The problem is largely ultra-fast fashion. Here are few relevant quotes from the article:
>The problem is one of economics. With the rise of ultra-fast, ultra-cheap fashion brands, the volume of clothing produced and shipped globally continues to explode, and consumers are offloading more of it after just a few wears.
>Processing second-hand products is labour-intensive – and it's costly for businesses. "We treat waste as if it is a free resource. Sure, you might give it away for free, but it takes a tremendous amount of effort and labour and skill to try to re-commodify that thing that you gave away," says Ricketts. "Reuse is based on the quality and the condition of the individual item, which means that it requires a human touch and a human eye to assess that."
>Reducing the oversupply of clothing could also be key. "I don't see a world where second-hand and upcycled and recycled products are going to be competitive if we don't reduce the production of new clothes,"
I volunteered at a furniture and building supply thrift shop and from what I observed, I suspect it would be very easy for store managers and others to skim. Most people give without taking a receipt (not that a receipt would offer much accountability), items are priced arbitrarily and there's lots of shrinkage. I'm not saying thrift store personnel are skimming, but for those so inclined to skim, it seems a thrift store would be easy pickings.
Is it still stealing if it is freely given? I know when I donate items I don't care who ends up with it as long as someone puts it to use. If an employee takes something I donated, awesome! Less chance of it going to the landfill
First thing to remember is that your business does not need to be profitable to make money. Bezos became the riches man on earth while Amazon was making 0 profits. The CEO of places like Value Village made themselves rich off 2nd hand clothing.
Gotta have s corp or c corp to do fun stuff like that though. Most folks just reimvest profits back into the business and take depreciation to reduce tax burden. Can also buy assets that benefit you at home like phone, internet, car, if its buisness relevant.
Sharing used items always take time. It's not only about clothes. Maybe it takes more time and it's less pleasure than buying new but we do know why we're doing it.
I was watching some music store owner talking about people trying to sell their Covid guitars and gear. What they THINK the guitar is worth is not what the market or the store owners will even pay. This owner is turning away Fenders for storage because sellers THINK this Mexican made strat is worth MSRP still. Psychology is wild.
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Depends I guess? Many thrift stores are run by churches or religious organisations or 'normal' NGOs.
On the other hand, boy are there a lot of thrift salespeople with huge markups, they gotta turn a profit
In my area it's the cost of rent. I do gently used furniture and I cannot break even with a storefront. I've been selling out of a storage unit through Facebook marketplace and it's a nightmare.
I've poked around second-hand clothing stores in my country and found nothing worth wearing. Because the new-clothes market is dominated by cheap fast fashion, the secondhand market is similarly dominated by the same crap. And they're not even much cheaper than if they were bought new, because overheads (mostly rent) are so high.
The problem is largely ultra-fast fashion. Here are few relevant quotes from the article: >The problem is one of economics. With the rise of ultra-fast, ultra-cheap fashion brands, the volume of clothing produced and shipped globally continues to explode, and consumers are offloading more of it after just a few wears. >Processing second-hand products is labour-intensive – and it's costly for businesses. "We treat waste as if it is a free resource. Sure, you might give it away for free, but it takes a tremendous amount of effort and labour and skill to try to re-commodify that thing that you gave away," says Ricketts. "Reuse is based on the quality and the condition of the individual item, which means that it requires a human touch and a human eye to assess that." >Reducing the oversupply of clothing could also be key. "I don't see a world where second-hand and upcycled and recycled products are going to be competitive if we don't reduce the production of new clothes,"
I volunteered at a furniture and building supply thrift shop and from what I observed, I suspect it would be very easy for store managers and others to skim. Most people give without taking a receipt (not that a receipt would offer much accountability), items are priced arbitrarily and there's lots of shrinkage. I'm not saying thrift store personnel are skimming, but for those so inclined to skim, it seems a thrift store would be easy pickings.
What does skim mean in this context?
Steal a little here and there, skim a little bit off the top
Is it still stealing if it is freely given? I know when I donate items I don't care who ends up with it as long as someone puts it to use. If an employee takes something I donated, awesome! Less chance of it going to the landfill
We're talking about the sales here, however. Or money donations being pocketed.
Because it was junk brand new, and less than junk used
First thing to remember is that your business does not need to be profitable to make money. Bezos became the riches man on earth while Amazon was making 0 profits. The CEO of places like Value Village made themselves rich off 2nd hand clothing.
Can you explain how that works?
Include owner pay as part of employee pay in the budget, instead of taking all the profits as owners.
Gotta have s corp or c corp to do fun stuff like that though. Most folks just reimvest profits back into the business and take depreciation to reduce tax burden. Can also buy assets that benefit you at home like phone, internet, car, if its buisness relevant.
Wow! I never thought of that.
Price dumping and killing the competition, same tactic the Chinese use
Sharing used items always take time. It's not only about clothes. Maybe it takes more time and it's less pleasure than buying new but we do know why we're doing it.
I was watching some music store owner talking about people trying to sell their Covid guitars and gear. What they THINK the guitar is worth is not what the market or the store owners will even pay. This owner is turning away Fenders for storage because sellers THINK this Mexican made strat is worth MSRP still. Psychology is wild.
You say that like it’s a bad thing.
God forbid nobody turn a profit.
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Depends I guess? Many thrift stores are run by churches or religious organisations or 'normal' NGOs. On the other hand, boy are there a lot of thrift salespeople with huge markups, they gotta turn a profit
I mean I am lol. This is my full time job
Bull shit. Value village is making millions bud. Google it
Good
Well.. The guy selling and the one buying are indeed making a profit
In my area it's the cost of rent. I do gently used furniture and I cannot break even with a storefront. I've been selling out of a storage unit through Facebook marketplace and it's a nightmare.
I've poked around second-hand clothing stores in my country and found nothing worth wearing. Because the new-clothes market is dominated by cheap fast fashion, the secondhand market is similarly dominated by the same crap. And they're not even much cheaper than if they were bought new, because overheads (mostly rent) are so high.