Consumed by Consumption

Ben Pechey
Oct 31
2 min read

Consumption. It is something that has always consumed me.

In any area of my life, at any given moment, I could find something to want. Whether it was going through the Argos catalogue when I was 5, looking excluivley at jewlerry, a hamster aged 8, or anything from Vivienne Westwood when I had a weekend job at 16.

As with so much of my life - nearly a decade online - I have documented my journey with consumption at length with you. The last couple of years, I have tried to have more of a conscious approach to the ways I shop. I consider the impact my own wants can have on the planet, but also as an influencer, and how I impact your shopping habits.

My most recent approach has been a cleansing of my wardrobes, through the utilisation of Vinted, and in some cases, for designer pieces, Vestiare. I cleared out, found new homes, reorganised, and sold, sold, sold!

I love the process of selling, I enjoy building up my funds even more.

I checked my screen time recently, and my time on Vinted was similar to the time I spend on Instagram. One of those things is my job, and the other is a buy-and-sell platform. It has become clear to me that Vinted has become as much of a search for dopamine as it is a greener alternative to consumption.

Even as I have sat here (on a train) writing, I have opened Vinted and scrolled through suggested items, hearted a few things, and gone down a rabbit hole of belts I don’t really need. I didn’t buy anything, but I looked hard.

In the last few months, two or three parcels a week is the norm. I use a corner shop at the end of our road, and they know my name; they ask after the dog. A relationship that I really enjoy, but has only been borne from my proclivity for shopping on Vinted. I recently bought milk, and they looked confusingly at me as they aksed ‘no parcel’? At that point, I began to wonder if I had a problem on my hands.

Even if I am buying secondhand, it still contributes to a planet weighed down by stuff we simply do not need. Have I greenwashed an addiction? Have Vinted - and my good intentions - become a crutch in disguise to make me feel more at ease with my desire to continually consume?

It is important to emphasise that I am not in debt, nor do I spend money I don’t have.* I’m not sure I have a solution, more that I think I’ve identified an area of my life that I want to reconfigure my relationship with Vinted and consumption.

It is not just a matter of where we shop, but how we shop. Food for thought...

*If you or someone you know are struggling with debt, you can find help and support here;