Making Second Hand Clothing “Trendy”
If you’ve ever read The Complete Tightwad Gazette
Purchase 10 articles of clothing at thrift shops and yard sales this year instead of paying department store prices.
I feel very fortunate to have some friends who are avid “op shoppers” (the Australian term for “thrift store”). Hearing them talk about their finds was what lead me to start checking out a few of these stores.
I only wish I had been aware of the golden nuggets that can be found when Leighton was a toddler. I REALLY struggled to clothe him on the income we had (once he grew out of the wonderful clothing gifts we’d been given). I’m sure had I been aware of the benefits of second-hand clothing stores back then, I could have made my life a LOT easier.
Purchasing Second-Hand Clothing doesn’t come without it’s challenges though. Here are some that I have come across:
Finding a Decent Second Hand Store
Sadly, some stores have become overpriced. Personally, I think this has to do with people purchasing second-hand clothing and then onselling for a profit on ebay and similar auction sites.
Church-based stores seem to offer the best value for money. If they’re volunteer run, they don’t need to make as much money. Small towns seem to offer better value for money too. If you live in a city, consider dropping in to an op shop for a browse if you’re travelling in the country.
Having Time to Just Browse
What I’ve found is that you have to go through the racks and piles of clothing more than ONCE. I’ve been surprised at what I’ve found on my 2nd and 3rd look through a pile. I do find it’s important to be in a “browsing mood” if I’m going to be successful in these stores.
The Kids Won’t Wear Second-Hand
This seems to get more challenging as they get older. I’m just starting to find this in my 10 year old. I do think it’s important to get them used to second hand when they’re younger (which is part of Leighton’s problem - he’s been used to mostly “new” clothing).
We had our first buy-swap-sell type day at our church this week. It was a FABULOUS morning. In fact, the very people who’ve been responsible for getting me “op shopping” were the ones organising it. What was great was seeing our children (okay, the girls - the boys were more interested in hanging out AWAY from the “shopping”) all enjoying going through one another’s clothes and trying stuff on. I think it really broke down the “stigma” of “this is second hand”. Instead it was a real atmosphere of “everyone is doing this”.
Some More Tips From The Complete Tightwad Gazette
Reworded from page 189 & 190 of The Complete Tightwad Gazette
- Change your expectations. You might not find the pair of slacks you were looking for but perhaps you can pick up a nice blouse.
- Keep a notebook of needs, recording size & measurements for each family member.
- Examine clothing carefully for defects and consider if flaws can be easily fixed (ie resewing a seam). The item may still be worth purchasing if the price is right.
- Consider these items of clothing as “new that has been washing 10 times”.
- Buy classic styles. Learn which brand names are good quality. Know what colours and styles look good on you.
- Buy in advance for children - in larger sizes. You won’t always find EXACTLY what you want at the time you want it.
For Discussion
1. Do you buy/wear second-hand clothing? Why/Why Not?
2. What are your tips for finding the golden nuggets amongst the “stuff”?
3. Feel free to share your positive and/or negative experiences with second-hand clothing in the comments section.
4. Any other comments or questions you’d like to make on this topic.
Similar Posts:
- Second Hand Shoes
- Share Your Best Op Shop Find
- Frugality:Getting Started in Two Easy Steps
- Smiley Saturday
- Where Do You Buy New Shoes?
25 comments:
Write a comment:
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate each and every one of them. If this is the first comment you have left, your comment will be held in moderation for approval so you may not see it immediately. Once your first comment is approved, all future comments should appear immediately. You can choose to receive any further comments by email. Simply tick Notify me of followup comments via e-mail.
I am happy to wear second hand clothing but I don’t enjoy browsing / trying on clothes etc. which limits me somewhat. Also have had very little success with finding kids’ clothes in decent condition at my local op shops… on occasion, I’ve been given clothes for the boys from friends / acquaintances and these have been gratefully received.
I buy second hand clothes for the kids all the time - they go through them SO quickly as they’re both tall. I also bought second hand clothes for me. Not so much any more because one of my *rewards* for losing weight was NEW clothes (and not just new to me, lol) However, I have been thwarted as I can’t find anything I like!
But no second hand uniform stuff - I figure it will be going through TWO kids, so that automatically halves the price! A couple of my friends and I have been passing clothes around - ebay has got too annoying to deal with, as well as too expensive. So I gave a big box of stuff to one friend (it’s been through my two) and she’ll pass it along to an orphanage her husband’s family supports in South Africa. So win/win!
I have personally gone off op shopping and even giving to the oppy because of the pricing. Ok, yes still get a few bargains - but nowhere near as many as when I was a povvo student. And I have heard some not so good things about the local oppies so I decided to be more *direct* with my donating; and gave to a local Family Services instead - they help women in crisis. I also gave a heap of stuff to some refugee families.
Finding Golden Nuggets - you have to have time, and no little people swinging off your leg, and no annoying Big People being bored and wanting to go now…
And *bad* experiences… Hrrrm LARGE glass of chardy and ebay. Not a good combination, lol!
Oh, and my reply got CENSORED because I said b a r g a i n s!!!!!
