By Janani Janarthanan
Medill Reports

Have you recently noticed the price of clothes on online shopping sites go up? Are you considering thrifting to get better deals on your summer wardrobe or salve a sudden shopping itch? Industry experts and executives of Goodwill and ThredUp, an online consignment and thrifting marketplace, have been expecting it.

“Everyone wants a deal,” said Liz Velazquez, store manager of Let’s Change Retail Shoppe in Humboldt Park. “Earlier we used to have a lower-income crowd, but now we are seeing people coming in from more affluent neighborhoods.”  

Tariffs on Chinese imports are currently at 30%. An additional levy of import tax for small-value shipments below $800 from May 2 — previously called the de minimis exemption — is expected to affect the price tag at otherwise cheap online retailers. This could also lead consumers to other shopping avenues, like thrifting or resale clothing. 

As someone who has thrifted for over a decade, Brianna Smith, 29 said she had noticed the store prices go up recently. She said “such (thrift) stores are not affected by price changes.”

Businesses are picking up on the changing sentiments. Kevin Vilchez, the owner of Layers Chicago, a vintage store in Wicker Park, said he saw foot traffic rising in early May and decided to display his $10 racks — where items are priced $10 or less — more prominently. 

He added that his usual customer demographic, a majority of 16- to 21-year-olds, are more price-sensitive and “appreciate secondhand shopping” when they see their online shopping carts get more expensive.

ThredUp shares have risen 134% since the announcement of President Donald Trump’s tariffs April 9. Google Trends data show that the word “thrift” has registered higher interest every weekend through the end of April and May. Thrifting on Google Shopping has also seen a marked increase in May, according to the same Trends data. 

Huantian Cao, a professor at the University of Delaware and director of their Sustainable Apparel Initiative, said the de minimis rule change has translated into higher pricing. Ahead of the rule change, online shopping platforms Temu and Shein released customer notices saying they would readjust prices starting April 25 “due to global trade rules and tariffs.”   

Cao added the effects of the 30% tariffs are still not clear, as it will take time to flow down the supply chain.

Mireya Fouche, the co-founder of Monarch Thrift Store in the Avondale neighborhood, agreed that it becomes tricky to pinpoint what drives shoppers to thrift stores.

“Looking at our foot traffic and sales, the answer is both yes and no,” Fouche said. “We have seen an increase in foot traffic, but it’s based on the season and the shopping patterns,” she said.

Summer months tend to be busier for thrift stores across the board, Velazquez added, explaining customer foot traffic increases in warmer weather and more visitors travel to Chicago.

Fouche said she doesn’t feel the current foot traffic is related to the tariffs, at least not yet. She added it will also depend on how the conversation between the U.S. and China evolves in the next 90 days. “At this point, I am projecting for the greater impact to happen sometime in the fall and winter,”  she said.

The business model of thrift stores begins at a donor’s closet. This shields the stores from the immediate impact of trade policies, but it does not skip them all together.

Monarch Thrift Store notes 90% of their products are clothes and footwear. Many of these items are still manufactured in China. 

Data from the U.S. International Trade Commission showed as of 2024, 28% of imported apparel and footwear Americans consume came from China. This translated to $36 billion. Vietnam was the second biggest sourcing destination at 19%, followed by India at 6.5%.  

Monarch also has a small section of housewares and home decor in the 4,000-square-foot store. Fouche said she feels that particular section might get more interest and fewer donations as small-value imports get pricier.

An indirect impact of tariffs that could boost thrifting is the possibility of lesser production of cheap apparel for American consumption, according to Joy Buchanan, an associate professor of economics at Samford University in Alabama. 

“More people would thrift or simply use the items they have longer. It also might become more rewarding to take your clothes to a thrift store when there is higher demand for used clothes,” Buchanan said. She also added that the impact of the policies is still not clear enough to conclude that we are out of the fast-fashion era.

The tariffs would have to remain over time before they become more evident at physical retailers and alter behavior, according to Cao “This could lead to a subsequent reduction in the consumption of fast fashion, making it beneficial for the environment,” he said.  

Until then, the signs for a tariff-led uptick might not fully materialize in Chicago thrift stores.   

“If the announcements lead to more thrifting, and open doors for small businesses then I welcome that. I’m for it,” Velazquez added.

Janani Janarthanan is a Chicago Investigative Lab graduate student at Medill. She writes at the intersection of business, data and investigative narratives. You can follow her on Twitter at @_janani_jana and @journo_janani_jana on Instagram.