Conclusion – What You Should Know About Resale Clothing Online Market
There are several limitations to this method of shopping. It means I do most of my shopping online, so it’s not always easy to judge how an item suits or looks in person. This can be a pain, particularly when shopping on peer-to-peer marketplaces without a return policy. (To be safe, double-check the policy of the platform you’re shopping on and the seller.) One issue is the inconsistent sizing from Brand to Brand, so knowing where you size in certain Fashion Labels would be advantageous.
Buying used may not be for all, but there are ways to make things easier:
Learn about some of your favourite brands. When you are familiar with a brand, you will have a better understanding of the style, the quality of the fabrics, and whether the clothes will suit you. It becomes much easier if an item would work for you if it is from a brand you are unfamiliar with.
Understand the measurements. Measure some clothes that you already own and that suit you well. Measure the width around the shoulders and chest and the sleeves and body’s length, on shirts and jackets, for example. Measure the waist, inseam, and leg opening at the hem of your pants. When you equate these dimensions to those of the item you’re considering online, you’ll get a better understanding of whether it will suit you. It doesn’t guarantee perfection, but it reduces the chances of producing something that doesn’t work.
Just buy when you really need or want something. If you’re shopping without a return policy, the prospect of an item not working may be a strong deterrent against impulse purchases. One good outcome of resale growth is that it is much easier to resell an item that did not work out, but it takes patience, and you may lose money on the offer. So, before making a purchase, carefully consider whether the potential value outweighs the risk.
Of course, there are the tried-and-true purchasing methods, such as independent thrift stores and consignment shops. There are numerous options for shopping this way.
Buying used isn’t a panacea for fashion’s environmental issues. The industry must find new ways to recycle fabric and increase the amount of resale. It also needs to adopt more sustainable fabrics, increase the longevity of clothes, train designers to make sustainability an integral part of the design, and shift the throwaway culture. (That last one holds brand profits high while contradicting most of the messages customers are bombarded with, so don’t hold your breath.)
Even, it’s a step in the right direction, and the time is right for it to expand. According to a May study from the advocacy group Fashion For Good, re-commerce “appears to be the most financially appealing” of the circular-economy models that brands may implement into their operations. Even with how popular resale has become, recent surveys from financial services firm Raymond James and retail intelligence firm Coresight Research reveal that many shoppers have yet to learn some of the top recommerce sites. They serve a sizable, untapped market.
Ultimately, the intention should be for people to wear and re-wear clothes until they are worn out and then recycle them into new pieces. We can’t do the latter at scale yet, but we can get started on the former. The easiest way to avoid seeing clothes as disposable is to stop throwing them away.
