When, where and how do you shop second-hand, swop, donate, or resell?

We are in a moment of unprecendented popularity for all things thrifted and Vinted, from vintage shops and clothing swops, to kilo sale pop ups and charity shops, FreeCycle, eBay and TikTok, and beyond. But this surge in popularity invites new questions about the everyday experiences, ethics, and politics of thrifting and shopping second-hand.

To explore these questions, a team of researchers is working on a summer research project: “Shop, swop, donate, resell? Understanding second-hand consumption now”.

Do you love to shop second-hand? Do you resell clothes or other items?

We would love to speak with you! We are looking for participants who love second-hand shopping and/or reselling to take part in our research project. We would like to hear about your experiences and whether you have thrifted any meaningful items.

Interviews will take place via Zoom and will take roughly 15-30 minutes. If you are interested or would like to know more information, contact us @westec@cardiff.ac.uk

The project lead is Dr Alida Payson. The student researchers are funded by the School of Journalism, Media and Culture at Cardiff University.

This research builds on a larger, three-year Early Career Fellowship funded by The Leverhulme Trust called “Charity Shop Country: Conviviality and survival under austerity”, as well as an ESRC-Impact Accelerator Award that brought together academics and practitioners to frame out problems and design for the future of waste, repair, community welfare and labour in the second-hand economy.

Findings from the research will feed into academic publications and public engagement around second-hand.

Watch this space for upcoming blog posts and a zine from the research team!