# Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale - Hardcover

by **Adam Minter** (Author)

**Revelatory, terrifying, but, ultimately, hopeful.** \--**Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of THE SIXTH EXTINCTION**

**From the author of _Junkyard Planet_, a journey into the surprising afterlives of our former possessions.**

Downsizing. Decluttering. Discarding. Sooner or later, all of us are faced with things we no longer need or want. But when we drop our old clothes and other items off at a local donation center, where do they go? Sometimes across the country--or even halfway across the world--to people and places who find value in what we leave behind.

In _Secondhand_, journalist Adam Minter takes us on an unexpected adventure into the often-hidden, multibillion-dollar industry of reuse: thrift stores in the American Southwest to vintage shops in Tokyo, flea markets in Southeast Asia to used-goods enterprises in Ghana, and more. Along the way, Minter meets the fascinating people who handle--and profit from--our rising tide of discarded stuff, and asks a pressing question: In a world that craves shiny and new, is there room for it all?

_Secondhand_ offers hopeful answers and hard truths. A history of the stuff we've used and a contemplation of why we keep buying more, it also reveals the marketing practices, design failures, and racial prejudices that push used items into landfills instead of new homes. _Secondhand_ shows us that it doesn't have to be this way, and what really needs to change to build a sustainable future free of excess stuff.

### Author Biography

**Adam Minter** is the author of _Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade_ and a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. He lives in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

**Number of Pages:** 320

**Dimensions:** 1.3 x 9.3 x 6 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** November 12, 2019

## Details

- **Price:** 28.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 28.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale - Hardcover

---

> Source: [Smart supply deals](https://smartsupplydeals.com/products/secondhand-travels-in-the-new-global-garage-sale-hardcover)
> Updated: 2026-07-23