August marks the unofficial start of the back-to-school season. There’s excitement, but there’s also stress as parents shop for fall clothing for their children. How expensive is it going to be? Will the clothing last? What if kids hit a growth spurt or have a change of opinion about a particular brand or style? 

Cost-conscious families often turn to fast fashion, which has become a go-to for back-to-school shopping due to its low cost and speed of service. But fast fashion’s environmental and social impacts are problematic. Some will pay more for better quality, with the mindset that if something lasts longer, it’s reducing waste.

Two UD professors offer another solution: secondhand shopping. Stephanie Raible, associate professor of entrepreneurship, and Kelly Cobb, associate professor of fashion and apparel studies, talked to parents in their networks to find out how they felt about stocking up on school year clothing via the U.S. second-hand apparel market, which grew 14% in 2024. They pointed to a 2024 study by ThredUp that showed the second-hand clothing industry outpaced all other apparel categories, including athletic and formal wear, and is projected to reach $74 billion by 2029.

“Nearly half of Gen Z and millennials now shop second-hand first, driven by sustainability, affordability and self-expression,” Raible said. “In casually speaking with parents in our networks, they had a lot to say about their habits, concerns and tips for making secondhand work in real life.”

Much has been written and reported about the fast fashion industry, which emits significant global carbon emissions and consumes an inordinate amount of water. Cobb pointed to 2023 EPA figures that showed Americans generated 17 million tons of textile waste in 2018 (66.4% ended up in landfills, 18.9% was incinerated and only 14.7% was recycled).

“To put this in perspective, it would take approximately 1,708 football fields, each stacked 10 feet high, to contain that volume of discarded textiles,” Cobb said. 

One issue parents raised about secondhand shopping is pricing, Raible and Cobb said, a concern that spanned all children’s age groups. 

“While many parents appreciate the cost savings of secondhand shopping, several shared that prices aren’t always as low as expected,” Cobb said. “Some secondhand pieces cost more than new items bought on sale or through discount fast fashion retailers like Temu.”

However, due to tariffs and changes in US trade regulations, Chinese e-commerce retailers will likely be raising their prices, whereas the secondhand market will likely remain steady.

Still, Raible and Cobb heard concerns about second-hand clothing from parents, including price, durability, time and acceptance of their children. But they also heard workarounds and solutions, and had a few of their own to offer.

Price concerns

Parents suggested joining Facebook Marketplace and no-buy groups and organizing local swaps among friends. Others noted that spending money at thrift stores that support charitable causes or local community programs gives purchases a social impact beyond the individual savings.

Quality and durability of secondhand clothing

This was a major concern for parents whose children are in that “rough-and-tumble stage”: Kids who come home with holes in their pants, dirt on their shirts and evidence of a full day’s play on every item of clothing. With much of today’s children’s apparel made for affordability and style over longevity, parents noted that durability just isn’t what it used to be, a shift that makes finding decent quality secondhand items a real challenge, especially without a trusted hand-me-down source. To navigate this, some parents choose to use a category-based approach to secondhand shopping, reserving it for items that see lighter wear, like special occasion outfits. For general wear items, knowing the source of donations can help — whether it’s friends and family with older children willing to share hand-me-downs or stores and online secondhand platforms that offer money-back guarantees for clothing that does not fit or does not meet expectations. When shopping, just check return policies before buying items.

Shopping experience

Some parents noted a sense of discomfort with the shopping experience itself because thrift stores can require more time to sort through racks of options, which can be time-consuming and trickier to find particular styles and brands. As children get older, they become more opinionated about what they wear. Preferences emerge for colors, fabrics, styles and brands. 

“For kids who are on social media or starting to form peer-based identities, the pressure to wear what’s ‘in’ can be high,” Raible said. “Several parents mentioned that it becomes difficult to find secondhand pieces that meet their child’s brand and style expectations.”

To address this concern, some parents recommended finding local consignment stores with curated layouts and selection or online platforms with user-friendly filters and shopping interfaces, like ThredUp, Depop, Vinted and Poshmark. In terms of convenience, parents noted that thrift stores can be crowded and overwhelming, so stores and online platforms that pre-assess quality can help save the sorting time of thrift shops. Furthermore, for children who like expensive brands but who might still be growing, searching for their favorite brands secondhand can be just as easy as buying elsewhere and often in a much more affordable and sustainable manner. Many online secondhand platforms also offer money-back guarantees for clothing that does not fit or does not meet the description stated. 

Embrace the benefits of thrifting

Older children enjoy secondhand shopping, particularly for its affordability, sustainability and “treasure hunt” spirit. For some, thrifting became a bonding activity that offered quality time while building financial literacy and critical thinking. Many teens and pre-teens have been gravitating toward thrifting because they follow popular thrifting influencers who show off their heavily discounted finds and find creative ways to style and customize their thrifted fashions. 

“One parent noted that her daughter sees thrift shopping as ‘a way to find something cool that no one else has,’” Raible said. “These experiences also helped children develop a stronger sense of individuality and self-expression: values that go far beyond fashion.”

Others shared that this stage can also be a powerful teachable moment. 

“Involving children in the process, whether sorting through hand-me-downs or going on a thrift shopping outing, helps build awareness and lifelong habits around sustainability and resourcefulness,” Cobb said.