5 ms·

It might be a cultural thing or lack a wealth thing but I've never fully understood the concept of second hand clothes. I mean, who gives away used clothes that

It might be a cultural thing or lack a wealth thing but I've never fully understood the concept of second hand clothes. I mean, who gives away used clothes that are still in good conditions? And I'm not passing judgement. I just don't get it. I wear my nicer clothes to go out. When they're no longer nice I wear them around the house. When they get holes or stains in them I wear them to do yard work. After that they either become rags or they go into the garbage. At no point have I ever said "I no longer want to wear this, I'll sell it for a buck and buy something new".

asdff 6y ago
Sometimes you change waist size. Sometimes you get a new job and no longer need four blazers in your closet.
profunctor 6y ago
People use fashion as a means of expression and art. They might only want to wear an expensive piece my Prada a handful of times before they have gotten all of their enjoyment out of it. Or they may not be able to afford all the types of clothes they want to try and so they sell their nice pieces so they can wear others. It's not about having nice, presentable clothing. It's about experimenting, having fun and expressing yourself. I feel like most of the stuff that goes up on depop is sold by teenagers for whom the 5 euro they get or whatever is a significant amount but lots of adults use trailed because they tried out the Haider Ackerman jacket and it was fine but it costs hundreds and now they want to try something else.
chrisseaton 6y ago
Some things aren't useful for gardening though. I'm not going to garden in a tuxedo that has become a bit scruffy but someone else could make use of, for example.
- adolfojp 6y ago
  That's a solid good point. But that still doesn't explain how you end up with t-shirts and shorts at the goodwill.
  - dkarl 6y ago
    I used to need a number of pairs of "nice" shorts to bike to work in. Then I switched jobs and there was a shower at work, so most of those shorts no longer had a role. I could have put them in storage in case I end up biking to a workplace without a shower again, but I figured they would do more good at the Goodwill.
vassast 6y ago
> It might be a cultural thing or lack a wealth thing but I've never fully understood the concept of second hand clothes. I mean, who gives away used clothes that are still in good conditions? > When they're no longer nice I wear them around the house. > When they get holes or stains in them I wear them to do yard work. Well that's if you have a yard and have space to store old clothes. I think most people (at least young people) live in small apartments and can't afford that.
- adolfojp 6y ago
  They become "yard work" clothes when they're too bad to give away, with holes and stains like I mentioned above. And I used "yard work" as code for "any kind of work that would ruin nice clothes" but I think that you can visualize non wealthy people who live in semi rural or rural areas. Also, if I didn't have the space to store old clothes, which can be a $5 plastic box in a closet, they would go in the garbage bin, not to the goodwill, because like I said before I stop wearing my clothes when they've become too worn to give away.
  - muffinman26 6y ago
    You're still assuming that all the clothes you own are clothes you can or would wear in the first place. There's all the t-shirts that get handed out at work or volunteering that are required to wear at a specific event. College students at some universities get a lot of these, but don't have much space to store them. There's gifts from well-meaning family members that don't fit or are totally inappropriate (clothes for the wrong gender, fancy clothes that have to be dry-cleaned and don't follow the work dress code). There's clothes that used to fit but don't any more (again, basically everything teenagers and young adults own). There's clothes that were required for one job and aren't for a new one, especially clothes that would have to be dry-cleaned.
fossuser 6y ago
I'd guess the simplest reason for most people is losing/gaining weight. If stuff doesn't fit anymore, but it's in good condition then it's nice to donate. The other reason I could think of would be fashion, but I'm not particularly fashionable so that doesn't affect me. I could imagine it being a reason for people though.
- solinent 6y ago
  My loose clothes become my pajamas eventually. If I gain weight, the tightness serves as a reminder for me to lose it again!
coldtea 6y ago
>It might be a cultural thing or lack a wealth thing but I've never fully understood the concept of second hand clothes. I mean, who gives away used clothes that are still in good conditions? Well, if you have a "lack of wealth thing", then you should immediately be able to grasp some advantages of this: (1) second hand clothes are cheaper to buy (or free in some cases). (2) second hand clothes means you make some money selling your old clothes, instead of throwing them away. If what's alien to you is how would anyone "throw clothes away", that still seems like a strange question. Unless we're talking about some developing country, tons of people in the West and elsewhere get new clothes and stop wearing old ones, which can then give away. Women sterotypically (and statistically) more so, following seasonal fashion, but also tons of men. You don't need to have "wealth" to do so. Even people living with average wages do stop wearing old clothes all the time. And of course some do so by necessitity too, because their kids outgrow their clothes sizes, or because they themselves got fatter/skinner and their old clothes wont do them anymore. >At no point have I ever said "I no longer want to wear this, I'll sell it for a buck and buy something new". Well, did you ever consider that you're in the minority here? I've myself never considered to do some things millions of people do, but I do know that most others do them....
KineticLensman 6y ago
Neckties used to be a thing. I haven't worn any of mine for about ten years. Since retiring I haven't worn most of my collared shirts or smart trousers. None of those things are remotely wearable in my new volunteering role which involves physical work outdoors in the cold and rain. Those things would be recycled tomorrow if COVID hadn't made my local recycling facility inaccessible.
dkarl 6y ago
At no point have I ever said "I no longer want to wear this, I'll sell it for a buck and buy something new". Me either, but I do get to the point where my closet and dresser are full, and I have clothes in them that I haven't worn in years. The pipeline starts to get clogged right after the "nice enough for going out and/or work" stage, because everything lasts so much longer in the "comfy in the house" stage than it does in the "nice" stage. Plus things change from year to year: how nicely I dress at work, how often I go out, where I go when I go out. Some people have changes in location and climate or in their body size. And sometimes you just look at something and realize it isn't you anymore. Am I ever again going to wear the barn jacket my parents bought me twenty years ago? Maybe, under circumstances I can't foresee right now, but in the meantime it's warm and has a ton of life left in it, so why not pass it on?
cawlin 6y ago
> who gives away used clothes that are still in good conditions In North America I think most people do. Charity/Thrift shops are packed to the brim with used clothing not to mention organizations that very specifically bring used clothing items to those in need. I believe most people do not keep all their clothing items until they are entirely worn out. Changes in taste, body changes, getting rid of unused items, moving to a location with a different climate etc. In most cases people are donating the clothes not reselling them. You put it in a bag and drop it off.
notriddle 6y ago
How about your children, if any.
mcswell 6y ago
I still have one sweater that I wore in high school. That was 1964-1968 (the sweater is probably from near the end of that span). Recently my wife complemented me on another sweater she didn't remember seeing (we've been married about seven years). I told her I bought it in 1976. It's a bit odd looking (and I think she was being polite), but warm. Otoh, I have worn through the knee of a number of jeans, and they either get turned into shorts or donated (and probably turned into rags). Recently I was quickly wearing out the left elbow of long sleeve shirts, but this stopped with covid. Either I was wearing it out on my office desk (it's L-shaped, with the arm part of the L on my left) or on my car door (as in most of the world, the driver's side of my car is on the left).

