Secondhand 101
Comparing resale platforms on fees and returns
Buyer protection is a deadline, not a guarantee. Here is the window each major platform gives you to complain, what it covers, and which side is worth using for which kind of purchase.
Sustainability
Secondhand 101
How the secondhand market actually works: pricing, sourcing, sizing, and the etiquette of a good deal.
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- 8 Sep
Latest in Secondhand 101
Secondhand 101
Cleaning a secondhand buy before the first wear
Most secondhand purchases need airing and a wash, not a dry cleaner. Here is what each fiber actually needs, what a domestic…
Secondhand 101
How to shop a thrift store in one visit
A forty-minute route through a thrift store beats two hours of wandering. Take three numbers, sweep the rack by touch rather than…
Secondhand 101
How secondhand prices actually get set
Nothing secondhand is priced from cost, so the same shirt can be $4 on one rack and $40 on the next. Here…
Secondhand 101
Size labels across the decades, decoded
Vintage size labels were drafted for different measurements than today's. How sizing drifted, what the numbers on an old label never meant,…
Secondhand 101
Negotiating at a market without being a pest
Where an offer is expected, where it is rude, and how to name a number a seller can actually accept. The etiquette…
From other Sustainability columns
Circular Fashion
Spotting greenwashing in a sustainability report
A percentage with no baseline, a target year of 2050 and a graph without units are the three most reliable tells. New…
Repair & Care
Leather and suede care, and when to resole
Leather is skin: it dries, cracks and loses oils, and heat does more damage than wear. Rotate pairs, dry them at room…
Circular Fashion
The math of renting vs. buying for occasional wear
Rent if you will wear it once, buy secondhand if you will wear it three times, and never rent shoes. The break-even…
Repair & Care
Fixing zippers, buttons and hooks at home
Most broken zippers have a worn slider, not a broken zipper, and a slider costs a few dollars where a full replacement…