Secondhand shopping: my top 5 tips.

Jun 19, 2017 | 8 comments

Hi! Hello! How are you all doing? I’ve not been putting a lot of effort into my blog for the past couple years which I am actually super sad about. Afterall this is where it all started when I pubilshed my very first post back in 2015! I’ve been thinking about picking back up on writing so many times, but with the rise of short-form content (hello TikTok, Shorts and Reels) it’s just harder to have time for it all these days. As much as I love creating snappy little styling reels I do also miss long-form and slower content, and I’m secretly hoping that we’ll start seeing a slow shift back to that in the near future. I mean, am I the only one feeling super fatigued by the AMOUNT of content out there some times? Everything is so high speed; similar to our consumption habits. I know everyone seems to love TikTok, I’ve given it a go myself and I do kind of like it too, but man. From a content creator perspective (even not just that, from a social media user perspective too), I’m so tired of feeling like you have to be “in it” and that you need to be onboard with all the newest social media trends alive to keep up. Anyway… moan over.

I wanted to check in here with a bit of a life update (for those of you old-school enough to enjoy the written format) as I feel like we’ve not chatted in ages!

 

(Trigger warning: infertility)

One major thing I have been considering openeing up about for a while is infertility and how this has been affecting our lives for the past 2 years. I’ve been going back and forth about sharing this for so long because well, it’s private and intimate and while I do like keeping things real on here some things are just better kept private. Having said that I’ve felt so incredibly alone in this whole process, and actually, after deciding to just be honest about it I’m amazed of how many other people we meet are actually going through the same. According to WHO 1 in 6 people are affected by infertility on a global scale, so really this is something we should talk way more about, yet there seems to be a lot of shame and taboo evolving around it. It’s something you always think happens to the next person and it’s never something I pictured would happen to me. But as this article states “infertility does not discriminate”, and it can happen to anyone.

As you know if you’ve followed me for some time we were blessed with a beautiful daughter back in 2020. When we decided we wanted children at the time, it didn’t take long from making that decision until I actually had a positive pregnancy test in my hands. Not long after that we felt ready to expand the family again, but as it turns out fate had other plans for us. It took a long time for us to even feel sure and ready to become parents the first time around, but once we did (it’s true what everyone always tells you) there was nothing else we rather wanted. That was it. Wanting to experience it all again so bad and then not being able to conceive has been no less than heartbreaking. At some point it becomes part of your life – you kind of get used to the fact that it’s just not happening. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but we were ultimately left with no other option (if we ever wanted more kids) than to go through IVF. I’m currently on my second round of IVF after one unsuccesful attempt back in fall 2023. Full of hormones and super (!) tired, but feeling okay despite it all. Having spring around the corner and generally experiencing lighter days at the moment helps a lot.

I’m very grateful for where we are and what we have, please know that. So we will have to see what the future brings. I just wanted to open up about this so that maybe if you’re going through the same thing; please know that you’re not alone and I know exactly how you feel <3 And maybe also so you guys know why I might be a little absent sometimes. 

sneak peek of my secondhand collection: H&M leatherjacket, Mads Nørgaard top (red/white), Comme Des Garcon top (navy/white), Levi’s 501 jeans, Acne alma boots, Acne Jensen boots

 

I have found that I often find the things I really want to add to my capsules secondhand – whether it’s the more trend-based products or basic products for my year-round wardrobe

/ A large part of my wardrobe is secondhand/pre-owned clothing – both vintage findings, but also newer products, which can still be bought new from the brand. When you have a capsule wardrobe, you plan ahead of the coming season what new things you might like to add to your wardrobe, to shake it up so it feels fresh and ready for the new season. Here I recommend that you check your local secondhand stores and the online secondhand stores I have linked below. Make it a habit to review these before you go out and buy something new! I have found that I often find the things I really want to add to my capsules secondhand – whether it’s the more trend-based products or basic products for my year-round wardrobe. Secondhand style is not necessarily colorful boho-clothes; I stay true to my Scandinavian, minimalist style. Again – if you know what you’re looking for, finding exactly what you’re missing in secondhand versions is easy!