asdff 6y ago

Sometimes you change waist size. Sometimes you get a new job and no longer need four blazers in your closet.

profunctor 6y ago

People use fashion as a means of expression and art. They might only want to wear an expensive piece my Prada a handful of times before they have gotten all of their enjoyment out of it. Or they may not be able to afford all the types of clothes they want to try and so they sell their nice pieces so they can wear others. It's not about having nice, presentable clothing. It's about experimenting, having fun and expressing yourself. I feel like most of the stuff that goes up on depop is sold by teenagers for whom the 5 euro they get or whatever is a significant amount but lots of adults use trailed because they tried out the Haider Ackerman jacket and it was fine but it costs hundreds and now they want to try something else.

chrisseaton 6y ago

Some things aren't useful for gardening though. I'm not going to garden in a tuxedo that has become a bit scruffy but someone else could make use of, for example.

adolfojp 6y ago
That's a solid good point. But that still doesn't explain how you end up with t-shirts and shorts at the goodwill.
- dkarl 6y ago
  I used to need a number of pairs of "nice" shorts to bike to work in. Then I switched jobs and there was a shower at work, so most of those shorts no longer had a role. I could have put them in storage in case I end up biking to a workplace without a shower again, but I figured they would do more good at the Goodwill.

vassast 6y ago

> It might be a cultural thing or lack a wealth thing but I've never fully understood the concept of second hand clothes. I mean, who gives away used clothes that are still in good conditions? > When they're no longer nice I wear them around the house. > When they get holes or stains in them I wear them to do yard work. Well that's if you have a yard and have space to store old clothes. I think most people (at least young people) live in small apartments and can't afford that.

