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?

I've never really bought anything secondhand before but I recently bought a slightly used bra on eBay, hopefully exactly like the one I already have - so fingers crossed.

I'm horrified by that Vinted experience @Campervan69. It's put me right off.

You can message them and offer them a slightly lower price and see if they take the bait!

@ReluctantEarlyRiser

You can message them and offer them a slightly lower price and see if they take the bait!

Thank you. It's already cheaper than I would like so will hold out. For now

I'm horrified by that Vinted
experience@Campervan69. It's put me right off

Me too. I'm actually horrified by how bad their customer service is.

@ReluctantEarlyRiser @StarfishDish unfortunately
you can’t print vinted labels at the Hermes shop as no Qr code thing. Only at home or library etc.

@StCharlotte I buy and sell a lot on Vinted, and unless it’s an amazing bargain or rare find which I’d snap up immediately, I tend to favourite multiple options and wait 2 days for sellers to send reduced offers. But sometimes I favourite stuff and come back to it weeks or months later when I’m notified that the price has gone down, and I’ve noticed buyers doing this too - watching and waiting for you to crack, basically!

Probably not helpful this time but I expect buyers not to pay full asking price, so I always take this into account when choosing my starting price (without going too high as then nobody would be interested).

Love this thread, thanks to the poster who posted FB groups. I’ve recently become addicted to Vinted, bought basically a whole new wardrobe there. Had a largely positive experience - only one item has been not the condition described. It’s been hard to buy jeans though and I’m about to sell on about 5 pairs that don’t fit me properly. Had no idea buyers expect you to offer a lower price though, I’d feel too cheeky doing that but clearly missing out.

I’d also add there are some dress agencies (are they still called that?) I follow on Instagram. They’re a good source. Have vowed not to buy anything new for a year for enviro reasons (plus budget)

OhRosalind

Thanks, that's really useful to know and I'll bear that in mind. (I hate gameplaying!)

Does anybody follow Catwalkgee? She has an online relived site called Reloved again. It is mostly designer stuff but she seems to stick to the mantra, one item in, one out! She buys a lot of second hand/ charity shop clothes.
She is wealthy, however , and I like following her to see how the other half live!! In her case, a townhouse off zKings Rd in Chelsea.

@Campervan69 I’ve just had the opposite experience & something described as “satisfactory” arrived in near perfect condition.
Luck of the draw I guess but I don’t tend to spend much more than a fiver so happy to take the risk!

I used to buy most summer clothes on ebay, but that was when clothes were generally more expensive and much better quality. I sold a few things too but was put off by just a couple of poor buyers - one bad experience just completely over-rides multiple good ones. I had a clearout last year and took a large bag to a charity shop & was turned away - they had too many clothes they couldn't cope. I brought my clothes home & had another look and realised the fabric was lovely and could be reused for the dressmaking I am starting to do. I also got a dressmaker to convert a silk jersey dress to a skirt - had only worn the dress a couple of times, but have already worn the skirt more than that within a month. I now think about reuse before getting rid of clothes that don't fit any more.

Following as also love second hand clothes!! Had some real bargains and my favourite jacket is a second hand french connection one which was £2 on eBay!! also had some dubious dirty / smelly items that went straight in the bin! Interested to know how people wash the items they receive. I tend to do a good wash at the hottest setting I dare (item on its own), line dry and then Iron. I buy mostly natural fibre clothing but I'm paranoid about moths 😬 I have had a few wool jumpers that had been obviously nibbled.. so rejected these do you think this is overkill? Also don't like it when I receive an item that smells very strongly of washing powder so that gets a double wash... not very eco I know 🙈 but still probably better than buying new?!

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 🤮

yes to this!! I find it weird seeing people posing in their own clothes anyway and prefer to buy things that have just been nicely photographed..

I think rejecting nibbled knitwear is absolutely reasonable, Boris. I’m quite wary of buying knitwear second hand now as I’m pretty sure one brought clothes moths into the house. I can’t resist a cashmere bargain or wool coat but it all goes straight into the freezer now.

Continuing to sell lots on Vinted, prices are low but I’m just being ruthless as I desperately need to clear stuff out.

I’ve bought DC’s next season stuff on there with the money I have made and so far have had about 7 items arrive and I’m really really pleased with them all

That's good to hear @GingerBreadTeddy. I've just started selling on there and have already sold a dress within hours of listing.

What sort of prices are you setting? I've been doing some research but it seems the things that seem to sell are around £2.50!

@xsquared I’ve been shifting dresses for £5-£10 but they are higher end labels eg Reiss, Hobbs etc

I’ve sold several kids clothes bundles for £8-12 but they are 10 item bundles of higher end stuff eg Boden / JoJo/ Joules

I’ve just taken the view that a £5 in my back pocket is better than a dress that doesn’t fit (and probably never will again) in the wardrobe.

I’ve made over £200 in a few weeks so it adds up and I’ve used some of this to buy autumn/winter stuff for my DD including really nice Boden coat & Clarks shoes that had been worn once (immaculate condition) for super cheap

So I’m selling cheap but also buying cheap …. I almost see it as though I’m swapping stuff

One thing I am finding frustrating with Vinted is buyers not collecting parcels / completing orders very quickly so I’m left waiting for the funds. Not the end of the world but a bit annoying!

I’ve also realised people like an offer so if I want £5 minimum I’ll list for £6/7 and accept an offer.

I also make offers when I’m buying - unless something is a newly listed amazing bargain in which case I just snap it up!

Thanks for your replies @GingerBreadTeddy that's helpful to know.

I'm also going to have a look at depop with a view of selling some vintage stuff.

@xsquared I’m not sure about vintage but some brands don’t do well on Vinted, eg it didn’t recognise Baukjen & last time I checked the immaculate Baukjen dress I uploaded had had 0 views and interest

For the whole of this year I've bought nothing new at all except underwear.

I pared my wardrobe right back and sold everything I wasn't wearing on ebay, some items going for really low prices but at least they were out of my space. Some items went for surprisingly high prices, a couple for even more than I had paid for them new. Anything from a cheap brand, like New Look t-shirts, I sent to the charity shop.

I put all my eBay profits back into buying stuff on eBay from pricier brands that I love, so now I have a smaller wardrobe but I love it all.

I've also bought some great stuff in charity shops, and a couple of bits that didn't fit so I then sold onwards through eBay for a profit!

🤮. Lurking on this thread sort of inspired me to have a foray into eBay and Deepop as a buyer (do sell on both). Two pairs of trousers (different sellers). One is exactly as described - couple of small flaws as noted on description, and otherwise perfect. The other is complete with crotch stains, nasty smell, dirty tissues in the pocket, various small stains on outside, nasty greasy ‘feel’ to the fabric and clearly not ‘only worn a couple of times’ which is says on description. Is a 50% hit rate what I should expect or have I been unlucky?