Savvy shopper who buys all her Christmas presents second hand saves £30,000 on designer treats

A woman who has shopped only second-hand for the past six years has bought all of her Christmas gifts pre-loved – purchasing designer handbags, quirky homeware and family board games for half their retail price.

Iso Neville, a 28-year-old marketing and communications manager who lives in south-east London, swapped buying new clothes for second-hand pieces in 2019, after wanting a more “unique” style and to save some pennies.

At first, she found the transition challenging after years of relying on fast-fashion sites, but soon found herself enthralled in bargain hunting – to date, she has found items from brands such as Ganni, Yves Saint Laurent and Burberry.

She estimates she has saved £30,000 through buying designer items second-hand and has since furnished her entire apartment through Facebook Marketplace, car boots and antique fairs – and bought all Christmas gifts pre-loved.

For Christmas, she has bought her loved ones books, clothes, photo frames, coasters, drinking glasses, games, and even jazzed up plain crockery with ceramic paint – in total, she has spent £250 on gifts this year and estimates she would have spent £500 on them if bought new.

To date, she said her best Christmas present finds include buying DKNY and Self-Portrait handbags for £20 each, when they retail at £250 apiece.

This year, after graduating with a Master’s degree in Sustainable Fashion, Iso has begun launching her second-hand clothing platform, Sourced Second, to make pre-loved shopping more accessible.

Iso told PA Real Life: “My family really like it because they often get more expensive things than I would have been able to afford otherwise, and I think that it adds a bit more thought into it as well.

“They know I’ve had to go out and search for it, or maybe it’s something that I found earlier in the year.

“If I see something that reminds me of someone, I pick it up then, rather than waiting and trying desperately to find something in December – that’s my top tip for other people, too.”

In 2019, Iso pledged to stop buying new clothes and buy only pre-loved items.

She explained: “At the time, I had been shopping second-hand here and there for quite a while, and the satisfaction I got from buying second-hand was so much better than going into a shop and buying something that was mass produced and made me look the same as everyone else.

“I found that I could get much better quality for the same price – so it was motivated primarily by a sense of personal style and money, and then it kind of evolved into being more for environmental reasons after that.”

At first, she “sometimes found it difficult”, as she was used to planning an outfit in her head and then being able to buy almost the exact items from “fast-fashion sites”.

As Iso continued buying pre-used items, she began selling older items from her wardrobe on Depop and Vinted to “keep things circular”, using the money she made to fund further second-hand purchases.

Since shopping pre-loved, she believes she has saved almost £30,000, as many of the items she buys in charity shops and car boot sales are designer.

This year alone, she bought a Yves Saint Laurent shirt for £5, which retails for around £700, Ganni loafers for £30 instead of £350, and Adidas x Wales Bonner trainers for £40, which retail at £500.

In previous years, she has snapped up a £1,500 Burberry trench coat for £100, £1,400 Chloe boots for £91, and a Loeffler Randall bag for £30, which usually retails at £455.

Over the past few years, she has also furnished her entire apartment almost entirely with second-hand pieces sourced through Facebook Marketplace, car boots and antique fairs.

She estimates this has saved her an additional £10,000, with her biggest saving being a designer sofa, purchased for £800 instead of its £4,000 retail price.

Since 2019, she has also committed to buying all of her Christmas presents pre-loved.

This year, she spent approximately £250, but estimates the gifts would be worth around £500 if bought new.

“Second-hand books are always really good, and they’re really easy to find in charity shops or online,” Iso added.

“I also like getting photo frames – they’re so easy to get in charity shops too.

“Sometimes I put art in them, or a photo, and that’s a really nice thing to do.

“Things like coasters, drinking glasses – any homeware is great and I think people forget about that, they’re usually better quality than clothes.”

This year, Iso also bought a ceramic paint set to personalise used white crockery and make the pieces more “quirky”.

She has also purchased games, as well as pre-loved clothing for her loved ones.

Iso explained: “I buy a lot of sequined things because sequins are really bad for the environment, and so buying sequins second-hand is a good way to make sure that they’re continuing to be in use without adding to the demand and to make sure they don’t end up in landfill.”

Iso said her loved ones enjoy receiving second-hand gifts, as they are often worth more than what she would usually buy, and feel more thoughtful as she keeps an eye out for items that remind her of family members throughout the year.

All of her Christmas decorations are pre-used too, and she recommends picking up baubles in particular from charity shops.

Despite finding so many bargains and believing charity shops can be a “treasure trove” for gifts, Iso thinks there are still misconceptions around shopping second-hand.

“I think some people still think that it’s a hassle and you have to be really lucky to find something good but I definitely haven’t found that to be true,” Iso said.

“It also makes the shopping experience so much more enjoyable – they’re never as busy as other shops!”

Iso also graduated this year from Falmouth University with a Master’s degree in Sustainable Fashion and is now in the early stages of launching her own second-hand clothing company, Sourced Second.

The website will feature the “best of the best” pre-loved clothing, which she hopes will make shopping preloved easier and more appealing.

“The goal with it is to make second-hand feel brand new, because rummaging around in car boot sales and charity shops isn’t for everyone – it’ll be a convenient experience for people that want clothes that have already been vetted and curated,” Iso explained.

To find out more, visit: www.instagram.com/sourced2nd.