This consolidation of power is a dream come true for the Big Tech platforms, but it’s a nightmare for users. While the megacorporations get more traffic and a whole lot more user data (read: profit), users are left with far fewer community options and a bland, corporate surveillance machine instead of a vibrant public sphere. The internet we all fell in love with is a diverse and colorful place, full of innovation, connection, and unique opportunities for self-expression. That internet—our internet—is worth defending.
We do have “op shops” which are like a charity that sells clothes and toys that have been donated to them.
We do buy a lot of stuff from these places, and visit almost every week. The thing is, the range of stuff is very limited. For example, they might have a dozen shirts for toddlers, all in different sizes, so at best you get one shirt.
We dont really have “car boot” markets or flea markets here. We have farmers markets for fresh produce but not second hand items.
We have a toy library where I volunteer once a month. This is an amazing resource and our kids always have different toys that are really well used by loads of kids. It really is great.
The thing is, Toddlers grow quick, and they’re pretty gross, so you have to change shirts several times a day. Realistically you need 12 shirts, which they will ruin or outgrown in a few months.
On fb marketplace, any day of the week, there’s people selling boxes of kids clothes for a few dollars, all the same size. Every few months you box up everything thats too small and pass it on to the next person. From a shop, the only other option, a box of 12 toddlers shirts would be maybe $60. Of course you get pants and undershirts and jackets and whatever. So youre saving several hundred dollars each time.
If it were just a matter of going to some other place or using some other app then ofc I would do that, but fb market is the place parents sell their toddler clothes in my area.