12/15/2025
π I' m starting a small series called "Reselling Debunked" on thrifting and reselling where I hope to help bust some common myths. Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! π
Myth 1: Resellers are buying up everything in thrift shops leaving very few things for people in need.
Truth: Let's be honest - when is the last time you saw a thrift shop hurting for inventory and begging for donations? Thrift shops may be getting picked over, but with new donations coming out on the floor daily, many times it is luck of the draw of being in the right place at the right time.
Instead of looking at people to point the finger at, there's a much bigger issue at play here.
Overconsumption thanks to fast fashion. π
What is fast fashion? Think SHEIN, Forever 21, Zara, etc. To sum it up, it's trendy clothing that's made with the cheapest materials and sold at low prices. Did you know that 70% of all fast fashion clothing is made from synthetic fibers?
It's marketed to consumers as affordable, in-style clothing. Their online stores often run constant flash sales with bright colored count down timers to encourage consumers to act quickly and buy before the price goes up again. This is clever impulse based tactics on the consumer and it's working. The fast fashion industry is a $150.82 billion, but it's coming at a much higher cost.
Studies show not only is it impacting the earth's health, but it's impacting our physical health.
Could fast fashion clothing make us sick? There are studies being done to see if this is true. Chemicals found in these textiles have been found to cause skin issues and irritation, impact on horomones, and even showing carcinogenic properties. Yes carcinogenic as in cancer causing. Yikes!
Mircroplastics are showing up in our oceans and clothing landfills are overflowing. It is estimated that 11.3 megatons of waste has ended up in our landfills since 2017.
We don't have a thrift problem, we have an overconsumption problem.
Stats from this post: https://www.uniformmarket.com/statistics/fast-fashion-statistics
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8392/5/2/84
https://www.earthday.org/hazardous-hems-how-fashion-wreaks-havoc-on-health/