I have a box of clothes and books in the back of my Honda CRV that’s ready to be dropped at the Goodwill donation center. The clothes are clean, folded, and could go straight to a hanger. Because I hate the idea of clothes filling up landfills, I made my best effort with them so that someone else will get to use them.
But what if they don’t make it to the hangers? Where do they go? Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale, by Adam Minter (2019), follows donations across North America, Africa, and Southeast Asia to track where our rejected donations go.
This book was totally illuminating: I had no idea that US used goods are a hot commodity in smaller developing countries. While the media might report that they’ve become dumping grounds for US consumer waste, Minter says this is not totally accurate: These countries are highly resourceful and their repair and recycle economies are amazing.
Also illuminating: Minter’s presentation of Goodwill’s actual roles in our communities (hint–it’s not just Bric-a-Brac and yellow-tag sales). Did you know:
- Money from sales at shops go to community programs to help folks get jobs at employers other than Goodwill?
- Goodwill’s ‘outlets’ and auctions make goods accessible to resellers in other countries? (There’s an amazing section in Secondhand about reselling car seats. We’ve been duped by manufacturers: Used car seats are safe waaay longer than six years.)
And the author’s ‘best advice’ is what he calls Preemptive Morbid Decluttering (PMDC). That means you should imagine that you are dead and all of your stuff gets thrown away. He argues that it’s better to let go now, knowing that the stuff will be loved and used; and you’ll know that your loved ones won’t be tasked with the job of clearing it out of your house.
Do you have too much stuff? Do you have concerns about your consumer footprint? Have you started decluttering but wondered how to keep the clutter away? Here are my Secondhand takeaways:
Stop buying so much stuff
It’s a no-brainer, but it bears repeating. My Decision Making Shortcut is a good rubric for deciding where to spend your money (and your energy). Or perhaps you’d like to jump on the minimalism bandwagon? See my next tip.
If you buy, try using Minimalism criteria
Minter refers to Fumio Sasaki’s 2017 book, Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism, which has helpful criteria for making purchases. Here’s a thought exercise for your next purchase:
- The item has a minimalist type of shape, and is easy to clean
- Its color isn’t too loud
- I’ll be able to use it for a long time
- It has a simple structure
- It’s lightweight and compact
- It has multiple uses
Buy & sell used
The people out there want used goods! ThredUp and PoshMark clothing resellers have amazing prices on quality clothing. Minter’s wife started a book-reselling business and loves her new bookish job and friends.
Buy quality & take care of it
Use it until you can’t anymore, or–if it’s in good condition–sell it. Resale is hot for quality stuff. Even quality stuff you bought used has resale value. So take care of your purchases: Something as simple as air-drying your clothes will make them last three times as long!
Buy from companies that support repairing electronics
Did you know that Apple seals its electronics so that it’s almost impossible to open and fix them yourself? Then you have to pay them to give you a refurbished replacement! In Secondhand, Minter describes how Dell makes products that can be repaired and how they sell replacement parts.
Try DIY repairs
Companies tell you on those silly little tags that repairing their product is illegal. You have the right to repair your own stuff, even though the tags say you can’t. For a bazillion repair manuals ranging from clothing to cars, visit iFixit (located on the Central Coast, where I live!). For more info about repair laws, check out Repair.org.
Ready to Edit?
I was thinking about buying a Macbook, but my homework is to look more closely at Dell’s machines. If you’d like some homework, too, here are some ideas:
- Imagine you’re dead. What will become of your stuff? Now, consider Preemptive Morbid Decluttering.
- Repeat Minter’s mantra with me when you have a hard time letting go: ‘It’s just stuff and stuff isn’t forever’
- Start with your closet. If you’ve got in-demand labels that are in good-to-new condition, request a clean-out bag from ThredUp (shipping is free!) and they will pay you for what they sell. Read Elizabeth Cline’s 2019 book, The Conscious Closet, for more ideas.
- Pause before buying: if you still want or need The Thing in two weeks, proceed with the transaction.
Happy editing!
Erica
