Buying New - Topic of the day 8/21/25
There was a prior topic of the day about buying secondhand but what about the opposite? Are there any things you should definitely buy new? If so, what? Why How do you balance that with a potentially higher cost/lower availability?
29 Replies
I'd say shoes make the best argument for buying new over used, and even then it's highly variable
but like ... i'm not buying a used pair of crocs ..
in the recent blamo interview with massimo alba, he talked abt not liking vintage bc it can carry bad vibes since you dont know who owned it before. I absolutely disagree and over half of my clothes are used but at the same time i kind of get that
to me theres something about giving new life to used items, if we're going to the woo-woo stuff, but i also get the superstitious angle
if we're gonna be rooted in the real world though, sizing issues are the biggest problem i've had with buying used, i've paid a pretty penny for stuff that turned out to not fit and isnt returnable. easier to avoid if you buy at thrift/secondhand/vintage stores but you gotta be very careful when buying online
I will not be copping the secondhand rick boxers
Oh yeah underwear is a no no
i got rick boxers for a steal
secondhand swimwear too
but if there's no clear offset to the environmental impact and the extra cost/convenience is worth it i'm gonna buy new every time
frequently faked stuff can be tricky to buy secondhand, but obviously you will be paying more new
some stuff is also just a lot easier to find new, the convenience can be worth extra cost
Also convenience of returnability depending on where you’re buying from
Sometimes people like feeling connected to the small brand or boutique they buy from
I try to buy stuff secondhand > new wherever it is practical basically.
But new is sometimes just very convenient, because you can afford to be a lot more specific.
It's a balance really.
Buying new is generally nicer for things like availability, returns, customer service, obviously the item itself is going to be brand new. But you'll be paying more and generally the difference in the actual item for new vs second hand I think isn't as big of a gap as people generally think.
Call me gross but there's vanishingly few specific items that I wouldn't buy used but those items also tend to be not worth it to buy second hand for my style (I'm not looking for RO boxers for example).
You can also BNIB or BNWT second hand. Those tend to be items that aren't as easily available at retail (hype/rare or no longer made)
Prefer new cause I hate searching
New often has returns, availability, easy to search for exactly what you want, etc
I only buy secondhand clothes if somebody sends me a link direct, otherwise i aint hunting. Jewelry is diff tho, lots of cool stuff out there to where i dont feel like im wasting time browsing.
A lot of stuff I’ve bought new tends to be my big ticket items/hero pieces which is maybe a little backwards
But for me there’s actually less new stuff to browse
Probably since there’s less of it that I could realistically afford
Generally whatever's cheaper for me. A lot of the stuff I buy is also just astronomically more expensive new
Buying secondhand can be much more effort than buying new, which is part of what you pay for. Luxury consignment offers somewhat of a middle ground in that you get some level of intake evaluation and CS, and a return policy.
Shoes are one of the hardest to learn to judge the quality of, especially since you generally can't see the state of the inner lining.
I do generally try to help friends with secondhand stuff I find though.
There is so much stuff kicking around secondhand, that I only like to buy underwear socks and shoes new
I just can’t justify anything else with the state of the enviroment
The crust is part of the full Richard experience :chefskiss:
This is honestly half the reason I don’t often buy secondhand. I don’t want to be double guessing every other purchase just because the internet is infested with scammers
ironically this is the reason I do not resell my stuff which I first got second hand.... (or at least one reason, the main one being Im lazy). I'm at peace with possibly buying fake stuff though I don't want to of course, but I'm very worried about selling something and being accused of scamming
i dont think i have bought new in recent memory besides underwear. been gifted new but not bought
Weird because normally the advice is the opposite but as someone just getting into clothes, I can't imagine buying used. I need good return policies while I learn how things fit, etc. Might be different if I had the time for in-person thrifting but with like 20-30 minutes straight to dedicate and it mostly being late at night....new really seems the only viable option.
Secondhand really is a time sink. Especially when you have a specific idea for what you are looking for.
Newbies generally have a skewed idea of how much things should cost, and an inflated opinion of what "high quality" means, which leads a lot of people to suggest secondhand because if someone is only willing to spend $25 on an ocbd it may as well be vintage instead of fast fashion.
Also its a bit of financial and ecological damage control: Turnover during my first year getting into fashion was pretty high tbh.
Denim is the only thing I buy new
Nerdy Japanese denim that is - and I never sell it after it’s retired - fades are too personalised
Otherwise everything I own is bought/sold second hand
Once you figure out a few brands/cuts you like it's easier, especially if you're just looking at more common brands, ex: Club Monaco, Theory, Polo Ralph Lauren, etc. that go for dirt cheap on secondhand sites, esp Poshmark and Ebay.
Consignment stores like TheRealReal also offer return policies.
But yeah it's also an evaluation of time spent/money saved. Realistically most people aren't going to spend that time and the price difference between new and used isn't usually as great as if you're looking into designer fashion secondhand, where the price difference is in the hundreds or even thousands.
I think the time spent/money saved equation is just what is driving it. Right now time/convenience is more of a premium than money - at least within reason. And given my interests are mostly "nicer basics" anyways the cost differential is not as extreme.
Kinda akin to it making complete sense to buy a used Porsche, but probably not worth it for a Toyota Corolla.
if you're buying "basics" you should definitely be on ebay imo
literally full of plain jeans, shirts, etc.
I know plenty of people who buy used corollas. That’s like, THE used car
yeah i was gonna say
toyotas are some of the best used cars
but it feels besides the point