The problematic side of online thrifting

Unavailability of larger sizes and higher prices has made thrifting inaccesible to many

Last year, TikTok user Mariel Guzma took a size 44 men’s denim shorts and a pair of scissors and went on to transform the pair into a distressed pair of shorts that fit her. The video has since surfaced on other social media platforms, reaching the Indian audience. Many have taken offence with the video tutorial.

Thrifting has been a popular choice among the more eco-conscious Gen Zs. Isabelle Thomas, student, says that she started thrifting as part of her effort to be more conscious of what she purchases. “As good as some of the fast fashion clothes may seem, the thought of ‘who made it?’ and whether they are being held under unhealthy conditions and paid poorly is always something that bothers me,” she says.

While the concept seems great on the surface, it is not without faults. What people have been upset about has been the concept of ‘thrift flipping’, where people buy and alter second-hand garments.

What’s with the hate?

Mariel Guzma is not the only one. There are many YouTube channels dedicated to thrift flipping. While upcycling is trendy, the criticism has been over the subtle tones of fatphobia it seems to promote. Thin women purchasing clothes that are one too many sizes bigger and turning them into smaller and hence, better looking, garments have rubbed a sore spot for many. A couple of years ago, Us-based influencer Nava Rose came under the radar for demonstrating how plus size jeans bought in a secondhand shop can be upcycled.

One argument has been that many of ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots in these thrift flip videos and photos portray a certain lens in which the society thinks about larger bodies. “Think about it, you see an ugly garment fixed to be made into a more attractive attire that fits a smaller body. Isn’t it the same way people talk about weight loss or larger bodies in general?” asks Kanchan T, architect.

The most common defence you hear from thrift flippers is that if they don’t take these larger clothes, no one will.

Jamie Zodinsangi Hrahsel, who runs @mizo.thrift_store on Instagram, says that the decision to alter the sizes is a marketing tactic that has nothing to do with body politics. “As a size XL myself, I have had difficulty finding my sizes in online thrift stores. Sellers choose smaller sizes because they are easier to find and the average size of buyers is usually small or medium,” she says. While she agrees that there should be a better effort at catering to all sizes, most thrift stores, she argues, are handled by a single owner who handles everything from sourcing, cataloguing, delivery and even customer care. “There are a lot of hassles in running a small business and are simply trying to deal only with items that sell easily,” she says.

Divya Runwal, founder, Everyday Rafu, says that in her experience, apart from the difficulty in sourcing larger sizes, getting people to buy them is an added struggle. Sweaters, across sizes, see many takers, but that is not the case with other types of garments. “Most people of larger sizes don’t want to buy without trying because there are body variations we don’t account for,” she says. Even when she stocks attires of larger sizes, she makes it a point to recommend buyers to try them before buying. “However, that’s not an option for all sellers,” she says.

Lower supply

Consumers argue that larger sizes are already in short supply. “As much as I love the concept, it is difficult to find my size. Cause most of the sizes available are small and medium, and I am definitely a large or an XL,” Isabelle says.

The issue is not so much with resizing, but the lack of inclusivity. “Stores need to be inclusive of people with different body shapes and sizes. It’s almost always difficult to find clothes for larger sizes not just at thrift shops but also some commercial brands as well. So, it’s nothing new. But, it would be better if they had a range of sizes available,” she says.

Tina S, freelance content writer, says that even when larger sizes are available, getting your hands on them is not as easy. “I tried to get something for my father, who is a men’s size 44. But, everything of a larger size was being marketed and sold as oversized pieces for thinner people,” she says. Even when thrift stores stock larger sizes, people who are of that size don’t get a fair chance at buying them, she explains. “There are also stores who get larger clothes and upcycle them into outfits for skinnier folk again depriving people of larger sizes an opportunity at thrifting,” she says.

Kanishka Rajan, student, however, is of the opinion that a person should be able to do whatever is needed for the business. “Resizing isn’t an ethical problem. Maybe, their customers are of smaller sizes. At least, they are making an effort to save the environment, and is making money doing so,” she
says.

Bygone Echoes is one of the few thrift store that has made it a point to be diverse as possible when it comes to sizes.

“I can understand how people think it is fatphobic because there are not a lot of thrift stores that cater to plus sizes as of now. At the same time, as a small business owner, I also understand that it is also about selling an item and making a living out of it,” says Dennis Hauzel, founder. Owners could try to sell the apparels as it is and if it doesn’t sell, they can be altered to smaller sizes, he suggests.

Gentrification of thrift stores

Thrift stores were originally created as a way to provide lower-income groups with clothing that was affordable. Recently, thrifting, especially with the switch to online modes, has turned into a trend rather than a resource.

While it has expanded the customer base, there is a definite shift in terms of the target audience, from those who cannot afford regularly priced clothing items to those who can accommodate the higher prices but choose not to. Ethical reasons or not, many argue that this takes away the opportunity from those who really need this.

“The target market for different thrift shops is different, just like with commercial brands. Online thrift shops are mainly run more for the purpose of sustainability than affordability,” says Isabelle. These stores, she says, are mainly run as profitable setups for the upper-middle class who want to make environment-friendly choices.

Trisha Thomas, student, says that lower strata population can always buy from traditional thrift stores, such as the ones you see on Commercial street.

Tina, says that by tailoring the clothes to sell or by using the money they make to buy more fast fashion outfits, the model has been rendered largely ineffective. “I’ve seen stores that resell items for prices very close or even higher than retail value. That makes thrifting inaccessible to people who depend on thrifting for their clothes. It also drives people back to fast fashion because at the end of the day those who make sustainable choices are the ones who can afford to do so,” she says.

She adds that she has given up on thrifting for the time being, because buying more clothes than what you need, thrift or not, is going to be detrimental to the environment.