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Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale
From the author of Junkyard Planet, a journey into the surprising afterlives of our former possessions.
Downsizing. Decluttering. Discarding. Sooner or later, all of us are faced with things we no longer need or want. But when we drop our old clothes and other items off at a local donation center, where do they go? Sometimes across the country-or even halfway across the world-to people and places who find value in what we leave behind.
In Secondhand, journalist Adam Minter takes us on an unexpected adventure into the often-hidden, multibillion-dollar industry of thrift stores in the American Southwest to vintage shops in Tokyo, flea markets in Southeast Asia to used-goods enterprises in Ghana, and more. Along the way, Minter meets the fascinating people who handle-and profit from-our rising tide of discarded stuff, and asks a pressing In a world that craves shiny and new, is there room for it all?
Secondhand offers hopeful answers and hard truths. A history of the stuff we've used and a contemplation of why we keep buying more, it also reveals the marketing practices, design failures, and racial prejudices that push used items into landfills instead of new homes. Secondhand shows us that it doesn't
Downsizing. Decluttering. Discarding. Sooner or later, all of us are faced with things we no longer need or want. But when we drop our old clothes and other items off at a local donation center, where do they go? Sometimes across the country-or even halfway across the world-to people and places who find value in what we leave behind.
In Secondhand, journalist Adam Minter takes us on an unexpected adventure into the often-hidden, multibillion-dollar industry of thrift stores in the American Southwest to vintage shops in Tokyo, flea markets in Southeast Asia to used-goods enterprises in Ghana, and more. Along the way, Minter meets the fascinating people who handle-and profit from-our rising tide of discarded stuff, and asks a pressing In a world that craves shiny and new, is there room for it all?
Secondhand offers hopeful answers and hard truths. A history of the stuff we've used and a contemplation of why we keep buying more, it also reveals the marketing practices, design failures, and racial prejudices that push used items into landfills instead of new homes. Secondhand shows us that it doesn't
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 12, 2019
531 people are currently reading
8227 people want to read
About the author
Adam Minter
4 books160 followersAdam Minter is a columnist at Bloomberg Opinion where he writes about China, technology, and the environment. He is the author of Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade, a critically-acclaimed bestselling insider’s account of the hidden world of globalized recycling, and the forthcoming Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale.
Adam has covered the global recycling industry for almost two decades. In 2002, he began a series of groundbreaking investigative pieces on China’s emerging recycling industries for Scrap and Recycling International. Since then, he has been cited, quoted, and interviewed on recycling and waste by a range of international media, most recently The New York Times, Vice, NPR, BBC, The Huffington Post, and CBC. He regularly speaks to groups about the global waste and recycling trade including colleges, universities, trade groups, TEDx, and an invited lecture to the Royal Geographic Society in London.
Adam has covered the global recycling industry for almost two decades. In 2002, he began a series of groundbreaking investigative pieces on China’s emerging recycling industries for Scrap and Recycling International. Since then, he has been cited, quoted, and interviewed on recycling and waste by a range of international media, most recently The New York Times, Vice, NPR, BBC, The Huffington Post, and CBC. He regularly speaks to groups about the global waste and recycling trade including colleges, universities, trade groups, TEDx, and an invited lecture to the Royal Geographic Society in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 646 reviews
April 9, 2020
This is an interesting investigation into what happens to our "stuff" when we're finished with it. It will (hopefully) make readers look at personal consumption in a whole new light.
February 2, 2020
I guess my rating is based on most of the information was not new to me, and the first half of the book wasn't particularly interesting. Things picked up around page 133 when I learned about refurbishing clothing for resale. Overall, I guess I would say that it was more conversational than I was expecting. I wanted to get down to the facts.
However, I am truly glad that this book exists and will be eye opening to many people. We have become driven by the cost. We want to pay lowest price. However, the cost is often our integrity.
However, I am truly glad that this book exists and will be eye opening to many people. We have become driven by the cost. We want to pay lowest price. However, the cost is often our integrity.
October 27, 2019
This book is engrossing and eye-opening. I had no idea how extensive the secondhand industry is on a global scale, and to what extent discarded/donated things get restored, refurbished, rebuilt, and resold the world over!
The author travels all over the globe, from the Goodwill distribution center in an Arizona town, to flea markets in Malaysia, to clothing recyclers in India, to computer/electronics rebuilders in Ghana. It's clear that the secondhand economy is sprawling, thriving, and important.
