Shopping Used

Sale PSA: A very cute pajama set from Ralph Lauren, now 30% off (get a size up if you want to be comfy – I have these), a great Celine tote in a bottle green, now $855, and a relaxed crew t-shirt from Uniqlo, now $15.

I’ve been trying out something new the last few months – I’ve been buying more clothing items used (or that favorite term, “per-loved”) versus just doing what I would normally do, which is it order items new online. I was doing this mostly to try to be more “green” in my purchasing, but also to see if I could save any money. I’ve bought from sites like Fashionphile and The Real Real of course, but also expanded this time to try places like Poshmark, Mercari, etc. I didn’t do it for activewear, underwear, swimwear, or sleepwear – maybe one day I’ll get there but it’s not like I’m buying lots of activewear anyway. I’ve learned a lot during this process and wanted to share some findings with you:

You might think..but it’s used/gross: I mean, look for stuff in good condition. Look for decent sellers! Think about your own stuff – if you were to sell it, would it be in yucky condition (I hope not! And if so, throw it away!). And either way I wash everything before I use it. I don’t buy anything that looks like it was run over or treated really poorly. On that note..

Look for established/active sellers: This is especially relevant for places like Mercari/Poshmark. Some people seem to upload their items and never return again, which can be frustrating. I bought a sweater which had to get refunded after the seller never responded or shipped after something like 10 days.

It’s too much trouble/easier just to buy stuff new: This is true. I’m not going to say it’s not. Sometimes it’s easier just to dump stuff easily into your cart. I think there’s often a case for buying new, at least for convenience (more on that below). But I think we can stop mindlessly adding another t-shirt, etc in another color. Remember this article on Shein?

I realized for myself that there are certain categories it makes the most sense to try and buy used for – I’ve written some thoughts on this below.

Basics like tank tops, simple easy t-shirts: I found the cost ratio just didn’t make sense for these most of the time. Especially on a site like Poshmark, where there’s an ~ $8 shipping fee. The other issue I found was that t-shirts and tanks, etc are obviously the items that wear out the most easily and/or have stains – thus I’ll probably keep buying these new in shops, with some exceptions, of course.

Mid-level items (J.Crew, Madewell, Everlane): Here is where I made a lot of progress! I was on J.Crew and about to purchase some shorts, but went onto Poshmark instead. Honestly after what I would have paid after coupon codes, etc on the J.Crew site and what I paid on Poshmark, I probably saved something like $5. But it felt great giving these shorts new life! Also, I couldn’t find my size, so went a size up, and it turns out, that is my new size now post pandemic. Haha.

What I would beware of is that obviously on sites like Poshmark, Mercari, there are usually no returns – so maybe start with items you already own maybe, and just want new colors of. That way you’ll know already that they will fit you and that you like them. I’m now on the hunt for one of my favorite Everlane jackets that was discontinued that I’d like another color of.

High end items: I didn’t really do any, in terms of clothes – I’ve been eyeing some shoes but I find shoe sizing quite bizarre lately. Wait well I did get a used Celine bag on Fashionphile! But I’ve been a long time FP fan. I probably wouldn’t buy used high end clothing on sites like Poshmark, etc unless it was exactly what I wanted – the lack of return policy is inconvenient. And I spotted some fakes while I was browsing.

Alright – are any of you experienced Poshmark, eBay, buyers? Any tips for a relative newbie?