Shop pre-loved (a.k.a. second-hand)!

Buying ‘pre-loved’ - i.e. second-hand - is so much more popular these days, for both eco and money-saving reasons - plus authentic vintage and retro items can only be found second-hand, of course!

For clothes, you can try https://www.vinted.co.uk/, and for a wide range of other items (including clothing and shoes), check out https://www.ebay.com (use MSE’s local mapper tool to find items which can only be collected within the geographical area you set)

Local sites and groups can also be a gold-mine for unwanted items now going cheap, which are also local to collect - try Facebook Marketplace, local Facebook community groups (often entitled Buy & Sell + the area name if you want to search & join), Nextdoor or Gumtree. And don’t forget your local charity shops, where you can pick up a bargain at the same time as supporting a good cause.

And if you’re looking for items that are completely free, take a look at https://www.freecycle.org/ or https://www.ilovefreegle.org. Preloved also has a ‘freeloved’ section which is worth checking out!

A final tip for eBay users: Fatfingers is a website which allows you to search by item type to find things listed on eBay with spelling mistakes, meaning no-one finds them and they often get no bids - leading to a bargain to be had!