Secondhand shopping in Beijing is a breeze. From dedicated WeChat groups such as these ones here, to our favourite charity thrift store Roundabout (which is hosting a huge book fair right now), not to forget secondhand shopping apps, you can save on money by buying mint condition clothes, books and toys to meet the demands of your kids without burning a hole in your wallet.

Personally, I adore shopping secondhand online, specifically on TaoBao’s lesser-known sister app Xianyu. Check out our previous article on how to navigate this super handy app here. Some of my best recent buys include the Amulet books 1-7 box set for RMB93 (it was still brand new in the packaging!), Eagle Creek packing cubes RMB 140 (retail RMB250 on TaoBao), and Patagonia cargo pants for my husband for RMB800 (retail RMB1040 on TaoBao). And yes, I searched for those using English search terms!

If Xianyu’s Chinese interface is too intimidating for you, the closest English equivalent might be Movin, a buy-and-sell WeChat Mini-Program that operates entirely in English. I haven’t yet used it myself but have browsed it before. Simply search Movin in WeChat to find it.

Dejà vu or 多抓鱼(Duō zhuā yú), is another app for buying secondhand stuff. Shop throughout over 4000 different brands, fast and high fashion, books in different languages as well as few electronic devices. An excellent and easy way to give your items a second life, but also to find interesting offers!

If you’re old-school and just prefer to shop in person, but still want to experience secondhand shopping, why not sign up for a clothing auction, or better yet organize one yourself? The Clothing Auction Network (CAN) was started by expats here in Beijing years ago and continue to see regular events to this day. They’ve even extended the network to overseas now! While the clothes are usually for adult women, there have been teen-themed and plus-sized themed auctions before. Scan the QR code in the poster to learn more.

Images: Pexels, Vivienne Tseng-Rush

We are only weeks away from getting back to school, and that always feels like it requires a wardrobe refresh. But rather than hit up a fast fashion brand, why not do something good for the environment, your wallet, and a local charity? Join us for the Clothing Auction Network’s Back-to-School Bubbles Clothes Auction.

The brainchild of expat Rebecca Archer, the Clothing Auction Network is a grassroots charity that hosts multiple events each year in the homes of volunteers. Beijingers are invited to clean out their closets and bring unwanted items to the designated host’s home, where all the items go into a pile. Then, as you socialize, eat, and drink, you browse through what’s on offer. I have seen everything from Banana Republic blazers to silk kimonos and bespoke ball gowns. It’s a fashionista treasure hunt, especially for those of us who have trouble finding clothes proportioned for our western frames in local stores.

When you find items you like (and trust me you will find items you like) you put them in the “bid pile.” Then the fun really starts. Each item in the bid pile is held up for the group to look at, and bidding on all items starts at RMB 20. If no one else took a fancy to it it’s yours for less than the cost of your morning coffee fix. But if someone else was eyeing it you need to outbid them to take it home. At the last auction, I went to I walked away with two brand label shirts, a designer summer dress, a pair of adorable sandals, new earrings, plus several silk and cashmere scarves for less than the cost of a sweater at Uniqlo or H&M.

The best part? All the money goes to charity, with the host choosing which local entity will receive the funds. Past recipients have included local animal shelters, an initiative educating girls in rural China, and Migrant Children’s Foundation.

The back-to-school swap will be hosted by the founder of Female Expats in Beijing, Mia Rudnick. It will be this Sun, Aug 7, from 1 to 4pm in Shuangjing. The funds will be donated to The Library Project, which builds reading rooms and provides teacher training to rural schools in China.

To join in on the fun scan the QR code in the poster below. After you RSVP you will be given the exact address and additional details!

KEEP READING: Getting Your Nails Done on a Budget

Images: Mio Rudnick

Over December, we’ve been highlighting some of the organizations and people that give their time and skills to make our city a better place. Here’s a round-up of all the causes we’ve profiled, so if your New Year’s resolution is to give something back, you’ll find plenty of ideas for getting involved below.

To read the full interviews, follow the links below.

Horses Offering People Enrichment (HOPE)

Children love animals, whether it’s a family pet or the cuddly pandas at the zoo. For some children with disabilities, that love can help them to grow and develop in areas where they have difficulties. It’s called equine therapy, and it’s available in Beijing thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers. We talked to Amy Tripson about Horses Offering People Enrichment: HOPE. 

The Library Project

There are few things better to stimulate a child’s curiosity, creativity, and love of learning than a good book. For most of us, our kids grow up in homes full of bright, engaging reading material. But for many children in rural China, even their schools don’t have a library, or a place to sit and read independently. And that’s where The Library Project comes in. We talked to founder Tom Stader about their mission to turn unused classrooms into beautiful new reading rooms. 

The Lost Puppies of Beijing

In this series, we have mostly focused on those helping the people of this city, and particularly children in need. But our furry friends need our help too, and particularly the doggoes. So we talked to our friend and former beijingkids staffer Auna Harris about the kind souls behind The Lost Puppies of Beijing.

Fitness 4 Hope

In our busy urban lives, staying fit and active is important. Thanks to a team of enthusiastic volunteers, there are now opportunities to do this while helping a good cause too. We talked to Pablo Arriba about Fitness 4 Hope (F4H), the volunteering organization which he founded.

Bethel China

China has transformed beyond imagining over a couple of generations, modernizing and developing at a rate previously unseen in history. But in a few areas, old-fashioned ideas persist, and rarely with such sad consequences as in attitudes to disabled children. However, there are many, locals and foreigners, working hard to change attitudes and transform lives. We spoke to Allie Haaz, English-language spokesperson for Bethel China, to find out more about one such organization.

