The majority of consumers and fashionistas enjoy being a part of the latest trends when it comes to clothing, shoes, accessories- and more. From the brands we love the most, to fast fashion companies pumping out new styles every season- there is a constant societal pressure to be seen in the newest most "trending" pieces. Whilst we've come to terms with this simply being the way the fashion industry operates- its inevitably extremely harmful for the environment and for those who can't keep up either financially or in terms of closet space.. it can leave many feeling left out.
Secondhand stores and the thrifting community in general has been around for decades- yet has oftentimes failed to convert a large group of shoppers who are dead set on buying new "trending" pieces instead of items at secondhand stores. In this blog post we'll cover five main reasons why this occurs- primarily due to misconceptions about secondhand stores and the inventory they carry.
1. Everything is out-dated and out of style!
Whilst secondhand stores usually do carry items from a previous season or earlier- styles from previous seasons never really "go out of style" as fashion is known to be quite circular, with trends from last season coming around again a couple years onwards. If you're into fashion- you know that it's always best to purchase as many timeless pieces as possible to extended the longevity of your wardrobe. Here at SHOPUBBI we prioritize stocking our inventory with brands and styles you can wear 5, 10, or 15 years from now!
2. You can't find brand name or luxury at a thrift store.
Wrong! Even at minimally curated thrift stores such as GoodWill, CrossRoads Trading Company, or Value Village you can oftentimes find a hidden gem from a designer brand such as Jacob, Tommy Hilfiger, Levi's and more. As a company, SHOPUBBI's main mission is to provide a platform where you can easily find inventory that is primarily brand name or designer and drastically reduce the time you would spend at a regular thrift store hunting down pieces from the most popular brands and recent seasons.
3. They exist for people who can't afford purchasing brand new items
Social status and income level have absolutely no correlation to whether or not someone decides to shop secondhand. Whilst secondhand is more affordable, all walks of life buy clothes secondhand for a variety of reasons such as hoping to partake in more eco-friendly shopping and fashion, as well as having a more unique style and eclectic wardrobe that can't be created by merely shopping at one brand, or a current brand new season. Styles and taste like fashion, fluctuate often and sometimes to get a piece you really want, you may not be able to find it in recent production.
4. They're unorganized
Whilst this oftentimes rings true at large, local thrift stores- here at SHOPUBBI and other online secondhand stores its easy to filter and sort through the type of item you are searching for. Whether it be tops, pants, shoes, matching sets, or mens- you'll find it all categorized with lengthy descriptions concerning the fabric the item is made from, fit, and quality rating based on our quality rating system. We'll be adding filters for size to our website shortly as well.
5. Secondhand items are in bad condition
Another myth that can be easily debunked by taking a walk into your local secondhand store or viewing the inventory and quality descriptions + pictures on secondhand sites. Thrift stores are full of items that oftentimes were worn once or twice, have no flaws- and sometimes even still have the tags on them. SHOPUBBI has chosen to only curate a collection of items that are in "like new" or at worst "fair" condition. None of our items hold flaws that prevent them from being worn, nor are highly noticeable.
We hope our blog post for the month of July has alleviated some of the popular misconceptions present in the secondhand industry amongst consumers/ both current and potential secondhand shoppers.