This book also made me think deeply about how i will deal with my own surplus property in future, what and where I will dispose of it through donation. Highly recommend this book, particularly to readers interested in what happens to clothes that go to Goodwill but don't sell. There's been some bad press about mass-landfilling, and it's clear from Minter's research that such a thing is a last resort for all but the flimsiest fast-fashion trash.
I received an ARC from #NetGalley for an unbiased review of #Secondhand.
The author travels all over the globe, from the Goodwill distribution center in an Arizona town, to flea markets in Malaysia, to clothing recyclers in India, to computer/electronics rebuilders in Ghana. It's clear that the secondhand economy is sprawling, thriving, and important.
This book also made me think deeply about how i will deal with my own surplus property in future, what and where I will dispose of it through donation. Highly recommend this book, particularly to readers interested in what happens to clothes that go to Goodwill but don't sell. There's been some bad press about mass-landfilling, and it's clear from Minter's research that such a thing is a last resort for all but the flimsiest fast-fashion trash.
I received an ARC from #NetGalley for an unbiased review of #Secondhand.
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January 10, 2020This was a fascinating look at how global the secondhand market is. I've been interested in "recycling" for the better part of a year now, after learning how it does and doesn't work now that China no longer takes the US's materials. But what happens to the things dropped off at places like Goodwill? Do they get purchased? Reused? Tossed? Minter goes into where those things go, for better or for worse.
I found some parts of this to be a little overlong, but I appreciated how global in scope the book was. More than that, Minter calls out the attitudes that privileged white people in the West have about what those in developing countries do or don't do with donated goods: for some, it's a lucrative business, as opposed to getting "garbage" no one in the US will take.
There won't be a lot here that anyone who is remotely conscious of reusing and recycling realities will be surprised to read. But it's a nice reminder of how planed obsolesce and capitalism have made things cheaper, crappier, and ultimately unfixable. It's up to us to demand better now -- and in many cases, we are. Or at least we're trying.
I found some parts of this to be a little overlong, but I appreciated how global in scope the book was. More than that, Minter calls out the attitudes that privileged white people in the West have about what those in developing countries do or don't do with donated goods: for some, it's a lucrative business, as opposed to getting "garbage" no one in the US will take.
There won't be a lot here that anyone who is remotely conscious of reusing and recycling realities will be surprised to read. But it's a nice reminder of how planed obsolesce and capitalism have made things cheaper, crappier, and ultimately unfixable. It's up to us to demand better now -- and in many cases, we are. Or at least we're trying.
December 27, 2019
The best part of the book is where he debunks the myth that car seats should not be reused. I have been telling all my parents friends this for years. It was a scare tactic created by the makers of car seats. Think about it... most car seats are made from the same grade of material that goes into the plastic in cars and the material that makes seat belts. Do you ever see a warning that car seat belts “expire”? Do you see a warning that says you have to replace them after a car accident? Exactly his point!
February 6, 2020
Read this book. No, really, read this book! It's fascinating, informative, and inspiring. Minter really gets into the nitty gritty of reusing and recycling our old stuff, and I am now planning to go digging and see what more I can learn!
February 23, 2020
Four stars for scope of research and good questions to think about. One less for irrelevant details about people's haircuts and what they ordered at the diner.
June 28, 2019
Who knew there was such a thing as recycle themed journalism. Well, there is, Adam Mitner’s doing it. And this is his second book on the matter, titled appropriately enough Secondhand. Mitner was raised into a family of scrap dealers and spent years traveling the globe reporting on recycling industries and so on, which is to say the man is perfectly qualified to write this book about the second lives of all your crap. You know, all those things you’ve ever donated to a thrift shop and never thought twice about it…well, this may not interest you. But if you’ve ever given a second thought to where your things might end up after you’re done with them, you’ll find this interesting. Because there’s an entire industry out there dedicated specifically to supporting the aphorism that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. It renews, reuses and recycles, it sells what’s sellable, throws out what isn’t and ships off tons of it across the seas to third world countries. And developing world is making use, industry even, out of things we no longer want a thing to do with. It’s fascinating, really. But mostly it’s a somber sobering commentary of the disposable culture we live in. Fast food, fast fashion, etc….all the things that shouldn’t be fast, but are. They create a culture of waste, where things aren’t made to last, where repairs are made prohibitive enough as to encourage buying new or trading up, where planned obsolescence thrives. It’s a terrible way to live, but everyone is doing it, because it’s easy and cheap and often both. But not everyone, not really, not even everyone in the first