En stor del af min garderobe er genbrugstøj – både vintage fund, men også nyere produkter, som faktisk stadig kan købes fra ny. Når man har en capsule wardrobe, så lægger man gerne en lille plan forud for den kommende sæson for, hvilke nye ting man evt. synes man mangler i sin garderobe, for at ryste op i den så den føles frisk og klar til den nye sæson. Her vil jeg anbefale, at du tjekker dine lokale genbrugsbutikker og de online secondhand butikker jeg har linket nedenfor. Gør det til en vane at gennemgå disse før du går ud og køber noget nyt! Jeg har fundet ud af, at jeg ofte sagtens kan finde de ting jeg synes jeg mangler brugt – hvad enten det er de mere trendbaserede produkter eller basisprodukter til min helårs-garderobe. Genbrugsstil er ikke nødvendigvis lig med farverig, spraglet, boho-tøj; jeg er altid tro mod min skandinaviske, minimalistiske stil. Igen – hvis du ved hvad du går efter, så er det nemt at finde lige præcis dét du mangler!

 

Where to shop secondhand

/ I love to go thrift-hunting in my local secondhand shops from time to time, and I also like to go to a flea market or two when the opportunity is there. But over the last couple of years, I’ve really got an eye on secondhand shopping online. Below I describe my two favourite secondhand webshops, which I have had great experiences with myself. The list below that is other webshops that I have been recommended but have not yet tried.

Trendsales. (This is a danish website – if you live elsewhere, check the list below to find a similar service). I have used Trendsales since I went to boarding school more than 10 years ago, and through the years I have bought and sold many things in there. I love Trendsales because you can find a lot of great things from popular Scandinavian brands. For example, I have products in my wardrobe from Ganni, Acne and Mads Nørgaard – all bought at Trendsales. However, you can also find everything from Balenciaga to Cos and H&M in there. Know what you’re looking for, and it’s really easy to find it or at least something similar!

Asos Marketplace.  I have bought my vintage Levi’s jeans and shorts in here. In fact, I recently also bought a vintage Levi’s denim jacket, but it has not arrived yet. Delivery time may be a bit long, but it’s definitely worth it! When searching for products here, be sure to check the boxes “vintage” and “preowned” in the search filter on the left side of the page. You can stumble upon new products with tags here, but I’m definitely purely using the webshop because of the many cool vintage products you can find. Of course, you can browse and just look at the selection, but typically I’ve already figured out what I’m looking for when I go to the shop (that’s also the case when I visit Trendsales). If I’m looking for a kimono, for example, because I decided to add one to my capsule, I would simply write “kimono” in the search box, and then browse through the collection.

Jeg elsker at gå på jagt i mine lokale genbrugsbutikker fra tid til anden, og jeg tager også gerne til et loppemarked eller to når muligheden byder sig. Men over de sidste par år har jeg virkelig fået øjnene op for secondhand shopping på nettet. Nedenfor beskriver jeg mine to favorit webshops, som jeg har gode erfaringer med. Listen nedenfor er andre webshops som jeg har fået anbefalet, men endnu ikke selv har prøvet.

Trendsales. Jeg har brugt Trendsales lige siden jeg gik på efterskole for over 10 år siden, og har gennem tiden både købt og solgt mange ting derinde. Jeg elsker Trendsales, fordi man kan finde rigtig mange fine ting fra populære skandinaviske mærker. Jeg har fx produkter i min garderobe fra Ganni, Acne og Mads Nørgaard – allesammen købt på Trendsales. Du kan dog også sagtens finde alt lige fra Balenciaga til Cos og H&M derinde. Gør dig tanker om hvad du leder efter på forhånd, så er det virkelig nemt at finde lige præcis dét, eller i det mindste noget lignende!

Asos Marketplace. Her har jeg købt mine vintage Levi’s jeans og shorts. Faktisk købte jeg for nyligt også en vintage Levi’s denimjakke, men den er endnu ikke kommet med posten. Leveringstiden kan godt være lidt lang, men den er bestemt det hele værd! Når du søger efter produkter herinde, så vær obs på at du får krydset af i “vintage” og “preowned” i søgefiltret til venstre på siden. Du kan nemlig også sagtens støde på nye produkter herinde, men jeg bruger helt klart udelukkende webshoppen på grund af de mange fede vintage produkter man kan finde. Du kan selvfølgelig browse rundt og bare kigge lidt på udvalget, men typisk har jeg allerede sat mig for, hvad det er jeg leder efter når jeg går ind på siden (det gælder iøvrigt også når jeg besøger Trendsales). Leder jeg fx efter en kimono, fordi jeg har besluttet mig for at tilføje en sådan til min capsule, så skiver jeg “kimono” i søgefeltet.

