Secondhand September

As many of you know, Secondhand September is Oxfam’s awareness campaign to get people to shop secondhand for the month of September. Oxfam are concerned, as we all are, about global warming and feel that this is something people can do to help save the planet.

Charity Shops

As yet, I haven’t taken part in it but it is definitely something I would like to do in future. There is definitely an art to buying secondhand and knowing what to buy. A friend of mine is great at shopping in charity shops and gets some great items. However, I have found some good items of clothing in charity shops and jumble sales and I’m currently wearing a tee shirt which I bought from a charity shop.

It all depends on where you live I think. If you live in an ‘affluent’ area then you are more likely to find good quality items of clothing but if you live in an area that is not then the clothes you will find are  usually supermarket items or clothes from cheaper end stores. The thing to do is to look in charity shops regularly and then you will have more chance to find a bargain.

I’m not sure that I would buy something just for the sake of it though – it has to go with items already in my wardrobe. What you don’t want is a wardrobe that is so overcrowded with ‘bargains’ that you can’t match anything or even wear everything you have. The clothes have to be the correct colour for you and fit you too. Charity shops usually provide a changing area but I understand it’s not possible if you are at a jumble sale. However, jumble sale prices are very cheap so you haven’t lost much if the items don’t fit – you can just recycle them back to another jumble sale or take to a charity shop.

Online Shops

There are, of course, other places you can buy secondhand, especially online, such as eBay, Vinted, Depop and Etsy. Why not sell some of your good quality clothes on one of these platforms as well as buy from them? This is certainly something I would like to do soon. There are also shops selling more expensive preloved clothes in some areas.

Secondhand September has certainly given me food for thought but I believe it is something we should consider all year round not just in September.