A few years ago, while having lunch with colleagues in my previous newsroom, we started talking about thrift stores. One of my co-workers said, “I get all of my clothes from thrift stores,” and quickly added, “I’m not trying to brag though.” And I thought: How great that she sees thrifting as something to brag about.

She’s not alone. In the U.S., recommerce is a $200 billion per year market and growing. As the holiday season approaches, researchers find an increasing number of people are turning to secondhand gifts. A survey in Europe found 64% of Europeans see secondhand gifts as a good way to save money and shop more sustainably. A 2022 survey in the U.S. found roughly half of Generation Z planned to purchase secondhand gifts.

The stigma of used items can be hard to overcome, but not impossible.

“To be viewed as a suitable gift, a secondhand item must meet certain standards,” says Ilya Malkin, CEO and co-founder of Sort A Brick, a company that uses AI to sort mixed bins of plastic Lego bricks and repackage them into new sets. Malkin adds that secondhand gifts need to “perform well, look presentable and be safe to use.”

Regifted and thrifted gifts typically come without excess packaging that can end up in a landfill or the ocean. And, as part of a circular economy, existing items require far less energy and fewer resources than newly manufactured products, making them a win for the planet and your wallet.

Do’s:

• Cast iron pans can last for generations. Often found at thrift stores in rough shape, with a bit of elbow grease, they can be restored to like-new condition.
• Thrifted containers like baskets, baking dishes and mugs can be used to hold holiday treats.
• Terra-cotta pots can be cleaned up and planted with a new houseplant.
• Outgrown children’s items including beloved books, toys and clothes can find a second life with younger friends or cousins.
• Clothing platforms like Kidre, Poshmark and ThredUp specialize in finding new homes for pre-loved clothing.
• Refurbished electronics, including laptops and phones, reduce the need for mining critical minerals like cobalt, nickel and lithium that can lead to deforestation and pollute local ecosystems.
• Thrifted picture frames can give a new look to a family photo or artwork.
• Sustainable wrapping with thrifted napkins or tablecloths cut down on holiday waste.
• A pet rock is an enviro-friendly gift that just keeps on giving.

Don’ts

• Teflon pans and black plastic cooking utensils both contain chemicals linked to serious health concerns, and damaged pans are more likely to flake toxins into food.
• Plastic cutting boards can impart microplastics into food with every cut.
• A lump of coal, while a traditional stocking stuffer for those on the naughty list, in terms of climate change, fails Malkin’s test of being “safe to use.”

Banner image courtesy of Ylanite Koppens via Pexels.