world countries and this book offers different perspectives and examples of how to get around the sheeple way from start ups concentrating on repairs to practicing conscientious shopping and so on. Mitner follows shipments of recyclable clothing and technology across the world to find out how developing nations utilize this refuse…essentially to prove that it’s salvageable and usable way past its arbitrary expiration dates. In fact, Mitner even takes on the arbitrariness of expiration dates, baby car seats for instance, seemingly created to mainly encourage buying more. And that’s the thing, isn’t it, society that thrives on consumerism and materialistic values will do whatever it takes to sell more. The same competition that drives the costs down, also drives down the quality. People buy things they don’t need, end up with two much crap, downsize and then with more space and money go right back to it. And no amount of cutesy books and shows on minimalism is going to make a difference. Maybe even this book won’t make a difference, but it’ll certainly educate the readers willing to be educated and that’s a good thing. And while personally through conscious choices and limitations I’m not really the book’s choice audience, it was nevertheless an interesting read. Mitner is a knowledgeable and enthusiastic Virgil on this tour of secondhand underworld. But very much a journalist throughout, meaning committed to presenting unbiased balanced accounts more so that personality infused engaging ones. In fact, the author’s personality doesn’t come out until the afterword, where among other things he lists the objects he’s been tempted to buy secondhand on his travels for this book. I do prefer more personalized nonfiction, but to each his/her own. For me, It wasn’t ideal, it went into entirely too many minute details about recycling processes, etc. In fact, it would have made a great journalistic article or maybe a series of them, but for a book, interesting as it was, it wasn’t all that engaging at times, dragged down by the minutiae instead of the grand scheme of things and at times it read very much like a well informed essay. But…the idea here was to educate the population of the prosperous countries with disposable incomes as to how their purchasing choices affect the environment and global economy and so on and largely it succeeds at the task. I’m too cynical to think it’ll make a difference for any significant percentage of the population, but if it has any effect even on the microscale it’s still a win. Informed choices for the happier world and all that. There are also some fascinating accounts of the strategies behind thrift store and secondhand retailers, might be of interest to anyone who’s ever shopped in one. Probably best not to read this in one sitting as I inexplicably did, it’s too…too much. Thanks Netgalley.
June 26, 2019
I really enjoyed this book and it’s caused me to rethink what I buy and what I donate to Good Will (I now vow to to donate more because others can better use things I am not using and otherwise letting clutter up my place). Adam Minter is a great storyteller and follows the secondhand industry around the world. I really appreciate that he calls out people in developed countries who don’t think about the secondhand businesses that flourish in the developing world. This book will be a big eye-opener for many Americans and will bring about much good.
November 20, 2019
Secondhand, Travels In The New Global Garage Sale, is an in-depth look at what happens to your "stuff" when you dispose of it. Whether it be Goodwill, a "downsizing" service, or wherever.
The author travels all over, examining the industries that have popped up to utilize our "cast-offs:. The United States, Mexico, Canada, Japan, Africa, Southeast Asia, and on and on. Whether it be used clothing in Africa, rag processors in Ohio, child safety seats in Mexico (what a racket this has become, declaring older seats as defective), or electronics in Ghana. It does one's heart good to see that others are utilizing the "stuff" we declare too old or obsolete. The author's travels take him to many cottage industries, and he makes their work very interesting to read about.
The author also covers the planned obsolescence built into our products here in the U.S., and the outright sabotage of items by some of our most recognized companies (shame on you, Apple).
All in all, this book really opened my eyes to an area that I did not even know existed. It's a very interesting read. And you will learn a lot!
The author travels all over, examining the industries that have popped up to utilize our "cast-offs:. The United States, Mexico, Canada, Japan, Africa, Southeast Asia, and on and on. Whether it be used clothing in Africa, rag processors in Ohio, child safety seats in Mexico (what a racket this has become, declaring older seats as defective), or electronics in Ghana. It does one's heart good to see that others are utilizing the "stuff" we declare too old or obsolete. The author's travels take him to many cottage industries, and he makes their work very interesting to read about.
The author also covers the planned obsolescence built into our products here in the U.S., and the outright sabotage of items by some of our most recognized companies (shame on you, Apple).
All in all, this book really opened my eyes to an area that I did not even know existed. It's a very interesting read. And you will learn a lot!
November 4, 2020
Ši knyga apie tai, kur dedasi visi mūsų daiktai - atiduodami labdarai ar parduodami antrų rankų supirktuvėms, kas su jais vyksta, kaip tai veikia mūsų psichologiją ir kaip tuo naudojasi kompanijos, užsiimančios supirkimo ir pakartotino panaudojimo (recycle) verslu.
Mane dominanti tema - tik gaila, kad šiek tiek nūdnokai parašyta.
