Buying and reselling used shoes from thrift stores is a great way to live a sustainable life. It creates an affordable option for you and others who might find your used shoes useful. It also reduces the negative effects of fast fashion and maintains a balance of everything.

People understand the positive effects of buying used shoes from thrift stores. That’s why it’s projected that the global second-hand footwear market may expand with a CAGR of 12.5% and a value of USD 43.1 billion by 2032. Looking at this trend, let’s understand more about
the business of buying/reselling used footwear:

The Business of Buying and Reselling Used Shoes

When the products are introduced to the thrift, they are thoroughly checked for quality and condition. Unfortunately, most people only provide good quality and re-wearable used shoes to the store.

The used shoes are then graded in multiple categories to sort the ones that are perfect for exporting/reselling and those that aren’t. For example, many businesses divide the quality of the used shoes into Grades A, B, and C.

Grade A: Grade A, as the name suggests, is the highest quality of all grades and consists of used shoes from top-notch brands. These shoes are quite good in condition and worth reusing with or without little modification. The category may include shoe varieties like ladies’ heels, rain boots, bedroom/beach slippers, vogue boots, etc.

Grade B: The second grade, Grade B, consists of shoes with minor defects. These may have
a little stain, worn-out parts, or even a tiny hole. Grade B shoes are thoroughly cleaned and repaired for their minor defects.

Once the defects are taken care of, these used shoes look just as promising as high-quality shoes from leading brands. Depending on the used shoe condition, Grade B may include ladies’ flats, men’s tennis shoes, canvas, etc.

Grade C: Grade C is the used shoe category that doesn’t fit into the resale category. These shoes are torn and unwearable, so they are transferred to the recyclable category. Not only is it a great initiative towards the environment, but it also reduces the need to harvest new materials.

Based on these grades, the used shoes are exported to the needful. To ensure a successful export, it’s important to choose well-experienced exporters with thorough supervision. Overall, this ensures the best user experience for customers interested in buying used shoes.

Importance of Buying and Reselling Used Shoes from Thrift Stores

Looking at sustainable and affordable fashion trends, the demand for used shoes is only likely to rise. This is because people are more into fashion than brands nowadays. So if they get good quality and well-designed shoes, they don’t need to look for anything else. And thankfully, used shoes fulfil the demand perfectly.

Besides that, some other benefits of buying/reselling used shoes from thrift stores are:

Discovering Luxurious Brands: Thrifting opens the doors to used shoes that aren’t affordable otherwise to people. In addition, it offers access to well-known luxurious brands that may not be possible for people under budget.

Extended Life of a Product: Buying or reselling products from thrift stores ensures that the product is used at full capacity. It’s like giving a new life to that particular product for further use.

Reduce Unethical Manufacturing Practices: When any brand manufactures mass-produced goods, it increases the workload of the workers. The new products that we use today with convenience become havoc for them.

This can be stopped if people switch more towards sustainable thrifting. Consistent reuse meets the demand for mass-produced goods and limits unethical practices. It also takes care of brands that disobey human rights with unethical practices.

Barely Worn Bargain: People often provide used shoes (to thrift stores) with little or no wear to their surface. Many of us buy branded shoes once and notice that they are uncomfortable. This may be due to the size, changing trends, or shoe designs. After one-time wear, we think of discarding it.

Eventually, these perfectly usable items get discarded to the thrift stores and become useful for someone else. This helps one user to get rid of the piled-up products while others can grab a barely worn bargain deal.

SamiyaTex: Your Professional Graders and Exporters of Used Shoes

SamiyaTex is a leading exporter and grader of used shoes with 27 years of experience in the industry. We can ensure high-quality export bales thanks to our Latino team, who understands the fashion world perfectly. For more info, you can reach our contact us page.