Used clothing

[Souledman]

The trick with Vinted is you need to save the brand, and then base for search from there. Often the only way to save the brand though, is to find an existing listing and click on the brand name there, as otherwise Vinted sometimes won't recognise it (it's a pretty shambolic search system they have). After that, it's a case of putting in terms you think the general public will use to describe the item you're after. I was after a Marmot Driclime Ether, but knowing that a lot of people have no idea what they own and the fact that Marmot like Montane write absolutely nothing useful in the labels (why?!), had to search within the Marmot brand for things like 'fleece', 'jacket' etc. eventually found one but only after looking at a lot of listings and seeing if the garment had the exact features I knew were on the version I wanted.

It's also worth asking naïvely what they use to wash the clothes. If it's a piece of technical clothing and they say anything about fabric softener, you know they have zero clue and that the garment is probably wrecked.

Yes also a bit of a Vinted expert (addict) just to add, once you’ve found your brand, you can set some other filters, such as condition, (New with tags, very good, etc) and also importantly sizing and budget. This can filter out a lot of the stuff you’re not interested in. Then it is a bit about patience and waiting for what you’re looking for to turn up. I got quite a nice Pendleton wool shirt, this way and have current searches for a hood (hoodie simplified for its rubbishy search technology) and fleece. If you’re lucky and they recognise them, you can include a few brands in your search.

If you’re unconcerned about brand, then I’d suggest using other filters to try and narrow down the field of search. If you’re getting 99 new items under your search each day it’s not narrow enough.

 

[hughtrimble]

Yes also a bit of a Vinted expert (addict) just to add, once you’ve found your brand, you can set some other filters, such as condition, (New with tags, very good, etc) and also importantly sizing and budget. This can filter out a lot of the stuff you’re not interested in. Then it is a bit about patience and waiting for what you’re looking for to turn up. I got quite a nice Pendleton wool shirt, this way and have current searches for a hood (hoodie simplified for its rubbishy search technology) and fleece. If you’re lucky and they recognise them, you can include a few brands in your search.

If you’re unconcerned about brand, then I’d suggest using other filters to try and narrow down the field of search. If you’re getting 99 new items under your search each day it’s not narrow enough.

Very good points.

Also, be careful of searching using the search bar if you are already looking at search results. It'll just apply the new search to the existing results unless you go in and change it.

Honestly I don't know how they have such a poor search function, but if you know how to use it you'll get there eventually!

 

[Trojan]

Key word search is the way to do it. So if you want an Arktis Jacket use Arktis jacket coat smock to cover everything or just use Arktis. PM if you need any more help.

 

[Keith_Beef]

Whereas my mum when I was growing up would have been horrified at the price of new, I don’t think apart from the odd coat I ever wore anything new - all was hand me downs and charity shop stuff, but we were very poor (although I didn’t know it at the time) after my dad died and lived in a deprived part of Gravesend.

Now I am all grower up and come good I can afford decent clothes, but I still gladly wear and buy second hand and feel no shame doing so.

My daughter mainly wears second hand aswell, and I hope to instill in her a similar mindset.

As for rich purchasing second hand and preventing poor people from doing so themselves, I am not sure I agree. I do think it’s a bit bad if someone strips the shelves just to sell it on on vinted for profit etc. but I guess I can’t judge, that may be what they have to do to feed their family…..

Which is why she finds it a difficult question. Not necessarily people buying cheap things to flip them on vinted, more like people wanting to buy "vintage" because it's fashionable whereas they (according to DD) could afford to buy expensive "boho".

 

[Tengu]

I picked up a couple of T shirts yesterday at the car boot.

One XL and the other XXL.

Guess which is the smaller?

 

[oldtimer]

I've several times found new garments in charity shops with the manufacturer's size label wrong. It's worth taking a tape measure when shopping.

 

[hughtrimble]

Trying them on its key! Especially given garment sizes have changed so much over the years.

 

[Pattree]

I have failed to notice that the charity shop has labelled differently from the manufacturers. Yes indeed, try it on if you have time and it’s convenient.

 

[Tengu]

Yes, but folk often shop by mail order these days.

And maybe buy several sizes, and dont bother to return the non fitting.

(As my Fathers late wife used to, left us with a pile of brand new stuff for the charity shop, all grotty cheap stuff I must add...Its lucky she never heard about Fast Fashion...)

But, I now have two T shirts for £2. One good quality and one acceptable.

And...they both fit.

 

[GreyCat]

Whereas my mum when I was growing up would have been horrified at the price of new, I don’t think apart from the odd coat I ever wore anything new - all was hand me downs and charity shop stuff, but we were very poor (although I didn’t know it at the time) after my dad died and lived in a deprived part of Gravesend.

Now I am all grower up and come good I can afford decent clothes, but I still gladly wear and buy second hand and feel no shame doing so.

My daughter mainly wears second hand aswell, and I hope to instill in her a similar mindset.

As for rich purchasing second hand and preventing poor people from doing so themselves, I am not sure I agree. I do think it’s a bit bad if someone strips the shelves just to sell it on on vinted for profit etc. but I guess I can’t judge, that may be what they have to do to feed their family…..

My mam was also horrified at the price of new ready-to-wear too, and so she- like may other "respectable working class" women of that era- made all our main clothes on her sewing machine when we were bairns. Only bought underwear ready-made. She clothed herself, my sister and I, and we were always (as my dad said) "beautifully dressed." But there was shame in that, we got teased at school for having "home made" clothes because it meant we were poor. She also knitted jumpers for all of us, and as she worked in a soft furnishings store, she was able to get curtain fabrics for a discount, and made home furnishings too.

I learnt a lot through watching and her explaining, and a visit to the local fabric shop was special, the smell of new fabric still takes me back... She taught me to make clothes, curtains, all sorts. (I didn't appreciate it at the time, but I do now!)

That has changed now, because clothing is made in sweatshops abroad, out of sight and out of mind. But I still make my own main clothes and wear them until they fall apart, and I have a stash of decent fabrics that I have built up over the years. Buying fabric and making clothes means I can choose organic cottons, EU-grown/woven linens, tweed made in Yorkshire from UK wool and so on.

Making clothes means we value them too, as we know the time and care it takes to do so. If I could change something, stopping fast fashion made in dodgy places from fabric produced in poor environmental conditions would be high on my list.

GC

 

[MrEd]

Absolutely agree, I have been lucky enough to have been taught to hand and machine sew by my mum and my mother in law, I am crap at hand sewing though due to arthritis and impatience!