Reselling clothing and shopping at thrift stores can be a great way to save money and promote sustainability. But now that thrifting has become a big social media trend, TikTokers are expressing frustration with secondhand stores and flea markets that are capitalizing on the movement by marking up items by massive margins.
One clip by a woman named Katie Huber, which has been viewed over 409,000 times, calls out people who “sell vintage t-shirts” at flea markets.
You know the type and frankly you’ve probably dated the type
“I cannot do this anymore,” she tells viewers. “$85 for a vintage Oregon Ducks T-shirt with the Tasmanian Devil on it? Get a grip.”
According to her profile, Huber is based in New York.
“The ones around me sell them for $100 or more with holes and stains,” one lamenting viewer commented.
A second TIkToker, based in Brooklyn, also took to the platform to vent about marked-up prices at the flea market.
@boring.girl0 Bffr #greenscreen #willamsburg #bushwick #thrifting #vintagestore ♬ original sound – Boring.Su
“I know times are hard but there is no reason you should sell Champion basketball shorts for $55,” the creator vented. “Why are we doing this to each other?”
On TikTok alone, the hashtag #thrifthaul has 3.8 billion views.
Many in the comment section agreed with the creator, venting about vintage prices all over the country.
“A store in Seattle was selling a Target shirt for 60 dollars,” one user vented.
“The Bay Area is worse, they’ll sell a child’s Macy’s dress from 2008 and call it vintage and make it $75,” one California resident claimed.
According to Step by Step Business, the markup for thrift or resale items can be between 5 and 8 times the original price.
A study by the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops alleges that the average thrift store in the United States earns about $300,000 in revenue per year.