• Resale is one of the fastest growing segments of retail.



• There are currently 25,000 resale stores operating in the United States.



• Resale shopping attracts consumers from all economic levels.



• About 16 – 18% of Americans will shop at a thrift store during a given year. For consignment/resale shops, it’s about 12 – 15%. During the same time frame; 11.4% of Americans shop in factory outlet malls, 19.6% in apparel stores and 21.3% in major department stores.



• The industry has experienced a growth in number of stores of approximately 5% per year for the past three years.



• The progression from a disposable society to a recycling society (i.e. the green factor) has enormous market potential for the resale industry as a whole. Resale is the ultimate in recycling.



• Goodwill Industries alone generated $1.9 billion in retail sales from their 2,246 Not For Profit thrift stores across America in 2007.



• Buffalo Exchange has grown to a 36 store chain in thirteen states. The store employes over 500 people, and generated revenues of $56.3 million in 2008. Revenues will hit $70 million within the next two years.



• Crossroads Trading Co. rang up $20 million in sales last year at its 22 stores.

• Resale is a multi-billion dollar a year industry.

3. So after cut, condition, and label are concerned, the buyer checks out the fabric. Poly-blend is going to go for lower, 100% combed cotton is going to go for higher, you can imagine why. (Even at re-sale, Green is like-so-hot-right now.) 4. Additionally the current season (as in weather) will come into play. (Yes, it’s true – re-sale actually doesn’t give a shit about what’s In for Spring 2010 if it’s September 2009. Practical fashion – who knew?) *A fabulous MJ parka (Marc Jacobs – HELLO!) WILL be bought in August, but for a much lower price than if the seller brought it in in October. (Ah HA.) **A good condition North Face jacket will probably not be purchased in August because it will certainly come in again in colder weather, meaning some other person will be trying to sell that style later and it’s not necessary to pick it up in the dead of summer. This is because Buffalo can only afford to hold onto stuff for so long before it goes on sale. Addendum: Items purchased for the store in August will be put on sale for 50% off in October. At the end of October, they are donated. Having undesirable or out of season stuff in the store takes up space where cute, current pieces could be hanging. (Word. To. That.) Final Thought: Basically, if you wouldn’t give the stuff you’re selling to your sister/cousin/friend/mom to wear right now, some random girl shopping at Buffalo Exchange isn’t going to want it either. (Truer words were never spoken.)

Love the site, but I agree. if you style yourself as the populist stacy london, you can’t really knock the options of the average american shopper (which, like it or not, run more towards ae and kmart then the funky fabulous NY thrift stores with their fancy brands). This is what Lucky was trying to do, I think-show that you can get the look at the big box stores. I’d love to see an all thrift edition of the mag, but I’m not holding my breath.

For example, polyester, the most widely used manufactured fiber, is made from petroleum. With the the rise in production in the fashion industry, demand for man-made fibers, especially polyester, has nearly doubled in the last 15 years, according to figures from the Technical Textile Markets. The manufacture of polyester and other synthetic fabrics is an energy-intensive process requiring large amounts of crude oil and releasing emissions including volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, and acid gases such as hydrogen chloride, all of which can cause or aggravate respiratory disease. The EPA, under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, considers many textile manufacturing facilities to be hazardous waste generators.

This crop accounts for a quarter of all the pesticides used in the United States, the largest exporter of cotton in the world, according to the USDA.

Much of the cotton produced in the United States is exported to China and other countries with low labor costs….China has emerged as the largest exporter of fast fashion, accounting for 30% of world apparel exports….some Chinese workers make as little as 12–18 cents per hour working in poor conditions.

An estimated 21% of annual clothing purchases stay in the home… a potentially large quantity of latent waste that will eventually enter the solid waste stream. According to the EPA Office of Solid Waste, Americans throw away more than 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per person per year, and clothing and other textiles represent about 4% of the municipal solid waste. But this figure is rapidly growing.