consignment store than bother with the fees and hassle of vinted etc.

@70sduvet I’ve tried various FB selling groups with no luck, despite good photos & reasonable pricing ….. which ones do you recommend?

@Campervan69 that’s rubbish. Think I’ll just use Vinted for £5 or less items…..

@GingerBreadTeddy
I've sold a lot mainly on
Scandily clad ladies
Scandi fantics clear out your attics
Skint mums need funds
The great british clothes swap - though this is aimed more at swapping clothes and/or has a £10 per item limit on sales
Preowned but still lovely
Loved labels

Plus if I have a lot of a particular brand I'll search the brand plus sales under groups and there is usually a sales group and work from there.

This year I had a lot of women's clothing to sell as I lost a lot of weight through illness and finally decided it wasn't going back on so had wardrobes full to get rid of and replace.
Before that I'd just sold children's clothes on FB and usually did well enough there too, definitely more market on FB then anywhere else

Can I ask Vinted buyers a question?

I have an item which has been "favourited" (not my word!) by several people over the last week. At what point do you buy or forget about it? The tension is killing me