adolfojp 6y ago
They become "yard work" clothes when they're too bad to give away, with holes and stains like I mentioned above. And I used "yard work" as code for "any kind of work that would ruin nice clothes" but I think that you can visualize non wealthy people who live in semi rural or rural areas. Also, if I didn't have the space to store old clothes, which can be a $5 plastic box in a closet, they would go in the garbage bin, not to the goodwill, because like I said before I stop wearing my clothes when they've become too worn to give away.
- muffinman26 6y ago
  You're still assuming that all the clothes you own are clothes you can or would wear in the first place. There's all the t-shirts that get handed out at work or volunteering that are required to wear at a specific event. College students at some universities get a lot of these, but don't have much space to store them. There's gifts from well-meaning family members that don't fit or are totally inappropriate (clothes for the wrong gender, fancy clothes that have to be dry-cleaned and don't follow the work dress code). There's clothes that used to fit but don't any more (again, basically everything teenagers and young adults own). There's clothes that were required for one job and aren't for a new one, especially clothes that would have to be dry-cleaned.

fossuser 6y ago

I'd guess the simplest reason for most people is losing/gaining weight. If stuff doesn't fit anymore, but it's in good condition then it's nice to donate. The other reason I could think of would be fashion, but I'm not particularly fashionable so that doesn't affect me. I could imagine it being a reason for people though.

solinent 6y ago
My loose clothes become my pajamas eventually. If I gain weight, the tightness serves as a reminder for me to lose it again!

coldtea 6y ago

>It might be a cultural thing or lack a wealth thing but I've never fully understood the concept of second hand clothes. I mean, who gives away used clothes that are still in good conditions? Well, if you have a "lack of wealth thing", then you should immediately be able to grasp some advantages of this: (1) second hand clothes are cheaper to buy (or free in some cases). (2) second hand clothes means you make some money selling your old clothes, instead of throwing them away. If what's alien to you is how would anyone "throw clothes away", that still seems like a strange question. Unless we're talking about some developing country, tons of people in the West and elsewhere get new clothes and stop wearing old ones, which can then give away. Women sterotypically (and statistically) more so, following seasonal fashion, but also tons of men. You don't need to have "wealth" to do so. Even people living with average wages do stop wearing old clothes all the time. And of course some do so by necessitity too, because their kids outgrow their clothes sizes, or because they themselves got fatter/skinner and their old clothes wont do them anymore. >At no point have I ever said "I no longer want to wear this, I'll sell it for a buck and buy something new". Well, did you ever consider that you're in the minority here? I've myself never considered to do some things millions of people do, but I do know that most others do them....

KineticLensman 6y ago

Neckties used to be a thing. I haven't worn any of mine for about ten years. Since retiring I haven't worn most of my collared shirts or smart trousers. None of those things are remotely wearable in my new volunteering role which involves physical work outdoors in the cold and rain. Those things would be recycled tomorrow if COVID hadn't made my local recycling facility inaccessible.

dkarl 6y ago

At no point have I ever said "I no longer want to wear this, I'll sell it for a buck and buy something new". Me either, but I do get to the point where my closet and dresser are full, and I have clothes in them that I haven't worn in years. The pipeline starts to get clogged right after the "nice enough for going out and/or work" stage, because everything lasts so much longer in the "comfy in the house" stage than it does in the "nice" stage. Plus things change from year to year: how nicely I dress at work, how often I go out, where I go when I go out. Some people have changes in location and climate or in their body size. And sometimes you just look at something and realize it isn't you anymore. Am I ever again going to wear the barn jacket my parents bought me twenty years ago? Maybe, under circumstances I can't foresee right now, but in the meantime it's warm and has a ton of life left in it, so why not pass it on?

cawlin 6y ago

> who gives away used clothes that are still in good conditions In North America I think most people do. Charity/Thrift shops are packed to the brim with used clothing not to mention organizations that very specifically bring used clothing items to those in need. I believe most people do not keep all their clothing items until they are entirely worn out. Changes in taste, body changes, getting rid of unused items, moving to a location with a different climate etc. In most cases people are donating the clothes not reselling them. You put it in a bag and drop it off.

notriddle 6y ago

How about your children, if any.

mcswell 6y ago

I still have one sweater that I wore in high school. That was 1964-1968 (the sweater is probably from near the end of that span). Recently my wife complemented me on another sweater she didn't remember seeing (we've been married about seven years). I told her I bought it in 1976. It's a bit odd looking (and I think she was being polite), but warm. Otoh, I have worn through the knee of a number of jeans, and they either get turned into shorts or donated (and probably turned into rags). Recently I was quickly wearing out the left elbow of long sleeve shirts, but this stopped with covid. Either I was wearing it out on my office desk (it's L-shaped, with the arm part of the L on my left) or on my car door (as in most of the world, the driver's side of my car is on the left).