Are second-hand shopping apps encouraging people to spend money on things they cannot realistically afford? 

With second-hand shopping surging in popularity, it seems people are being influenced to buy just as much from vintage or second-hand shops as they would from traditional outlets - such as ASOS or Penneys.

With apps like Depop bringing in buy now, pay later services, has second-hand shopping become as bad for us as fast fashion retail?

Interior of Antiques at Wendover shop, Wendover, Buckinghamshire, England. Image: Alamy

On Newstalk Breakfast, freelance journalist Chloe Hamilton said she feels her consumption of second-hand shopping is not too dissimilar to her previous relationship with fast fashion.

“I'm a huge fan of second-hand shopping - I love Vinted, I love charity shops, I love looking for bargains and things that I wouldn’t normally find in regular shops,” she said.

“But I have found myself, I think, over consuming second-hand stuff - so going to charity shops a lot, scouring Vinted late at night, and I kind of excuse it because, well, it's only £2 or it's £5 here and there and actually, it's better than buying new - but I'm not sure that for me, it is always better than that."

Ms Hamilton said she it “sometimes of over consuming second-hand stuff" because she thinks it's sustainable, it's better for the environment, it's cheaper and it'll go into landfill if she doesn't buy it.

"My wardrobe now is piled high with stuff and I don't think I need it,” she said.

Items for sale in a Charity Shop on the High Street in Cambridge. 13 Dec 2024. Image: Alamy

Ms Hamilton said she feels “encouraged to spend” by second-hand influencers and constant reminders from Vinted or Depop about items that she ‘liked’.

“Sometimes I notice that Vinted sometimes sends me little prompts saying, ‘You liked this item. Do you want to put an offer in?’,” she said.

“Depop now offers Klarna, a buy now, pay later service - again, kind of encouraging people to spend money they don't necessarily have.

“I think we think it’s second-hand, so it's okay - but actually, I'm questioning whether maybe it is not okay.”

A Charity Shop in the high street - Cancer Research. 13/12/2024 Image: Alamy

Ms Hamilton said she wonders if the cheaper cost of second-hand shopping makes it easier for her to buy more of it.

“I do wonder whether the cheaper prices of second-hand shopping makes it easier for me to buy more of it,” she said.

“There's no financial barrier to it because I can afford, you know, £5 here and there, whereas if I was being asked to spend £30, I would stop and think and maybe would be more conscious about what I was buying.

“Maybe this is my opportunity to stop and pause and think, ‘Do I actually need that dress?’

“Whether it comes from Topshop, ASOS or Cancer Research, you know, do I need it?”

Ms Hamilton said she wants to stress that she is “certainly more pro shopping second-hand” than she is “shopping in fast fashion places”.

An app on the screen of a mobile phone. Credit: Sipa USA/Alamy Live News