Everyone appreciates a bargain, but not everybody understands that low prices can come with low quality.
One Redditor shared their recent shopping experience on the r/Aliexpress subreddit, expressing disappointment in their shipment.
"I bought sweatpants from AliExpress and the material weaving is the kind that has less density to it (mostly see-through)," they wrote. "Then on the inside, the finishing is funny, exposed wool like plastic shielding that irritates my legs.
"... I thought I was saving money by avoiding the expensive overpriced sweatpants sold locally, but I should have just bought locally because I'm not going to wear the junk I bought on AliExpress. … You're not saving money buying from AliExpress, I promise you that."
Another Redditor shared a similar experience in the comments: "I bought a few pairs of pants from different vendors. Was expecting lightweight material. This … was like, spun by spiders. … I've never even SEEN anything like it."
The fast fashion industry is known for cutting corners in order to meet deadlines and cost targets. While some fast fashion giants, including Forever 21, can have longer lead times, others can create, produce, and ship items in as little as days; Shein releases up to 10,000 new items on its site every day.
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To meet that demand, industry analysts say fast fashion makers generally cut costs on wages, disposal, fabric quality, and production safety. The industry produces 92 million metric tons (more than 100 million tons) of textile waste annually, uses 93 billion cubic meters of water for production, and contributes up to 10% of heat-trapping gas pollution.
The average consumer tosses their new items after 10 or fewer uses, so 85% of the textiles made every year are discarded and end up in a landfill, often in poor countries. Instead, consumers could send in their old items to companies such as Trashie that can properly sort them to be reused or recycled.
If you are in the market for new clothes or would like to stay on top of trends without contributing waste to our landfills, you can always choose to shop secondhand. Thrifters have been lucky enough to find a $3,600 Ralph Lauren bag for $27.99, a Burberry trench coat for $20, and a vintage '70s top for $20.
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