секонд хенд спри

In a good example of an imported concept leading to an imported word, second hand or thrift shops in many Russian-speaking countries are known as секонд хенд (which is a Cyrillic transliteration of "second hand"), or just "Second Hand" with Latin letters. Overstocked items are often also sold at these stores, usually as "stock."

The story I frequently hear is that the products found in the shops are often donated by aid organizations and other countries with the intention of the goods being distributed to families and individuals in need. By some bureaucratic hiccup, however, many of the donated goods in the end are sold at these shops. At the store near my apartment, things are sold for 33 hryvnia a kilo (about two dollars a pound), except for some higher-quality items that are individually priced. Another store sells at 19 to 79 hryvnia a kilo, depending on the day. I just read an article on the blog Siberian Light in which the author talks about this trend and some of the buyer services that have sprung up around it:

Two young women from Kaliningrad, Youlia and Yuki, enjoyed looking for a diamond in the rough so much that they decided to help other women and men get unusual things at a low cost. At least once a week, the girls visit local second-hand stores, buy exciting clothing items, take their photos and post them on their lifejournal. Their online “friends” line up to buy things like menthol “Converse” keds, bronze patent leather clutch, and funky dresses by “Atmosphere.” Users can also create wishlists and the girls will seek out the coveted vintage dressed or fancy shoes for them.

Several other websites, modeled after “trendography,” have been springing up all over the Russian Internet. Most of them are run by women. In a country where only 20% of entrepreneurs are women, this trend is an immense achievement. It looks like the overstock items from the medium-priced Western brands help empower Russian women. Way to go, “H&M.”

So next time you think of donating your clothes to charity, it may be a charity of a completely unexpected kind: helping post-Soviet women start their businesses and look well-dressed. Quite an unusual charitable cause, isn’t it?

Average salaries in Ukraine don't go far in the world of fashion, especially as there are no Target-like department stores and their affordable but fashionable clothing. This makes the high standard of fashion and appearance many Ukrainian and Russian women hold themselves to particularly impressive.

I picked up some great finds at my local second hand a few weeks ago: these blue heels decorated with ducks (!), a leather handbag made in "Western Germany," and that cute blue skinny scarf, or whatever you would call it. Today Heidi, my mom and I hit up the second hand shop at the bus station and also found some great pieces- my mom came away with a great houndstooth coat and Heidi found a cute pair of black boots. I scored some cute white and blue loafers that unfortunately scream "urban hipster!" but were too cute to pass up.