Secondhand shopping surge: Why more Americans are buying used clothing

(InvestigateTV) — More than half of American consumers bought secondhand clothing in 2024, and industry experts say the shift away from fast fashion is accelerating.

According to the 2025 Resale Report from ThredUp, 58 percent of consumers purchased secondhand apparel last year. The U.S. secondhand apparel market is expected to reach $74 billion in sales by 2029, growing at an average of about 9 percent each year.

The thrill of the hunt

For Stephanie Hernandez, a secondhand stylist based in Washington, D.C., thrift shopping is both a passion and a profession. Clients pay her to help them build a one-of-a-kind, sustainable wardrobe — because many want to shop more responsibly but don’t have the time to do it themselves.

“They want to be more sustainable, and they are kind of thinking about it more, but they don’t really have the time to go out to a thrift store and hunt for those amazing pieces,” Hernandez said.

Her motivation goes beyond fashion.

“I just feel like there’s already so much out there in the world, and buying new just creates more and more waste,” she said.

The Council for Textile Recycling estimates the average American throws away more than 70 pounds of clothing and other textiles each year. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned every single second globally.

“I’d see videos of clothes washing up on beaches in countries across the ocean and it breaks my heart. That’s kind of why I started the business, to educate people about that and show them that there are other options,” Hernandez said.

A movement, not a fad

At the Goodwill store where Hernandez shops, staff say they have noticed the shift firsthand. In 2024, the Goodwill of Greater Washington area kept more than 48 million pounds of material out of local landfills.

“That is no small number. And shopping secondhand is not a fad. It is trendy, but I don’t see it being a trend. I see it being a movement,” Carolyn Becker of Goodwill of Greater Washington said.

Vintage shops are also reporting increased interest.

At Vintage Vintage Vintage, a Washington, D.C. store where all items are at least 20 years old, co-owners Rajni Rao and Libby Rasmussen say demand has never been stronger.

“Secondhand fashion is so — it’s never been more popular,” Rao said.

“Oh my God, for sure. I think people are just more aware,” Rasmussen added.

The owners largely credit Gen Z for driving increased interest in environmentally friendly fashion and eclectic finds — and for helping break the stigma around buying used clothing.

“There was a rebranding! Because it’s not that secondhand shopping is new. Like I talked to my mother-in-law about this all the time, and she’s like, ‘Listen, like, I did it, but I was ashamed.’ The fact that it has been so de-shamed is so liberating,” Rasmussen said.

Economic factors and tariffs

Adele Meyer of the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops, known as NARTS, said economic uncertainty is another factor driving the popularity of pre-owned clothing.

“People have a lot of pulls on their money. So when they can find a way of saving on consumer goods, then resale is certainly a way they take advantage of it. And then once they find their first bargain, they’re hooked,” Meyer said.

Some experts also suggest that shopping secondhand is a way to avoid tariffs that could be imposed on imported clothing.

“That is true, absolutely true — it’s tariff-proof, it’s already here," Mikki Taylor, a fashion design professor at Howard University’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, said.

Sustainable fashion in the classroom

Taylor teaches a course on sustainable fashion at Howard University and says she practices what she preaches.

“Head to toe right now, everything I have on is from the thrift store — from these designer boots to the scarf to the bracelet,” Taylor said.

In her class, students examine their own closets, choices and patterns of consumption.

“I let them know all the chemicals that are involved in just one item, one T-shirt, a pair of jeans. It is incredibly important to teach them that because our environment is definitely being affected,” Taylor said.

Taylor also points to the growing convenience of sustainable shopping, including online resale platforms like ThredUp and Poshmark, as well as rental options such as Nuuly and Rent the Runway, where customers pay a monthly fee to borrow clothes rather than buy them.

Her advice for those new to secondhand shopping: “I would say just dive in. I mean really, just look at how much you have, what is it that you can remake or reinvent, and then what I always advise is to get a solid staple piece, and then build around it.”

Start with what you have

Hernandez said every new client begins by shopping their existing wardrobe before ever setting foot in a thrift store.

“We literally go through everything in their closet,” she said. “And we put outfits together with things that they already own — so kinda showing them you can breathe new life into things you already have!"

Slow Fashion Caucus

Sustainability concerns in fashion have also caught the attention of lawmakers. In 2024, the Slow Fashion Caucus was formed in Congress, led by U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine.

“Often people don’t understand the role that fashion is playing today in our climate crisis. In fact, the fashion industry is responsible for more carbon emissions than all international flights and maritime shipping combined,” Pingree said.

Pingree and others say the issue of textile waste has worsened since the rise of fast fashion, which rapidly produces cheap, trendy clothing. The goal of the Slow Fashion Caucus is to push forward policies aimed at reducing waste in the industry.