It’s hard to believe that running down aisles brimming with vintage clothing like a montage scene from a coming-of-age film wasn’t always perceived as “cool.” Over the last few years, the gentrification of thrift shopping has skyrocketed and everyone and their twelve-year-old cousin are obsessed with hunting down the latest trends. But is thrifting really the solution to fast fashion we think it is? Or are we creating even more issues in the fashion industry?

The main appeal of thrifting is that it’s eco-friendly. Buying secondhand and recycled clothing ensures that more clothes don’t end up in a landfill. AKA you’re not throwing money at some multinational corporation with prices that are… suspiciously low (ahem, Shein $6 jackets).

But as ~trendy~ as thrifting seems, the sudden influx of everyday people buying up the contents of thrift stores has caused some real problems. Let’s not forget that these stores were primarily created to help people with lower incomes have access to professional clothing!

Almost more terrifying, the thrifting craze has awakened Gen Z’s capitalist underbelly—specifically on the clothing reselling app, Depop. Instead of just selling clothes that they don’t use anymore, users on Depop have made bank buying bargain bin clothing and reselling it at exorbitant markup rates. As a result, it’s harder for people who depend on thrift stores to purchase the items they need.

But we are here to tell you that there is a BETTER way to get that Y2K style you’re dying for...

METHOD 1: GENERIC RESELLERS

Remember eBay and Etsy? You may not realize it, but these websites have massive communities dedicated to reselling clothes, and we’ve found some great things on both sites. Gone are the days of sorting through rows and rows of clothes in order to find something cool—now, you can just search it up with a few clicks of your keyboard!

That being said, with generic resellers, you’re dealing with an individual seller. Sooo you can imagine some problems that might occur with @KarensKlothes32. Both companies have scam protection in place, so chances are you’ll have a good experience (hopefully). However, since there’s no site-wide quality control, it can take a while before you find something that you really like.

This 80’s era Syracuse satin jacket was about $100 plus shipping on eBay

METHOD 2: VINTAGE WEBSITES

The second method is using upscale thrift stores. These are websites run by people who know fashion inside and out and can offer the buyer a more streamlined experience. While you may get a better selection of items, the downside is that these sellers know exactly how much their stuff is worth (and they know you’ll pay extra for it).

Insider Tip: You can find vintage streetwear on sites like TrueVintage and Payday Vintage, or luxury clothing on Vestiaire Collective and The RealReal. But you didn’t hear that from us...

A Word About Goodfair

If you haven’t heard about Goodfair by this point, we don’t really know what to say (other than, do you get air conditioning in the rock you live under?). If you order from Goodfair, they’ll send you a box of thrifted clothing, but the *twist* is that you don’t know what you’re getting.

Their website is plastered with cool, colorful, and unique vintage clothing, but while the idea sounds awesome… it isn’t always satisfaction guaranteed. With Goodfair, there’s a good (lol) chance that you’re going to get something bad. But, if you’re feeling a little ~risky~, then by all means roll the dice!

While, selfishly, we wanted to keep all of these stores to ourselves, we decided that if you love something, let everyone else use it too (?). Happy hunting!

A Guide to More Ethical Thrifting