How to Find the Best Second Hand Pieces

If you love the idea of second hand shopping but struggle to find the best pieces, you have come to the right place. Although second hand shopping can be fun and incredibly rewarding, it can be difficult to find items in your size, style, and price range. Second hand shopping is a good way to contribute to the circular fashion industry. Rather than the linear fashion model that results in over use of resources and mass amounts of waste, second hand shopping ensures clothes live a long life. Here, we offer some solutions to your problems with some simple tips you can use to improve your second hand shopping experience.

WHERE TO SHOP

First of all, where to start? There are a large range of both online and in person second hand shops, whatever your requirements. In person second hand shops have been growing more and more popular, perhaps due to the growing eco-consciousness of the population. Examples of such places are vintage shops, thrift stores, charity shops, car boot sales, kilo sales, and even swap shops that you can set up with friends. Online, the options are numerous. Resale sites like Depop, Vinted, Ebay, and Facebook Marketplace have been gaining more publicity and popularity. But these are not all of your choices – for more examples of the best affordable places to second hand shop online, click here. It is important that you find somewhere that fits your budget and style, however the good thing about second hand shops is that most of them have a variety of prices and looks.

MAKE INSPIRATION BOARDS

Refining your personal style is a good way to make second hand shopping less overwhelming. Outline some of your favourite colour palettes and shapes that you love and you feel suit you best prior to your shopping trip. Applications like Pinterest and Canva can help you make aesthetically pleasing inspiration boards, or you can print out images for a scrapbook style board if you would prefer to have a hard copy. Having an inspiration board gives you the chance to refine your focus before launching yourself into the mass amounts of second hand clothing on sale. The perfect pieces are more likely to catch your eye if you have a vision of what you want.

FILTERS ARE YOUR FRIEND

If you are online second hand shopping, and know of a particular brand you like, filter by size and price range to narrow down the hunt. Going through all the tops in your size might seem tedious, so add more filters to further personalise your results. Do this by changing the filters to only show certain colours, styles, or whatever else the site offers. Being open allows you to find a potential gem, so try not to be overly specific in your search terms. Remember, everyone has a different idea of what a ‘summer dress’ looks like, for example. This is a more difficult technique to use in person. Perhaps going to a store you know organises their clothes by size, or colour, can help. Find a store that organises their pieces in a way that you prefer and stick to the sections you intend to find a garment in.