I checked “Only If. . .” meaning "Only if it’s not socks or underwear! I’ve bought lots of second-hand clothing over the years. My very favorite sweatshirt is from the thrift store around the corner. My very favorite two coats are from second-hand stores (one is a London Fog with a zip-out winter-weight lining, the other is a black leather trench).
When I get so broke I feel like I have to wear second-hand socks and undies, though, I’m giving up and going home!
Shoes are iffy. If they are barely-worn, or if they’re dress shoes that I don’t plan to wear more than a couple of times, I’ll do it. If they’re every-day shoes that someone else has already more or less molded to their feet by wearing them frequently, it’s a no-go.
I’ve worn other people’s socks, and, although rare, I have gotten hand-me-down underwear before, and thought nothing of wearing them once I was sure they were clean.
I kind of wish I could get over the squick factor. I like the idea of being all, “Look, I found this thing and it was from a thrift store and I think outside of the box!” But I’m so Adrian Monkish at heart.
Well, it’s more “look, I found this $200.00 designer shirt for $7.95 at a thrift store, and it’s still got the tag on it!”. Or “look, I found these $100.00 jeans for 5 bucks and they’re still like new”. In a way, it’s like “sticking it to the man”. The “man” that thinks $100.00 for a pair of jeans is reasonable that is.
Koreans don’t believe in used clothing, but when I was in Chicago I would shop at consignment stores all the time. A lot of the clothes were practically new and sold at a fraction of their original price. Got a lot of good deals there.
Same for me, the Bros, and our hand-me-downs from dead relatives (which we may have gotten before or after they died).
The Grandfather from Hell died in August; he had some clothes at Mom’s. The Bros split them up, including underwear (which may previously have been Dad’s) and socks. What neither one wanted went to Goodwill. The underthings are washed, plus any cooties they have are family cooties anyway…
I’d say over half my wardrobe used to be somebody else’s. I’ve actually been jonesing to do some thrift shopping lately, what with winter coming. My husband doesn’t like it though.
For those of you who are squicked, our local Goodwill has a department called Boutique, and all the clothes on that rack still have the original tags on.
I’ve found a ton of great clothes at the Goodwills in the better parts of town! When I was young it bothered me a little but as a broke teenager I realized that I could get a about 7 pairs of pants for the price of one new pair of pants (mind you I refuse to pay more than 20$) for a pair of jeans. Of course I buy a lot of cute things at department stores new if they’re a bargain and they fit. But really getting things at thrift stores are so much more cost-efficient and I feel like I’m recycling.
I’m not broke at all anymore, however, I still refuse to pay too much for clothes. Why pay too much for something that will go out of style or that I’ll probably grow out of in a month or so (I change sizes very frequently).
I will not wear used ungarments, bras, or socks though.
I shop used as often as I can. One of my favorite consignment shops kind of went hipster-trendy 2 years ago, and I haven’t found a suitable replacement. I go to another store every few months, but I’m a size 8 and a size 8.5 in shoes, which are pretty much the most common sizes for the people the store serves, so I buy what I can find, but most stuff goes out the same week it goes in, if that makes sense. Early in college I liked a high school/college aged clothing consignment store, but I’ve phased out of it.
I’ll buy used anything but underwear. When I had a smaller foot size in high school, I bought a lot of great sneakers consignment, and wore a different pair every day. Most of my clothes nowadays come from the sale racks at outlet stores. I got two pairs of $80 JCrew jeans for $22 each.
Ebay can be good as well; I find sweaters there. I also sell stuff I no longer need; I sell JCrew sale items that are non-returnable as well. Rather than consign my stuff from high school (and make a tidy profit), I’ve been giving it to the boyfriend’s middle school sister. She keeps 2/3 items I offer her; classic stuff like sweaters and jeans don’t change in style over 7-10 years, and her mom may balk at buying her Polo jeans or Gap sweaters, but she loves getting them from me.
My boyfriend has the ultimate consignment find - a Burberry trench coat with a wool liner, retailed at $1500. Got it for $125, plus $20 in dry cleaning. Absolutely gorgeous.
ETA: I’m sure if I had to wear only 2nd hand clothes as a kid I wouldn’t be into it. But I like decent stuff and, moreover, have a mental block against paying more for something than necessary. Drilled into my head as a kid was “the price you see on the tag does not have to be the price you pay”. It’s been over a decade since I bought something full priced retail at a clothing store.
