Shop and Save :: Second Hand September (or Any Month!)
If you’re like me, your focus is all over the place you’re in charge of balanced meals and balanced budgets. Kids grow so fast and something that fits one day may not fit the next. Shopping can become a chore or a challenge. I’m always looking for a great deal and shopping second hand is a great way to save. Selling your preloved clothing is also a great way to fund your new items.
I’ll be honest, I’d not heard of Second Hand September before I got email encouraging me to shop a resale site. I was interested. What was it? Why was it created? Is it just a marketing tactic? Turns out it was created by charity organization Ox Fam and according to their website the goal is to: “Explore slow fashion, sustainable fashion and ethical fashion, shop and donate second hand and help create a fairer world.” As an added bonus, you can save a lot by buying second hand. I’ve rounded up a few ways to shop and save for both you and your kids. If you have the time, you can also make a little money in the process. Times are tough and finding a way to save some money can help any family to ease the financial pain.
Shop Local
The first thing that comes to mind for most people when you think second hand is thrift store. There are several thrift stores around town that offer a variety of items. Goodwill, The Purple Cow, Volunteers of America and St. Vincent de Paul all have several locations in the Baton Rouge Area. Each store receives donations and sells them to fund other charitable work. Several stores sell brand new clothing and items that have been cleared out of big box retailers.
Then there are resale shops. Places like Style Encore, Plato’s Closet, Once Upon a Child. You bring your gently used items to them, they pay you and keep your items to resell. As a shopper you can usually find on-trend items, classic pieces or wardrobe staples depending on what you’re looking for and where you shop.
Another option for local second hand shopping is a consignment store. Consignment stores typically have more high-end items or brands; however, that is not the only thing they sell. These stores sell items on behalf of a person and the person and shop split the profit. If you’re looking for kids items place like Abigail’s Best and ReFinery come to mind. For a twice a year kids second hand extravaganza check out Rhea Lana BR.
For designer items for adults consider Swap Boutique in Baton Rouge. Here you can find and sell designer pieces for a fraction of the price. The staff is super helpful and are great at putting together an outfit.
Online
The world of online shopping is vast as is the world on second-hand online shopping. National shops like Goodwill actually have an online shopping option. Shopgoodwill.com functions a bit like eBay, where you bid on items.
Online second hand sale sites include places like ThreadUp, Poshmark, Depop, Mercari, Kidizen and even Facebook. Let’s break it down a bit.
ThreadUp functions as a hybrid online consignment and donation site. You send in your clothing/accessories and they will price and sell them on your behalf. If the items don’t sell in the allotted timeframe they will remain on Threadup, but then become a donation. Threadup prices all of the items, but they often offer discounts.
Poshmark, Depop, Mercari, etc.: These sites allow you to set the price of your items as well as allow you and others to offer alternative prices. Most of these sites to charge shipping, so that will have to factor in when making a purchase. If you’re a seller, this is one of the easiest online selling options as the app/site does the work for charging the shipping and creating the label. You just pack it up and send it.
Facebook has several selling options. there is Facebook marketplace as well as BST (buy/sell/trade) groups. Check out this post for all things BST.
Shopping second hand doesn’t have to be scary. It is a great way to try new items, find new favorites and save a lot of money. Unsure of where to begin or how to start we have advice for that too!
If you’re still not sure about shopping second hand, but are looking for a treasure hunt and way to save some money check out your local bin stores.