EU online secondhand shops

Vestiaire Collective

Etsy

Ebay

Trendsales

Beyond retro

Depop

 

US online secondhand shops

Thredup

Poshmark

The real real

Restitch

Finding trends

/ Secondhand clothes dont have to be crazy boho and colorful (peace be with it, if that’s you’re style), nor ‘grandma clothes’ as some of you have expressed your concern for on my Youtube channel. Again, it’s key for me is to know what I’m looking for in advance, and then go specifically after that. Of course, I can just encounter something nice every once in a while, but if you have set your mind for a particular product in a particular color or style, you can better choose the things you want to bring home with you. Steering clear of grandma clothes, haha! So write down in advance what trend, style, color, etc. you’re looking for and work from there.

A new series I’ve made on my Youtube channel is to help you define the biggest trends from season to season. All the trends you see in fashion magazines, blogs, etc. I select a handful trends, which I think are cool and I find some alternatives to you at various online secondhand stores. You can see my first video in the series below. Both pairs of boots on the picture are bought on Trendsales btw.

Genbrugstøj behøver ikke være lig med spraglet og farverig, ej heller “mormor-tøj”, som nogle af jer har udtrykt jeres bekymring for på min Youtube kanal. Kodeordet for mig er igen hele tiden at vide, hvad jeg leder efter på forhånd, og så gå specifikt efter dét. Selvfølgelig kan jeg godt bare støde på noget pænt en sjælden gang imellem, men hvis man har sat sig for et bestemt produkt i en bestemt farve eller stil, så kan man bedre navigere udenom de ting man ihvertfald ikke vil have med sig hjem. Herunder mormor-tøj, haha! Så altså – skriv dig bag øret på forhånd hvilken trend, stil, farve osv. du leder efter, og arbejd ud fra det.

En ny serie jeg har lavet på min Youtube kanal er, at hjælpe jer med at definere de største trends fra sæson til sæson. Alle de trends man ser i modeblade, på blogs osv. Jeg udvælger en lille håndfuld trends, som jeg selv synes er fede, og så finder jeg nogle alternativer til jer på diverse online secondhand shops. Du kan se min første video i serien nedenfor. Begge støvler på billedet er iøvrigt købt på Trendsales.

What you should be aware of

/ Speaking of grandma clothes, I think that the smell of secondhand clothes and in the shops is something that may cause a little anxiety to some people. We all know the scent of “new” when entering a store or ripping up a package from ASOS, and this in itself is really addictive to some. When you buy secondhand clothes, it’s not new. It doesn’t smell new and it may even be stained, be a little worn out or have a hole somewhere. But here it is important again to have an open mind. Is it something you can just fix? Does it just need to be cleaned? Should it be altered a bit on your sewing mashine? Keep in mind that you get “new” clothes at a fraction of the original price, and if you are aware of it you may get something that is good quality as well.

To me it is worth all the trouble. And the fact that you are doing the environment a favor is also not a bad thing. It takes a little more work to buy a secondhand sweater than to click a brand new one home, but good things take time – is that not what people say? Have an open mind, and work purposefully to change your old consumption habits. And again – remember to be aware of what you are looking for so you are true to your own style all the way, and dont come home with impulse purchases or things you can not use with the rest of your wardrobe. This also applies when buying clothes entirely new by the way.

Apropros mormor-tøj, så tror jeg at lugten af genbrugstøj og i butikkerne ikke mindst er noget, som kan virke lidt angstprovokerende for nogle. Vi kender allesammen den der duft af “ny” når man træder ind i en butik eller pakker en pakke fra ASOS op, og dette er i sig selv virkelig vanedannende for nogle. Når du køber genbrugstøj, så er det ikke nyt. Det lugter ikke nyt og det kan endda have pletter, være lidt slidt eller have et hul. Men her er det vigtigt igen, at have et åbent sind. Er det noget du selv kan fikse? Kræver det i virkeligheden bare lige at blive rengjort? Skal det sys lidt om? Husk på, at du får “nyt” tøj til en brøkdel af den oprindelige pris, og hvis du er bevidst omkring det får du noget, som er god kvalitet oven i.

