second-hand clothing news stories on Newser

Clothes Resellers Getting Extra Picky

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:12:42 CST

Stores that specialize in reselling trendy used clothes are doing a booming business these days—enough so that they can afford to be picky. So many people are looking to make a quick buck by thinning out their closets that even Dior and Juicy Couture can be rejected, the Wall...

Filene's Basement Files for Chapter 11

Matt Cantor — Mon, 04 May 2009 09:56:12 CDT

Filene’s Basement filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today, the Wall Street Journal reports. The bargain clothing store has struggled in an “increasingly competitive discount retail market,” court papers said. The chain plans to sell 17 of 22 locations to real-estate investors Crown Acquisitions, though it will still hold a required...

Is Your Castoff Their Cross?

Victoria Floethe — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 20:20:00 CST

When you gave away last year's clothes, you probably didn't think that poor nations would pay big bucks for them. Yet castoffs are a $1 billion business, the Spectator reports, and may be threatening African cotton growers by flooding their nascent markets. Oxfam argues that its castoffs create jobs—washers,...