Roundup: June 13, 2023

Buying used stuff isn't just for cheapskates

In certain circles, it’s considered tacky to buy furniture because that’s something that should be inherited. Regardless of social status, there are very good reasons to avoid new stuff. Seven years ago, Ikea’s head of sustainability announced that developed countries had reached “peak stuff”. There’s just that many things floating around that maybe we don’t need to buy as many new things.

Last week, I was helping sort items that had been donated to help refugees arriving in Chicago. There was so much stuff that we threw some of it out. Even people who show up at a Chicago police station with nothing but the clothes on their backs don’t need used socks, shoes with holes, or t-shirts with pit stains. The sheer abundance of donated items meant that we could be selective. On occasion, the coordinator took something special, like a vintage concert t-shirt, to sell on eBay. The proceeds would be used to buy packages of new socks and underwear.

Buying used saves money, and it’s good for the environment. Occasionally I hear that rich people shouldn’t buy used because it reduces the inventory available to those who really need it, but there is so much stuff out there! When ID lived in Mexico, the weekly market near where I stayed not only sold plenty of fruits, vegetables, and tamales, it also had tables of used clothing from the US sorted by brand.

Here are a few of my favorite online places for buying second-hand goods.

• Facebook B/S/T groups: If you like a particular brand, you can find groups of people for buying, selling, and trading. I’ve gotten items at good prices as well as styling tips. Facebook is evil, but it’s also good for buying used.

• Facebook neighborhood marketplaces and free boxes: People are always selling and giving away perfectly good items. Once I posted that I was searching for an exercise ball, and a friend texted me to say that she had one to give away. Hurray!

• Goodwill Books: Several Goodwill stores from around the country have banded together to stock this site, which generates more revenue for them than Amazon. It’s a nice way to supplement my independent bookstore habit.

• Poshmark: I tend to stick to brands that I know, because sales are final and it can be hard to know if something fits otherwise. That being said, I’d gotten fantastic things, and I love that I can search for something specific like “Athleta Soho Skort 16T” and find it.

Things to Do

• Training Chat GPT: In my ongoing experiment with Chat GPT, I asked the three assistants that I set up (marketing advisor, travel planner, research assistant) “Please ask me all the questions you need to be an effective <whatever> for me.” The bots then asked about things like what sources I preferred to use. It should make these even more useful, before they put me out of business.

Things to Read

• The Simpsons: New York Magazine’s Vulture reports on how the show is better than it’s been in a long time. And I agree.