5 Benefits Of Buying Second Hand Clothes

The sale of second hand clothes is booming in America, in many different forms. No longer just an industry for disadvantaged communities, second hand stores are popping up everywhere, and they are being used even by elite shoppers to find real values in clothing.

Here are some of the places you can find second hand clothes at fabulous prices:

• Charity Outlets
• Slightly Used Stores
• Yard Sales
• Flea Markets
• Clothing Rental Outlets
• Online Specialty Stores

The benefits of buying second hand clothes are almost too numerous to list, but here are some of them.

Benefits The Shopper

Some of the best deals overall can be found at a seconds store. Because the inventory is in many cases donated instead of purchased, seconds stores can pass on the savings to customers, resulting in some fantastic buys. Savings can be as high as 90% off retail, and when stores become overstocked, some items are offered free. Otherwise expensive items such as formal gowns can be found at reasonable prices in second hand inventory. Items that are almost unavailable at retail stores because they are no longer popular can be found also, such as vintage clothing.

Benefits The Economy

Second hand discount stores are a recession-proof industry. Whether the economy is booming or failing, second hand discount stores can always exist in some form. That’s because the giver of the item is not suffering at all when he gives it away. He is merely giving something he doesn’t need or want anymore. Many people who donate to used clothing stores also buy from them. This makes for a continuous flow of both donated and purchased items.

Benefits The Less Fortunate

One thing that is often voiced by people on limited incomes is that they don’t want to accept charity. They would rather be able to pay their own way. Seconds stores allow people on a smaller income to retain their dignity while providing for family. Because people of all economic levels shop at seconds stores, there is no social stigma attached to it. People on lower incomes can save money that would otherwise be spent at retail, and use it for other things they really need.

Benefits Your Local Community

Many of us have the desire to affect national conditions in a positive way. When you give to your local community, you create a ripple effect that can benefit the nation as a whole. The multiplication factor in giving is often overlooked. When you donate to help someone else, they can in turn help a third person, who can in turn help a fourth, and so on. One single person may affect several people this way in his or her lifetime.

Benefits The Environment

At first it may seem difficult to understand how buying second hand clothes could produce a greener environment. Nevertheless, it does. Recycling is one of the main tenets of the current push towards a cleaner environment. Instead of being thrown away, used clothes are reused again, sometimes in very unusual ways. An ordinary pair of blue jeans, for instance, can become a purse, a vest, or a child’s hat. When fabrics become too used up to convert into something else, they are broken down into raw materials at textile recycling plants to be used as a base for other items, and the process starts all over again.

The best part of giving or buying second hand clothes is the good feeling it gives you, both when you donate for the benefit of others, and when you find that beyond-belief sale of your dreams.