Recently on TikTok, I came across a video of a woman finding a camera at goodwill that is worth $400. The woman then shows how she sold the camera for $350 on eBay in less than an hour when she had paid $1.99 for the camera. When going through the comments some were cheering her on telling the woman to, “get her coin”, while others seem disappointed that people are selling items from thrift stores for a higher price. I saw a comment that said this, “Goodwill is raising prices because of people like you that go and buy things to resale it for more, there are families that are affected by that,”. I personally think this is wrong. Families who are not as wealthy as others, shop at thrift stores to buy clothes they need, but the people who resale items affect the families who aren’t wealthy badly. Is it okay for people to resale items from thrift stores since goodwill throws everything that does not sell into landfill, or is it not okay for people to resale items as it hurts other families in need?
The resell market is not only prevalent in finding so-called "gems" from thrift stores but also popular in streetwear as well. People find items usually in two ways; they search many thrift stores for expensive items that they could sell for higher or they wait in long lines for a designer item to drop in order to sell it for higher. To put it frank, this is how many people make their living and it is far from easy. In order to make a profit from finding things at thrift stores, many have to spend countless hours scouting out for things to find and sell. It is far from easy. Of course there are outliers that randomly find a very expensive item for cheap, such as the woman you mentioned, but it doesn't come often. If anyone is to blame, it's the thrift stores for selling expensive items for that low. I personally don't see how finding items at thrift stores and selling them for higher is affecting poorer families in any way. If anything, it can be a way for a poorer individual to make some money by selling it. Let that woman get her bag!
ReplyDeleteHi Anna! First, I'm so glad someone brought this up. Reselling thrift store items for higher prices causes those stores to charge higher prices, hurting the families that actually need those items. Yes it is a fun and convenient way to get new clothes, but it gentrifies the thrift store community. I've had to shop there and I can just say the prices have changed so much due to the demand of trendy items. Reselling items for a fair price is OK, but buying so many that prices are raised is wrong. It is hard to see the issue for some people because they haven't experienced it, but the increases in prices and resell really does hurt lower income families who depend on thrift stores.
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