Once a novel concept, thrift shopping has become the go-to option for many fashion-conscious people looking to make a statement at a fraction of the cost. While the flea shops of New Market, Noor Jahan and Gausia are the go-to destinations for many in search of affordable treasures, others opt for online shops that resell items from these places for convenience.
But as a growing number of online platforms resell items from these markets, thrift shopping has taken on a new dimension, sparking debate these days about whether it's about sustainability or simply a way to make a quick buck.
As we all know, thrift stores first came to prominence during the Great Depression in 1929, when they were founded to provide affordable clothing to poor people who were experiencing severe economic hardship. Over time, their focus has expanded, with sustainability and waste reduction becoming central to the ethos of thrift stores. More and more people have moved away from fast fashion, gained knowledge about exploitative labor, and embraced thrift store shopping, making it a part of their lives.
The benefits of shopping at thrift stores are clear: reducing waste, for sure. Buying second-hand allows consumers to give new life to beloved clothing and helps reduce the huge amount of textile waste that ends up in landfills every year. A Green Study study featured in Discovery Magazine found that buying second-hand clothing can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 21.4 pounds. Additionally, a recycled handbag can prevent up to 267 pounds of carbon emissions compared to buying a new item.
“Think about water,” Samia Ahsan enthuses. “A single shirt or top requires hundreds of gallons of water to be made into a retail product. The shorter lifespan of these products means more production and more water waste. That's where my inspiration for saving comes in.”
The second-year student at Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology claims to be proud of her sustainable lifestyle choices. Her friend, Alaaf Mahmoud, an architecture major and freelance creative designer, agrees. He is careful to use and dispose of clothes properly. Unless they are unusable, he either donates them or sells them at thrift stores for reuse.
“You can't just throw away clothes you no longer need because they end up in landfills. The best thing to do is recycle and reuse them, which helps the environment and allows you to buy cheaper clothes at the same time,” Arraf says.
Many thrift shoppers are environmentally conscious and may not be shopping around simply to buy items cheaper than they would in a store, but they are helping save the planet in some way.
The debate comes as recycling becomes more commercialized, with online thrift stores turning into trend-driven, profit-seeking businesses rather than adhering to their true, non-profit and sustainable goals.
Many online thrift stores purchase their inventory from flea markets at low prices, sometimes even very low when buying in bulk, then sell these items online and mark up the prices by 3-4 times, defeating the purpose of a thrift store in the first place. Resale prices can be higher than the prices you would pay at a flea market or even at a local retailer, blurring the line between profit-driven commerce and sustainable practices.
Oli Ibrahim, a second-hand clothes seller at Dhaka's New Market, shared his views on how second-hand shops can get away with unfair pricing: “Second-hand clothes sold online should be accompanied by a catalogue showing the original market price so customers can be sure that what they are buying is of value. When shopping offline, items should have price tags showing both the original market price and the second-hand price,” he said.
But catalogues can easily be manipulated, which is why Ibrahim recommended strict government monitoring of market prices, especially on the second-hand market.
The quality of secondhand clothes varies, and many of the items that arrive at flea markets are found to be defective during quality inspections at the factory. Some stores are so focused on making profits that they neglect the quality of their products and do not check them properly when buying in bulk.
As a customer, you could end up receiving a white shirt with hidden stains that weren't mentioned in the Instagram post, or jeans that are more worn than advertised. Even worse, you could end up paying a higher price.
While sustainability is one goal, others include making it possible for those in need to buy rather than hoard, and staying ethical when reselling, especially online where it's easy to scam customers.
This means that not all shops waving the green flag are truly committed to the cause. Just because a shop is tagged as a sustainable practice doesn't mean that the tagger isn't targeting capitalism. As consumers, we should be more mindful in our practices, sift through the noise, and spend our money where it will achieve the right goals.
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