Sustainable Online Shopping

Did you know that there are approximately 100 billion garments produced each year?  Since there are only about 8 billion people on the planet, this means that there are far too many garments being made.  Since fashion is the number two most polluting industry for the environment, the best thing that we can do as consumers is to wear and keep the clothes we already have and the next best choice is to buy secondhand.  By extending the life of a clothing item for 6-9 months, we are reducing the amount of carton, water and waste produced by 20-30%.  This is a compelling argument for buying secondhand.  I understand that some people have an aversion to “secondhand” clothing.  I hear “I don’t want to wear clothes that someone else wore.”  However, there is no guarantee that even new garments that we buy were never tried on or worn by anyone else.  Oxfam started a program called Secondhand September to encourage people to buy secondhand for the month of September, which is the traditional month for New York’s Fashion Week.  There are so many clothing items that are still in good or excellent condition out there, why not try shopping secondhand?

With the pandemic, my favourite thrift shops were closed but I discovered excellent online shops for sustainable fashion.  For the sake of this blog (I know, it was a sacrifice), I tried out two on-line retailers selling preloved items: thredUp and Poshmark. Each website has its advantages and disadvantages and I thought I would share my experience with each option.

thredUp :

www.thredup.com

As they state on their website, thredUp is the largest on line consignment thrift store. They are located in the US and the items purchased are shipped from their warehouse in Pennsylvania. The prices listed are in USD and the shipping / customs fees are added afterwards. While the goal is to encourage purchasing used items, the website often feels like a traditional online retail store with lots of sales and promotions. One of best features of this website is the search feature which allows a detailed search by item type, color, brand, item quality and size. The prices for most items are very low compared to the traditional retail prices and you can find everything from fast fashion to designer. thredUp also authenticates the luxury items that they sell.

How many of us have purchased things that we ultimately did not love and left these in our closet with the tags on? It happens to the best of us. These items are sold on this website as “New with Tags”. For those of you not comfortable with buying “used clothing”, new with tags items are a good option to try.

In order to control my shopping habit, I am now only buying items on my list of “missing” items. As you can imagine, my list is relatively small. One of the items on my list was a red belt with a silver buckle. I ordered a red belt but when I received it, I found that it was more burgundy red than true red. While thredUp allows returns, since they are located in the US, the shipping costs did not justify the return. The belt cost $12 USD and it was going to cost $20 for a return. My daughter told me that she liked it and I ended up giving it to her. A glutton for punishment, I then ordered yet another red belt. The website said it was red patent with a silver buckle for $15 USD. It looked like the true red that I wanted. Unfortunately, it was more orangey-red than true red but the quality and condition of the belt was excellent. It was from J Crew, made of patent leather and had a shiny, like new silver buckle. The condition was excellent. I decided to keep it and I have ended wearing it quite a bit more than I would have expected. My experience highlights one of the key disadvantages of thredUp.

The information about the item is limited, you cannot ask any questions and the photos do not always reflect what you are getting. Another item on my list was a black leather skirt. I found a Trina Turk black leather circle skirt for $60 US. It was size 6 which should usually fit me but it ended up being too big for me.

 

I took it to my shoemaker who was able to make it smaller for me for $80. Since a new leather skirt costs a few hundred dollars, I felt that the repair was worthwhile because now I have the perfect leather skirt. Plus I saved a skirt from the landfill.

Finally, I also purchased a beautiful J Crew navy cashmere v-neck. I was not disappointed with this item. It fits perfectly and the cashmere is the softest and thickest that I have ever seen.

This sweater would be about $200 new and I paid $40 USD for it therefore I considered it a very good purchase.

Overall, I would rate this website as 7 out 10 because it is difficult to buy clothing and accessories without the ability to see the items or ask questions about them. Unless you know your size in the brand, it can be a bit of a crap shoot to buy from thredUp.   Also, the prices are a bit high, in addition to being in USD.  That being said, the quality of the items purchased was excellent and they were delivered quite quickly (about a week).  I also like that the items are actually stored by thredUp and there is less of risk of being scammed for this reason.  Also, you can return purchased items if you do not like them.   

Poshmark: Poshmark is like a virtual garage sale for clothes. You are buying an item from an actual person and you can ask questions about the item i.e. details about the condition and size of the item. In my opinion, this makes on line purchases a little less risky. Like thredUp, you can search by item type, color, brand and size. The main downside of Poshmark is that you cannot return purchased items. I would recommend asking the buyer a lot of questions and not buying if you have any doubts.  Be sure to check the seller’s ratings as there are some scanners out there.  I would not recommend buying designer items on Poshmark for that reason. Another issue is the shipping costs. The standard fee is $12.99 and it is never reduced, unless the seller decides to offer you $9.99 shipping. My first purchase was an Aritzia silk leopard print blouse. I love this blouse and the print. For $22 plus $12.99 shipping, this blouse was a steal. Full disclosure: the blouse had an odour (perfume of previous owner) but this was quickly addressed by dry cleaning the item. My next purchase was a long navy cardigan. I negotiated the price with the seller and got it for $25 instead of $35 (plus $12.99 shipping). They say that the basics are often the things that are missing in your wardrobe and this cardigan certainly falls into this category. My uniform of jeans + t-shirt + navy cardigan was something I wore on repeat all spring – summer.

I also found a beautiful round straw purse (with a leather strap) that I wore all summer long.

I also purchased a bright pink linen dress.  It was perfect to wear during our hot summer.  While it did not indicate new with tags, this dress has definitely been unworn.

Have you noticed anything? Yes, I became addicted to Poshmark. Once a shopaholic,always a shopaholic… I recently deleted the Poshmark App and I am on a a no shopping detox for the rest of the year.  Actually maybe into next year too!   

My rating of Poshmark: 8 out of 10.  Poshmark allows you to buy directly from a person and ask questions (and bargain) with a real person.   My addiction to the website tells you everything that you need to know.  Consider yourself warned!  While I had a good (or should I say very good) experience on Poshmark, according to Poshmark website reviews, there are people who have been scammed  i.e. paid and not received items or received fake items.  This is especially true for anything designer (and Lululemon apparently). 

Note that this is not a sponsored post and all opinions are my own.

Challenge for the Week: My challenge is to stop online shopping and actually any shopping. Like regular shopping, you have to buy what you actually need. For those of you with the discipline to control your shopping habit, I would encourage you to check out these two websites (or buy secondhand from thrift or consignment shops). Buying used clothing items is always better than buying new. Of course, the most sustainable wardrobe is the one that you already have.