Are second-hand prices going first class?

Art by Kayman Mangan

From vintage shirts to denim skirts, the rise in popularity of thrift stores is undeniable. For many, thrifting has become a hobby, serving as a unique alternative to the mall. However, prior to this trend, the majority of thrift stores’ customers shopped not for the perfect baby tee, but out of necessity.

As awareness of the harmful effects of fast fashion increases, shopping from mainstream brands has noticeably declined in popularity. Each year, the US creates over 34 billion pounds of used textiles, when divided across the population, this is about 100 pounds of waste per person. In recent years, thrifting has become significantly more popular, causing people to travel far and wide to visit acclaimed thrift stores for their fashionable selections. What started out as a way for people to donate old clothes and furniture to help those in need became a haven for teens to score vintage items that they can proudly reveal is thrifted. As thrift stores have increased their prices, they have become much less accessible for people with lower income (the demographic they were originally modeled for), undermining the entire concept that these stores were established on.

There are also people who thrift when they can afford to shop at retail stores, which takes away resources from the people who don’t have the ability to shop for clothes at their retail price. Although many people who buy from thrift stores also shop with the intention of preserving the environment, there are several ways to shop mindfully without taking away from people who buy second hand clothes out of necessity. It has become the norm to over consume and buy excess of everything, therefore creating more waste.

With the increase in demand for thrifted items, second hand stores have raised their prices in response. People will also take advantage of thrifted treasures by reselling on platforms such as Depop, Ebay or Poshmark. This only adds to the demand for thrifted clothing, increasing prices even further. Inflation and other factors have also played a role in the rise of prices. Kamila Soto (’26) has noticed how consumer habits have contributed to these strict price increases. 

“It’s become a trend to thrift, so naturally more people are going thrifting. It makes sense why the prices have gone up, but I still think it’s important for people to be cautious of how much they buy when they’re thrifting. A lot of people feel the need to buy every single thing they find which definitely takes resources away from others,” Soto said. 

In all honesty, thrift stores are getting way too bold with the price tags they put on clothes, as secondhand stores should be a way for people with lower income to get access to items at a discounted price. People should also be more mindful while shopping to prevent overconsumption and higher demands for clothing which in turn raise the prices of clothing for all.