Have you gone thrift shopping recently? Chances are you have, according to a recent survey — and you might be surprised by how much the savings can add up.
According to the 2022 Recommerce Report by OfferUp, 82% of Americans buy or sell pre-owned products ranging from clothes and accessories to furniture, homewares, kitchen items, and more.
Meanwhile, a report from CouponFollow found that thrift shoppers were saving over $1,700 per year (or about $150 a month) by getting their goods secondhand.
Cost savings seem to be at the front of many thrifters' minds. OfferUp's report found that 93% of Americans are shopping secondhand to offset the impact of inflation.
Shoppers turn to the resale market for a number of reasons, including finding unique items and keeping clothes out of landfills. But the number one reason they thrift? Still, saving money topped the list by a wide margin.
Depop, one of the most popular secondhand shopping platforms, also found savings to be a driving factor. According to a survey by the company, 53% of shoppers said they thrifted to save money in 2022. The platform also found that shoppers can save an average of 25% per thrifted item compared to what it would cost new.
"There's no shortage of clothes in the world," Peter Semple, Depop's Chief Brand Officer, said in a statement. Semple also pointed to research from Vox, which found that between 80-150 billion garments are produced every year.
This means that secondhand shopping is not only a cost-saving move but also a resource-saving one.
As the Washington Post reports, the average clothing item is worn just seven times before it's thrown away. By shopping secondhand, we can drastically increase the lifespan of our clothing.
"We know that one of the most impactful stages in the lifecycle of a garment is the production of fibers," he said. "So a straightforward way to reduce the overall environmental impact of fashion is to reuse what already exists, displacing brand new purchases with secondhand ones."
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