Some of us haven’t appreciated the art of shopping second hand and the thought of buying something used, for some, can be off-putting. Often, we associate people who shop second hand, with people who have very little money. And, some of us just like things fresh out of the packaging, sparkly and new. However, this behaviour hasn’t helped the environment over the years. And we can all do our bit. It’s easier than we imagine!
Families need help now more than ever
The pandemic has changed a lot of the ways we shop and with the economic downturn very real for many families. Shopping for pre-loved is more common than ever and there are lots of places you can go to find quality used items. What would you be happy to gift that is second-hand? Are you happy to receive something used? Well I think the truth is some things are just as good or possibly even better the second time round. If you buy used furniture (and now you can at Ikea.) You can read about it here at Homes & Property Ikea Second Hand. Then you can give it your own twist by upcycling at Rumage.
We are passionate about giving old items a new life. We believe that second-hand should be a way of life and there should be fewer disposable items bought, less new mass-produced items filling our homes and a little more sparkle in life.
Get creative
Tap into your creative side and breathing new life into preloved items. Avoid the landfill as over 22M pieces of furniture are thrown into land fill in the UK every year. So, recycling or upcycling old items rather than buying new ones helps preserve raw materials, whilst simultaneously saving money and reducing waste. Everyone wins. So, what are the great things about taking on an Upcycling project?
So, what are the benefits of buying and selling second-hand items?
There are certainly some great reasons to buy more gifts second-hand, above just saving money. There is a positive impact on the environment – you are extending the life-cycle of a product which puts less strain on the environment as it helps slow down the rate of excessive consumption, which means less waste and emissions.
You help avoid landfill. Instead of generating waste, you are helping to create a circular economy of re-distributing “would-be” discarded products and giving them a new life. Ultimately, shopping second-hand means that we’re more resourceful as a society. So the top three facts about second-hand are:
1.You can extend the life-cycle of a product which puts less strain on the environment. Extending the life-cycle of products slows down the rate of excessive consumption, which means less waste and emissions.
2.You can sell-on or give items away and avoid landfill. Instead of generating waste, we’re creating a circular economy of re-distributing “would-be” discarded products and giving them a new life.
3.It’s cheaper to buy second hand. It’s undeniable, buying used items is more affordable than buying new. That’s why many of us shop second-hand.
The good news is even in lock-down we can get hold of some treasures second-hand online. Try our second-hand search service to get more results locally… Give us a try at rumage.com
and tell us what you find!
Happy Hunting
Second-hand trade is an important part of circular consumption. It means keeping products and materials in continuous use by repairing, reusing, sharing and recycling. We need to do this more – as we are consuming too much, too fast today. In 2015, the UN launched the 2030 agenda for sustainable development which sets 17 sustainable development goals. The Second Hand Effect aligns with SDG 12; Responsible consumption and production. Buying and selling second-hand is one of the easiest ways you can contribute to the UN’s sustainable development goals.
We totally agree that is why we set up 2Hand to help people make an easy choice to buy more second-hand. Early days but hopefully we will make a real shift towards supporting the circular economy. Thank you for you post
I would luv to be added as i like everyone else can’t afford new
If you click https://app.rumage.com/ and sign-up we will keep you posted and for now you can search second-hand across eBay, Preloved, Freegle, Trash Nothing and Gumtree with just one search. Let us know how you get on!
Your article is amazing and informative. Thanks for sharing it. In this article, I understood what are the benefits of buying and selling second hand items. Krayvkray is a platform where user can sell secondhand items easily, check out our apps in google play store.