Buying clothes through eBay - ethical?

Dibz_2

I've been thinking about how to ethically moneysave when it comes to buying clothes - and it's not very easy!

Obviously charity shops are great places to help out and get some new stuff but with something like eBay it's much more accessible and has a wider variety.

On the one side, if I buy second hand clothes from someone on eBay, I'm not directly supporting the (most likely ethically unsound) company that has originally sold the clothing, much like a charity shop works I suppose.

On the other hand though, how much do I know about what eBay does with all its hefty profits from listing fees and the like? Does anyone know about this?

I'll tell you what though, I'll be staying away from the multiple listings of jewellery filling up pages and pages of columns displaying 'From China'. :mad:

So, to summise; is buying clothes through eBay an ethical way of moneysaving?

I think I know the answer already...:o

Dibz x

d.o.o.g

To my mind once the clothes have been made in a sweatshop the damage has been done. Conversely however, the longer those clothes stay in circulation, the less need for new ones and therefore the less chance of more sweatshops.

One idea that I had at the start of the year (I confess I've not implemented it yet) is for every item of clothing I buy I could give the same amount of money to a charity that helps out in poorer areas (World Vision would be my choice). Kind of like the pop bands that plant trees when they tour to counteract the pollution of flying etc.

chugalug

Buying clothes on ebay is a type of recycling. Its a boon for those who love fashion but can't condone the conditions in which cheap clothes are produced. If someones already bought the item then the damage has already been done. If someone else then buys it at least they're not contributing further to unethical companies profits. Its a compromise for those of us who can't afford the prices of new ethical clothing.

WillD_2

goood questions! I find the best way to work through such issues is to consider the impacts each choice will create. here's your choices:

1. Don't buy any clothes - reduce
2. Buy from charity shop - reuse
3. Buy from second hand / vintage / pre-owned shops (all the same thing)- reuse
4. Buy from auction site - reuse
5. Buy new from an ethical shop - lower impact
6. Buy new from a (sadly) normal shop and give some cash to charity (using giftaid of course!)- lower impact
7. Stuff 'em! just head for the high st - ouch.:eek:


From an sustainability point of view, I would say these are in the right order. The first two, for the reasons you state. The simple mantra is: reduce, reuse, recycle, recover.

So, of course, "do you really need more clothes?" is your first question. reduce consumption when possible.

Ok, if you've decided to buy, a shop is better as it will support the local economy and generally involve fewer transport and packaging impacts. Charity shops are better as they also give proceeds to good causes.

auction sites, hmmm. if you are buying unethical used clothes, you are giving money to sellers that bought them in the first place. are they likely to use that money for new unethical clothes? possibly. or will they give it to charity? possibly, but less likely. :mad:

And i don't know what ebay does with its cash, but being a online service company, they are no airline, so unless they are investing horribly then don't worry too much about that.

They will also have to package and send your the clothes, all of which have impacts - waste, resource use and carbon emmissions. (the packaging could also be made in a sweatshop!).

What would happen if you didn't buy on ebay? would the potential seller give the clothes to a charity shop or throw them away? could be either...

There is a choice with new clothing. I bought some great stuff from www.howies.co.uk organic, built to last, made in Wales, often have a sale on etc. I would say that this type of production is around that of eBay in terms of sustainability impacts.

A final word. Think about the price. If you have to buy new and find that ethical clothes are expensive (and they aren't always so) , or not suitable, and you really want something else then, yep, you could 'offset' the impacts with a charitable donation. But it's hard to know how much would sooth your sin buy! It will probably be greater the cheaper the clothing (someone is paying for it somewhere). Though price doesn't always equal more ethical - think sportswear.

Hope that helps!

Will

PS I'll check to see if there's any questions.

Contains_Mild_Peril

d.o.o.g wrote:

To my mind once the clothes have been made in a sweatshop the damage has been done. Conversely however, the longer those clothes stay in circulation, the less need for new ones and therefore the less chance of more sweatshops.

I would agree with that. I would consider most things acceptable to buy secondhand (though I did once buy an RSSPCC mug from an unrelated stall just so I could smash it. It wasn't long after the Orkney scandal, so I'm sure you'll understand!), and I buy most of my clothes from charity shops. I'm on a very tight budget, so any new clothes I could afford would normally be either made in a sweatshop somewhere or of poor quality or both. I'd much rather spend my money on good quality used clothes which I know won't go all bobbly the first time I wash them, and if my purchase helps a good cause, even better!
I occasionally buy clothes from eBay, and as well as loads of used clothes, there's usually a good selection of brand new clothes available from private sellers who've just bought the wrong size and lost the receipt or whatever, as well as from business sellers. I prefer charity shops though, because there's no p&p to pay so it normally works out cheaper, and I can handle the garment and (in most charity shops) try it on, and I can feel good about doing my bit for a good cause.
When it comes to disposing of old clothes, I confess I do the greedy thing and eBay them if I think they'll sell well, but I still give a lot to charity shops, or jumble sales if they're a bit scruffy but still wearable. Any clothes that are not in fit state to give away, I recycle as much as possible, e.g. I take buttons off worn-out shirts for reuse, and suitable fabrics become dusters.

