Rag News: April 2018
Loading 40′ High Cube Containers for Export When we say that the used clothing industry is global, we really mean it. Based on a United Nations report, the USA and Canada alone exported used clothes for a value of $700 million in 2016. All charities running a thrift store can potentially benefit of this revenue […]
How Recycling Credential Clothing is Beneficial to Consumers
Nearly a year ago, the CBC reported that one of the recycling items that have largely been off the radar for most consumers is textiles. Unlike items such as newspapers, plastic containers, glass, plastic, and cardboard, textiles have only recently become items that consumers immediately consider recyclable materials. A 2016 Ontario study concluded that […]
The 4-1-1 About Mixed Rags and Mixed Rag Markets
Over the last ten years, the market for wholesale used clothing has grown— in part out of necessity. As consumers have increasingly bought more as a result of the rise of “fast fashion,” they have also donated in much greater numbers than ever before. Statistics indicate that in the case of the United States […]
Rag News: March 2018
The Art of the Exchange Could your organization use some Big Box store returns such as bikes or clothing to supplement your thrift sales? If so, consider the option of trading a trailer load of like-new products in exchange for your mixed rags bales. In times when thrift stores have to be creative to raise […]
Vintage Purchases and the Value of a Vintage “Story”
Folks like Dorothy Nicol carve out their own stories by building a second-hand wardrobe. Nicol has spent years collecting vintage items which she later shared with audiences in her town’s Masonic hall. The material, some of which dates back to the 1800s, includes among other items, a love of flappers. Like many who invest in […]
What Benefits Can Buyers Find in Mixed Rags?
When we use the term ‘mixed rags’ or ‘institutional clothing,’ we are referring to a category of clothing that is considered ‘used’ that either was not sold in a resale or was not suitable for resale. That means that these items were either store returns, apparels and household rummages from thrift store locations or […]
The Financial and Environmental Benefits of Giving Life to Old Materials
According to the Huffington Post and the U.S Department of Commerce, thrift stores are increasingly becoming big business, while retail store sales are dropping overall. Ithaca.com reported that these sales prove that, “there is a ready market of buyers willing and able to pay large sums of money to purchase used clothing, shoes, and textiles.” This […]
The Benefits of Shopping the Thrifty Way (for Shoppers and for Thrift Shops)
Thrifty shoppers are always looking for great bargains and the best deals. It might then come as no surprise that the best location to find those two things are in your local thrift stores and consignment shops! Thrift stores have become a viable alternative to big box stores and malls where the items may be […]
Reducing Waste through Repurposing Vintage Items
For some buyers, once an item, fabric, or accessory has outlived its purpose or the fashion of the period — it becomes useless and worthy of only one place: the trash. For others, repurposing vintage items, especially those that have value, can be an expensive venture. Not only might it be costly to remake antiques […]
What You Need To Know About Credential Clothing
In early November 2017, Emily Farra of Vogue Magazine reported that even those in the high fashion industry see the value in the used clothing market particularly as it relates to the environment. “If you’re concerned with the billions of brand-new clothing items being produced each year (and you most definitely should be), […]
