How to navigate Vinted/depop as a conscious consumer

Buying second hand clothing has never been as easy and commonplace as it is today. For as long as the internet has been a thing, people have been using platforms such as Ebay to sell on anything including the kitchen sink, with fashion being an immensely popular category. However, it seems the arrival of specialised fashion-oriented platforms like Vinted and Depop has truly popularised second hand clothing with the masses.

Long gone are the days of browsing musty smelling racks in search of your size while trying to steer clear of some nan’s potentially post-mortem hand-me-downs. On today’s virtual platforms, by contrast, one can simply filter desired styles, brands and sizes. It might even be more convenient than shopping first hand. On the one hand, this is fabulous news. Any piece of clothing that can be saved from landfill, incineration or being shipped away to some third world country where it might not even be wanted or needed is a good thing, right?

Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine and roses. It seems that many (often young) consumers see these platforms as an opportunity to help sustain their fast fashion spending habits. You don’t have to look far to see heaps of Primark, H&M and Forever 21 for pennies. Bought on a whim, hardly worn and unloaded just as fast. Additionally, when searching for brands like Zara or & Other Stories, you might find items that are still trending, perhaps even still in stores, with little discount as compared to the original retail price.

While buying second hand is often (if not always) a more sustainable option than buying new, these observations initially did leave a sour taste in my mouth. However, I have found that with the right considerations in mind, making conscious purchases on Vinted is very much an option.

Consider the seller

Money is a powerful vote. By buying new, you basically tell the seller (a.k.a. the company or conglomerate) “I want more items like this”, without any further nuance. Large companies will of course meet this demand with more supply. In the second hand market, this law of supply and demand gets warped. We have to take into account that the supplier is at the same time a consumer. Or are they?

The consumer/casual seller (using > selling)

Our first stereotype doesn’t feel like an actual store with a coherent style and that’s fine. They maybe just finished clearing out their wardrobe, they might have their family’s clothes on sale as well, some stuff stuck around too long to still be in fashion and some items are well used but still have some life in them. These accounts are a bit hit or miss, but their heart is definitely in the right place. If I happen to find my desired item on one of these pages, I can rest assured I’m supporting the true spirit of the circular economy.

The curated consumer (using = selling)

These users know their own style to a tee and that’s reflected in their store. They wear what they own, but won’t hesitate to sell some items if they can’t give them the love they deserve. These accounts make for an easy shopping experience: the items are somewhat curated but were not bought with blatantly lucrative intentions. Sticking to these accounts isn’t always 100% waterproof: at times you might understand why the item didn’t make the cut upon receiving it. Proceed with caution and stay critical of fit & fabric.

The reseller (selling > using)

On one end of the spectrum, we have sellers that buy their items without any intent of “using them up” themselves (or worse, wearing them at all). A number of accounts have such a large range of vintage items on sale, you can only assume their Vinted/Depop page is more of a business rather than a partaking in circularity. Not ideal, but I do look more favourably upon these accounts as compared to “new” resellers I’ll talk about in a second. I have bought from them before since this doesn’t increase demand in the first hand market, but keep in mind that this practice might take away the opportunity from shoppers with smaller budgets to find something nice at an actual thrift store, as that’s where these accounts get the good stuff. Do with this as you will.

Then you have the aforementioned fast fashion resellers. They might have multiples of the same on-trend items for sale, indicating they bought them to make a profit first and foremost. They might also buy trending items to wear a handful of times at best, and sell them with hardly any loss while still in season: they break even and the fast fashion cycle continues. It’s best to avoid these accounts, since purchasing from them will fuel more spending at Zara/& Other Stories etc.

Finally, you might see users who bought one item in different sizes in order to keep the one that fits them best and sell on the rest instead of paying the return fee. I avoid these, but I somewhat understand if it’s done in moderation.

Consider the item

If you really want to go the saintly route, you can of course stick to ethical brands even second hand. I look into those first, but am fine with buying from “unfair” brands as a second option. I have saved some searches for my favourite brands from the olden days, yet sometimes it pays off not to go looking for the thing everyone wants.

A couple of years ago, the cutest wrap dresses were Réalisation Par. Castaner makes the espadrille among espadrilles. Rouje is the go-to brand for that Jeanne Damas aesthetic - it’s her own brand, after all. But perhaps don’t always limit yourself to items from brands that you know loads of people have set alerts for: these will find new homes regardless. Keep your options open, set filters for the garment you’re looking for, but try and look beyond the it-brand unless your heart is already set on that specific version. Take your time to see what’s available: you might get to know new brands to put on your second hand radar.

Long story short: avoid tunnel vision - but don’t settle for second-best either, if you really want a specific thing.

Consider your own shopping habits

As I said, buying second hand is virtually always a more sustainable option than buying new. However, don’t get carried away by a false sense of urgency from stumbling upon a “rare treasure”. Buying second hand still has its pitfalls, and if you don’t end up wearing the thing you clicked home on a whim, it’s no better off than any other bad bargain in the back of your closet. I wrote a whole post about impulse buys, so feel free to click right on through if you like.