As we near the end of Second Hand September, it's clear many savvy shoppers out there have bagged themselves a whole load of pre-loved bargains.
The campaign, which promotes donating, reusing, rewearing and restyling your clothes during September and beyond, has seen one woman able to nab herself a high-end designer piece of clothing for a steal.
Charity shop guru and TikTok star, Jen Graham, explained exactly what she did to get an Yves Saint Laurent blazer worth a staggering £1,000 for just £20.
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Jen is a proper chazza shop aficionado and has revealed her top tips for bagging pre-loved bargains and explained why more and more fashion lovers are now turning to secondhand apps like eBay which made the move to sponsor Love Island back in the summer of last year.
With eBay experiencing a six per cent increase in website traffic over July as well as a 7.3 per cent surge in app downloads within the last month according to new data from, AltIndex, Jen has shared how she snapped up the YSL blazer for the same price as a couple bottles of vino and how the sustainability community are 'changing the mindsets' of shoppers.
Now, I'm sure we're all feeling the effects of the cost of living crisis so it's of no surprise that Brits all over are moving away from the high street and turning to charity shops and pre-loved sites to satiate their fashion needs.
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Known for their low prices and bargain steals, websites such as eBay, Vinted and Depop have been a main port of call for many style-lovers - including Jen.
Jen, from Cheshire, said she first started charity shopping because she 'always wanted to dress a little bit differently'.
"I thought I could do that by shopping second hand because every item was individual and unique," she explained.
The sustainability side of things, however, only came about recently with Jen recalling: "I was witnessing these videos where people were buying tons of clothes in one big haul, trying it on for a video, sending it back and keeping one item.
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"Since I’ve been on social media, there’s a huge sustainability family and community on there. I’ve started to understand sustainability more over the past year."
She went on to say the cost of living crisis played a 'big part' in the growth of second hand sites as 'people don’t have as much disposable income'.
"You’re saving money, which is what everyone is doing now," Jen noted. "Everyone is worrying about money and trying to cut costs, but still want to look nice.
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"I also think the stigma has been removed and people feel ok to wear something that’s second hand, which is because of social media, the likes of me and the sustainability community. It’s definitely changing people’s mindsets."
And as for Jen's top tips?
Well, fellow bargain hunters have to be 'constantly on these apps to get a good deal'.
She explained: "It’s not something you can dip in and out of. You have to regularly be looking because the good stuff does go now.
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"You’ve got to be either constantly rummaging in the shops or having a look online, especially if you’re looking for a specific item."
With that said, however, I once strolled into a charity shop on my lunch break and found a Dolce & Gabbana mesh long-sleeve top for just 50p within the first minute of being there.
Jen also informs shoppers: "A good charity shop tip is always to shop in smaller towns, as they’re so much better than bigger cities.
"The smaller towns get better donations because they’re easier for parking. You’re guaranteed that if you find a shop that has good parking, where people can drop donations off, they’ll have better donations than a shop that’s in the middle of somewhere you can’t park."
I can most definitely vouch for that one.
When asked what was the best deal she ever found while second hand shopping, Jen revealed: "My best charity shop buy is a YSL blazer that I recently bought for £20.
"It’s so gorgeous and definitely from the nineties, it’s beautiful. Pieces from that time are about £1000."
She found it 'wedged in the t-shirts section' of all places.
"I always look through every single item in a charity shop because they’re not always organised," Jen pointed out. "You do have to have a good rummage."
While that was a particularly good find, Jen said if she went into 10 charity shops, she would 'probably find a designer item in eight of them.'.
"The thing is people are donating better quality stuff now because people are looking after their things more, whereas a long time ago we just didn’t care," she noted. "The quality of donations is unbelievable."
So, maybe pop into your local chazza, scroll on your favourite second hand app and bag yourself a killer garment while protecting the planet and saving your pennies all at the same time!
Rhiannon Ingle