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The way we shop secondhand has drastically changed over the years. Once upon a time, you had to pop into your favorite thrift store and rifle through racks of tossed-away garments to cherry-pick the good stuff. Fast forward to the late ’90s and early 2000s, and eBay paved the way for peer-to-peer platforms like Depop and Poshmark—as well as luxury consignment sites such as The RealReal. And over the pandemic, there was a big uptick in buying and selling directly on Instagram, which birthed a new wave of trust-based resale.
But it’s more than just a flash in the pan—the tide change indicates an authentic shift in consumer behavior, as we see individuals prioritizing used clothing as a way to do better for the environment and their wallets. Resale reports continually share that not only are people turning to secondhand first, but even items that are “well-loved” are being snapped up, indicating that condition doesn’t play as big of a factor anymore either. And now, it seems there’s a surprising new option for secondhand shopping: Substack.
The online platform’s popularity within the fashion space isn’t new. After all, we’ve seen former editors build devoted followings by acting as personal stylists—readers chime in on everything from vacation recommendations to what to wear for an upcoming wedding. But the buying and selling that’s happening here? It’s a thing.
Gabriella Gofis, who pens the Substack newsletter Gift of Gabs.
“When I opened up Chat [where writers and creators have conversations with their subscribers], I had no idea it would become a space for buying and selling,” shares Gabriella Gofis of Gift of Gabs, whose threads are extremely active with resale listings. “One of the best success stories I’ve heard is one subscriber selling a Row Margaux bag to another subscriber,” she says. “I received a very kind message thanking me for the chat, because it led her to her dream purchase.”
Christene Barberich, author of A Tiny Apt., echoes this interaction. “Pretty soon after I started A Tiny Apt., I began hosting ‘flash’ micro tag sales every few months, as well as vintage giveaways for paid subscribers where the first person to drop a comment gets it,” she shares. “I think a lot of people show up to score something great, but some just like to see what I have and what others are saying about these beautiful, rare, occasionally weird collectible things. It really has the potential to be a true social marketplace.”
In a way, this turn of consumer events makes perfect sense: people have a direct line to an audience they know are avid shoppers, always on the hunt. Even if readers aren’t necessarily looking for the items being hawked, like many online purchases, impulse plays a big role. All of this coupled with the notion that these spaces are seen as Substack author-approved, you have a platform that’s ripe for buying and selling. “I think people have become more acclimated to trust-based interactions,” shares Harling Ross, the brains behind Gumshoe, a shopping newsletter with an emphasis on secondhand and one-of-a-kind items. “I haven’t introduced a Chat, yet but it’s something I do see myself doing in an intentional way.”
A screen grab of the Chat in Becky Malinsky’s Substack, 5 Things You Should Buy.
“Selling these Prada leather T-strap sandals, size 7.5. They’re beautiful but too big—$60,” writes one user in Gift of Gabs’ Chat. In which a fellow subscriber quickly responds “Me!” “Selling a pair of Jamie Haller black loafers, worn once,” writes another user. Interactions like this are a constant in many of these forums—with dozens of new “listings”’ a day, nestled between the sizing questions and the brand suggestions.
“I’ve always been a proponent of shopping secondhand,” shares Meg Strachan, founder and CEO of Dorsey and the publisher of What I Put On Today. “I think my community has affinities for a lot of the same brands and the discussions evolved organically—from readers posting here and there to now actually selling items. It’s really taken off in the past six months.”
Dorsey founder and CEO Meg Strachan also publishes a newsletter.
“There is something about shopping in Substack that feels like being at a New York City sample sale,” adds writer and brand strategist Erika Veruink, who’s the author of the secondhand shopping-focused Substack Long Live. “Everyone’s chatting and there’s a community that wouldn’t make sense in any other context,” she says. And while not everyone has taken the plunge, they are indeed taking notice.“I haven’t made a resale purchase through the platform yet, but I’m always excited to see what surfaces whenever I check in,” shares Joyce Lee of Time Less.
While many find this burgeoning market appealing, for some authors and buyers alike, the lack of regulation is where it gets a bit dicey. “There is something about the nascence of it that feels so pure—which I love—but I do see a lot of chatter about how it’s not the place for reselling,” shares Sogole Kane, communications executive and writer of Another Fashion Newsletter.
“I bought an Aesther Ekme bag off Substack not too long ago and I was so excited about it, but sadly the seller went back on it,” Kane shares. “She direct messaged me and said that someone else offered more, so she sent my money back.” The lack of oversight is a sore point for some authors, as well. “The buy-sell aspect was an interesting use of our Chat community, but it quickly got annoying,” shares Jess Graves of the popular Substack The Love List. “People would complain that sellers spam multiple channels with the same listings, and that the high volume made it hard to find the meaningful content.” Currently, it falls upon the author to regulate, which depending on preference is either welcomed or fully not.
Listings on Jess Graves’ Substack, The Love List.
“I had to step in and moderate the channel, establishing some rules,” Graves shares. “The most important being to only post items on the monthly resale thread, which organizes sale items into one easy-to-find space and keeps a clean house on our channel without eliminating sellers completely.” Strachan has a similar philosophy. “The flaw is that Substack isn’t currently built for transactions like this, and it can often become overwhelming. I’ve started jumping in to moderate.”
Despite the infancy of Substack—particularly in regard to resale—many do see it as a new frontier for secondhand, including Substack itself. “People selling items via the chat feature has been fascinating to see,” shares Christina Loff, Substack’s head of lifestyle partnerships.
“Substack is built on direct relationships and trust between publishers and their audiences. Publishers set the rules and curate the experience. Based on feedback, we recently introduced the ability for publishers to paywall their entire chats, making it available only to their most committed audience, paid subscribers,” she says. “Ultimately, our goal is to serve publishers’ needs and give them features to help grow and serve their communities.”
Regardless of how resale on Substack continues to evolve, there’s one thing that most can agree on—and that’s the shared love for the platform. As Gafis puts it: “I really love that it is bringing people together in this way—it’s a true community, which is all I could have ever hoped for.”