That’s hysterical!
Sorry Jodi - I must have had a lot of spam using that word at some point in time.
I agree with Jodi in Vic - you have to have time & no little people to make it successful. I still enjoy going but I’m not as successful as I have been in the past.
Lightening - boy how far you’ve come!!! Do you remember how much it took for you to go into an op shop the first time??!
I still can’t buy second hand clothes - not for me anyway. I can’t explain why, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I also don’t buy second hand for my boys, but will gratefully accept clothes from a friend for them.
There is something that just gives me the creeps about second hand. And I won’t even consider second hand shoes for any of us. I guess when you look at how cheaply you can pick some clothes up in sales I don’t see the point. Oh, and I don;t have much time for any sort of shopping at the moment anyway so there is no way I have the time to find an op shop let alone look in one.
I have bought a few small items at twin club sale, ebay and a hospital sale but I don’t have much time and two little people who love to trash the racks in op shops … Target are going to ban me one day …
eBay was a bit disappointing on one occasion and the lady was cr@p to deal with -said well you only paid $.99 but she overcharged on postage so it was $10 to me.
I accept gratefully hand me downs though from friends and family.
I have lately been shopping at end of season sales and buying a size or two up - got tshirts for $2 -$3 and outfits for $8 that were $24 - I looked in a Salvation Army shop recently and the well worn stuff was way overpriced $2 - $5.
A lady I know had made a good earning from re selling stuff she finds in op shops on ebay - she buys brands only though.
Another lady told me she goes to some warehouse (In Sydney) and buys a huge bag of assorted 2nd stuff for $200 - that she can re sell for $800- $1000 on eBay.
I meant to add - some of the 2nd hand stuff we got from my SIL has been through 4-5 kids - the Pumpkin Patch /Target especially is still in great nic.
Last week - I did filter through a few things as unsuitable for fashion or bit to shaggy -chucked it into the rag bag but there was still some wear left it most items - but not on my kids even as play clothes.
Hard when I have two boys same size - can’t dress one in new and one in old.
My girls are the youngest girls out of 16 cousins so we get heaps of handme downs.
My mother buys them new clothes and I get things like tracksuit pants and PJs which don’t seem to survive the handme down process - the tracksuits are never fleecy enough and the PJs usually very stinky.
One great thing about hand-me downs is if you or your child are very sensitive to the feel of a garment then hand-me downs are pre-softened (really important with demin jeans), usually the tags have all but worn off and they don’t have that off putting new smell.
I saw a great idea at a blog I visit for personalising hand-me downs.
http://mainelystitching.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/try-try-again/
I’m going to try that with our next set of hand-me downs.
Marita - those simple ideas are quite effective aren’t they? Thanks for sharing that link.
Trish - I have to admit I’ve never done very well on ebay when it comes to clothing. I find the postage costs really negate the value.
Kelli - I think it is a “getting used to it” type thinking. I was a bit like you for a long time. *shudder* at the thought of second hand clothing. *shrugs* It hasn’t killed me yet.
I can understand the struggle with the time factor though. I must admit it is nice when I get clothing that comes from someone I know (whether it’s for me or the kids). I’ve never bought second hand shoes from an op shop.
Kez - yes, I have changed a lot - which only proves if I can, anyone can.
Emma & Jodi - One thing I can’t stand is a cluttered op shop. I prefer the ones that are nicely set out so you’re not spending heaps of time rummaging.
90% of my entire clothing is 2nd hand. I stop only at underwear. I’m lucky though as I live in the city and I live very close by to a huge Savers (Diabetes Australia) store which is the Mecca for all my friends because it is awesome. If you ever come by my neck of the woods, I will have to take you
Sounds great Karen!!!!
I grew up wearing secondhand and would continue to buy s/hand but the shops near me have stock that is overpriced or too small, too large, stained, shrunk or badly out of shape. It doesn’t help that some people go through the drop off bins in the pre dawn hour (I’ve seen them on my way to work) and get the good stuff. Instead I now wait for end of season sales and layby stuff so at least the cost is spread out. I only buy when the stuff I’m wearing is just about to fall apart anyway so I’m cheap to clothe. My kids all wore s/hand from day one until school age except for underpants and socks. Oh and the 5 dozen cloth nappies I started out with were new, but well worn by baby number 4.
I love this post. I needed tips on how to buy second hand clothes because I am going to start doing that for my son (and never have before). I had reservations but your post really helped me with them! Thanks!
I LOVE op shopping! I get a real kick out of finding a b a r g a i n! I’ve been really lucky with clothing for myself in the past few weeks and have found some great labels for prices like $2.50. I got a great pair of Roxy three quater pants for my daughter, in pristine condition because they were on sale at the op shop, which meant they cost $1!
As for getting kids to wear it, they are getting better. My daughter is fine with second hand clothes when she knows where they came from, so our buy swap and sell at church was ideal as she knew who the items belonged to. She also enjoyed seeing her clothes handed on to others. My son couldn’t care less. If it has a name brand on the t shirt then he doesn’t care where it came from.
