Textile waste is one of the most concerning issues of our time. The average American tosses 82 pounds of clothing every year, per Earth.org, adding up to 11 million tons of textiles in U.S. landfills.

To combat these numbers, many people have switched to secondhand shopping to refill and update their wardrobes, looking to platforms such as Poshmark and Depop. However, while these platforms started with sellers who prioritized vintage and well-made products, due to the increase in account holders, they have shifted toward offering more fast fashion, as Trill Mag reported.

Shannon, the founder of the business and Depop account Historian Vintage, originally joined to sell vintage clothing and outfits used on Hollywood sets. Since the pandemic, she has noticed a shift toward low-quality fast-fashion items on the platform.

She said that between 2015 and 2020, "it was much more niche, and more people were truly looking for real vintage and specialty pieces."

While she understands that it's better to prioritize buying items made for longevity, she remains optimistic about the platform's purpose.

"I think that inherently shopping second-hand is positive because even if something is new, if it is a new fast-fashion item, someone has access to that item through Depop, preventing them from buying new," she told Trill Mag.

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While choosing secondhand items over new ones extends their lifespans, fast-fashion goods are designed to deteriorate. Considering how many times the average fast-fashion item is worn, it's important to ask if it's even worth the carbon footprint to ship the item to a new owner and how much secondhand shopping platforms contribute to a circular economy.

"The sad truth is that 80% of clothes in thrift stores go unsold, and many of those end up becoming a problem for third-world countries," sustainability expert Ross Lohr told Trill Mag. "Resale platforms are a great way to keep clothes worn and loved, just as they were meant to be. And honestly, that should be the top priority—finding homes for clothes."

In 2021, 900 million clothing items were shipped to Kenya, and half of them could not be recycled, according to Greenpeace. If the fashion industry shifted more toward a circular economy, we would see less damage to waterways, less waste in landfills, and restored balance in multiple ecosystems.

If users started to use Depop for its original intentions instead of reselling fast fashion, the platform could become a champion for sustainability in a world full of social media ads and microtrends that have shortened our trend cycles from 20 years to five years, according to Vice.

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Secondhand shopping offers multiple benefits, including an average annual savings of $1,760, according to CNBC, reduced prices on designer items, and access to authentic vintage pieces from your chosen era. Depop has helped reduce the stigma associated with secondhand shopping, so consider making your next purchase through a secondhand platform.

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