Shoppers are complaining that the price of secondhand goods at thrift stores like Goodwill and the Salvation Army has shot up, and they're blaming wea

Shoppers say secondhand stores like Goodwill are getting too expensive as Gen Z makes thrifting cool

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Style Pass

2023-03-26 16:30:07

Shoppers are complaining that the price of secondhand goods at thrift stores like Goodwill and the Salvation Army has shot up, and they're blaming wealthy teens.

TikTokers have posted videos of recent trips to secondhand stores, showing hefty price tags on certain items, and footage of other items that just seem to be entirely mispriced: nondescript Starbucks mugs that cost $9, a set of Fiestaware plates for over $30, and jeans that are being sold for the same price that they were bought for in the first place.

The US thrift market has grown substantially in recent years and thrifting has become a popular pursuit of Gen Z shoppers, who have been credited with championing a more sustainable way to shop. According to secondhand marketplace ThredUp, the market for secondhand goods in the US is expected to grow 16 times faster than the full-price clothing market and be worth $82 billion by 2026.

But Gen Z shoppers aren't only buying secondhand items for themselves. Instead, they are reselling their "thrift hauls" at a premium on secondhand platforms like Poshmark and Depop and it seems to be sending prices up across the board.