How To Thrift
Over these past weeks I’ve been having a rummage round in the pros and cons of buying second-hand clothes.
I am firmly in the pro camp for all the reasons – op-shopping is good for the planet and for the charities who run them, as well as for my wallet and my spirits.
But there’s another conversation to be had about how we donate to op-shops and other charities dealing in second-hand goods.
A decade ago, I learned a valuable lesson from Jackie Clark, the “Aunty in Charge” of registered charity, The Aunties. The call would go out for clothing and linen for the group of indigenous women The Aunties walks alongside, bags of stuff would arrive, and Jackie would staunchly refuse to take anything that wasn’t in pristine condition.
Aunty Jackie’s view was that donating goods isn’t about getting rid of your unwanted stuff, it’s about providing the specific things these women need. And that if your life has been about trauma, and not being valued, and being told you don’t deserve good things, then we can start to change that story by giving them the best.
Ever since then, I’ve reframed how of think about donating to local op-shops. It’s not only about me “getting rid of what I don’t want”, it’s about “gifting” things to someone else. This means I care about what state it’s in when I drop it off.
A friend who has volunteered in ops shops agrees. People, Brenda says, should make sure their donations are clean, with no pilling, no broken zips or rips, all buttons present and correct.
Delivering summer clothes in summer is helpful, winter in winter – though she says some op-shops have space for out-of-season garments that could sell to people heading off to the islands in winter, or going skiing in January.
Retro and designer labels, Brenda says, are welcome any time and spare produce like lemons, feijoas and plants sell like hotcakes.
All the accoutrement you need as an avid op-shopper also applies when you’re donating. You will need a good stain remover, a fabric shaver and lint roller, and lavender oil for things you can’t launder like shoes.
Brenda’s hot tips for shoppers is to pop in after a long weekend when people have been decluttering, and at the change of seasons when everyone has been digging out their winter woollies, for example, and deciding no, that jumper no longer brings me joy.
The availability of plus sizes – a bone of contention for some of the women I’ve been talking to – will vary according to Brenda from store to store. If your local one has slim pickings, try venturing into other suburbs.
My top tips? Set up online “saved searches” so you’re notified when a designer you like or a particular thing you are after is posted. And always check the label – I love to handwash but resist dry cleaning and I’ve learned to let anything that is “dry clean only” go to someone else.
Another tip from Brenda is that people who volunteer in a hospice shop often have a personal reason for doing so and while you might be there to find a bargain and are keen to haggle over prices, they’re there because they’re wanting to raise funds for hospice care because someone they love needs it. That personal connection and sensitivity is a useful perspective for shoppers to be aware of.
Another dedicated op-shopper reckons people give their best stuff to animal charities. I’ll be testing that theory in the weeks to come.