For mig er det alt besværet værd. Og det faktum, at du gør miljøet en tjeneste er heller ikke en dårlig ting. Det kræver lidt mere arbejde, at købe en sweater fra en genbrug end at klikke en spritny én hjem, men gode ting tager tid – er det ikke sådan man siger? Hav et åbent sind, og arbejd målrettet på, at ændre dine gamle forbrugsvaner. Og igen – husk at være bevidst om på forhånd hvad det er du leder efter, så du er tro mod din egen stil hele vejen igennem, og ikke kommer hjem med impulskøb eller ting du ikke får brugt. Det gælder iøvrigt også når du køber tøj fra ny.

How to make it feel like your own

/ This is a bit in continuation of the previous point. It’s about putting some effort into making your secondhand clothes feel like your own, because it actually feels like someone else’s right after you buy it. The first thing I do when I buy something preowned is to wash it, sort of like to “reset” the smell. Then it may take a couple of times use and a second wash before it smells completely like your own, at least if you use detergent without perfume like me. You can also hang it out in the fresh air. Believe me, you forget over time that it’s actually something that once belonged to another person!

Dette er lidt i forlængelse af punkt nummer 4. Det handler om at lægge lidt kræfter i, at gøre dine genbrugsfund til dit eget tøj, for det føles jo faktisk lidt som en anden’s lige når du har købt det. Det første jeg gør når jeg har købt noget brugt er, at vaske det, ligesom for at “nulstille” lugten. Herefter tager det måske et par ganges brug og endnu en vask, før det dufter helt som dit eget, ihvertfald hvis du bruger vaskemiddel uden parfume som jeg. Du kan også hænge det ud i den friske luft. Tro mig, man glemmer med tiden at det faktisk er noget der engang har tilhørt en anden person!

 

Selling your own products

/ This is something I’ve practiced a lot over the years and still do today: to resell products you no longer use. I know there are many of us who “donate” clothes away when we clean up our closets. The basic idea of ​​this is great, and if we didn’t do this, we wouldn’t be able to purchase it in our secondhand shops. Having said that, I can’t help thinking about this: we are lucky that today we can find good quality clothes in many of our secondhand stores. Much of the clothes come from another time – a time without all the fast fashion we have today. A lot of the clothes many of us throw in the secondhand containers today are unfortunately fast fashion and are therefore often not in very good quality. Much of it is sentenced to end up at the landfill or perhaps to be torn apart and used as filling in eg. furniture. Fast fashion often has an “expiration date” and is sentenced to lose especially their social value after a really short period of time. Therefore, the quality of it is often “indifferent” because it is not made to last for a long time anyway. It’s jus a really sad scenario to me, and in any case itmakes me consider even more what kind of clothes I buy from new. Imagine how our secondhand stores will look in 10-20 years if this development continues? Well, anyway…

When you buy good quality clothes, you can look at it as small investments that you can sell later because they maintain their value for a pretty long time, even after using it. I even have resold products I have bought used myself! I use Trendsales to sell my products. The fact that I know that it is something that may even be sold again sometime makes me care even more for my clothes.

Dette er noget jeg selv har praktiseret og stadig gør den dag i dag: at videresælge produkter, du ikke længere selv bruger. Jeg ved, at der er mange af os som “donerer” tøj væk, når vi rydder op i garderoben. Grundtanken i dette er jo super god, og hvis ikke vi gjorde dette, så ville vi jo heller ikke selv få glæde af det i diverse genbrugsbutikker. Når det så er sagt, så kan jeg ikke lade være med at tænke på dette: vi er heldige at vi i dag kan finde fedt tøj, i god kvalitet i mange af vores genbrugsbutikker. Meget af tøjet kommer fra en anden tid – en tid uden alt det fast fashion som vi har i dag. Det tøj mange af os smider i genbrugs containerne i dag er desværre fast fashion, og er derfor ofte ikke i særlig god kvalitet. Meget af det er dømt til, at ende på lossepladsen eller måske at blive flået fra hinanden og blive brugt som fyld i fx møbler. Fast fashion har ofte en “udløbsdato” og er dømt til, at miste især deres sociale værdi efter virkelig kort tid. Derfor er kvaliteten af det ofte “ligegyldig”, for det er ikke lavet til at skulle holde særlig længe alligevel. Det synes jeg er en virkelig ærgerlig udvikling, og det giver i hvertfald mig stof til eftertanke i forhold til, hvad det er for noget tøj jeg køber fra ny. Forestil dig hvordan vores genbrugsbutikker vil se ud om 10-20 år hvis denne udvikling fortsætter? Gisp. Nå, anyway…

Når man køber tøj som er i en rimelig god kvalitet, så kan man lidt se på det som små investeringer, man senere kan sælge videre, fordi de bevarer deres værdi langt henad vejen. Jeg har endda nogle gange videresolgt produkter jeg selv har købt brugt! Jeg bruger selv Trendsales til, at sælge mine produkter videre. Dét at jeg ved med mig selv, at det er noget der måske kan sælges videre engang gør også, at jeg passer lidt ekstra på mine ting.

