Whether you are new to shopping secondhand for clothing, or you're a pro at it, you'll love these 8 easy steps on how to get the most out of buying secondhand.
It is no secret that more and more people are shopping secondhand these days.
Secondhand, it's for everyone.
More and more people are opting to buy secondhand these days, and it's not hard to see why. For a variety of reasons, people from all walks of life are choosing to shop at secondhand stores. Some people are fed up with keeping up with the latest trends; others want to be more environmentally friendly; and still others are on the lookout for one-of-a-kind items! Here at Helpsy we believe that secondhand is for everyone.
Whatever your reasons are for choosing secondhand, we invite you to join us and radically change how you fill your wardrobe.
Here are some tips to making shopping secondhand a breeze.
Pick the right secondhand site
Shopping secondhand may take a little longer to find just the right item, but it shouldn't feel like looking for a needle in a haystack! Save time by shopping online and selecting a site that makes it simple to shop for and find the items you know you'll like. We tend to be biased, but when you shop on Helpsy.com, you are guaranteed to find unique items that no one else has!
Furthermore, we have a professional team of sorters and reviewers, so you can have confidence in the process. The most difficult part will be not buying everything you see 😅
Start small
Start out by just buying one or two things to make yourself feel comfortable and confident in the process. The good news is that not only is it more economical to buy secondhand, you also get free shipping on your first Helpsy order, which makes it as easy as ever to give it a try. Once you fall in love with shopping secondhand, and we’re pretty confident you will, stay committed to extending the life of that clothing and taking good care of it to maintain your best looking wardrobe while positively impacting the planet.
Keep shopping your favorite brands
Shopping secondhand doesn’t mean you have to shortchange yourself on quality or give up your favorite brands. Helpsy.com has high quality pre-loved items from the brands you love and trust, like Madewell, J. Crew, Adidas, Nike, L. L. Bean, Eileen Fisher, Levi's, Calvin Klein, Guess, Dolce & Gabbana, and more beloved brands. And they’re all a fraction of the price of buying new!
Know what you’re looking for
Check your closet before you go shopping to see if anything is missing. In need of some key staples like a white button down? You can get that secondhand! Looking for an impressive accent piece like a leather jacket? Secondhand is the best way to get unique statement pieces no one will find anywhere else.
You can find anything in your closet secondhand, but your search will go more smoothly if you have a strategy in place.
You wouldn’t go to the grocery store on an empty stomach without a list, so don’t start building your sustainable wardrobe without a plan!
Have a ruler ready
Size is just a number, and they’ve meant a lot of different things throughout the years and across brands! Did you know ... a 1983 size 8 would today be a size 2 ---that’s a big change! Helpsy’s site has sizes for all and we have measurements on many of our items so you are able to make an informed decision instead of having to play a guessing game on what size will fit you!
Get ready to get custom
Make friends with your tailor or use this opportunity to teach yourself some simple sewing skills! The true secret to looking like a million bucks isn’t spending a million bucks on an outfit. The most important thing is that you buy quality and that it fits well! By choosing pieces you love and customizing the fit and feel of each piece when needed, you ensure that you will wear them over and over again and feel amazing in them. How cool is that?
Rinse and repeat
Be an outfit repeater! Once you’ve found a piece you just love, don't be afraid to wear it over and over again. We’ve been taught over the past few decades to think of clothes as disposable, never to be worn more than a handful of times before they become stale and out of style (and maybe even start falling apart!). But when we invest in higher quality pieces we thoughtfully select, we’re doing ourselves a favor because getting dressed in the morning is so much easier when you love everything in your closet.
Have fun and invite your friends
Clothing is a form of self expression and shopping shouldn’t feel like a chore, but an adventure. When you shop secondhand, you are, of course contributing to the circular economy and slowing down fast fashion, but you’re also working on creating your own personal style that’s free from the endless trend cycle that is impossible to keep up with.
Next time your friend asks where you got that skirt that is to die for, tell them they should start their secondhand journey and they will soon get the hang of finding all the best treasures just like you.
Each of our individual actions to reimagine secondhand adds up into a huge movement of very well dressed world changers.