Įdomiausia buvo skaityti apie didžiausią Japonijoje antrų rankų parduotuvių tinklą Book-Off. Vienoje iš Book-Off parduotuvių, įsikūrusių Kalifornijoje, pradirbau beveik penkerius metus. Pamenu, per interviu priimant naujus darbuotojus būtinai turėdavom paklausti, ką pretendentas mano apie recycle filosofiją. Būtent ten dirbdama supratau, kaip šis verslas yra paremtas šiuolaikinio žmogaus psichologija – susirūpinimu aplinka, troškimu, kad dar naudotinas, bet nebereikalingas daiktas praverstų kitiems. Paremtas vartotojo kaltės jausmo sumažinimu ir panasiai. Aš - visom keturiom už, bet realybė yra tokia, kad superkama ar gaunama labdaros daug daugiau negu įmanoma parduoti. Tuomet daiktų likimas yra dvejopas. Vieni – išmetami į šiukšlių ar recycle konteinerius, kiti toliau keliauja per pasauli.
Knygoje daug kalbama apie tuos keliaujančius toliau. Pavyzdžiui, siunčiama labdara į Afriką, ar kitas trečiojo pasaulio vietas. Tiksliau, daiktai yra perparduodami tų šalių verslininkams. Nors ne tik besivystančios šalys tuo verslu užsiima. Pavyzdžiui, verslininkė iš Japonijos superka Amerikos Goodwill’e (antru rankų parduotuvių tinklas) senas užuolaidas ir parsivežusi į Japoniją siūna iš jų palaidines. Ir sekmingai pardavinėja jas.
“Recycling – the process of turning old stuff into new raw materials for making more new stuff – is a good one. But as I wrote in “Junkyard Planet” [autoriaus ankstesnė knyga], recycling is imperfect, especially as an environmental solution. First, nothing is 100 percent recyclable, no matter what the manufacturer might say (for example, half of the roughly thirty metals in the average smartphone are basically unrecyclable)“.
Daugeliui iš ‘recycle’ gaminamų produktų yra naudojama ir pirminė medžiaga. Reklamose garsinamas faktas, kad prekės yra pagamintos iš perdirbtos žaliavos tiesiog mažina mūsų, vartotojų, kaltės jausmą.
Jei jau rūpinamės aplinka, tiesiog mažiau vartokim.
Mane dominanti tema - tik gaila, kad šiek tiek nūdnokai parašyta.
Įdomiausia buvo skaityti apie didžiausią Japonijoje antrų rankų parduotuvių tinklą Book-Off. Vienoje iš Book-Off parduotuvių, įsikūrusių Kalifornijoje, pradirbau beveik penkerius metus. Pamenu, per interviu priimant naujus darbuotojus būtinai turėdavom paklausti, ką pretendentas mano apie recycle filosofiją. Būtent ten dirbdama supratau, kaip šis verslas yra paremtas šiuolaikinio žmogaus psichologija – susirūpinimu aplinka, troškimu, kad dar naudotinas, bet nebereikalingas daiktas praverstų kitiems. Paremtas vartotojo kaltės jausmo sumažinimu ir panasiai. Aš - visom keturiom už, bet realybė yra tokia, kad superkama ar gaunama labdaros daug daugiau negu įmanoma parduoti. Tuomet daiktų likimas yra dvejopas. Vieni – išmetami į šiukšlių ar recycle konteinerius, kiti toliau keliauja per pasauli.
Knygoje daug kalbama apie tuos keliaujančius toliau. Pavyzdžiui, siunčiama labdara į Afriką, ar kitas trečiojo pasaulio vietas. Tiksliau, daiktai yra perparduodami tų šalių verslininkams. Nors ne tik besivystančios šalys tuo verslu užsiima. Pavyzdžiui, verslininkė iš Japonijos superka Amerikos Goodwill’e (antru rankų parduotuvių tinklas) senas užuolaidas ir parsivežusi į Japoniją siūna iš jų palaidines. Ir sekmingai pardavinėja jas.
“Recycling – the process of turning old stuff into new raw materials for making more new stuff – is a good one. But as I wrote in “Junkyard Planet” [autoriaus ankstesnė knyga], recycling is imperfect, especially as an environmental solution. First, nothing is 100 percent recyclable, no matter what the manufacturer might say (for example, half of the roughly thirty metals in the average smartphone are basically unrecyclable)“.
Daugeliui iš ‘recycle’ gaminamų produktų yra naudojama ir pirminė medžiaga. Reklamose garsinamas faktas, kad prekės yra pagamintos iš perdirbtos žaliavos tiesiog mažina mūsų, vartotojų, kaltės jausmą.
