Ethics of shopping at thrift stores

[LSLGuy]

Here is a thread I started 5 years ago on exactly this point:

Goodwill Industries, etc.: Supply vs Demand of Cast-offs

Occasioned by nothing in particular … Every year I seem to end up with a 3 or 4 large trash bags of cast-off usable clothes and household goods that I donate to Goodwill or the equivalent. Which got me to wondering … How is the overall balance of supply and demand for goods at thrift stores and the like? Are major players like Goodwill Industries drowning in cast-offs they can’t sell, or are they sucking wind with empty shelves and disappointed second-hand shoppers? Is the situation highly re…