I recently noticed people from my hometown making Instagram accounts in which they buy clothes from thrift stores, and sell it to their Instagram followers for a profit. It seems smart for these people because it is a very easy way to make money. However, this is harmful to people who regularly shop at thrift stores.
Before I begin, I am NOT against wealthy people shopping at thrift stores.
Thrift stores are environmentally friendly and it is a very sustainable way to shop and save some money. I am not poor or struggling, but I do enjoy finding a good bargain on things I know I can find in a thrift store. Some may view my behavior as harmful, but there is much more harmful activity going on.
When privileged teenage girls go into thrift stores regularly buying tons of things, just to resell to their followers, they clear out so many things that people who actually need to rely on thrift stores may need or want. Not only are they taking clothes from the needy, they are increasing the sales at the thrift stores and because of the sales increase, thrift stores like Goodwill, Salvation Army, and other larger chain stores have begun increasing their prices.
Some thrift store prices have even reached ridiculous amounts of money like $14 for jeans.
I made an Instagram account called @kendallsxcloset and formatted it to look like I am going to sell clothes on there, and immediately the followers started rolling in. There are hundreds of accounts on Instagram, Poshmark, and Depop of hip trendy girls reselling clothes they bought at the thrift store for sometimes an insane profit.
I cannot speak from the point of view of a poor person and won't pretend I can, but I do know that for poor people, every dollar makes a difference.
When people started having to spend an extra few bucks on clothing, they begin to have less and less money for food and bills and the wealth gap will only continue to increase.
Reselling thrift store clothes seems like such a fun idea to make money very easily, but this is harmful to so many people. Put yourself into their shoes and please stop profiting off of thrift stores and use your privilege to speak out against this.