Jei jau rūpinamės aplinka, tiesiog mažiau vartokim.
January 15, 2021
This was a fascinating look at what happens to our clothes, furniture, cars, computers, etc, as we give them to Goodwill or some other organization to resell or recycle. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to downsize, or has the onerous task of clearing out the home of a friend or relative!
January 29, 2020
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 — I heard about Secondhand through an interview with the author on NPR one evening. I thought it would be a fascinating look around the world at what happens to things after they are donated. But I was completely shocked to see my current city, Minneapolis, as well as my hometown of Newark, Ohio, featured in the book as well!
The author travels around the US, southeast Asia, India, and Africa as he traces items from Goodwill drop-off to re-sale to recycling to rag-making all around the world. I was fascinated by the chapters about people who make a living helping people downsize after retirement or get rid of belongs after the death of a relative.
It’s sad and disheartening to see how much throw-away culture has affected manufacturing of goods. It’s also discouraging to realize how much stuff Americans especially have in their homes. We spend so much time and money on things that no one will want when we are gone, and we do harm to our entire world’s economic and environmental systems in the process.
I love books that give a glimpse outside our American mindsets and allow the readers to stop and think about how what they are doing affects everyone. This book did that. Highly recommend.
📚 — pairs well with A Year of Less by Cait Flanders and The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker
🖋 — Favorite Quotes:
“Nothing that an affluent American minimalist can say about consumerism and stuff is likely to change the mind of a developing-world teenager whose only experience of minimalism has been involuntary.”
“It strikes me that the desire to see one’s things take on a second life is as much a matter of vanity as it is a concern for the planet or dismay at waste. It’s as if she’s saying that her stuff is worthy.”
“Generally, one man’s trash is another man’s trash. And as the world of stuff expands, the trash is becoming more common.”
📖 — I heard about Secondhand through an interview with the author on NPR one evening. I thought it would be a fascinating look around the world at what happens to things after they are donated. But I was completely shocked to see my current city, Minneapolis, as well as my hometown of Newark, Ohio, featured in the book as well!
The author travels around the US, southeast Asia, India, and Africa as he traces items from Goodwill drop-off to re-sale to recycling to rag-making all around the world. I was fascinated by the chapters about people who make a living helping people downsize after retirement or get rid of belongs after the death of a relative.
It’s sad and disheartening to see how much throw-away culture has affected manufacturing of goods. It’s also discouraging to realize how much stuff Americans especially have in their homes. We spend so much time and money on things that no one will want when we are gone, and we do harm to our entire world’s economic and environmental systems in the process.
I love books that give a glimpse outside our American mindsets and allow the readers to stop and think about how what they are doing affects everyone. This book did that. Highly recommend.
📚 — pairs well with A Year of Less by Cait Flanders and The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker
🖋 — Favorite Quotes:
“Nothing that an affluent American minimalist can say about consumerism and stuff is likely to change the mind of a developing-world teenager whose only experience of minimalism has been involuntary.”
“It strikes me that the desire to see one’s things take on a second life is as much a matter of vanity as it is a concern for the planet or dismay at waste. It’s as if she’s saying that her stuff is worthy.”
“Generally, one man’s trash is another man’s trash. And as the world of stuff expands, the trash is becoming more common.”
July 26, 2020
I love when a book can change your life. This one definitely did that.! I am a big thrifter and frequent customer at Goodwill and other secondhand stores. I had no idea how much work went into clearing out houses, sorting through donations, and what happens to those items after no one wants them. It made me more of aware of what I buy and what I donate. I am more conscience of what I will leave behind for my kids to sort through and I decided I don't want them to have to agonize over what to keep and what to throw away. I plan to go through my things and give them away for others to enjoy instead of sitting on shelves or in boxes. I have known that lots of donated clothes go to Africa to be resold but I had no idea about computer, televisions, phones, and appliances. They are shipped all over the world where they are fixed and resold. This is a fascinating book on an industry that thrives on humans' need for wanting more and wanting new. My eyes have been opened up to focusing more on people and less on stuff. I have recommended this book to about everyone I know.
January 7, 2023
Disclaimer: Adam is a personal friend and I received a copy for an honest review.
I loved the book and couldn't put it down. It was fascinating to explore the entire "supply" chain of the secondhand market, and how seemingly good movements such as banning "plastic waste from the West" has a surprisingly long-term negative effect on the environment and on the economies of developing nations. Basically, don't take things at face value - there's more to the recycling, secondhand business than meets the eye. We need to move beyond reacting to well-intentioned propaganda from "green" folks by banning things to really, really exploring how the world can manage stuff (and all the things it's made of) sustainably.
