Downsizing. Decluttering. Discarding. Sooner or later we are all confronted with the fact that we have things that we no longer want or need. Where does it go when we finally decide to part with all of that stuff? If it’s not dumpster fodder, it becomes part of the multi-billion dollar industry of reuse. Thrift stores, consignment shops, and flea markets are only the tip of the price-berg.
Secondhand goods clothe, educate, and entertain billions of people worldwide. And in an age of environmental concerns, secondhand sales are a great purchasing strategy. They consume less energy and fewer raw materials than new goods. Why don’t we know more about this? Because governments tend to focus on the manufacture and sale of new items. The value of used goods is virtually unknown.
I got a call from a person who had had a yard sale, trying to get rid of her deceased parents’ things. “I can’t give this stuff away,” she complained. I plucked a Zippo lighter out of a box and realized it was a piece of trench art from the Vietnam War. I snapped it open and spun the friction wheel. The flint still sparked. “It’s got to be worth something to someone,” she lamented. I knew she was right.
There’s No Such Thing As A Secondhand Supply Shortage
The dunes of unsold items scattered on her garage floor are a testimony to the things that are stashed away in so many homes. Closets, attics, and basements are brimming with unused items. Some of those items are still useful. A lot of them, like the lighter, are valuable.
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