Would you rather spend $300 on a dress, or only $50 for the exact same dress?

I hope that wasn’t a hard question to answer.

There’s one catch: someone has worn the dress before. Would you still buy it?

There are many online apps and websites where you can sell and buy clothes with a few clicks. Buying clothes online or secondhand has many economic, environmental and personal advantages.

Senior Giulia Angiolillo loves thrifting and thinks of it as a hobby. Her favorite place to go is Goodwill.

“You can get good quality clothes, made out of good material, for great prices,” Angiolillo said. “And, I’m not breaking the bank.”

Angiolillo says she finds it particularly rewarding to find a piece of clothing that is brand new with tags on it. One of her best finds was a pair of brand new beach linen pants. Often on online shops they have a New with tags section where you can buy brand new clothes often for a cheaper price.

When clothing items are sold out online, searching on a resale website or app is a great alternate way to purchase it. For example, the popular loungewear store, Parke, goes out of stock minutes after their clothing drops, so it can be difficult to get your hands on desired items.

“If things are sold out online, I will go on Depop and try to find it,” senior Isabella Delasancha said.

Shopping resale online is also faster than shopping in a store. Shopping directly from your couch does not require you to fill your car up with gas beforehand. This is great for people who are unable to drive yet.

Freshman Sean Heekin prefers it to shopping in person.

“I like how I could find exactly what I wanted faster than like if I shopped in person,” Heekin said. “Online, I would just have to search it up, and I would find it immediately.”

Shopping for special occasions like prom or homecoming is also a great opportunity to buy off a resale site because many times it is a one-time wear.

Junior Samantha Westerdale enjoys using this as a way to get an affordable dress with it still being fitting for the occasion.

“I can buy it for like 75% off, and then be able to use it, and sell it again,” Westerdale said.

This is not only a Gen Z trend but loved by people of all ages.

Assistant Academic Dean Jennifer Whitford’s favorite store to shop at is Fifi’s Fine Resale Apparel.

“I like to have lots of options with clothes,” Whitford said. “I can have a bigger wardrobe for a lot less money.”

Next time you go to the mall, think about how much money you could save and the environmental difference you’d make if instead you shopped online.