I don’t mind used clothing, but I rarely shop at consignment stores. Some of my friends really like it and have called it “treasure hunting”, but I don’t like spending time digging around in a clutter to find (maybe) something good and worth keeping. However, I do borrow certain items from friends. When I’m to attend a black tie or even white tie event, I can’t be arsed to buy something just for that one thing, so I’d borrow from one particular friend who has a similar body type, good eye for fashion, and a peculiar habit of never wearing anything twice.
I’d say there’s definitely something to this. I also wear my clothes until they’re falling apart. Being most a “boots, wranglers and dickies” sort of guy, I just don’t see the sort of thing I wear at the thrift stores. Occasionally I’ll find a decent pair of jeans there, but rarely do I find something in the plain style I like.
As for the poll, things like pants and coats, sure. Socks and underwear, no, that IS gross. I’d hesitate on used footwear only because I’m on my feet close to 10 hours every day, and if they’re molded to someone else’s feet, it would cause me all sorts of trouble with not fitting properly.
having worked in the upscale and not so upscale retail biz, i can tell you first-hand that used clothes have nothing on new clothes.
yes, most ***are ***sprayed with a ‘critter-killer’ of one kind or another. they have to be. gross as it sounds, most of what you’re buying down at your local mall has spent weeks or months languishing in a shipping container or sitting in a warehouse in a boatload of third-world countries before it ends up on your favorite department store floor.
and by this point, countless people have also handled said clothing as well. the stuff is filthy by then, and i do mean filthy. my hands were nearly black at times just from putting stuff away on the floor hour after hour.
i now look at the latest high-end designer gown or a tee-shirt from the local discount house with the same jaded eye these days. if the garment fits, great. then it goes right into the washer or off to the dry-cleaners at lightspeed, followed by myself into the shower at roughly the same velocity. buy something and then wear it for a period of time without cleaning it first? :eek: :eek: :eek: not a snowball’s chance!!
I have absolutely no problem wearing used clothing, and have done it for years. My teenaged daughter also readily accepts the concept and doesn’t mind digging through Plato’s Closet to get at cheap trendy clothes.
I pretty much have quit eBay completely, but several years ago I got tons of stuff off there. I was/am a pretty consistent size, and I’d shop for specific brands and select the size I knew would fit, based on other items I owned or had tried on new in the stores.
When I was pregnant last time, I also got a ton of maternity wear from eBay. It’s hard to get stuff that fits one’s own, unique pregnancy shape even when you buy new from the store … but in my case I was lucky and got a lot of great-fitting things!
Sure. Most of my clothes are second-hand, and so are my kids’ things. I am not paying 10x the price for stuff just so it’s new, especially kid clothing.
I’ve been hunting vintage and thrift stores since I was a teenager, when I fell in love with 1920-1950 clothing.
I recently made the exciting discovery that Gap size 10 almost always fits perfectly, doesn’t matter what it is, which is great for thrift shopping for myself with cranky toddler in stroller and baby-carrier on my front. Trying things on is pretty much impossible.
I also like to cut up and re-sew clothing, and I can easily alter stuff to fit myself. I would be more reluctant to cut up a $90 dress (to get rid of sleeves, or change a waistline) than I would a $3 one.
As for the used clothes, I can’t often find things that fit me well but I do buy lounging around/painting clothes used. Undies shoes and socks are out. I wash them first. I also perform a thorough sniff test before I buy something.
In Britain, Jumble Sales ( rummage ) used to be 90% composed of old clothes which tables housewives would rush to and scrimmage through like wild things. The piles of clothes could be faintly smelt by the sensitive; and so I was brought up to disdain used clothing.
On the other hand, as for about 5% of British men, I wear used German Army shirts almost exclusively. It’s a pretty colour.
And French Army jackets and a Danish Army ‘British Warm coat’ from before I was born ( as are various German boots… ). It’s not even that any of us are militarily inclined or interested in war: just that army styles beat contemporary civilian styles.
Claverhouse, what you described sounds like what is called a “flea market” in the US. I wouldn’t be caught dead at a flea market.
Here are are few stores where I shop used: Ambiance and Hey Betty!. Here is the store where I bought a $200 North Face down jacket for $30 (it came into the store hours earlier - the good stuff goes immediately!) These stores are selective; if the garment isn’t in style (or vintage, but back in style), without being stretched in any way, without rips, holes, tears, stains (including armpit) and isn’t freshly washed or dry cleaned, it’s rejected.
Shhhhhh scubaqueen…the more people that buy stuff new, the more for me that’s used!