One idea that I had at the start of the year (I confess I've not implemented it yet) is for every item of clothing I buy I could give the same amount of money to a charity that helps out in poorer areas (World Vision would be my choice). Kind of like the pop bands that plant trees when they tour to counteract the pollution of flying etc.

Good idea if you can afford it! I'd still go to charity shops first, and only buy new if there was something I especially wanted which I couldn't get in my local charity shops.

Hermia

I sadly can't buy much from charity shops. I am very petite and can only buy from petite ranges. Charity shops don't often have petite stuff in them whereas ebay has a large selection. I have to admit I buy most clothes new. Not only is my size an issue (I have to go to London to buy most clothes because there is such a poor selection where I live), but I also have to wear good quality clothes for work. I actually only shop for clothes once or twice a year and buy good quality clothes which last a long time. I also take a lot of care of my clothes so they last. I don't know whether this is really ethical, but at least I don't go to New Look every weekend (like many girls I know) and then throw the clothes away a few months later.

Dibz_2

I think I would agree with pretty much everything here.

If only every shop would do the right thing and sell fairly traded products..
In the past, I've bought clothes/jewellery from places like People Tree, Howies, etc and they've been really top quality stuff and can be bought with a clean conscience. My only gripe would be about the price of a lot of things, but the internet does provide quite a wide variety of fair trade goods now so it is slowly changing.

I much prefer to spend more on a fairly traded piece of clothing than less on a high street shop, sweatshop-manufactured piece. I'm 18 so I wouldn't say my finances were particularly vast, but I'm pretty much of the philosophy 'it's only money' (within reason; you wouldn't find me making an impulse buy of a Porsche, hi fi, etc). Saying that, I'm still sensible with money, I would never spend more than I could afford and I recognise worth rather than value. If I know the money's going to go somewhere good and used morally, then I don't really mind stumping up for something. However, if there's a way I can ethically save money on clothes, etc, then why not?

Thanks for all of your input, it's interesting to see people's views on this

Dibz x

Hermia

Dibz wrote:

I think I would agree with pretty much everything here.

If only every shop would do the right thing and sell fairly traded products..
In the past, I've bought clothes/jewellery from places like People Tree, Howies, etc and they've been really top quality stuff and can be bought with a clean conscience. My only gripe would be about the price of a lot of things, but the internet does provide quite a wide variety of fair trade goods now so it is slowly changing.

Like you I wish it was easier to buy ethical clothes, but I also wish there were a wider range of styles. When I have looked in ethical clothing catalogues in the past they have been full of hippy-ish stuff which I wouldn't be seen dead in. I have to wear suits for work, but I also like stylish, structured clothes outside work and that sort of stuff just wasn't represented. I once flicked through a catalogue of vegetarian shoes and the women's section was just full of clumpy boots and shoes. It had obviously never occured to the designer that vegetarian ladies might wear feminine shoes!

Dibz_2

Hermia wrote:

Like you I wish it was easier to buy ethical clothes, but I also wish there were a wider range of styles. When I have looked in ethical clothing catalogues in the past they have been full of hippy-ish stuff which I wouldn't be seen dead in. I have to wear suits for work, but I also like stylish, structured clothes outside work and that sort of stuff just wasn't represented. I once flicked through a catalogue of vegetarian shoes and the women's section was just full of clumpy boots and shoes. It had obviously never occured to the designer that vegetarian ladies might wear feminine shoes!

I agree, at least on the shoe side of things. I was looking for some vegan boots before and it wasn't very fruitful. I came across this website though, which is really good (https://www.alternativeoutfitters.com/), the only big problem is that it's based in the US but it does ship over here (for a cost, and not entirely environmentally friendly). It would be nice to see more tailored fair trade clothes though. Have you looked at People Tree? I'm quite impressed by them

uberzoldat

To an extent, I agree that keeping unethical clothes in circulation longer will reduce the amount that is bought, but personally I wouldn't support the use of unethical traders, however far down the line it went.

If more and more people buy ethical clothing from ethical companies, eventually the prices will reduce and everyone will be able to afford them. Until then, it's occasionally buy new ethical ones, or buy from charity shops that don't fund animal testing for me.

super41

I buy quite a lot of clothes on Ebay for reasons of money saving. However hadn't really thought about the ethical issues before, so really interested to read everyone's thoughts and ideas about this. I have thought that buying online as well as being money saving and easy means I don't need to get in my car and go shopping. We live a 35 mile round journey from the nearest shopping centre (no bus route) so I feel I'm impacting less on the environment by staying at home.