Best Places for Shopping Second Hand*

One of my big thing for 2016 is to focus on where my money is going and what I’m spending it on, I outlined this in my 2016 Resolutions and Goals. One of the things I want to do more to bring my spending down is buy second hand. Clothes, books and even toys for Little Miss. Not only am I giving unwanted things a new home, but they’re usually a lot cheaper than buying new. The one I am really going to focus on is clothes. There are so many places that you can pick up fab second hand pieces. I am always tempted by pretty new in stores but this year I’m really going to work hard to try and thrift anything new I need for my wardrobe, or if I can’t shop sales. I have no reason to buy full price because I honestly care more about what LM’s wearing than myself (which is 90% handmade anyway).

So here are my favourite places for shopping second hand, specifically clothes but really you can pick up anything from them;

Charity Shops
The easiest place to pick up second hand clothes are charity shops. Some are definitely more reasonable than others these days. I find locally run charity shops are the best priced. However as to what is sold is always hit and miss depending on where you live. I live in a small town so our charity shops rarely have anything that suits my style because I don’t dress the same as people here. I do find that when I go to the city and look in charity shops there I have much better luck. Charity shops are everywhere and it means they’re that much more accessible. Next time you’re in town shopping for a new outfit, why not pop in for a look? And the best part is you’re supporting a charity in the process.

eBay
Obviously, if you’re looking for something specific, eBay is the place to go. You can put in the search bar what you want and if it’s not something to obscure, you can find hundreds of results and various prices. I buy a LOT of second hand clothes for both myself and LM on eBay, especially holiday wear. Although we do go on holiday a fair bit I find it hard to shell out for new summer clothing when we get so little in the UK. Buying second hand means cheaper, or in LM’s case I can buy bundles for the price of what I’d spend on one single summer dress. If you find something you really like, you may end up in a bidding war and paying more than you thought you would, but here are some fantastic eBay buying tips to avoid that happening.

Vintage Shops
Like with charity shops, these can also be hit or miss. You can’t pick and choose the stock and the sizing is quite often a little off. However you can find some real gems. When Sunae was staying with us I took her to my favourite vintage and antiques haunt and she picked up some real leather shoes for £12! I think when I loose a bit of weight I’ll definitely be doing more vintage shopping because I love the style of clothes available. I definitely suit more “vintage” than modern. Nowadays there are also vintage stores like Rokit online making your vintage shopping much easier.

Selling Facebook Groups
Finally, one of the newer places I’ve discovered for buying second hand is on Facebook! There are so many selling and buying groups out there. I’m a member of a local one, a couple for selling kids stuff, a ton of Disney groups and a beauty products one. Facebook is such a widely used social meda platform that there is so much choice. I have bought loads and sold loads on the local ones as it’s easier for people to come pick things up than work out postage costs. I’m blessed my mum or sister are happy to take me to pick up anything I buy. It’s been really handy for when I’ve needed new furniture.