There Has Never Been A Better Time For Resale

The headlines each day are full of stories of supply chain disruption. The pandemic has caused ripples throughout global production, beginning with the activities of extraction that generate the raw inputs for all our consumables, to the manufacture and assembly processes, to the shipping, freight, and delivery of those goods across borders and into our stores and homes. These systemic shocks continue to ripple even as the pandemic itself continues to oscillate, with ever-changing closures and re-openings of different segments of our global economies, further amplifying the effect on consumer prices, product availability, product quality and quantity, and consumer demand. Big Box retailers struggle to keep the shelves stocked, and public health protocols limit or restrict the ability of some to provide last-mile or final-foot deliveries and services. Resale fixes these problems. When you shop resale, you fight inflation, have access to an incredible selection of better-quality products, and you help to support your local community economy.

 

Shopping resale fights inflation by reducing the demand for new consumer goods. Many industry watchers, economists and pundits are predicting oil prices over $100 by the end of the year. Well guess what? Oil is used in the manufacture of almost anything you can think of buying this holiday season. It is used in clothing, plastic toys, packaging and more. These same people are telling us that the supply of finished goods will be lower, meaning more people will be wanting to buy the same, limited supply of items. The combination of higher input costs and more demand is what makes prices go up. A great way to fight against this kind of inflation is to reduce the demand by buying items that are already made. When you shop resale, you not only stop competing for the same scarce items on the shelves at your local Targ-Mart, you also reduce the demand for the raw materials like oil and other commodity items that go into making those products. It may not seem like much, but if a lot of people shop resale instead of buying newly imported products, it could make a real difference.

 

Resellers have a great selection of better-quality products to choose from. While newly made products may be stuck in port and struggling to get ashore, resellers are stocking items that are already here. These items are as diverse and plentiful as the generations of people who have previously owned them. Whether you are shopping for toys, clothing, books, jewelry, collectibles, housewares, furniture, art, or anything else, there is a reseller available to provide it from their existing stock of inventory. Professional resellers spend a lot of time and energy curating the best used items, in the best, often like-new, condition. Even if you are buying from a public marketplace like a Facebook group or other resale app, although the condition of the goods may vary, the production inputs like metal and wood are often better quality than if you were buying new. Over time, the big manufacturers and retailers have ‘value engineered’ their products to lower costs. As a result, many of the items you can buy cheaply at resale would be simply too expensive to manufacture if the equivalent quality of materials were used to manufacture the items today.

 

Resellers are your neighbors and small business owners. When you buy from your local thrift store, consignment store or Marketplace internet listing, the person getting the money lives and pays taxes right there in your community. They will turn right around and support the local grocer, landlord, landscaper, and school district with the money you paid. Even if you are shopping resale from an online seller who lives across the country, you are still supporting a small businessperson, and not paying your money to fund a foreign army. Here at Good Find Stores, where we sell a lot of consignment, at least half of every sale goes right back to a neighbor who is consigning with us. We put on a pretty good fundraiser for our landlord, and for the state of California, here, too!

 

So this holiday season, shop early, shop resale, and save the world. When you are buying from a reseller you are fighting back against inflation while giving better gifts, and supporting your community.