OPINION: IG thrift shops VS. local ukay-ukays
Ukay-ukay is a big part of Filipino culture. It has adapted and extended itself to the realms of social media with the help of IG thrift shops. But with the prevalent high price tags in these online shops, controversy sparks, is it still worth is to buy from IG thrift shops?
Who and what are IG thrift shops
Instagram thrift shops also known as IG thrift shops resurfaced as a means of people to sell their preloved finds online to a wider market. The sellers will first thrift items, take pictures, price them, and list them onto their Instagram accounts. Think of it as an online ukay, where instead of having to go to an ukay store physically, the clothes are instead presented to you online without hassle.
This sounds like a working model and a great idea for all sides. The ukay gains profit, as well as the reseller, and the buyer pays for convenience of getting an item. But things started to go haywire when some resellers started marking up their prices way higher than the original sale.
Curation & exclusivity
A justification for these IG thrift shops’ pieces to be higher than the physical store price is curation & effort. Both are valid reasons, for the seller does exert their labor to run the business. From going to the stores themselves, picking and choosing items, authenticating it, shipping, packing, and others that come with the product.
Most retailers also sell branded products, which is amazing. Although some try to match the original price online by raising the sale far from how they bought it. This puts their shop in an exclusive pedestal fit for a specific ‘target market’ only, setting themselves apart from other IG thrift shops. It makes it more one-of-a-kind and unique to get pieces from their shop.
How much is ‘too much’
The moment the prices become unreasonable is when the markups reach at least 200% of the original price. Ukay items that usually go for ₱50 will be seen online for ₱700. Truthfully, buyers just don’t see it as fair. Sometimes, consumers would also comment on how it’s better to purchase brand new items instead of buying clothes from IG thrift shops.
Reason being that it can be cheaper on online selling platforms such as Shopee or Tiktok Shop. Such high prices for secondhand clothing doesn’t seem so appealing to the market anymore. In reality, it doesn’t serve the original purpose of why it was there in the first place.
Let’s be mindful
Ukay is made to be accessible for everyone and anyone. The prices are made to be low in order to accommodate those who cannot afford to get brand new clothes for their daily living. Marking up prices in insane amounts defeats the whole purpose of ukay in the first place. This makes some IG thrift shops ingenuine and a sad case of gentrification. Although such actions are not illegal per se, the idea lies in our moral high ground in conducting our businesses to consumers.
