Why secondhand is first-rate

Bonus: my top-secret thrift district map

Just the other day, my best friend texted me a photo of a pink and white vase she’d picked up for $1 at her local ReStore, something that could have retailed for $20 or $30 in a cute boutique. I instantly texted my excitement and shared my smug satisfaction that a few hours earlier I’d seen Brita filters at a discount grocer for $9.50 each, but I’d scored three for $3 total secondhand on the weekend. “I don’t know how people don’t understand that thrifting is a powerful drug,” I wrote. 

She replied, “It’s just unfortunately not as powerful as instant gratification.” 

Now, I’ll admit, I’m not your instant gratification girlie. I could probably make a Terry’s chocolate orange last from one Christmas to the next if I wanted to. (This is my unsexy superpower.) But I’m going to suggest that instant gratification can be terribly boring — especially when it’s a way of life. Also, so often our gratification isn’t instant: you read some reviews, look at similar products, check the shipping and return policies. For me, Amazon comparison shopping feels like getting sucked into lightning sand.

I wrote back to my friend, “Idk, getting what you want is great, but getting what you want when you didn’t even know you wanted it feels cosmic.” 

Looking for a very specific thing (brand, colour, etc.) in a real-life secondhand environment is setting yourself up for disappointment. (Online secondhand shopping has got you, though!) But I like to go in with an open mind and a short list of general items I’m on the lookout for. And that’s when the magic happens. 

(Or, it doesn’t! Sometimes you strike out. Which, imho, makes the wins that much sweeter. Thrifting is the perfect way to practise nonattachment to results.) 

Of course it’s not just about the deals or the sweet sense of kismet. After years of eco reading, my other unsexy superpower is a kind of x-ray vision into any product. I see the mining and extraction, pollution, and human rights abuses it took to make that thing. It makes me feel slightly sick. But a secondhand item, as far as I see it, is on someone else’s moral ledger. Me, I’m just swooping in to save it from the landfill. 

And while our current ecological crisis is not on individuals, those of us in rich countries are far from blameless. A 2015 study found that household-level consumption accounts for 60% of greenhouse gas emissions. That figure includes our food, transportation, and energy, which take the biggest pieces of the pie, but the authors do note “a rising demand of nonprimary consumption items,” aka our precious knickknacks and doodads. Another study showed carbon emissions six times the weight of an average product — and that’s not including the other environmental impacts, like turning rivers black. (You can check out the carbon impacts of the 800-plus objects the study measured from a bag of pasta to a Mercedes.) No matter how “green” a new product claims to be, remember our golden rule: the greenest product is almost always the one that already exists.

It’s worth noting that my opinion here comes with some privilege: I don’t have to shop secondhand, and didn’t growing up, something that can have a lasting emotional toll. I hope that as thrifting becomes more mainstream, the stigma will dissipate and the prices will remain as accessible as possible. I also find my size represented in all thrift stores, which still have shockingly inadequate offerings for bigger bodies. Fortunately, there are still lots of worthy non-garment items there to discover.

Secondhand shopping or swapping also takes a bit more time. But why not turn it into a social occasion? My sister brought her roommate to a clothing swap last week, and I went thrifting with a friend on the weekend, which meant not only carpooling (emissions savings), but some quality time. For the price of a sit-down restaurant dinner, you can treat yourself to basically anything that you want at most thrift stores. If you’re a parent, maybe some blessed alone time is the treat you need, and I’m pretty sure a secondhand shopping mission falls under “running errands.”

My tips for thrift triumph: 

• Dress for success: Some thrift stores used COVID as an excuse to get rid of their changerooms (*cough*, Value Village), and your only choice to try things on in the store is to try them on over your clothes. I tend to wear leggings and a tank top/undershirt. If you came in a car, leave your coat in there.

• Keep a thrift wish list: I keep a note on my phone of non-urgent items I’m looking for. The advanced version: share that note with your key thrifting friends so they can keep their eyes peeled on their own travels. (Or shop their own homes for things they don’t need! My pal mentioned she didn’t have reusable chopsticks, and I happen to have too many, so I’m passing some on to her!) 

• Look for coupons & sales: Chain thrift retailers often have sales that can satisfyingly slash your bill. You also usually get coupons for donating stuff. (While I’m all about responsibly rehoming, I find this is harder with clothes, especially if you have a large quantity.) My pal and I scored 50% off by bringing stuff to donate during a bonus promotion. That checkout experience was a THRILL. 

• Don’t pass over the mystery bags: At larger retailers, smaller items are often grouped together into plastic bags and hung on a wall. These random offerings are easy to overlook, but they’re a great way to find things secondhand you’d otherwise buy new, and I’ve found the prices haven’t been subject to as much inflation as the rest of the store. On my last trip I picked up the aforementioned gold-mine Brita filters, two packs of brand-new golf balls, about 30 unused greeting cards with envelopes, and six new children’s toothbrushes (for the community fridge). Another time I unwittingly found some very fancy Distillery District candles for my backyard dinner party. You may have to accept a little extra stuff you don’t want for the stuff you do, but it’s easy enough to give away.

• Look inside boxes: There are a fair number of unmarked boxes on store shelves, and inside them are often brand-new goods. Plus . . . suspense!

• Save the tax at non-profit stores: Another 13% savings (in Ontario). Just be sure the cause you’re supporting is aligned with your values.

• If it’s not a YES! it’s a no: It can be easier to buy too much in a thrift or swap environment, but with this, as with all other shopping excursions, I want to feel excited about the item in question. I’m looking for enthusiastic consent (from myself), or it’s likely just going to be something to be “decluttered” later.  

If you live in a thrift desert, there are great online options too: Buy Nothing/free stuff groups on Facebook or independent sites like Freecycle; auction sites like MaxSold; Poshmark for clothing, home goods, and beauty products; and Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji, and Craigslist (where you can set alerts for a certain keywords and get emails when something new is posted). For me, the internet has yielded everything from T-posts for the garden to a small amount of pasta-coloured yarn to a $150 Vitamix.  

Now for the big reveal: here’s a map of my secret Mississauga thrift-store hot spot. Five large-format thrift stores within one kilometre. Start with Talize; everything else is secondary. You can even get there on public transit. (It’s a quick walk from the Dixie GO station.)

For me, secondhand first is also a useful constraint, one that stops me from falling down internet shopping rabbit holes, keeping up with the Joneses, and buying things I don’t need. It also saves me a bunch of time and money. Above all, it means I don’t have to suffer the dissonance of acting against my values. What seems like pleasure denied has actually been a source of excitement, satisfaction, and peace.

Do you have thrift tips? Maybe you’re an expert in a certain category (Jars: AMA). What are the best things you’ve found? The comments are open for bragging.

Take care out there,

xo

Jen

P.S. Speaking of responsibly rehoming, this TikTok takes it to the next level. It gives me so much joy.
P.P.S. If you’re newer here, I have some old related posts you might want to check out: Overthrowing Fast Fashion and So You Want to Declutter.

Five Minutes for Planet is written by me, Jen Knoch, and edited by Crissy Boylan. Opening photo by Prudence Earl on Unsplash.