Author: Adam Minter

What happens to your stuff when you donate it?

Your joy is that it’s finally out of your house and your hope is that somebody will be able to make use of it. But the problem is we put it out of our minds the moment it leaves our hands.

The appeal of this book was largely influenced by my wife who is a master thrift shopper and always manages to snag the most incredible finds and deals at secondhand stores. However, upon perusing the shelves with her a few times (mainly to act as a filter), I often wonder how they handle the massive piles of donations happening in the back and what happens to the junk that doesn’t sell.

This is where Minter comes in with an in-depth exploration of the secondhand industry.

There were so many times in this book where points where made that I went, “Oh?”

Starting with the value of our goods and the whole mentality of buying new vs. used. For someone peeling the curtain into this world, it was utterly fascinating. I always assumed we overvalued our own items, but never considered the bias we have when we donate.

Bottom line: there is so much that gets donated every year that it literally floods the market. Quality becomes important from the reseller to the buyer, regardless of their socioeconomic status. Even a less affluent person can tell the difference between crap and decent quality.

Given the scope of the worldwide pursuit of this topic, there was quite a few areas covered: antiques, furniture, books, baby seats, clothing (much is given to the topic of fast fashion) and electronics. To be honest, the last chapter about electronics recycling and the people of Ghana was a slap in the face… and no, it’s not to point directly at the electronics dump at Agbogbloshie made so famous by reporters.

It does get spoken about specifically, but gives the full story behind it.

While my contention with non-fiction books today is the purposefully inflated word count publishers demand of the authors, this didn’t feel that way. Minter had a lot to say and wanted to speak about it in such a way that we get the full picture.

It definitely gets you looking at the stuff in your house in a more critical and careful way.