Thrift Is The Future: 8 Online Sites For Second Hand Shopping

Thrifting has become immensely popular over the last few years, especially for students as shopping second hand is more of an affordable option. 

Whether it’s shopping for retro and vintage clothing, a pre-loved high street item or a handmade or custom piece, shopping sustainability is not only good for your wardrobe and your wallet, but also for the planet too. 

By shopping second hand, you’re helping to give an item a new life and promote sustainable fashion! 

Although it can be hard to find the best second hand shopping sites, with so many online platforms to choose from.

Don’t worry, here at HFS we’ve saved you some time by rounding up the best ones… 

1. Vinted 

Vinted has become one of the most popular second hand shopping sites, despite being around for quite a few years, it’s only recently taken off. 

The Vinted App is the go to for everything second-hand, with a huge variety of items including vintage clothing pieces and brands you love at affordable prices, and you can even filter between different categories, brands, sizes and prices.

If you find a pre-loved gem which tickles your fancy, you can choose your own shipping method and have it delivered to your student flat in no time at all.

Vinted is good for both buyers and sellers, as there’s no selling fees so you’ll keep everything you make if you’ve got some clothing which is just sitting in the back of your wardrobe! 

You can download Vinted for iOS and Android.

2. Depop

Shopping second-hand on Depop is a great way to save money, shop sustainably, and find unique thrift, vintage and streetwear items. 

It is a fashion marketplace where you can shop according to your style, by simply creating an account, setting up a profile, and following other users and businesses on the app. 

Once you’ve found something you like, you can pay safely and securely with Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and credit and debit cards – it really is that easy! 

You can even negotiate on the price by using the ‘Make an offer’ feature, so you’re bound to get a bargain and you’ll be helping to reduce fashion waste. 

Download Depop for iOS or Android. 

3. eBay 

When it comes to shopping second hand, eBay is one of the absolute OG’s with hundreds of second-hand clothing from various brands and sellers.

If you somehow haven’t used eBay, the way it works is you can Buy It Now, where you pay a fixed price and buy an item straight away, or you can bid on an item and try to get it at a lower price. 

You can check the quality of the pre-worn items you’re interested in purchasing by checking the condition it’s listed as, and by looking for signs of wear and tear, holes, stains, or other damage. 

Get searching on the official eBay website to find some amazing deals on second hand clothing! 

4. Facebook Marketplace 

If you’re interested in second-hand shopping, another great platform is Facebook Marketplace.

You can buy a wide selection of trendy or vintage pre-owned clothing locally from people within your community or get items shipped to your student home, the choice is yours. 

To get the best shopping experience, we’d suggest using specific search terms and making use of the filters.

The only downside is, you can’t buy or sell items without a Facebook account but, you can still browse the Marketplace to see what’s available. 

5. ASOS Marketplace 

Whether you’re on the hunt for a vintage statement piece, a Y2K dress, graphic tees or streetwear, you can use ASOS Marketplace to find plenty of one of a kind womenswear and menswear clothing. 

ASOS Marketplace has become the leading online platform for independent brands and vintage boutiques since it was first set up in 2010.

It truly is a dream come true when it comes to thrifting, with 900+ small businesses to shop from including independent brands and vintage boutiques from 50+ countries. 

Second hand shopping sites like this one are full of unique finds, but you do need to be open-minded and willing to search for what you want! 

6. Thrift Plus 

Vintage clothing has really come into its own in recent years with another popular online platform being Thrift+.

This secondhand fashion marketplace is on a mission to end fast fashion with over 500 thousand top high street and designer brands to shop from. 

Despite not being as popular as other sites out there, this platform is really worth shopping from as part of the proceeds are donated to charity.

So, not only will you be getting a great piece at the fraction of the price, you’ll be doing your bit for the community and will be supporting a great cause! 

7. Shpock 

For a more mindful way of shopping, check out Shpock, a buy and sell marketplace. 

The way it works is pretty similar to a flea market, you search and find second-hand items and place an offer if you want to buy something. 

The platform also allows you to trade and swap with other users so you can exchange your pre-loved items for someone else’s – it’s a win, win! 

You can even change the search radius to find items which are being sold in your uni city or town, so you can pick the item up or have it delivered face-to-face. 

If you love sustainable shopping, download the Shpock app for iOS or Android today! 

8. Rokit 

For second hand shopping online as a student, our final recommendation is Rokit.

This online platform sells a collection of unique retro and pre-loved clothing from independent brands and high street favourites like Levi’s, Carhartt, Nike and Burberry. 

Hundreds of products for men and women are added online every week.

For students in London you can even head to the multiple Rokit stores in the city centre to shop for reworked statement clothing and vintage pieces. 

The best part about thrift shopping with Rokit is that they offer a 15% discount through Student Beans so you can get some money off! 

There we have it, we’ve listed a few of the best online sites for second hand shopping for students, which one is your favourite? 

There are many more options out there for buying pre-loved items, including charity shops, vintage kilo sales, flea markets and so on. Happy Thrifting! 

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