The best tips for second-hand shopping

Trae Bodge, founder of TruTrae, joins TheStreet to share her best tips for second-hand shopping.

Transcript

00:00And let's talk about sustainability, what are the trends that you are seeing around consumer demand there?

00:08So consumer demand is on the rise with sustainability, we're trying to be more mindful,

00:13we're trying to do our part to help the planet or not do as much damage to the planet,

00:19and so I'm seeing a lot of great products in the sustainable arena,

00:23whether they're being made with recycled plastic bottles or they're encouraging reuse

00:28instead of buying new things like refillable water bottles and water-free products in the home

00:34for cleaning products and things like that, so I'm seeing a lot of activity there,

00:38and then that kind of leads into my next tip about buying second-hand.

00:42That's a big trend right now, it's suddenly cool to buy second-hand,

00:46so I'm really glad to see that, I've been a thrifter for a very long time,

00:49my family and I all do it together, and I'm glad that it's cool now to buy second-hand

00:53because there's a great way to save money and also give products another life and live a bit more sustainably.

00:59So as a shopping expert, what are the tips for doing it right in terms of second-hand shopping?

01:05Because we all see those commercials where somebody's driving down the street

01:08and they see a couch on the street and they take it home and they say,

01:12hmm, doesn't smell well, so what are some of the tips to doing it well?

01:17Yeah, so there are a couple categories that I hesitate to suggest when you're talking about second-hand,

01:23and that is those soft furniture items like your mattress, an easy chair, a couch,

01:29because you never know what's living in there, you don't know where it was before,

01:33so I recommend avoiding those things, but clothing, I will use clothing all day long,

01:38it's a great way to give things a second life, like we said.

01:41Electronics is another one that I don't really love so much

01:44because you can't really test it at the Goodwill, for example,

01:48if that lamp is working or that, you know, CD player or what have you,

01:52so I'm a little hesitant with that, however, if you are looking to buy electronics,

01:57there are a lot of online sites where you can buy them and they're inspected and warrantied,

02:02mpb.com is a great one, they specialize in camera and videography equipment,

02:06they're all warrantied and inspected, so you know that you're buying that camera,

02:11you're giving it a second life, you're saving significantly,

02:14but it's been looked over very, very carefully,

02:17so that's what I would look at if you're going to buy electronics.