12 compelling reasons to buy second hand clothes

Not so long ago, the options for buying second hand clothes were limited to taking poor pickings from charity shop rails. But now, buying second hand clothes is experiencing somewhat of a revolution, made easier by digital technology. More and more people are realising why buying second hand is attractive. So, we’ve pulled together our top 12 reasons why people buy second hand clothes – when you’re done, we’re sure you’ll be compelled to buy second hand yourself, so get browsing!

Getting your hands on designer items at a fraction of their original price is perhaps one of the best reasons to buy second hand clothes. Designer items are highly sought after, high quality, and beautifully made. But they come with the price tag to match.

At Reliked, you can get designer items that have been barely worn, many of which may only have been worn for a photoshoot. You snag that much-coveted designer item, at a bargain!

All of our little decisions every day contribute to whether we help the planet or harm it. It’s staggering to think that making textiles contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined (and that’s before coronavirus reduced the planes in our skies). Indeed, the fashion industry is responsible for 8% of carbon emissions. And if we really want to labour the point, it’s worth noting that fashion is the cause of 20-35% of the micro plastics that end up in our oceans. These are then ingested by sea animals, even ending up in our food chain.

Helping the environment is one of the main reasons why more and more people are choosing to buy second hand clothes.

Sustainability is gradually gaining traction and strength in the fashion world, but it needs your help. Making items of clothing uses natural resources, yet 3 out of every 5 fast fashion pieces ends up in landfill. Buying second hand stops that item heading to landfill and also sends the message to clothing manufacturers that there’s demand for slower fashion.

Let’s be honest, most of us move on from an item well before it’s reached the end of its life. We get bored, we’ve been seen in it multiple times already, or our style has shifted. That’s not the garment’s fault and what has become your junk will go on to become someone else’s treasure.

We’re increasingly learning the importance of recycling in many areas of our life. But how can we, when it comes to clothes? Buying second hand is how to do it. It’s good for the planet and it’s good for our pockets too, with $500 billion in value being lost each year due to clothing underutilisation and lack of recycling.

You love reading that blog, you follow certain influencers, and you want to emulate their style and creativity in your life. By buying second hand, most specifically from Reliked, you get to buy pieces that have been owned and worn by your favourite people.

Knowing that you’ve got a genuine item worn by an influencer is a hugely compelling reason for many. What’s more, knowing that you are supporting them is a massive thumbs-up and worth a thousand likes.

Same old, same old… no one wants to be a carbon copy when it comes to what they wear and how they style themselves. The beauty of buying second hand is that you can often find wonderfully unique items which no one around you will have. This is particularly the case when you buy second hand designer clothing which will have had a limited production run in the first place.

As we explained above, there’s no more trawling through charity shops when it comes to buying second hand. You no longer have to go home and get the sewing kit out. Now, it’s a case of browsing online and trusting second hand clothing brands that do the repairs and restorations for you. You just get to enjoy the shopping experience.

Really? Absolutely, second hand clothes have made it to the ‘for sale’ stage precisely because they were so well made in the first place. Fast fashion that uses cheap techniques and fabrics show signs of wear very quickly, and aren’t always suitable for the second hand clothes market. Therefore, you can be sure that when you are buying a second hand item, it’s of high-quality, designed to last.

Depending on how you buy your second hand clothing, you may be contributing to good causes. For example, at Reliked, a minimum of 5% of all sales goes to a good cause. Many of our sellers choose to contribute more to charity, with some contributing as much as 100% of the sale value. It’s fantastic to know that buying second hand still does good, even when a charity shop isn’t where you’re buying from!

Hands up if you’re fed up of being limited to only seeing new releases from your favourite brands every once in a while? You’re not alone. When you buy through a second hand clothing marketplace, there’s new stock and new designs added every day. You never know what’s coming in, so you can enjoy the anticipation of a browse regularly.

Once upon a time, buying second hand was accompanied by the stigma that it was second best. That concept has been turned on its head and now people really admire second hand pieces, as well as the ethics behind the choice. No one sees it as second best anymore. They see it as sensible, a brilliant opportunity, and great for the world around us.

These are just a dozen of the reasons to buy second hand clothes. We can think of more, but hopefully this is enough to compel you to make the switch and join the trend.