Thrifting used to be a hidden gem. A way for people who actually needed affordable clothes to find something nice without breaking the bank. Now? Thanks to TikTok, it’s a full-blown trend, and not in a good way.

Scrolling through my feed, I see video after video of people bragging about the designer piece they found for $5 or the massive thrift hauls they bought just for “the aesthetic.” And yeah, it looks cool—but the reality is that these trends are making thrifting less accessible for the people who actually rely on it.

One of the biggest problems? Resellers. People go thrifting not to buy clothes for themselves, but to snatch up all the good stuff just to flip it on Depop or Poshmark for five times the price. It’s wild to see a thrifted sweater listed for $80 when it was probably meant for someone who genuinely needed it. Thrift stores were never supposed to be a place for profit—now, it’s just another marketplace for people trying to make a quick buck.

And because thrifting has become so popular, some stores are hiking up their prices. Things that used to be a couple of dollars now have ridiculous price tags, all because they know people will pay for it. Suddenly, a place meant for affordability isn’t so affordable anymore. It’s unfair to the people who depended on these stores in the first place—now, even secondhand shopping is out of reach.

On top of all that, thrift stores are being picked clean. Those cute sweaters, vintage jeans, and unique pieces? Gone. The people who actually need them are left with scraps because someone else decided they wanted to “try out thrifting” for the aesthetic.

Thrifting should be about sustainability and accessibility, not just another trend. If you don’t actually need to thrift, be mindful of what you’re taking. There’s a difference between shopping secondhand to be sustainable and hoarding thrifted clothes just because TikTok made it cool.

-              Ming zheng