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It’s no secret that thrift store prices have changed over the past decade, especially at large companies like Goodwill, as the price comparison between past and recent versions of the Goodwills Valuation Guide shows. After seeing these changes, my original idea for this column was to argue that reselling used parts is unethical and exclusionary. With the rise of consignment apps like Depop and Poshmark, people can buy used parts cheaply, post them on the app at a premium price, and make a profit within minutes. While I still consider this to be unethical in certain situations, there are many circumstances in which reselling can be sustainable and fair. The common arguments I have found against second-hand reselling are that resellers remove in-demand items from low-income communities, raise the prices of thrift stores, and resell at inaccessible prices. While there are many articles defaming used dealers as the source of these problems, the discussion of the ethics of used reselling needs to be more nuanced to reflect the complexities of the resale industry. $ 5 billion and its surrounding consumer culture.
Considering that only about 20% of clothes donated by Americans end up being sold to consumers, the argument that resellers create a shortage in thrift stores is limited. In fact, most thrift stores are restocked daily and the endless cycle of consumerism and fast fashion keeps the majority of thrift stores from running out of donations. And that cycle was only intensified by COVID-19, with many stores unable to accept donations due to overflows. For most thrift stores, second-hand dealers don’t take all the good stuff, there are still millions of tons of clothes being lost.
Another common argument against the resale of second-hand clothing is that it contributes to higher prices for thrift stores. While there are specific examples of local thrift stores charging high prices, there is little research on general price trends in non-commercial thrift stores. Most of the evidence regarding the increase in thrift store prices appears to come from corporate thrift stores such as Goodwill and The Salvation Army. While the prices in these stores have increased with the increasing popularity of second-hand resale, it’s important to note that the correlation is not causation. Even taking this growing popularity into account, the massive influx of affluent teens looking to have fun every weekend is likely contributing more to the rising costs than individual resellers.
Along with rising rents and inflation, with the large chains of thrift stores, the relentless factor of corporate greed also comes into play. These businesses are often non-profit organizations, but their practices are far from effective. be socially beneficial. Under the guise of being a charity, Goodwill operates by paying many employees below minimum wages. And with its history of anti-LGBTQ + discrimination, the Salvation Army isn’t much of a charity to rally around either. When rising prices in these businesses are used as an argument against second-hand reselling, we need to recognize all of the factors that go into retail prices before blaming it on the resellers. In a society that prioritizes capital gain, it is short-sighted to claim that second-hand dealers are solely responsible for the rising costs in these large companies. Beyond that, given that these companies have a close relationship with hypocrisy, the question of whether we should support them should also be addressed.
In addition to being accused of being the cause of higher thrift store prices, resellers are often told that their own resale prices are too high. While it is difficult to determine how much resellers typically charge for the items they save, these prices cannot be compared to prices in thrift stores without taking into account the time and energy required to comb through the process. thrift store, potentially cleaning or even recycling the item. , take quality photos and display them for sale. As Alli Vera, YouTuber and former Depop salesman, said in a video about gentrification of thrift stores, the customer is also buying the ability of resellers to see the potential of things. This time and energy does not mean that reseller prices are always fair, there are a lot of resellers who jump at the opportunity to charge up to four times the price they paid for the item (e.g. , this Patagonia fleece for $ 599.00). To further complicate the ethics of reselling, as there is no equation or measure to determine the value of a reseller’s time, energy, and creativity, fairness is subjective. However, taking these factors into account, reseller prices should not and cannot be valued with the same objective as thrift store prices.
By researching this article, it became very clear that second-hand clothing resale is a complex and contested topic. However, this brought me to the question: is the root of the problem that thrift stores really face, or is it excessive corporate greed and the complexities of dismantling this deeply ingrained aspect of American society? It’s certainly a lot easier to blame resellers, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a complete answer to the range of problems facing the thrift industry. The trade-offs between capitalist greed (on the part of the individual and the company), class discrimination and materialism must be taken into account before we can point the finger at Depop’s daughter for rising thrift store prices. .
Olivia Mouradian is an opinion columnist and can be contacted at [email protected].
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