Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale

by Adam Minter

Similarly, the share of large household appliances (like refrigerators and washing machines) that had to be replaced within five years of purchase grew from 7 to 13 percent. If those numbers don’t seem large, think of them in terms of a single manufacturer. What would the consuming public think—much less say in online reviews—about a washing machine manufacturer whose five-year failure rate increased from single to double digits in the span of eight years? Consumers know what’s happening. In 2014, a British nongovernmental organization that works with business, government, and communities released data showing how badly manufacturers of household appliances are doing when it comes to meeting consumer expectations.9 For example, British consumers expected washing machines to last a minimum of six years. But according to survey data, a whopping 41 percent of washers purchased in 2012 replaced products less than six years old, and 82 percent of surveyed respondents claimed that the replacement was due to a breakdown or an unreliability. Refrigerators and vacuum cleaners performed even worse. Not all—or even most—of the quality problems can be blamed on the manufacturers. Price is king for most consumers, and manufacturers are always seeking ways to lower costs so that they can meet that demand. Sometimes meeting the demand means cutting corners, as consumers of fast fashion learn when they fish out their faded garments from the laundry. But not always. The first Motorola cell...