I almost always shop secondhand. If I can buy something that I need at a lower price just because someone else has owned it before me, why would I choose to pay more? Shopping secondhand is the frugal option and means I can pocket the difference – a brand new £30 M&S jumper will be about £8 when I buy it ‘new with tags’ from someone online, so £22 goes into my savings pot!
Plus, reusing something that has been pre-loved is more sustainable – there’s already enough clothing and decor items in existence to last us all a lifetime, with us adding to the volume by buying new. My desk above, for example, is now old enough to be considered retro but that’s not the only reason I chose it; it’s made well, has stood the test of time and was a much lower price than most new flat-pack furniture.
So, if you’re planning to shop secondhand like I do, I’d like to encourage you to go for it. You will be sure to save money AND it’s actually possible to make extra savings too. I’ve previously shared my solutions for the top 5 secondhand shopping gripes so be sure to have a read of that too.
Here are three ways to save even more when shopping secondhand online.
1. Always negotiate
The first rule of shopping secondhand is to always negotiate the price. Just because there’s a price listed on Vinted, eBay, Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the final price. You can always ask if the seller will take a lower offer – if you don’t ask, you’ll never know if would be possible to make extra savings so it’s worth a quick message to find out.
That extra step of negotiating the price might mean missing out on some in-demand items, as someone else could buy it while you’re messaging the seller. So it’s a good idea to try offering a lower price for items that have already been listed online for a while; it shouldn’t sell from under you and the seller might be more keen to accept a lower offer.
Finally, if you’re going to buy more than one item from the same seller, you can benefit from a percentage off the price by using the ‘Bundles’ option on Vinted. And you can ask for a lower total price on other platforms if you’ll be buying multiple items. It’s always worth asking! Be super-polite and message a seller in the same way you’d like to be approached to yourself.
2. Use discount codes
So, I’m browsing online for a specific product. I find it at a great price from a retailer I trust. I’ve added it to my basket and am heading to the checkout. But will I just pay and walk away? No chance! Not without looking for a discount code to use.
You may think that you won’t be able to get a further discount if you’re shopping secondhand. I mean, you’ve already got a lower-than-retail price by buying it from a seller on Vinted, eBay or Gumtree, right? Perhaps you’ve even agreed on a discounted price or bundle. So how can you possibly get even more money off? Yep, you’ve guessed it – there are discounts and deals available for these resellers too!
You see, there’s almost always a coupon code you can use for money off your purchase or free delivery. So why would I pay more if it’s possible to save money with just a couple of clicks? It used to be time-consuming to find discounts and deals online, and you needed to copy-and-paste multiple codes into the checkout until one worked.
There’s no need to go through multiple instances of “Invalid code” alerts before you find one that works – that’s where Coupert comes in. This smart shopping assistant can be installed on your browser to automatically test and apply all available coupons for the retailer during checkout. Not only can you use it for Vinted, eBay or Gumtree, but I’ve also spotted deals for most high street retailers on the UK version of this discount code site, including M&S, Argos, Next, Boots, John Lewis and most supermarkets, so I can find a discount for most things I need to buy online.
So far, I’ve used discount codes every single time I’ve ordered my contact lenses online. And when I’ve travelled, I’ve used a coupon for money off my Airb&b accommodation and my Trainline tickets. It’s very rare that I ever complete checkout without adding a money-off or free delivery code – even when I’m having a clear-out and am selling my own items online, I can get a deal on postage when sending with Royal Mail or Evri, too. That brings us nicely on to…
3. Sell your stuff
Another way to save money on your secondhand shopping is to sell your own stuff first. If you list your items on a selling platform and make some money from the things you no longer need, you can then use that money to buy new pieces. You’re basically shopping for free.
Recently, I needed a jacket for summer, but I didn’t want to pay the kind of prices at high street stores. So, I decided to sell a winter coat that I hadn’t used and that didn’t fit me. I kept the money in my Vinted balance and then used these funds to buy a couple of lightweight jackets for my summer wardrobe and still had some cash leftover to withdraw to my bank account. Bonus!
Finally, I’d love to mention charity shops. If you don’t manage to sell your item online, please do donate good-quality pieces to a charity that you support so that they can benefit from them. And always have a look through the rails while you’re in the shop, you’ll probably find a bargain and will be helping the charity with your purchase, too. And if you can’t get to a physical charity shop, you could browse the Oxfam, Barnardos, British Heart Foundation or Shelter charity shops online to find pre-loved bargains.
I hope this article will help you to save money every time you shop secondhand in the future. Please let me know your best bargains in the comments below, I’d love to hear what shopping tricks worked for you.
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This article is a sponsored collaboration. The pink links in the content indicate a sponsored link or information source. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content 🙂