Migrant Children Foundation (MCF)

Christmas is always a time to think about children: our own and those in need. Few children are more in need than China’s so-called “migrant children,” who have come with their parents in search of a better life in the city, but have no right to education or other support here. And few have done more to help these innocents than the Migrant Children Foundation (MCF). We talked to Helen Boyle about the Foundation’s work.

Chemistry lessons provided by MCF won a national competition

Clothing Auction Network

New Zealander Rebecca Archer has been in Beijing since 2013, but it was an idea she brought from home which has taken off and is now set to expand across the world. We asked her to tell us more about the Clothing Auction Network.

Photos: courtesy of HOPE, Nichole He, courtesy of Auna Harris, courtesy of Fitness 4 Hope, courtesy of Allie Haaz, courtesy of MCF, Dave’s Studio, Rebecca Archer

Over the festive season we’ll be highlighting some of the organizations and people that give their time and skills to make our city a better place, and looking at what you can do to support them. Spread the spirit of giving these holidays!

New Zealander Rebecca Archer has been in Beijing since 2013, but it was an idea she brought from home which has taken off and is now set to expand across the world. We asked her to tell us more about the Clothing Auction Network.

Rebecca Archer with her family

Tell us about the history of your organization. How did it start, how has it developed?

We started about five years ago. We were just having a conversation, a bunch of girls, about downsizing our wardrobes, and just thought let’s have a look at each other’s clothes, see if there’s anything we want. And we auctioned it, based on a model I saw in New Zealand with a bunch of teenagers who did the clothing auction for my cousin’s 16th birthday. They all brought a dessert over, and donated the money to charity.

On that very first night, the girls had such a good time. It’s a really entertaining event, and we raised so much money, a couple of hundred dollars, just for getting together and having fun. And everyone was like, when can we do it again?

The next one, people invited their friends, and it just grew from there. One of the great things about it, the community aspect, is that it gives women a chance to get together, apart from their kids. As you get older we don’t go out to bars and pubs much, and it can be hard to meet people. Plus we love fashion, and the more we got into it the more we learned about ethical fashion. I tried buying no new clothes for a year, to break down some of the barriers around secondhand clothes.

I ran it for two years in Shunyi, with 15 to 20 people at each event. Then I moved and began the city chapter, and it just exploded. The city events happen three to five times a month, and Shunyi once a month. It’s grown from the first year when we raised around RMB 7-10 thousand, to this year when we’ve raised over RMB 150,000, which is just amazing.

What are you doing now, and what are your plans for the future?

We want the idea to spread around the planet. As people have changed their jobs and moved out of Beijing, women have taken it with them, and now there are events in Shanghai, Guangzhou… Pauline [former beijingkids journalist Pauline van Hasselt]is trying to get one started in the UK! Part of the reason it’s worked so well here is because of WeChat, we don’t know how it’s going to go with Facebook. But we want to set up a global Facebook community, have resources available to people, and to help them expand their networks find other people that are interested in coming to the events.

How can people get involved? What help do you need, and how can they contact you?

So the way that we want to spread the message in the future is to get a website going with all the resources. We’ve already developed a lot of the content, but to build our social presence, we need regular posts, and none of us have the capacity to do that. People can get involved with us through writing blog posts, especially if they’re interested in sustainable fashion. They can take photos for us, or make short videos. We need people who can do graphic design, Facebook moderation…

People can also get involved by attending or hosting events, we can support them. The events work best if you start with your own network of friends and expand outwards.

Anyone who wants to get involved can contact me through WeChat: becstarnz

What make your organization different or special?

We have three values: community, conscious fashion, and charity. It really meets the need for community that a lot of women feel. We don’t need new clothes, there’s already enough clothes in the world to go round. And whoever hosts nominates a charity that the money goes to. It’s a concept that’s so easy to spread.

Photos: Dave’s Studio, Rebecca Archer

Over four years ago, a small group of women gathered together bringing their unworn clothing, in order to share it with each other, and raise money for charity. Fast forward to 2018 and the concept has grown with over 500 women attending the regular events held across Beijing in people’s homes, with over RMB 100,000 being raised this year alone.

The most recent Christmas Charity Auction was held at East Hotel who are avid proponents of sustainable and charitable initiatives, and saw 45 women gather together for a large scale pop-up clothing event, complete with good food and fine wine, that raised over RMB 15,000. In order to illustrate just how much this movement has grown, last years event, also graciously hosted by East Hotel, raised RMB 6,000.

The Clothing Auction Network is built on three key concepts:

1. Community – Strong friendships have formed between the women as they have bonded regularly over clothes, wine and food. New people are always welcome to join in the community, with many women saying they only had to attend one event to become an ‘addict’. Shopping is way more fun with friends, especially over wine, where you can get honest feedback about how things look and what suits you. The auctioneers running the event are able to get the laughs going, making for super enjoyable evenings.
2. Charity – All clothing is donated by participants, and then auctioned off with 100% of proceeds being donated to charity, with the leftover clothing either being up-cycled or donated to charity.
3. Sustainable Fashion – Buying second hand clothing is a sustainable solution to the environmental problem caused by the fashion industry. Many women suffer from having wardrobes full of clothes they have purchased that don’t fit, don’t look right, or that they just don’t want anymore. Bringing these clothes along to an Auction gives the clothes a second chance to go to a new home. Many of the items at the events have been circulating through the Network for 4 years, and have had several homes as people wear them for a season, then pass them on.

The Clothing Auction Network would love to thank all their sponsors who have donated their products or services to bring extra joy and love to the event – East Hotel, Laurent Falcon Hair Salon, PR/ME Gym, Powerful Human Candles, Pauline’s Cuisine, Zest, and ALL About.

For more information on Clothing Auctions, or if you would like to become a part of this incredible community, WeChat Rebecca on 130 7116 2353.

Photos: Courtesy of Clothing Auction Network