River - interestingly enough, I grew up wearing second hand which is what put me off. Problem is my cousin was into trendy in a “out there” kind of way so a few years later it was definitely OUT of fashion in an obvious way. When I did get new stuff it was either Kmart clearance of market stuff so again, very OUT of fashion. It wasn’t an easy way to grow up.
Funnily enough, the other day I wanted a certain type of fabric in a shirt and ended up buying a label brand name shirt (because that’s who seemed to make shirts in this fabric) and I felt REALLY self conscious wearing it. I’m generally not a “label brand” person and figured I’d look like a wannabee from 50 paces. I nearly didn’t wear it I was that self conscious. Farmboy thought it was hilarious as most people would be the opposite - feel more confident wearing a brand name.
Sharon - you and Mel are my inspiration. Mel was the one who actually got me even contemplating going to op shops!!!! I didn’t find anything at Vinnie’s the other day though.
Hmm, how to answer this one?
I too grew up wearing second hand clothes (my parents were older so all their friends kids were older - including 3 female cousins), and clothes my Mum had made for me. It never bothered me (still doesn’t) but I don’t buy second hand clothes for myself anymore.
Mostly because every time I go to an op shop here all I see is my old clothes! And I’ve never seen anything in good condition at all. Which is funny considering the amount of times I’ve donated things still with tags on.
I cleaned out my wardrobe post baby #3, and was amazed at the clothes I had that were 8-10 years old that were still going strong. Since then I have spent about $1000 on clothes for myself, and until I need new bra’s post breastfeeding, I don’t need anything and have no desire to buy anything. I bought good quality clothes that will again last 8-10 years. Not trendy or fashionable, but classic clothing that won’t date. For that $1000 I got a complete wardrobe of quality brands. Sports wear, pyjamas, work wear, casual wear, party wear. Everything mixes and matches.
As for kids stuff, I have no problem with it, but with 3 girls I buy brand names in sales and it happily does 3 kids. As an example I was in Myer in March, and spent $100 in brand name clothes for the kids. That included: 2 dresses, 5 pants/skirts and about 14 shirts. They will easily do three girls, and with our one season (plus 2 weeks of cold weather) they wear them all year round as well.
Or go to the Big W clearance which last week had everything $2. That’s what I’d pay for stuff in a second hand shop here.
oops, sorry for the essay
I’m assuming you are referring to the shirt you were wearing at netball training? The only reason I remember is because you were telling me about the fabric. I don’t remember it being a “label” shirt, but I do remember it being pink and looking really nice on you. So, the moral of this little ramble is that no one thought you were a “wannabee”!
I’m always getting bargain clothing at op shops, have been for decades now lol.
I was an op shop junkie when I was still in primary school!
Now a little known fact about clothing prices in op shops of late - in Victoria at least -
The Salvo’s bought an old woollen knitting mills in Sunbury and turned it into a commercial laundry to wash all donated goods.
Then they petitioned,successfully, for a bill to be passed in Parliament that states that every op shop must launder/dry clean every single item of clothing they sell, which has added onto the cost of the clothing.
Considering almost everyone I know always immediately washes their second hand bargains anyway, this is seen, by many, as a waste of water but also an unnecessary added expense for many charities.
As for finding those golden nuggets - the best we’ve found in our areas are St Vinnie’s, The Smith Family (although a lot of them were closed down and became Red Cross shops), all the small charity shops - they often have hidden goodies under other dregs, it’s just a matter of looking.
The country town op shops are definitely the best, the prices are lower and they haven’t been raided by dealers intent on eBaying or selling in their own “retro” store.
I’m hopeless at finding good stuff at op shops. I have a friend who can pick out the brand labels at 10 paces. I on the other hand, usually leave empty handed. A couple of weeks ago my son had a day at school where they dressed up on old fashioned clothes. After scouring the local op shop for something for him to wear and picking up an outfit for $6 (something he could probably wear again for knock around clothes) I decided to give them another go for the kids at least. We’ll see how I go.
In Melbourne they have Take Two Markets which have what they describe as high end preloved clothing. I have been their twice and found great fashionable stuff for under $10.
There is also this great blog, I op therefore I am, which is a collaborative blog about op shopping in Melbourne and a great reference for where to go in Melbourne for some quality op shop finds.
My kids are the best at losing school jumpers. My DD once lost 3 jumpers in 3 weeks. The “official” jumpers are aobut $50, but I went to the op-shop and bought 3 for $5. Until she learns to PUT THEM IN YOUR BAG she gets second-hand ones.
DS is also very hard on clothes, so I usually get a bag of old clothes when our op-shop has “$5 a bag” sales to wear on the farm. That way it doesn’t matter if he tears them etc.
[...] L Lightening Online - Making Second Hand Clothing “Trendy” [...]
I get 99% of my children’s clothes second hand. About half is given to us as hand me downs, and the other half I buy from thrift stores and seasonal consignment sales.
I pay about 50 cents to $2 for kids shirts and $1-$4 for bottoms. This included dressy clothes and jeans, which are generally more expensive in stores.
We live outside a large metropolitan area and our thrift stores are very good, maybe slightly pricey sometimes. I wait for the half-price and bag sale days.