 

8 Comments

  1. Emily

    Hey Signe – I love your blog and videos and they have definitely helped me pare down my wardrobe and be more mindful of my purchases! I was wondering, what do you do with old clothes that are not in good enough condition to donate? I have a pair of Adidas Superstars that are basically garbage… but I feel like they are too torn up to donate, what do you recommend doing with them? Any tips?

    Reply
    • signeh24

      I take it to the recycling station here in town – usually (if it’s absolutely NO good anymore) it has to go in the container with mixed trash that can be burned. But mostly my clothes are in fine condition to donate 🙂

      Reply
  2. Christina Roseman

    Hi Signe,
    I love your style and think that this is something I would like to try…but I am obsessed with your all silver watch. Do you mind sharing the brand name/style number with me please? Thanks so much from a fan in Canada!

    Reply
  3. Susan

    Hi Signe,

    I like your vintage finds. What stores in the ASOS Marketplace are your favorites?

    Reply
    • signeh24

      Thanks! :-* My faves are Avelina’s vintage and Dirty Disco Vintage!

      Reply
  4. dianne obeso

    Signe Thank you for your recent 2020 challenge video. My daughter just told me she had been excited to find 2 resale/second hand shops near her that I wasn’t aware of. We are similar in size so I have been giving her things of mine for years. Also she was in London for months doing an externship and discovered Portobello Road shops. She came home with a huge secondhand coat because it was Winter and her California wardrobe was freezing! Interesting enough the cat hated the coat for some reason and so we had to hide it otherwise it would be attacked! She said there was a ‘goldmine of blazers’ there! Anyway I look forward as she does to 2020 with renewed interest in being careful with clothing purchases. Her friends at work also trade and share accessories/clothing or donate them to charity.

    Reply
  5. Chrissy Nelson

    Signed, I live your UTube channel and style. I have a pair of brown/grey high healed boots that I have had for years. Unfortunately I rarely wear them anymore because everytime I take them off bits of the lining stick to my socks and make a mess on the floor. Do you know if its possible to have them reclined? Who would do that? Or where I could look for someone to do that? Ir is it time to let them go? Thanks for your input!

    Reply

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Die besten Second Hand Shopping Tipps - […] [1] www.uselesswardrobe.dk/secondhand-shopping-my-top-5-tips// […]

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may also like

How to find your style through the power of WORDS

How to find your style through the power of WORDS

(Post compiled using inspiration from Allison Bornstein & Alyssa Beltempo)(Scroll down for Danish) Have you ever thought about what style adjectives your personal style might be connected to? For example, relaxed, functional, smart or creative? Words are powerful,...

Makeup for soft colour types: my current faves

Makeup for soft colour types: my current faves

So, I had to re-write this post as my website recently moved and unfortunately the original post disappeared in the process! Anyway, one of the areas in which I’ve been trained when I became certified colour consultant was help my client find their best makeup...

A year with no shopping: here’s how it went

A year with no shopping: here’s how it went

Back in 2021 I decided to try a so-called fashion focused low buy challenge under the hashtag #2020wehaveplenty. The challenge itself actually went okay, but by the end of the year I remember being quite shocked of how many pieces ended up finding their way...

Slow fashion brings you more peace: here’s why

Slow fashion brings you more peace: here’s why

Fashion and psychology are connected on so many levels; not only when looking at the complexity of different societies all around the globe, but also the way we all as individuals feel when we’re dressed in clothes that are a true reflection of who we are - or who we...

My autumn capsule wardrobe 2022

My autumn capsule wardrobe 2022

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb4_3k5-RVI ► ITEMS/PRODUCTS FEATURED OR MENTIONED (Might only be SIMILAR due to availability, as many of my wardrobe staples are older or bought 2ndhand. I do my best to find eco-friendly alternatives) ADLINKS ARE MARKED WITH A *...