Places such as eBay and Shpock have seen a rise in the number of listings and sales of second hand clothing. This boom seems to be linked to the lockdowns and restrictions put in place following the Covid outbreak. Many more people are at home and finally may have the time to search through their clothing and get rid of any unwanted items. It may be that they are struggling with money and want to make a bit of extra cash or that they need the space. These sites usually allow for a fairly hassle free way of selling and because you can post items out to people, there is very little risk of spreading the virus.

The increase in sales is again linked to the pandemic with people having time to look online and maybe not wanting to splash out as much on new items of clothing. Instead, they can still get their shopping fix but at a fraction of the price. Charity shops had to limit the amount of stock they took in after the first lockdown as many simply didn’t have the room to store all the items in quarantine for a few days before they could safely handle them.

With England now in a second lockdown. All non essential shops have had to close. This means that clothing shops have shut their doors once again just before Christmas which is often a very busy time for them. No one knows exactly what they will and will not be allowed to do this year around Christmas time but it is pretty certain that big works parties and large family gatherings are likely to be off the cards. New year is another time of year which often sees thousands flocking out to pubs and bars to celebrate – which of course requires a new outfit – but this year may be very different.

Just before lockdown many shops had already started to fill their aisles with Christmas fashion items such as little black dresses, glittery red tops and Christmas jumpers, but it appears that lots of people have decided that it is simply not worth spending money on clothing at the moment as they have no where to go anyway. Many stores are predicting a small boom in sales when lockdown is lifted but this is unlikely to be what we would normally expect for this time of year. With all this extra clothing to shift, you can expect some rather good sales in January.

Finding clothing to fit can often be a nightmare for some people, especially at the moment as most shops have still kept their changing rooms closed. Although you would assume that all sizes are the same amongst shops, this is not the case and a size 14 in one shop may fit very differently to a size 14 in another. We are all different shapes as well as sizes so it may be you are bigger on the top than the bottom or vice versa.

If you are classed as a plus size men or women or extremely tall or short then you may sometimes struggle to get clothes that you like in your size. Unfortunately, it seems that some shops think that anyone that is not within a certain size range does not really want to wear fashionable clothes, and obviously this is not the case.

Often for plus size or tall people, there only option is to shop online, but with sizes varying and no option to try on,  this can be very hard and may mean that you have to spend hours trawling round the shops to get an item that fits like you want it too. If possibly you may want to order two different sizes, just check that retailer offers free returns.

When it comes to clothing there is a massive difference in price. You can pay as little as £3-5 for a tshirt in one shop and in excess of £200 in another. But is this price difference justified by the quality?

People are separated over whether to buy quality clothes that may cost more or cheaper clothes which are often lower quality. When choosing where to buy clothing from you need to consider what the clothing is going to be worn for and by whom. If for example you are looking for work wear or school uniform that is going to be worn often and washed a lot then you may want to invest in a high quality garments that wont fade or shrink. You may also want to think about the material and how well it will iron. If you are looking for clothes for baby or a child which may become siled often or that they will grow out of very quickly then you probably do not want to spend as much. Spending a lot of money on one or two items may be perfect if you like to wear the same sorts of things, but if you like a lot of choice then you may have to opt for the cheaper options.