Shopping online secondhand from Canada
Many posts, menswear influencers, blogs, all recommend eBay for deals on good quality secondhand clothes. I haven't found that to be true in my searches. A secondhand ocbd for $30usd will have a shipping fee equal or more than the cost, or the price itself will be $80+. After conversion, this makes no sense. Grailed is mostly the same. Poshmark tends to attract low-quality clothes. Kijiji has nothing. FB marketplace nothing. Craigslist doesn't exist here. My gut tells me that options are so limited here that a secondhand market doesn't exist in the same way as it does in the States. People hang on to the clothes they buy new, for longer. Canucks (and others), set me straight. What's the deal with online secondhand shopping from Canada if you want to dress better.
Some contextual specifics:
-Specifically talking about secondhand, online clothing.
-Usually searching for business casual clothes, selvedge denim, sports coats, gyw boots.
-eBay is the main source of frustration
-In my late-thirties
I'd love to open a conversation about this, or, if it's already happened, would love to be pointed to any resources. Is it as hard as I think it is or am I not looking in the right place.
9 Replies
The population of Canada is many times smaller than the US, which is why there are so many fewer listings.
For both eBay and Grailed, I usually filter by items in Canada only to avoid duties and international shipping headaches. If you do buy from outside the country you do so understanding you will be gouged.
Best secondhand shopping in my experience has been proxying from Japan, although this obviously also comes with many additional fees.
Depending on where you are located, thrifting in person can also be a good option.
I've actually had decent luck with Poshmark for non-designer-y vintage stuff, I got a great pair of vintage Levi's for like 15$. Also look at consignment shops, two that come to mind are VSP and I Miss You Man (both in Toronto, where I am so I'm biased).
I also got my Sugar Canes off Poshmark.
Really, you just need to know what you're looking for and be vigilant.
Etsy is decent too for vintage things.
Thanks for the reply!
re: proxying from Japan, that's wild and really interesting. I've never done it myself but I've read about buying new from japan for things like selvedge. Is it any different for secondhand? I'll do some google-fu for shops but if there are any that really work for you I'd love to know.
I'm in a rural-ish area outside of Ottawa. There's no thrifting in the immediate area and Ottawa isn't really known as a menswear town unfortunately 😛 (Sorry if that offends anyone, that's just been my experience.)
Cheers! I've definitely bought off poshmark and still look daily, but you're right I think I need to learn more about brands to look out for and make more saved alerts. A lot of stuff labeled "vintage" just...aren't, so I guess knowing how to spot quality clothing online is important.
It’s probably a little outdated but there is a guide here on proxying https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1125076626665910332/1126237247650402364
There's a guide on proxying from Japan in #fashion-guides: https://malefashionadvice.substack.com/p/a-guide-to-proxying-from-japan
Generally, it's just knowing what you want before you buy.
A Guide to Proxying from Japan
by u/Thonyfst (2019)
lol jinx
hehehe
There are a bunch of other guides that I think might help you narrow your search as well
But proxying selvedge has always been a big thing, both new and vintage. You'll save a lot of money once you figure it out. Especially with the Yen a bit in the tank right now (not that CAD is exactly booming).
Ha. Agreed.
Thank you!