In recent years, thrift shopping has become popular as more people are choosing to ditch fast fashion and pay attention to how their clothing purchases impact our environment.
Thrifting is an eco-friendly way to practice sustainable fashion.
It can be a great way to find brand names and high-end items well below retail prices.
In the past, thrift shopping catered to low-income families, new immigrants, and those living on a tight budget.
But now there is also this rising popularity of thrift shopping and reselling among the upper-middle class, celebrities, and fashion bloggers.
For people with higher income brackets, thrift shopping has become less about necessity and more about following trends.
Thrifting hauls became popular on YouTube, and online influencers and TikTokers frequently show off all their unique and vintage finds to their thousands of followers.
These hauls have helped to break the negative stigma around shopping at thrift stores and aim to promote it as an environmentally conscious way to buy clothes instead of supporting fast fashion brands.
The younger generation perceives buying used clothing as a cool and fun way to experiment with their personal style, even if they can afford to buy new items.
Due to the rise in eco-conscious thinking and the alluring price tags of secondhand clothes, this had led many young consumers to head to their nearest thrift store to find hidden treasures and vintage goods.
Sustainability has become the new trend.
Not only are these shoppers thrifting for personal wear, but many are purchasing massive amounts of second hand clothing for resale purposes. This allows them to make a profit on sites like Yaga, Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace.
The problem with Thrifting
There has been criticism that the popularity of thrift shopping has led to rising prices.
This could potentially hurt the low-income and working-class communities who rely on thrift stores for affordable goods.
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