Want to shop for vintage and pre-loved pieces online, but don’t know where to start? We share our tricks of the trade …
One way to reduce our impact on the planet through our shopping habits is to buy secondhand, pre-loved or vintage. Charity shops such as Oxfam and St. Vincent de Paul have been great resources for years, but with the rise of online marketplaces it’s never been easier to find something you love, especially a good bargain.
Start here if you’re looking to buy pre-loved luxury fashion and accessories in Ireland, plus check out our guide to buying pre-loved designer handbags. Or, refer to these tips from an expert if you’re looking to sell designer pieces online.
For high-street to mid-range finds, aside from retailers such as Zara and H&M offering pre-loved sections online, there’s a growing number of dedicated sites that stock a wide variety of items. FarFetch, Sellpy, Thrift+, Preworn, Zalando and Selfridges have large selections to give clothes and accessories a second life.
In Ireland alone, Preloved Ireland, Happy Days, The Harlequin and a whole host of consignment shops offer online options.
THE NEW MARKETPLACE
If you’re put off by the chaos of Facebook Marketplace or WhatsApp swaps groups, there are several other reselling services that allow you to create alerts, so that you’re easily notified about specific searches.
Vestiaire Collective, a French company that sells pre-loved luxury clothing and accessories through user-sellers, means you can not only buy secondhand items, but sell your own pieces too. If you’re interested in a particular item (we’re coveting a Prada Cleo bag), set up alerts through the app to be notified if someone posts this item. US-based The RealReal offers a similar service.

Vinted only launched in Ireland last year, but interest sky-rocketed quickly thanks to Irish content creators, sellers and buyers alike taking to the app. The key is to search by brand or style, or use filters to find specific people such as your favourite influencers. You can also share your profile, inviting friends or followers, much like a social media platform. Vinted is also breaking the fourth wall normally confined to sites such as Reliked by reselling celebrity clothes. Stylist Felicity Kay (@felicitykay) and Paul Mescal partnered with them for the Gladiator II press tour in order to put back into circulation some of his promotional pieces. All proceeds went to Paul’s chosen charity, Pieta. We love this idea to help the circular economy and a good cause, so we hope other celebs follow suit.
Depop can be a treasure-trove, provided you know where to look. Use keywords and be as specific as you can – for example, “embellished leather ballet flats” – to find the items you’re looking for. Often, if you use search terms that relate to your style interests, you will find sellers’ profiles that correlate to your own style and can then follow them to see their future posts. One of our favourites is Om Diva. You can also find them on Instagram @omdivaboutique.
StyleSwap is another user-seller platform that aims to match you with similar users through quizzes on your clothing interests. However, you can only buy and sell items over £150stg, no high-street items allowed.
The OG Ebay takes a little more time and patience. It’s good for sold-out designer collaborations or limited-release items, though be prepared to pay a premium. Again, setting up alerts is key here, so that you can be quick off the mark!

CURATED QUEENS
If you would prefer to let someone do the hard work for you, there are lots of sellers who provide curated edits online. The best way is to find a seller who suits your style via Instagram or TikTok. In the UK, Clare Lewis of Retold Vintage (@retold_vintage) curates succinct collections of pre-loved and vintage clothing with a distinctly minimalist and modern (yes, vintage can look modern) feel. Think wool camel coats, sleek trench coats and tailored trousers.
Irish stylist Kara O’Sullivan offers an online styling service (@karamademedoit). With an emphasis on finding unique, vintage and one-of-a-kind pieces, Kara does a pre-loved deep-dive to discover the items you never knew you needed. You can also find Rêverie Vintage (@reverie.vtg) curated collections exclusively at LOOT in Dublin, with a special focus on noughties-inspired fashion.
In the US, a TikTok find includes Elodie Studios (@elodie_studios) who goes so far as to create individual “style bundles” for buyers. Simply send a moodboard to expert sourcer Liz Ballmaier, who hunts Manhattan to find pieces to suit. Shoppers from Europe can avail of this service, but shipping costs will be higher.

Another sustainable option is renting clothes and accessories. For example, An Post works closely with Rented Threads in Ireland, providing customers with prepaid envelopes and boxes to return their outfits easily. They even launched a Send Pre-loved series with tips and videos on how people can get involved in the circular economy by reusing, reselling and repairing their goods.
Whichever route you choose, you’ll feel extra-smug telling admirers all about the bargains you found online, while being kinder to the environment.