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Posted on 04/25/2025 7:57:53 AM PDT by Angelino97
Stores selling secondhand clothes, shoes and accessories are poised to benefit from President Donald Trump’s trade war even as businesses the world over race to avert potential damage, according to industry experts.
American styles carry international influence, but nearly all of the clothing sold domestically is made elsewhere. The Yale University Budget Lab last week estimated short-term consumer price increases of 65% for clothes and 87% for leather goods, noting U.S. tariffs “disproportionately affect” those goods.
Such price hikes may drive cost-conscious shoppers to online resale sites, consignment boutiques and thrift stores in search of bargains or a way to turn their wardrobes into cash. Used items cost less than their new equivalents and only would be subject to tariffs if they come from outside the country.
“I think resale is going to grow in a market that is declining,” said Kristen Classi-Zummo, an apparel industry analyst at market research firm Circana. “What I think is going to continue to win in this chaotic environment are channels that bring value.”
The outlook for preowned fashion nevertheless comes with unknowns, including whether the president’s tariffs will stay long enough to pinch consumers and change their behavior. It’s also unclear whether secondhand purveyors will increase their own prices, either to mirror the overall market or in response to shopper demand.
(Excerpt) Read more at fortune.com ...
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“She wore a raspberry berets...The kind you find in a second-hand store”
Sorry, that was the first thing that came to mind.
No tariffs on used cars either.
Recycling.
As a conservative, it always made common sense to me.
No tariffs on anything made in America. Completely avoidable tax.
I see no problem with this. It’s better than the current throw-away clothing environment. Clothing is the biggest filler in the landfills. I’d like to see a return of fabric for sewing... it’s cheaper to buy Chinese made clothes now than to make your own, as I used to do. I would go back to sewing if it was financially worthwhile, as I did in the 80s-90s. It would also be nice if we could go back to real footwear rather than the plastic/vinyl crap that ends up in the landfill after one season.
Same here.
In retirement I buy everything but shorts and socks at thrift stores.
If Trump ended all taxes, there would still be losers: accountants. Media would cry that we’d lose $400 billion GDP because of this.
What about stores that sell new American made tariff-free goods, globalist Fortune?
Yes. There often is value in things some people no longer want/use.
That's over Fortune's head.
And tax attorneys. And IRS agents.
Sounds like a win to me. We throw entirely too much stuff away.
Crushing medical debt pushed my family and I to shop at Good Will, Salvation Army, thrift stores, and pawn shops.
We called it treasure hunting.
I now have 2 walk-in closets full of clothes, more shoes than Emelda Marcos, at least 20 jackets/coats, 5 furs, and more jewelry than a woman can wear...all for pennies on the dollar.
I remember the first time I came home with two teaming bags of clothes from the thrift store. My husband turned green as I excitedly pulled out dresses and suits for work. He didn’t say a word but I could tell he was getting upset. “Guess how much all this cost?” I asked.
“A lot,” he growled.
“Less than $100!” I announced, handing him the receipt.
“Really?” He was happily surprised.
“I’m going to second-hand shop for everyone from now on. We can save hundreds on the kids’ clothes every year. I found a store just for them. All nice stuff, practically new! And I found a place that has stuff for you.”
I could tell my husband fell in love with me all over again. I said the magic word: save.
I won his heart yet again when I told him I didn’t want presents for Valentines, Mother’s Day, my birthday, or our anniversary. “Just get me one big present at Christmas.”
He agreed.
In September, I told him I found my present, a piece of jewelry, and put it on lay-away. Again, he turned green.
“Let me show it to you,” I offered.
He was shocked when I pulled into the parking lot of a pawn shop. It was a lovely ring, deposit was $25, balance was $100.
At the mall or jewelry store, the same piece would have cost 5 times that amount.
He was so relieved, he paid it off right there and gave it to me early.
You can look like a million dollars without spending a million dollars, you just have to be smart about it.
Lots of enterprises are using the tariffs as an excuse for price gouging...just as they did with covid.
You’re a writer?
Which one creates the most winners?
Back in the 1980s, Banana Republic specialized in military surplus. Among other things, I bought a heavy gray winter greatcoat for only $20. I still wear it.
But then The Gap bought Banana Republic and turned it into a high-priced store selling trendy designer Italian underwear.
“Secondhand stores selling tariff-free goods are poised to be big winners from President Trump’s trade war”
excellent! ... less waste, less stuff in landfills ... besides, older items are often much better made than newer ones, esp. tools made in the USA ... maybe people will be more willing to fix broken things themselves or have someone perform the fixes for them ...
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