I wrote an article on his book: https://www.elizabethtai.com/blog/sec...
I loved the book and couldn't put it down. It was fascinating to explore the entire "supply" chain of the secondhand market, and how seemingly good movements such as banning "plastic waste from the West" has a surprisingly long-term negative effect on the environment and on the economies of developing nations. Basically, don't take things at face value - there's more to the recycling, secondhand business than meets the eye. We need to move beyond reacting to well-intentioned propaganda from "green" folks by banning things to really, really exploring how the world can manage stuff (and all the things it's made of) sustainably.
I wrote an article on his book: https://www.elizabethtai.com/blog/sec...
February 28, 2020
My wife and I donate regularly (very good at declutter) and shop frequently at thrift stores, so this sounded interesting and it was. I had no idea about the scale and nature of the evolving worldwide second hand "industry". This book, in a reasonable concise manner, covers everything from local Goodwills to the second hand repair and shops of Nigeria. I learned all kinds of useful information about the importance of quality goods and "repairability" (I would never buy an Apple phone after reading this). Also, like most people whose parents have passed on, we have had to deal with the aftermath of getting rid of "stuff"; it covers that situation in some depth and the issue of the aging of the developed world. Anyone who reads us will likely think a bit more next time they go to buy something.
November 15, 2019
THIS IS MY FAVORITE AUTHOR. This is a wonderful book. It connects so many of my favorite things: decluttering, thrift, junk and recycling. VERY good bits provide a critique of Waste Colonialism, but in a readable, popular science style. This is not an academic text, but is deeply researched and expertly woven. Like a really good quality shirt.
January 7, 2020
Was one of your New Year's resolutions this year about stuff? Buying less, decluttering, reorganizing? Do you wonder what happens to everything we donate or recycle? If you do, pick up this book. Secondhand takes us on a trip throughout the world to show where all that stuff goes. Believe it or not, that old t-shirt you donated might actually make a couple of transatlantic journeys!
Minter starts in a familiar place: the drop-off center at a Goodwill store in Arizona. Then through a series of firsthand accounts, he takes us through the global industry of recycling stuff: the burgeoning industry of home cleanouts, behind the scenes at Goodwill; the resale market in Japan. Much of what is donated in Japan is sold in the Philippines. And the stuff that doesn't sell at Goodwill in the U.S.? If it doesn't go to the dump, it is often bought by middlemen and shipped overseas to developing countries: Pakistan, India, Nigeria. Entrepreneurs haul secondhand goods to Mexico. Minter meets people involved in this industry and gives us a first-hand perspective, which keeps the story fresh and personal.
Lest you think this topic is too heavy, Minter handles it with a light touch. He's not preachy, and he's perfectly open about his own role in acquiring objects. He also presents some solutions: manufacturing and purchasing more durable things. Repairing what we already have, instead of junking it. They're common sense, but not so easily accomplished in our consumption economy.
This fascinating and enlightening book changed how I think about all the stuff in my closets and basement. A great read to start off 2020.
Minter starts in a familiar place: the drop-off center at a Goodwill store in Arizona. Then through a series of firsthand accounts, he takes us through the global industry of recycling stuff: the burgeoning industry of home cleanouts, behind the scenes at Goodwill; the resale market in Japan. Much of what is donated in Japan is sold in the Philippines. And the stuff that doesn't sell at Goodwill in the U.S.? If it doesn't go to the dump, it is often bought by middlemen and shipped overseas to developing countries: Pakistan, India, Nigeria. Entrepreneurs haul secondhand goods to Mexico. Minter meets people involved in this industry and gives us a first-hand perspective, which keeps the story fresh and personal.
Lest you think this topic is too heavy, Minter handles it with a light touch. He's not preachy, and he's perfectly open about his own role in acquiring objects. He also presents some solutions: manufacturing and purchasing more durable things. Repairing what we already have, instead of junking it. They're common sense, but not so easily accomplished in our consumption economy.
This fascinating and enlightening book changed how I think about all the stuff in my closets and basement. A great read to start off 2020.
June 24, 2021
Reduce, reuse, recycle; an interesting look that at what happens to our "stuff" after we donate it.* Some of it is reused, but not necessarily in the way you thought. Learn about what happens to our clothing and electronics and how these used items can benefit others around the world.
