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How Much Can You Save Buying Second Hand?
With sites like Depop, eBay, PreLoved and Facebook Marketplace, there’s a growing number of people looking for second-hand items at affordable prices, but how much can be saved from buying items that may have otherwise been destined for landfill?
During 2019, there was a 17.9% increase in the sales made by the 3,943 charity shops open in the UK. But what has turned the trend? There are of course many social factors, but one of the biggest influences is the exposure to the impact fast fashion and single-use items can have on our oceans. The recent highlight of what our current ways of living are doing to the planet has never been more prominent and people are thinking more about the products they buy, where they’ve come from and how they are packaged.
With this in mind, the revenue from UK charity shops reached £732m in 2018, an increase of £29mil from 2017. Despite more money being spent on used goods, the average British person is actually spending around £1042 on clothes and shoes every year, working out to be roughly £86 a month. Buying second-hand allows you to shop for less and creates an impact on purse strings and the environment.
However, it’s not just apparel that people are snapping up second hand. The most popular purchases to buy used are books, furniture and kid’s toys and with access being easier for people to connect to the seller via Facebook Marketing, online shopping is brimming with second-hand items that are accessible to generations who traditionally prefer brick-and-mortar shops. This means the circle of items that is now available isn’t just restricted to the high street and with more charities selling online and opening new channels for sale streams, you can pick up a bargain almost anywhere.
There’s no denying that buying second hand is often a more affordable way of obtaining items you need. There is often a rule around how second-hand items are priced but this is of course dependent on their condition. Most near-to-new items will be sold at 50% the price of their original cost, which provides huge savings but the percentage obviously drops with the quality. Of course, there are often sellers who need to get rid of items quickly and offer items for free, as long as the collection is arranged and often within a time limit.
Whether you’re new to the world of buying used goods, or a pro at finding the best items for gifts, your home or wardrobe, think about what you could save by browsing the many preloved shops that are available – you may just save yourself a pretty penny.
Sources:
https://www.wizzcash.com/blog/second-hand-september-the-cost-of-fashion/
https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2019/09/12/fast-facts-about-fast-fashion
https://www.statista.com/markets/415/topic/466/clothing-apparel/