Yuna Lammers dons protective, black gloves as she heads for the toy bins. Sifting through Beanie Babies and Pillow Pets, she searches for the most pristine, vintage items.
“You never know where stuff has been or who touched it,” Lammers said, adjusting her gloves.
Heading over to rows of secondhand clothing at the Sharehouse of Ann Arbor, Lammers examines each piece before moving to the next, ensuring no items are left unreviewed.
A member of Generation Z, Lammers is an online, secondhand reseller. Also known as zoomers, born between 1997 and 2012, Gen Z is the first generation to have grown up using the internet and social media. Retail research indicates zoomers also lean toward thrift purchases.
The research division of Capitol One Shopping reported in February 2024 that 83% of Gen Z buyers have purchased or are interested in secondhand clothing; 64% always consider secondhand before new; and 34% always shop thrift stores.
Lammers said she shops the secondhand and thrift stores to replenish the stock for her internet sales. In addition to The ShareHouse, her favorite stops in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area include the Ann Arbor PTO Thrift Shop and The Salvation Army.
Thrift-market boom
Overall, thrift-market shopping hit $53 billion in revenue in 2023, Capitol One Shopping reported. The research results also indicate that one-third of all clothing and apparel purchases made in the United States that year were secondhand items.
Lammers said she focuses on toys and stuffed animals. She enjoys collecting Sanrio-branded items for herself, she said, as well as reselling them. Sanrio creates products under brand-licensing deals, such as Hello Kitty merchandise.
“Usually, the things I resell are actually things that I wanted to keep, but when I research online, it's worth enough that I’d rather resell it,” Lammers said.
She has a particular thought process for determining resale prices.
“Usually I do half of what the item is worth off of eBay listings; eBay has always been the main marketplace for reselling,” Lammers said. “I don’t like to sell for full price because it’ll take longer to sell, and it will be less likely to sell.”
Lammers said she differentiates the types of resellers she encounters. She feels sympathy for the resellers who are thrifters themselves and use their hobby as a side hustle when things get tough. She doesn’t approve of resellers who buy secondhand goods in bulk. She said they are not selective about their items and are simply clearing out thrift stores, trying to markup merchandise for far more than it’s worth.
Lammers said she believes bulk buyers deplete store shelves and make it harder for others to access affordable goods.
Saving money and more
The Capital One Shopping research indicates that 85% of all thrift shoppers, not just Gen Z, seek out secondhand goods to save money. Other reasons mentioned include helping the environment, finding high-end goods at discounted prices, and purchasing vintage or unusual clothing options.
Mackenzie Schuch, who owns the consignment shop Nuyuu Collective in the Kerrytown area of Ann Arbor, said she has noticed an uptick in thrifting over recent years. Nuyuu allows resellers to rent a booth in the shop to sell their items.
"I do believe thrifting has been on the rise recently," Schuch said, "partially because COVID put people in a tighter economic status."
The search for vintage clothing also seems to be a driver. A 2023 sales report from ThredUp, an online consignment and resale business, indicated that vintage clothing and old items are making a comeback. ThredUp also reported that 64% of Generation Z shoppers said they look for secondhand items before buying new.
The research also indicates thrifters are thinking beyond finding cheaper alternatives for personal use; they’re looking to sell.
Statista, a business and marketing data company, reported that 46% of Generation Z and millennials consider the resale value before purchasing a clothing item.
The data from Statista also suggests the interest is global, with the worldwide resale market for apparel valued at $14 billion in 2021, and projected to reach $51 billion by 2026. Plus, the Annual Retail Trade Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau reported that used merchandise stores in the U.S. saw an 18% increase in sales from 2019 to 2021.
Buyer shift
Susan Soth, a store manager at The ShareHouse of Ann Arbor on Jackson Road, is among thrift shop managers in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area who've said they see a shift in customer demand.
“I think the economy has gone crazy and that people are trying to save money,” Soth said. However, “I would say that probably 65% of our customers are resellers."
Soth said the resellers are a win-win, growing business for both the store and the resellers. Soth also said she’s seen increased demand for every category of item that her nonprofit thrift store sells.
Schuch also voiced support for online resellers.
"I think online resellers positively affect the industry," Schuch said. "It gives more accessibility to customers to shop secondhand, even if they aren't near a secondhand store. They've been super helpful in spreading this environmental message."
Schuch said thrifting is a sustainable method of obtaining clothing.
"I believe the biggest appeal to the concept of thrifting is the environmental impact, and the pricing. So many people have clothes that they aren't using anymore, and rather than just throwing them away, this is a good opportunity for everything to have a second life," Schuch said.
Cassidy Kutella, owner of the Cass and Co. Upscale Thrift and Gift in Dexter, Michigan, said she has seen a change in the clientele too.
“There’s way more younger people that I feel like would never thrift before that are totally giving it a shot,” Kutella said.
Kutella also pointed to sustainability issues: "I think because people are caring more about where their things are coming from ... how fast fashion is treating our environment and the people that work for it, I think it's more affordable and sustainable."
Cass and Co. opened in December 2023. Kutella had been thrift shopping with her mother for 28 years before opening the shop. She said online resellers are good for the industry, and she is happy that thrift shopping is becoming more widely accepted.
Customers are impacted by the growth as well. According to some shopping at places like Ann Arbor PTO Shop, Goodwill, The Salvation Army, Value World and Plato’s Closet, vintage clothing brands are becoming harder to find.
Ann Arbor PTO Thrift Shop is located at 2280 South Industrial Highway, Ann Arbor, MI
A future of growth
John Letts, a customer at the Ann Arbor PTO Shop and a lifetime thrift shopper, said he believes the future of thrifting will see a price jump. The Ann Arbor PTO Thrift Shop is an independent nonprofit thrift store that focuses its profits on Ann Arbor Public Schools. Specifically, it donates to the school clubs and organizations.
"Like everything else, it'll get more expensive," Letts said, "but there will still be good deals."
Dan Hamalainen, another Ann Arbor PTO Shop customer, said he sees an increase in thrift stores.
"There's probably going to be a lot of thrift stores because there's a lot of fast fashion, people buy something and then they don't want to have it anymore," Hamalainen said. "People buy a lot of stuff they don't need and then need to get rid of it."
ThredUp’s report also indicates continued growth, projecting that total thrift sales will reach $82 billion by 2026.
Schuch said she sees a positive outlook for the industry.
"Not only is thrifting a great way to seek individuality in your clothing, but it's also sustainable," Schuch said.
Meanwhile, Lammers continues to scour thrift store aisles for cheap goods and potential profits.
“The trend of younger people purchasing stuff from thrift stores is going to continue,” Lammers said, “and more specifically reselling rates … will also continue to increase.”
13 thrift stores were researched, with most of them being non-profit
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