IS
IS THAT
IS THAT TIME OF THE YEAR WHERE MANY ARE IN THE MINDSET OF. OUT WITH THE OLD. IN WITH THE NEW.
BUT HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT
WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR DONATED OR
DISCARDED STUFF? I HAVE.
JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR OF SECOND
HAND TRAVELS IN A NEW GLOBAL
GARAGE SALE. ADAM MINTER
JOINING US THIS MORNING TO
SHARE WHAT HE FOUND ON HIS
JOURNEY. ADAM, GOOD MORNING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US. I LITERALLY HAD THIS THIS
THOUGHT PROCESS OF LIKE, HEY,
YOU KNOW, I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW
ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE
STUFF THAT THAT I DONATE WHEN I
DROP IT OFF TO A THRIFT STORE.
WHAT HAVE YOU DISCOVERED
THROUGH YOUR RESEARCH? WELL,
WHAT I FOUND IS THAT IT'S NOT
WHAT I THOUGHT IT WAS. IT ISN'T
JUST A LOCAL PHENOMENON. THAT
SHIRT THAT YOU DROP OFF THAT
OLD COMPUTER, YOU KNOW THAT OLD
FURNITURE EVEN CAN GO A RANGE
OF PLACES AROUND THE WORLD IN
SAN DIEGO A VAST AMOUNT OF IT
ACTUALLY FLOWS ACROSS THE
BORDER INTO MEXICO AND DEEP
INTO MEXICO IN THE SMALL TOWNS
WHERE PEOPLE NOW HAVE THE MEANS
TO BUY THINGS BUT THEY CAN'T
AFFORD TO BUY NEW. SO THEY'RE
BUYING YOUR USED STUFF. SO. SO
THERE'S A HUGE GLOBAL DEMAND
FOR IT AND THAT'S WHY I CALL IT
GLOBAL GROWTH. SALE OK, THAT IS
INTERESTING TO NOTE. WHERE DID
YOU GO ON YOUR SECOND HAND
SEARCH? WELL, I MEAN I STARTED
VERY SIMPLY IN MINNEAPOLIS WITH
HOME CLEAN OUT AND I WENT
AROUND THE WORLD. I WAS IN
JAPAN, I WAS IN WEST AFRICA.
THE COUNTRY HAD BEEN MEAN THE
COUNTRIES OF TOGO AND GHANA
ESPECIALLY NORTHERN GHANA. I
WAS IN MEXICO. I WAS IN
ARIZONA. SO REALLY ALL OVER THE
WORLD TRACING WHERE THIS STUFF
GOES FROM OUR HOMES WHEN WE
DROP IT OFF LITERALLY THE
GOODWILL. OK. SO IT DOESN'T
NECESSARILY ALL STAY HERE IN
OUR CITY. IT GOES TO DIFFERENT
COUNTRIES. YOU KNOW, I HAD I
HAD A PROBLEM BECAUSE WE
RECENTLY MOVED AND I HAD SO
MANY DIFFERENT ITEMS I WANTED
TO GIVE SOME OF MY CLOTHES TO
TWO WOMEN WHO HAVE BEEN ABUSED
OR DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS. BUT
NOW DURING CORONA VIRUS WHEN I
MADE THE PHONE CALLS THEY WERE
LIKE I'M SORRY, WE'RE NOT
ACCEPTING ANY DONATIONS. AND I
WAS A LITTLE BUMMED ABOUT IT
BECAUSE I WAS LIKE BECAUSE I
DON'T WANT ANYONE TO SELL MY
STUFF. I JUST WANT TO GIVE IT
TO PEOPLE. WHERE DO WE GO TO DO
THAT? EVEN YOU KNOW, EVEN AFTER
COVERED? WELL, ONE THING THAT'S
HAPPENED IN KOLBERT IS THAT
EVERYBODY IS DONATING EVEN THE
MOST NEEDY CHARITIES. THEY'RE
INUNDATED RIGHT NOW AND THEY'VE
GOT SO MUCH CLOTHING AND OTHER
SECONDHAND GOODS THAT THEY
CAN'T GIVE THEM TO ENOUGH
PEOPLE. I MEAN BECAUSE
EVERYBODY'S CLEANED OUT THEIR
CLOSET. SO ONE OF THE
RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU'RE
HEARING CHARITIES FROM GOODWILL
TO YOU KNOW, SMALLER LOCAL ONES
THEY'RE SAYING IS HOLD OFF FOR
JUST A LITTLE WHILE LONGER.