*Currently, I am helping family clean out an apartment. After reading this, I was not as quick to toss out obsolete items. Even if your local thrift store can't sell your donated items, they may find a "new" or second life elsewhere; especially old electronics and clothing.
On a personal note, even though author Adam Minter lives in China and traveled the world to write this book; he mentions Minnesota (the state I live in, in the United States and the state where Adam grew up) quite a few times. I always enjoy reading about places I know.🙂
*Currently, I am helping family clean out an apartment. After reading this, I was not as quick to toss out obsolete items. Even if your local thrift store can't sell your donated items, they may find a "new" or second life elsewhere; especially old electronics and clothing.
On a personal note, even though author Adam Minter lives in China and traveled the world to write this book; he mentions Minnesota (the state I live in, in the United States and the state where Adam grew up) quite a few times. I always enjoy reading about places I know.🙂
September 16, 2019
I absolutely loved this book. My wife and I made the decision to minimize our stuff and it is fascinating to find out there is an entire market for secondhand stuff and also to realize there is just too much stuff being purchased for the secondhand market to even make a dent in removing these items from the trash stream. The people that Adam meets are wonderful in telling their stories! a great read!
January 19, 2020
Wake up Call...
This book reminds me that I need to get rid of my excess stuff! Having cleaned out parents houses, I know I don't want to burden my daughter with a of our stuff!
This book reminds me that I need to get rid of my excess stuff! Having cleaned out parents houses, I know I don't want to burden my daughter with a of our stuff!
July 3, 2019
If you have ever donated items to Goodwill or another thrift store and wondered what happened to them, then this book is for you. This is a well-done piece of journalism where the author follows items from thrift stores in the US to a number of final locations. Some items are bought by Mexicans from a Goodwill near the Arizona border and then are resold in Mexico. Other items, especially clothing, go to Canada where they are sorted by immigrants and the lightweight clothing is shipped to Africa or India for resale. Appliances, electronics and cars are also shipped to Africa to be repaired and resold. The author also visits Japan where there is a booming business cleaning out the houses of elderly or deceased people.
All along the way it is easy to see the value that is given by selling these excess items and how they are reused by many in less developed countries. As someone who is trying to declutter and minimize future purchases, this was an excellent read. The book is very well written and the style is engaging, particularly because of the first person stories and interactions with various people involved in the secondhand goods process all over the world.
All along the way it is easy to see the value that is given by selling these excess items and how they are reused by many in less developed countries. As someone who is trying to declutter and minimize future purchases, this was an excellent read. The book is very well written and the style is engaging, particularly because of the first person stories and interactions with various people involved in the secondhand goods process all over the world.
February 2, 2020
NOW I KNOW WHY ALL OUR DUMB KIDS CLOTHES SAY TO WASH ON THE GENTLE CYCLE
November 23, 2020
A well-written and interesting, in-depth nonfiction book about the global trade in secondhand goods. Perhaps a hair over the boundary of "too much detail", it's a comprehensive study of Goodwill, reuse, recycling, rebuilding, how developed countries shuttle their castoffs to developing countries (and how very much developing countries benefit from and profit off it), and wealthy societies' tendencies towards hoarding (hoarding is "a spectrum", as one person in the book points out, and I realized throughout the book how true this is).
Like most good nonfiction books, this one uses volumes of anecdotes to make the subject matter interesting. The variety of people dealing in secondhand goods is extensive, and I learned so much I didn't know. I'm not a garage-sale goer or a Goodwill shopper (except very occasionally) so most of this was news to me.
I appreciated how much entrepreneurship goes on in "developing" places like Africa, and am not surprised. The know-how that businessmen and -women in Africa employ to take discards from the West, fix them, and make them usable to their countrymen for years/decades to come is truly impressive. It's wise business as well as (at least as importantly) better for the environment.
Like most good nonfiction books, this one uses volumes of anecdotes to make the subject matter interesting. The variety of people dealing in secondhand goods is extensive, and I learned so much I didn't know. I'm not a garage-sale goer or a Goodwill shopper (except very occasionally) so most of this was news to me.
I appreciated how much entrepreneurship goes on in "developing" places like Africa, and am not surprised. The know-how that businessmen and -women in Africa employ to take discards from the West, fix them, and make them usable to their countrymen for years/decades to come is truly impressive. It's wise business as well as (at least as importantly) better for the environment.
