Where to buy secondhand designer jeans

Designer jeans are usually of a very high quality and are therefore designed to last season after season. There are two main types of designer jean shopper, the first buys a pair of denim jeans they like and wears them pretty much all the time, whether they’re in style or not. They tend to keep the jeans until they wear out and then throw them away. The second type of jean shopper will purchase a pair of designer jeans each season, following current trends. Then they only wear them for that particular season before moving on to the next trend. The eco-conscious of these shoppers will either sell or give away their old designer jeans. So if you’re looking to buy a pair of jeans and want a designer brand but can’t afford new, look for a second hand pair of jeans.

There are several different places you can look to buy a second hand pair of jeans, including charity shops and auction websites.

Thrift shops or charity shops
Charity shops and thrift stores make money by selling items that have been donated. So those who want to get rid of their designer jeans at the end of the season may well donate them to one of these stores. The price of clothes varies between stores, but generally a pair of jeans will cost no more than £10, which could be as little as a tenth of what you’d pay for a new pair of jeans.

When looking for a pair of jeans at a thrift store or charity shop, clothing generally tends to be sorted by size and not style, so look for the jeans rail and then your waist size on the hanger. Check the tag inside the jeans to confirm the brand and size of the jeans, then check the ticket to see how much the store sells them for. Just like in any other store, try on the jeans before you buy them to make sure they fit you well. Unfortunately, if they don’t fit you, it’s highly unlikely that the store will carry the same jeans in a different size.

auction sites
The rise of auction sites in the late 1990s provided another platform for buying and selling second-hand items, including jeans. These types of websites often have a search feature so you can enter a search job like ‘jeans’ and the size you’re looking for. If you are looking for a specific brand of designer jeans, please also enter the brand in the search box.

You will be presented with a list of articles that match your search requirements. For each pair of jeans, please check the brand, size, and full description to ensure that the jeans are not damaged in any way. There is usually no set price on these types of websites and you have to submit an “offer”. Enter the maximum price you’re willing to buy the jeans for, and then wait for the auction to end. If you were the highest bidder, you’ll need to pay for the jeans and then wait for them to be mailed to you. The downside to buying jeans this way is that you can’t try them on before you buy them and if they don’t fit when they arrive, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to return them for a refund.

The beauty of buying pre-owned designer jeans is that most people won’t know they’re pre-owned and will assume you’ve paid full sale price for them.