WE'VE HAD MORE STUFF COME IN
THAN WE'VE EVER HAD AND I KNOW
WITH GOODWILL, FOR EXAMPLE,
THEY IN SOME OF THEM HAVE EVEN
HAD RENT WAREHOUSES TO STORE
ALL THIS STUFF. SO ONE OF THE
BEST PIECES ADVICE I CAN GIVE
YOU IS JUST HOLD OFF TILL A
LITTLE BIT LATER IN THE YEAR.
SO THIS INVENTORY OF STUFF CAN
BE WORKED THROUGH MORE
IMMEDIATELY. I MEAN WHEN YOU
THINK ABOUT DONATING, YOU KNOW
IF YOU WANT STUFF TO GO TO
PEOPLE IN DIRECT NEED IN YOUR
COMMUNITIES THEN YES, THE
BATTERED WOMEN'S SHELTERS ARE
SOMETIMES GREAT PLACES TO CALL
,YOU KNOW, VERY LOCAL
ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THAT. BUT
YOU KNOW, ORGANIZATIONS LIKE
GOODWILL ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE
SALVATION ARMY ARE NATIONAL AND
EVEN INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS. AND IF THERE'S
SOMEBODY IN YOUR LOCAL AREA
THAT DOESN'T THAT CAN'T USE THE
STUFF, THEY WILL FIND THE
MARKETS, THE PEOPLE WHO WILL
WANT IT AND WHO WILL PAY FOR IT
AND WILL HELP GOODWILL
SALVATION ARMY GET THAT STUFF
TO PEOPLE. SO. SO THERE'S A
RANGE OF OPTIONS OUT THERE. BUT
REALLY RIGHT NOW CALL YOUR
CHARITIES AND SEE IF THEY'RE
INUNDATED BECAUSE THEY MIGHT
VERY WELL BE AND THERE MIGHT
JUST BE MORE STUFF THAN THEY
CAN HANDLE RIGHT NOW AND SO
HOLD ON TO IT FOR JUST A LITTLE
LONGER. YOU KNOW I HAVE THAT
ISSUE BECAUSE WE HAD FURNITURE
THAT WAS A PERFECT CONDITION
AND I WAS CALLING AND CALLING
CALLING AND NOBODY WOULD TAKE
IT. THEY SAID I'M SORRY. LIKE A
WEEK. WE CAN'T ACCEPT IT RIGHT
NOW. AND YOU KNOW, DURING A
MOVE. WHAT WERE YOU GOING TO
PUT ALL THAT STUFF RIGHT?
