I want to share some of my reasons for reselling, why I think it's important, and what you might consider for yourself while buying/selling this holiday season and beyond. If you'd like to know more about something I wrote here, please leave a comment!
Why I Love Reselling: After years of casually selling on eBay, I added Poshmark & Mercari to my seller repertoire in early 2017 as a means for some extra cash and a way to clean out my closet. Poshmark's advertising campaigns champion this exact purpose, promising an easy way to make extra money (though "easy" is relative, of course). Over the last several years, my primary purpose for using Poshmark, Mercari, and eBay as a seller and buyer has changed. I still like cleaning out my closet and I can still use the extra money, which pretty much covers my eating-out budget each month, but now I'm much more interested in the sustainability factor. I've realized that the best outcome of reselling is giving new life to items that would have otherwise ended up in landfills. Did you know:
85% of the clothes we buy end up in landfills or burned, contributing to the climate crisis.
Even if you donate your items to Goodwill or a similar program, they only take relevant, in-season items in perfect condition. The rest will be thrown out. So, if you donate tank tops in the fall/winter, even if they are new with tags, they may not make it to the sales floor.
Additionally, even if your items are donated to a thrift store successfully, another "posher" might pick it up to resell anyway. It might as well be you! ;)
The average American throws away an estimated 81 lbs of clothes every year–the weight of an 11-year-old child.
According to the World Resources Institute, it takes 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt.
Textiles can take 200+ years to decompose in landfills.
I have a designer wardrobe for a fraction of what it should cost.
Why I Love Buying Secondhand: Primarily, I'm a reseller. But the easy filtering system Poshmark uses has also led to some amazing purchases: I've gotten a $600 leather jacket for $40, Valentino flats for $30, and various Parker, Saloni, Tanya Taylor, Trina Turk, Tibi, and Rebecca Minkoff items at way below retail price. My sell:buy ratio is about 85:15, but I like the idea that when I make a purchase, I'm getting something that would have otherwise landed, well, in a landfill. Plus, I have a designer wardrobe for a fraction of what it should cost.
Will I wear a bright red sequin top 7x?
Shopping Conscientiousness: As we all know, during the holidays, companies target consumers hard. Have you ever asked yourself how a religious holiday meant to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ turned into... people placing trees inside their homes that tower over dozens of gifts? Jesus didn't do this. The market did. (Any real insight as to how this happened, leave a comment! Dying to know!)
This year, the economy faces a multifaceted crisis: overcrowding at U.S. ports and poor planning from industry leaders in 2020 due to the pandemic have affected our ability to buy and receive goods the way we're used to. The supply chain is uniquely interrupted in a way it has never been before. But rest assured, what can be manufactured is being over-manufactured, and we will have surplus when the ports get organized.
It seems like everywhere I look, I'm being sold to. I'm only human, so I'll admit that sometimes it's fun! Hangover pills? LOL, I'll try those. That hilarious cat toy? Griffin would love that!* But it's important to stay conscientious. For example: I've been pining for a sequin crop top that I keep seeing from a certain retailer. It's so cute and would be perfect for my company holiday party. But it's $60 and I'll most likely only wear it once. I'm proud to say that I've reached the point of conscientiousness where I would rather keep my $60 than have to "re-posh" or donate this item after one wear–why would I do that when I already have options in my closet? I'm curious, when you shop, do you consider price-per-wear? I do, and I always strive to spend less than $10 per wear. So for a $60 top, I'd hope to wear it 7x. Will I wear a bright red sequin top 7x? ...Probably not. *Even though I can sometimes fall victim to advertising, I always make sure I'm supporting a smaller, independent company. I do my best not to support Amazon... a message for a later post.
Thoughtful, Repurposed Packaging: Another sustainability effort I've subscribed to for a long time is thoughtful packaging. Depending on the month, I might be shipping 1-2 packages per day to Poshmark, Mercari, and eBay buyers. I reuse all the packaging that comes my way, and I have a 5-star, 100% positive track record on all selling platforms. People are not looking to film an unboxing moment when they're ordering from a place like eBay. Poshmark has recently gotten some criticism for encouraging new poshers to wrap every item with pretty mailers and a thank you note. The truth is consumers don't need or want that. Your customer wants the item(s) they purchased, clean and as described, delivered safely and on time! They care about what's inside the package. I save every mailer and plastic dust bag that is sent to me and reuse it to package my items. (I also use the post office supplies, which are 100% recyclable.) I could do a whole post on this, and probably will at some point, so let's leave it at that. Go green!
Relevant links:
Silkroll: Points-based online clothing exchange (I don't use this, but I love the concept and might try it out. Leave a comment if you have!)
Blueland (the box Griffin is sitting in)
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