CLEVELAND — As clothing prices rise, more consumers are turning to thrift shops and resale apps to stretch their budgets.
Max Quinn, owner of Uncover Vintage, says shoppers are lining up on weekends to score deals.
“People come in and they shop around and compare our prices to prices at other stores,” Quinn said. “People would rather shop with us for half the price rather than go to a mainstream store and pay double.”
Quinn says interest keeps growing.
“Every year we kind of gain more followers and more interest and more people are kind of getting into it,” he said.
National data backs it up.
ThredUp, an online resale platform, reported that the U.S. secondhand market grew 14% last year. Its 2025 Resale Report found most shoppers, especially millennials, would choose secondhand if government policies continue driving up retail clothing costs.
The trend is fueled by tariffs and inflation, according to Adele Meyer, executive director of the Association of Resale Professionals.
“Every time that there’s a downturn in the economy more people turn to shopping resale that may have never done so before,” she said.
For shoppers like Winner Divison, secondhand is a longtime habit.
“I feel like anybody would really save from thrifting. And at the same time you’ll find a lot better stuff in my opinion,” Divison said.
Part of the appeal comes from quality. Many items made before fast fashion, shoppers say, were built to last. “The older products just have better quality and have stood the test of time,” Quinn said.
For consumers, thrifting offers a way to fight higher prices while filling their closets with clothing that lasts longer than just a few washes.
