Take a look around your home. Do you remember how long you've had those bathroom towels? What about the Kenwood mixer in the kitchen your mum passed on to you that's still going strong? Your favourite coat – a 'preloved' purchase that really has stood the test of time? A go-to dress for summer weddings, found on Vinted?
Some things are built to last. And that's one reason Good Housekeeping readers tirelessly trawl charity shops, car boots and jumble sales – as well as platforms such as eBay and Vinted – for the perfect item. In our latest survey, we wanted to find out about your vintage shopping habits – and nearly 1,000 of you responded to let us know what, where and how you love to buy.
Your biggest reason to shop secondhand is quality – nearly half of you believe that things aren't made as well as they used to be.
'Even affordable high street brands from 20 or 30 years ago were so much better made than their modern counterparts – more likely to use natural fibres and feature linings, seam allowance, trims, darts and other markers of quality construction,' says Lauren Bravo, author of Preloved and thrift shopping expert. 'We know synthetic fabrics have proliferated (in 1975, fabrics derived from fossil fuels represented 30% of the global fibre market; in 2021, it was 64%) and even the stitches used to sew clothes have decreased, making them less durable.'
Other reasons you eschew the new and shop the old instead? For 39% of you, it's environmental worries; affordability comes much further down the list, with just one in four saying it was your main concern.
But whatever the reason, it's clear our love for preowned items is firmly out of the closet. Over half of you say that there's no stigma attached – and a huge 72% of you regularly shop secondhand. Not only that, you're thrilled with your finds - worth several times what you'd paid.
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Among your best buys? 'A beautiful solid oak dining table and six oak chairs bought for £395'; ''a pure silk sweater, worth £300, for £5 from a charity shop'; 'an antique chandelier, chaise longue and hall stand from a local house clearance'; 'Laura Ashley curtains'; and 'a vintage lace Victorian wedding dress for £20 that fitted me perfectly and was more beautiful than anything I could have bought new'.
Of course, not every purchase is a hit. As well as untold successes, you reported bad buys, too, from chipped crystal glasses to 'disintegrating trainers', fusty smells and immovable stains.
While over half of you would buy books, furniture and cars secondhand, shoes, pet accessories and underwear ranked least acceptable to purchase preowned.
For Good Housekeeping readers, the top platforms are Vinted, eBay and Facebook Marketplace (although the latter comes with a warning – several respondents said that when selling on Marketplace, buyers often failed to show up). Charity shops remain the most popular source of preloved purchases, with 71% of you telling us that's where you'd found a great buy.
'Vinted is now the third biggest fashion retailer in the UK and, like so many, I'm devoted to it,' says Lauren Bravo. 'I never buy new these days without checking Vinted first. But what it boasts in volume and variety, it can lack in curation and customer service – not to mention the infinite scroll providing yet more fuel for our phone addiction. So I really love smaller online sellers that do all the legwork (or thumb-work) for you. One Scoop Store, At Source Vintage, Retold Vintage and Vintage Inclined are a few of my favourites, but you can find heaps more on Instagram. I also highly recommend gem.app. But honestly, you can't beat a real-life rummage – elbows at the ready…'
How to find a charity shop treasure
Lauren Bravo gives her insider tips.
■ CHECK THE POSTCODE
As a general rule of thumb, affluent areas tend to have the most charity shop treasure, especially if you're looking for designer labels. But that doesn't mean they're the only postcodes worth a rummage – neighbourhoods with a high proportion of older people often have fantastic vintage pieces, while shops outside of big towns and cities tend to keep their prices lower.
■ TAKE YOUR TIME
I always recommend looking at every rail twice – for some reason, the real gems often don't announce themselves until the second comb-through! Don't neglect the men's section – often you can find higher-quality pieces there, such as designer shirts, leather belts, cashmere and wool sweaters, or vintage blazers that look fabulous worn slightly oversized.
■ MAKE FRIENDS
It pays to befriend the staff at your favourite charity shop and ask which days they put out new stock (often this will be a Monday or Tuesday). And don't assume that charity shops don't...
How to clean second hand buys
How to sanitise your secondhand buys, by GH homes and household advice editor Katie Mortram.
■ For clothing…
Wash secondhand clothes before wearing to prevent irritation from detergents and cleaners, and for hygiene. Take extra care with bedding to avoid bed bugs – wash at 60 degrees, then tumble dry hot for 30 minutes to kill eggs. Put delicates in a plastic bag and freeze for a few days for a similar effect.
■ For bags and shoes…
Use bicarb for smelly shoes or bags: leave overnight, then shake out.
■ For upholstery…
Sprinkle bicarb on armchairs, sofas and dining chairs, leave for a few hours, then vacuum up to shift nasty smells.
■ For silverware
Combine 2tbsp bicarb with a few drops of water to create a paste, then rub into tarnished silver with a microfibre cloth. Wipe gently to remove tarnish. Or use a dedicated product, such as Goddard's Long Term Silver Polish, from £4.99.
■ For brass
Squeeze lemon juice on a microfibre cloth, sprinkle with salt, then buff. Use an old toothbrush on crevices, then rinse and buff. Or use a cleaner such as Brasso Metal Polish Wadding, £4.50.
■ For mirrors
Run a microfibre cloth over the surface, then spritz a solution of one part distilled white vinegar to nine parts water on the glass. Wipe with a fresh cloth in straight lines, then buff to a shine.
■ For wood
Rub a shelled walnut over wood to cover scratches, or apply damp coffee grounds for several hours to dye darker wood scratches. A wood cleaner, such as Method Wood Polish Spray, £4.90, is also useful. Polish and wax as needed.