March 4, 2020
A thought provoking read about what happens to all our "stuff" when we no longer want it. A dismayingly small percentage of stuff finds it's way to new homes -- and most of that goes to other, poorer countries with the rest going to landfills. Minter is a strong proponent of re-use and repair, and is appropriately critical of companies like Apple that work hard to make devices deliberately hard to repair, so that consumers will simply discard them and buy new. He has some admiring things to say about resourceful entrepreneurs in other countries who can extend the useful life of American discards to an astonishing degree. This should make us think long and hard about how much stuff we actually need. Its a good read -- too bad the small, dark photos add so little.
April 7, 2020
This was a fascinating foray into a world I had no idea existed to the level it does. I will never look at rags or my donations the same way ever again. I am also tempted to never buy anything again (ha). I don't know who this should be required reading for but I will recommend it to whoever will take the time to listen to me.
February 17, 2024
Adam Minter is a good reporter, and has spent a good many years covering recycling. The many details come easily to hand as he travels from Arizona to China to Canada to Ghana - and many other exotic destination for your clothes / furniture/ electronic give aways. Fascinating coverage of how fast fashion has affected the cloth recycling, how rising economies change global shipping, how public interpretation of what is good - what lasts - affects the every growing tonnage of stuff / STUFF /STUUUUFFFFF that every human seems to want.
It's worth reading. It should change your buying habits, even if you are ecologically minded, reuse and mend and repurpose your clothes... (You might want to buy a cotton Tshirt rather than one with a blend, because those are what rag companies want for wipe clothes - my paternal line were NY ragpickers after passing through Ellis Island). Yes, your Apple and many other "throwaway" things make it impossible to repair their products - but maybe some of the older ones can get scavenged in Ghana. Your parents' brown wood furniture might find a market if it could get to SE Asia - but no one wants it here? Your winter coats will probably go to the dump since the non-first world economies want LIGHT clothing - (so mend them and stop buying?)
Nothing about plastic here, not sure I could have borne that without weeping. But there are some hopeful trends - changing laws - and maybe you've already changed from laundry detergent in a plastic container to laundry sheets... Maybe your next clothing will be made of fungus?
Mother Earth laughs: when we are gone she will repair herself in the millenia that seem like no time to her.
It's worth reading. It should change your buying habits, even if you are ecologically minded, reuse and mend and repurpose your clothes... (You might want to buy a cotton Tshirt rather than one with a blend, because those are what rag companies want for wipe clothes - my paternal line were NY ragpickers after passing through Ellis Island). Yes, your Apple and many other "throwaway" things make it impossible to repair their products - but maybe some of the older ones can get scavenged in Ghana. Your parents' brown wood furniture might find a market if it could get to SE Asia - but no one wants it here? Your winter coats will probably go to the dump since the non-first world economies want LIGHT clothing - (so mend them and stop buying?)
Nothing about plastic here, not sure I could have borne that without weeping. But there are some hopeful trends - changing laws - and maybe you've already changed from laundry detergent in a plastic container to laundry sheets... Maybe your next clothing will be made of fungus?
Mother Earth laughs: when we are gone she will repair herself in the millenia that seem like no time to her.
June 23, 2024
What happens to the stuff we no longer need and use?
While Adam Mintner's first book, Junkyard Planet, is about recycling—breaking things down to basic materials, like metals, and making something else out of them, his second book, Secondhand, is about actually repairing and reusing things, particularly clothing and electronics, but also children's car seats, furniture and books. Mr. Minter obviously loves to travel, and the reader goes with him, all over the USA and all over the world. We all hope that someone else will be able to enjoy our stuff, and he shows how this is happening.
When asked about decluttering, his wife says that she imagines herself dead and all her stuff chucked. It's nice to know where it gets chucked to!
While Adam Mintner's first book, Junkyard Planet, is about recycling—breaking things down to basic materials, like metals, and making something else out of them, his second book, Secondhand, is about actually repairing and reusing things, particularly clothing and electronics, but also children's car seats, furniture and books. Mr. Minter obviously loves to travel, and the reader goes with him, all over the USA and all over the world. We all hope that someone else will be able to enjoy our stuff, and he shows how this is happening.
When asked about decluttering, his wife says that she imagines herself dead and all her stuff chucked. It's nice to know where it gets chucked to!
March 23, 2023
A revealing and eye-opening look at where our stuff goes once we are done with it. The author travels the globe to learn about the worldwide industry of secondhand goods. Along the way he interviews those involved in buying, selling, and marketing other people's unwanted things. I am a big fan of flea markets, so I can identify with much that is written in these pages. A very good piece of investigative journalism.
August 10, 2022
I rarely read non-fiction, but this was a topic I wanted to learn more about. The second hand industry is so much more far-reaching that I had realized. Very informative book.
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