I check second-hand resale apps almost as often as I open Instagram. Instead of scrolling aimlessly, I search for my favourite designers and monitor every saved listing in the hope of a dramatic price drop. Sometimes the obsessive watching pays off. Earlier this year, I finally bought a Simone Rocha two-piece I had been tracking for months when its price dipped by nearly eighty percent.
When Second-Hand Feels Like Fast Fashion
A low week earlier this year made me stop and question my habits. I had purchased three second-hand items within days, and the familiar rush from each parcel made me wonder whether I’d simply replaced fast-fashion impulses with a different version of the same thing. Buying pre-loved is undeniably better than buying new — but not if we are still feeding a cycle of overconsumption, collecting “new old things” only to discard them again later.
How Much Is Too Much?
A study published in 2022 suggests that to stay aligned with climate goals, the average person should buy no more than five new garments per year. There’s no official count for how many second-hand items are acceptable, but experts argue that ownership change alone doesn’t guarantee sustainability. It isn’t a free pass — but it isn’t half a garment, either.
After checking my receipts, I realised I had bought ten second-hand items this year. Not disastrous, but not ideal. Informal polling in my office revealed I wasn’t the only late-night eBay scroller. One colleague had bought twenty-two pieces, another around thirty. Many assumed they “hadn’t been shopping,” simply because the items weren’t new.
The “It Doesn’t Count” Mindset
It’s common to rationalise second-hand shopping as harmless. The logic is simple: if it isn’t new, it doesn’t contribute to waste. But research shows the opposite trend. A recent study found that people who regularly buy pre-loved fashion tend to purchase more overall — both second-hand and new — compared with the average shopper. They participate in a faster version of the same cycle: buy, discard, replace, repeat. In many cases, donated clothing never gets resold; large volumes end up in landfills in countries like Ghana, Chile or India.
We can’t buy our way out of the climate crisis, even if the clothes are “sustainable.”
Buying With Intent
Still, second-hand fashion absolutely has value when it replaces purchases we might have made new. What matters is intention. One colleague told me she often waits months before committing to a vintage piece; she wants items she’ll wear constantly, not momentary thrills. I feel the same. The second-hand garments I’ve loved most are the ones I spent time thinking about — the ones I hunted for patiently, not impulsively added to my cart at 2 a.m.
The Joy — and the Limit
There is joy in the search: finding something rare, something with history, something you know you’ll treasure. That joy is why I won’t be deleting my resale apps any time soon. But the answer to whether I’m buying too many second-hand clothes is, unfortunately, yes. The solution isn’t to stop buying used clothing — it’s to buy less overall, to choose carefully and to keep what we buy in circulation for as long as possible.
