How to Be Good at Buying Secondhand
My strange addiction
Ever since the fateful day when I joined Poshmark back in 2017, being obsessed with secondhand shopping has made up approximately 30% of my personality. Thanks to rampant hyperfocus and a (clinically) obsessive mind, I have always been very good at shopping and saving money, and access to online secondhand shopping apps only sharpened my skills.
At this point, I would guess that about 70% of my wardrobe (at least the stuff I wear most often) has been purchased secondhand. This has mostly been through Poshmark, though I’ve been dipping into the world of Vinted lately, Poshmark’s much less user-friendly but also less saturated counterpart (with WAY cheaper shipping.) I’d say I typically save anywhere from 50-75% off most things I buy off these apps, and they tend to be pretty great quality. My little rat brain also finds it incredibly fun.
Some of my greatest hits:
A perfect condition 100% wool coat from Babaton for $140, originally $350. My favorite coat ever.
Preloved Gucci loafers for $200, originally $1300.
A vintage Aquascutum trench coat for $125. SO GOOD.
An unused Revlon One-Step Styler for $20 that has honestly changed my life, originally $50.
Three (different colored) long Babaton Lance cardigans for $45 each, originally $168.
A perfect condition Good American leather dress for $16, originally $257. This one still baffles me. Do we think it might be cursed or something?
Here are my tips for second-hand shopping on apps like Poshmark and Vinted. I don’t really mess with other resale apps like The RealReal (or even brick-and-mortar thrift very often) so keep that in mind.
Expect and accept that you will encounter inconvenience and a lot of bullshit. This is perhaps the most important tip and is of course the reason why you’re able to secure such good deals. You will have reasonable offers you make declined, sometimes you’ll receive items that aren’t as described, and sometimes it will take the seller 10 days to even ship your item. It will not be as smooth as buying from a brand, and that’s to be expected. Adjust your expectations to begin with and move forward accordingly.
“Like” any item that you would be interested in purchasing. Once you “like” an item on the app, you’ll receive any special discounts sent out by the seller in the future. Sometimes, sellers will get desperate and sell things for a total bargain, so it doesn’t hurt to be generous with your likes.
Take the time to follow your favorite brands. Note: the pricing/deal sweet spot for Poshmark tends to be mid-market or more premium brands like Lululemon, Aritzia, Vince, and designer brands. Anything cheaper and you’re not getting much of a deal, especially since shipping is so expensive in Canada.
Know your measurements. Annoying, but worth it. I also note the specific measurements (like the rise, inseam, etc.) of my favorite items that I already own. This makes it so much easier to gauge potential fit. It’s for this reason that I won’t buy any jeans (new or used) with a rise any shorter than 12”.
People’s risk levels on this vary, but I’m incredibly strict about it after a bad experience with clothing moths from a wool pillowcase I bought while traveling. Every item that I buy is immediately thrown (dry) into the dryer for an hour+ on a high heat setting (this kills potential bed bugs and moths.) Each item is then either dry cleaned or washed in a hot water cycle, depending on the care instructions. I also immediately dispose of the packaging and box that the item came in.
Related: out of an abundance of caution, I do not buy anything from a seller who has listed natural material items (wool, cotton, etc) with holes in them. This is a potential sign of that seller having clothes moths, and it’s not worth the risk, IMO.
With the exception of their coats, I do not buy any second-hand cashmere or wool items from Aritzia. For whatever reason, they are almost always shrunk or warped in some way. Not worth it at all.
If you’re based outside of the US and spending 4 days+ in the states at the same address, I strongly recommend switching to the US site, buying a few items, and having them shipped in advance to wherever you’re staying. The US site not only has way more inventory (so many more users!), but the shipping costs are about half as much as well.
Unless it’s a really good list price, it’s always worth making a reasonable offer on something you’re interested in buying. Keep the offer reasonable (usually within 20% of the list price) and check out the prices that similar items have been sold for by both that user and across the platform.
Use the filters! One of the things that Poshmark has on its competition is useful filters. I’ll often open the page of my favorite brands, filter by my size, and my preferred colors, and sort the results from lowest price to highest price to get straight to the best deals.
Not everything will fit, and that’s okay. Again, this is part of the inconvenience factor that you pay for as part of your discount. Poshmark makes it extremely easy to resell your items, which really eases this inevitable issue (I LOVE the “Reposh” feature that automates this.
It pays to be knowledgeable about stain removal and tailoring costs, as you can get some bitchin deals by buying items with easily removed stains or items needing minor adjustments. I recommend this book as a reference point for both (it’s available through the library).
It’s also worthwhile to get to know popular clothing materials, their respective care needs, their durability, and what makes something worthy/not worthy of a higher price. This TikToker is a phenomenal resource for that.
Lastly, if you suspect that this is not for you, you’re probably right. If you think it is, though, you’re also probably right and will end up saving a fuck ton of money. Choose your own adventure!