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Not all people are motivated or exited by the same things. My eldest daughter, a student on a tight budget, is highly motivated by looking good and saving money.
My youngest daughter, a typical millennial, is motivated by showing her own style to the world, different from what may be found in every store, a style that says, “this is who I am, and I don’t care what advertisers will want me buy”. She also worries about the impact of modern lifestyles on our planet.
Like many of my friends and acquaintances, I am probably motivated by all the above, but most of all, I am really motivated to make a difference to the utter destruction of our planet caused by the never-ending cycle of us buying stuff and discarding it, buying more stuff and discarding more. It is sad that the communities who can least afford it, are the ones most affected by our insatiable need to shop in a careless and thoughtless fashion.
Since embarking on this journey of changing my shopping habits and starting a business, I have been unexpectedly delighted by the experience of thrift shopping and the way that it makes me feel. The rush of feel-good hormones that one experiences when you find an immaculate evening gown that someone paid $750+ for (and never wore once) and see a price tag of less than $100 is almost unmatched and is very addictive.
And it feels just as good telling your friend who has just commented on your beautiful outfit that you only paid as fraction of the new price for it.
It can be fun, but it also takes considerable skill and time to scour thrift shop after thrift shop, sifting through hundreds of items to find ‘that one’ beautiful fashion piece. Even the best bargain hunters have returned home with their prize items only to find a missing button, zipper that does not work or a ripped lining.
Shopping at reputable online thrift stores provides the same thrill regardless of what turns you on, BUT it saves a huge amount of time and money and is without the risk of buying defective items.
My daughters and their friends have found buying from peer-to-peer second hand market places fraught with risks. Items are described inaccurately, are knock-offs of designer brands or in poor condition when they arrive by mail or delivery. “No, I did not want a fake Chanel jacket with perspiration stains under the arms” Good luck trying to get your money back!
Therefore, make sure that you buy from a reputable and trusted online store that has consumer friendly purchasing and return policies, are run by ‘real people’ that have your interests at heart and that are Australian.
Trust me, once you start thrift shopping, you will be hooked. Nothing beats that high of opening a parcel and finding that absolute gem inside at a fraction of what you would have paid for it new.
Even better is the knowledge that by re-using instead of buying new, you not only saved money, but you helped saving our planet.