RIGHT. AND EXACTLY. AND
UNFORTUNATELY AND THIS IS THIS
IS A VERY SAD SITUATION BECAUSE
THERE'S SUCH AN INUNDATION OF
USED STUFF GOING INTO THESE
PLACES RIGHT NOW. THERE IS A
LARGE AMOUNT OF IT ALSO HEADING
INTO THE LANDFILL. YOU KNOW, WE
TEND TO THINK OF SECONDHAND
STUFF AS CHARITY IS AS YOU KNOW
AFTER GOODS. BUT BUT IN FACT
IT'S IT'S SOMETHING THAT
COMPETES WITH NEW GOODS AND IF
THERE'S TOO MUCH STUFF OUT
THERE, IT CAN'T BE SOLD. YOU
KNOW, YOUR LOCAL TARGET, YOUR
LOCAL WAL-MART, YOUR LOCAL
COSTCO ISN'T GOING TO STOCK
THEIR SHELVES WITH MORE STUFF
THAT THEY CAN SELL AND NEITHER
WILL YOUR GOODWILL OR YOUR
OTHER CHARITIES. AND SO A LOT
OF FOLKS ARE FINDING THAT THEY
CAN'T DROP STUFF OFF AND IT IS
GOING END UP IN THE LANDFILL
ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE GOING
THROUGH A MOVE AND THAT'S A
VERY SORRY SITUATION BUT IT'S
REALITY AT THE MOMENT. YEAH,
THAT WAS UNFORTUNATE. I SPENT
DAYS AND DAYS RESEARCHING AND I
ENDED UP FINDING PEOPLE WHO
WANTED IT. QUICKLY, WHY DO
PEOPLE PLACES LIKE WEST AFRICA,
INDIA OR THIS YOU KNOW,
SOUTHEAST ASIA, PLACES THAT YOU
VISITED FOR THIS BOOK VALUE SO
MUCH OF OUR GOODS? WELL, THEY
LOOK AT IT IN TWO WAYS. ONE,
THEY WANT TO BUY STUFF JUST
LIKE WE DO BUT THEY'RE AT A
LOWER LOW INCOME POINT AND SO
SECONDHAND GOODS ALLOW THEM TO
GET THOSE THOSE CONSUMER GOODS
THAT WE ALL HAVE. BUT THEY JUST
THEY JUST CAN'T AFFORD THEM AT
THAT NEW PRICE POINT. AND THE
SECOND ONE IS QUITE
INTERESTING. FOLKS IN THESE
EMERGING MARKETS LOOK AT YOU
STUFF IS MASSIVELY PROTESTED.
IT'S BEEN USED, USED AND USED.
AND SO WHETHER IT'S A GARMENT
OR A COMPUTER THEY CAN SAY WELL
SOMEBODY USED IT FOR A COUPLE
OF YEARS. IT'S PROBABLY PRETTY
GOOD. IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT
JUST CAME OUT OF A CONTAINER
MANUFACTURED SOMEWHERE AND IT
HASN'T BEEN TESTED AND IT MAY
BREAK DOWN. SO IT'S IT'S LOOKED
AT AS A BETTER QUALITY, BELIEVE
IT OR NOT THAT THEY CAN GET AT
A REALLY AFFORDABLE PRICE
POINT. SO THAT'S KIND OF
EXCITING AND IT'S IT'S ONE OF
THE THINGS THAT FASCINATED
FASCINATED ME. I WENT ON THIS
JOURNEY LOOKING AT THE WORLD OF
SECONDHAND GOODS. A LOT OF
PEOPLE DO TAKE CARE OF THEIR
STUFF AND THEY WANT TO, YOU
KNOW, GIVE IT TO OTHER PEOPLE
WHO CAN'T AFFORD IT. BEFORE WE
WRAP UP ANYTHING ELSE THAT
YOU'D LIKE TO SAY ABOUT YOUR
BOOK, ANYONE LOOKING TO READ
IT? WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO
LEARN? WELL, I THINK THEY'LL
LEARN MORE THAN JUST ABOUT
WHERE TO TAKE THEIR SECONDHAND
STUFF. BUT I THINK YOU'LL ALSO
RETHINK HOW YOU BUY THINGS. ONE
OF THE THINGS THAT I ENCOURAGE
PEOPLE TO DO IS, YOU KNOW, ALL
OF US NEED TO BUY NEW STUFF
WHEN YOU BUY NEW STUFF, BUY IT
TO BE AN HEIRLOOM, SOMETHING
THAT YOU CAN GIVE TO SOMEBODY
ELSE WHETHER BE A RELATIVE, YOU
KNOW, A FRIEND OR A THRIFT
STORE SO THAT STUFF CAN KEEP
GOING AND WE CAN KEEP HAVING
THESE SECOND HAND ECONOMIES AND
SECOND HAND COMPANIES. AND SO
THAT'S ONE OF THE MESSAGES OF
THE BOOK TOO IS YOU KNOW, WHEN
YOU BUY NEW BY GOOD