Tips We Send Friends: how to shop pre-loved like a pro

I tapped my favorite Substack treasure hunters for their best secondhand shopping advice.

There’s never been a better time to dive into the pre-loved shopping world. Between tariffs, rising living costs, rampant overconsumption, and our growing environmental crisis, secondhand finds aren’t just having a moment — they’re becoming a movement.

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This letter isn’t about guilting you into abandoning new purchases (unrealistic!) or shaming anyone’s fast fashion choices. I feel passionate about sharing practical wisdom and savvy strategies for the secondhand marketplace, especially since I’m relatively new to this world myself. If you’re just starting out, I know it can feel overwhelming — the countless platforms, unfamiliar terminology, and uncertainty about where to begin.

Full disclosure: this newsletter is partly selfish! I want those insider secrets too, which is why I reached out to my favorite secondhand shopping experts — Substack’s finest treasure hunters and curators of the pre-loved — for their advice, shopping stories, cherished finds, and wishlist items. Every thoughtful purchase we make isn’t just a win for our wallets, it’s a small but meaningful contribution to a more sustainable future.

Meet the treasure hunters:

• Virginia Chamlee
  of What’s Left

• Erika Veurink
  of Long Live

• Glenn Mae
  of Trash Panic

• Kellyn Loehr of Best Friends

• Katie Casper
  of The Weekly Roundup

• Sierra Goodhue
  of HODGEPODGE

• Natalia Quintero Ochoa
  of How To Wear It

Heads up: This one’s a longer read; best enjoyed in app. These interviews have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How did your pre-loved shopping obsession begin?

Virginia: It began at a very young age and stems from my grandmother. She raised me from two months old, after my mom suffered a traumatic brain injury. The three of us moved to Florida (from North Georgia) and started a new life. My grandmother would go to thrift stores and estate sales to find art, furniture, and beautiful things to enhance our home. Eventually, she began selling many of her finds and passed the gene down to me. I started selling about ten years ago and am now a 7-time Chairish Super Seller who wrote a best-selling book about thrifting called “Big Thrift Energy” (more on Virginia’s thrifting origin story here).

Erika: I grew up in Iowa and thrifting was my only way to experiment with fashion with babysitting money. It was in those suburban Goodwills and Salvation Army where my pre-loved obsession began.

Glenn Mae: A love for antiques and vintage treasures has always been in my blood — when I was a kid, my grandmother and mother moonlighted as estate sale hunters, selling their finds and handmade crafts at local flea markets. Both had an eye for the unique, strange, and wonderful, something I was always surrounded by! Thrifting became fun to me much later, in middle and high school. My sister and I would spend weekends tearing up magazines, collaging our walls, and figuring out how to wear cool trends we couldn’t afford. That’s when we discovered the thrill of the hunt, up-cycling, DIY-ing, and sewing our way to personal style with our thrifted finds.

Kellyn: I grew up in a small Northern California town, and every Saturday my grandparents did all their shopping at Denio’s Farmers Market & Auction —known simply to us as the auction. They used to auction livestock there, but now it’s flea market chaos and ripe produce. That’s where I learned to hunt for secondhand treasures and picked up haggling tips from my Grandpa, a master of the slow nod and lowball.

Katie: All good things are born out of necessity, right? I really got into thrifting and the secondhand world in college, living with a champagne taste on a beer budget. I’d get inspiration from Tumblr (am I aging myself with that comment?), then head to Goodwill or my local Salvation Army to hunt down similar pieces to recreate looks in my own way. Funny enough, I still do this today! But instead of Tumblr, I gather inspiration from Moda Operandi or Net-a-Porter new arrivals, then begin my virtual search for similar pieces from The Real Real, eBay or other resale sites.

Sierra: What really kicked off my secondhand shopping obsession was transitioning from college to corporate America. I phased out the Zara and H&M going-out tops for clothes that served a whole new purpose. I’ve always loved nice things, but much of what I loved, I simply couldn’t—and still can’t—afford. Once I realized I could find those brands, designers, and fabrics pre-loved, it was game over. My obsession also grew alongside my confidence. In school, I was scared to wear what I loved, fearing I’d look like I was trying too hard. Once I shed that idea, I developed a love for finding unique pieces, something I find is only truly possible through secondhand shopping.

Natalia: I’ve long admired vintage pieces from a distance, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I began sourcing pieces for my own wardrobe. The turning point? Discovering my mom’s gorgeous Tom Ford-era Gucci bag. I became completely enamored with it — the shape, the era, the story — and was determined to find one for my closet. I set my first saved search for a “Tom Ford Gucci horsebit bag” and never looked back.

“I learned to hunt for secondhand treasures and picked up haggling tips from my Grandpa, a master of the slow nod and lowball.” - Kellyn Loehr

What secondhand shopping secrets do you wish someone had told you when you were just starting out?