Bored Panda got in touch with the self-proclaimed “Weird Secondhand Finds Headquarters” to learn more about the group and they were kind enough to tell us more. “I always chuckle a bit when people ask about the motivation behind creating this group because it's kind of a mundane story with a wild outcome.”

“Weird (and Wonderful) Secondhand Finds That Just Need To Be Shared" was actually created specifically for our family to share finds with each other because we thought it would be easier than text messaging. When the group was created it was left as a public group, instead of being set to private, purely because it never occurred to us that anyone else would have an interest in this.”

“But it turns out we're not the only oddballs out there. A couple of people we didn't know joined and we thought, well heck it might be fun to have a few non-relatives share things. Why not? Then people just kept joining and before we knew it we were up to almost three million members! We like to think that we just have a really big family now.”

Having heard that so many people joined this seemingly small group, we naturally wanted to hear the original admins' opinions on why this content has exploded the way it has over the years. “I think this content is popular for two reasons. One, finding something to post is like a treasure hunt where you almost always discover gold.”

“And two, there's a whole huge community that wants nothing more than to celebrate your find with you. This group is so wonderful because its focus is not on finding the value or background of your item. It's not about making fun of or criticizing items or designs. It's purely about reveling in the delight of the existence of these weird and wonderful items,” they shared, a sentiment I think we can all agree on. 

We also got in touch with Miglė Vasiliauskaitė, environmental speaker, climate activist, and sustainability journalist at “Tvari Lietuva” to ask some questions about the value of thrifting and what the average person can do to help the plant. First and foremost, we were curious to hear how she defines sustainability. “I like this description: being able to do something forever. To me living sustainably also means having in mind that I don't live alone, it's about being considerate.”

“As a person, but also as species: all of the resources that we have on this planet are meant for all living things. So everything I do or choose to use - I keep in mind that someone will also be using it after me: be it water, forests, air, dirt, etc. I really see how this pushes me to close the tap while brushing my teeth or turn off the lights while exiting the room.”

“I realize these are very small changes in your lifestyle that some could argue if they make any difference, but I believe they are part of the mindset of not wasting anything. One good example I have of this is when I am walking past the automatically opening doors next to the shops outside: I always try to walk a bit further away to not trigger the sensors and save electricity.”

“This may seem excessive, but there was a study done in the USA where they found that these random door openings cost a company about 7000$ per week. This amount also estimates the changes in temperature of the building, which needs to be cooled/heated, the whole system needs more frequent maintenance, and there's also the obvious electricity consumption.”

We were curious to hear her opinion on the various second-hand things someone can find and to get her thoughts on thrifting. “I love thrifting! I think 60% of my closet are 2nd handpieces. You can always find so many unique things that are not in the "fashionable" shops now, where everyone looks the same. One of my favorite finds is a trench coat that I will be wearing for the 3rd year now!”

“I bought it for 6€ and after a couple of months, I saw the same style of trenches everywhere, which were, of course, more expensive. It is always so exciting to find older pieces or from somewhere abroad and try to imagine, who was the previous owner, what occasions did the clothing see, and how it was taken care of? And to be able to extend the lifestyle of it, take it out on even more places. It creates a relationship between you and the garments, and makes you a more conscious consumer.”

The different pieces here highlight exactly what Miglė was saying, but we also wanted to hear some advice for a person who wants to live sustainably but doesn’t know where to start. “There's one thing that everyone can do today to instantly become much more eco-friendly - ditch single-use things. Bags, utensils, cotton pads, menstrual pads, shaving razors, coffee cups, straws, low-quality clothing, anything that can only be used for a short time - and switch it with a multiple-use item.”