Secondhand

July 15, 2019
Starting at what many people would consider the end of the story, when it’s time to dispose of possessions that are unwanted, unused, or broken, business journalist Minter (Junkyard Planet) takes readers on a surprisingly jaunty trip through the global market for secondhand goods. Starting at a storage unit in the Minneapolis suburbs and winding up in Ghana’s Golden Jubilee Terminal, a major import crossroads, with stops in Japan, India, and Malaysia along the way, Minter introduces a colorful cast of characters, such as 41-year-old “Shoe Guy,” a (self-declared) 35-year veteran of the U.S.-Mexico trade in used goods, and Robin Ingenthron, a Vermont entrepreneur who exports computer monitors from the U.S. to the developing world. Largely a portrait of an industry in decline due to items such as clothing becoming cheaper and less durable and higher ticket electronics being developed to insure that they are difficult to repair, Minter’s book reveals an economy hampered by an increasing overabundance of supply (“The things I value, I quickly realized, generally aren’t valuable to anyone but me”). This is a fascinating, eye-opening look at a dynamic, largely unseen world that only starts when one drops off something at a thrift store. Agent: Wendy Sherman, Wendy Sherman Associates.

August 1, 2019

We all have too much stuff, and this engaging new work by Minter (Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade) is a behind-the-scenes peek into what happens when we finally decide to clean house. The author begins by outlining the history of our love affair with accumulating and the rise of downsizing services as the population ages, particularly in the United States and Japan. He follows items into a Goodwill store and meets sorters who decide what is likely to sell and what gets baled and shipped overseas. It's not just clothes, though; electronics recycling is another huge sector, encouraged in part by companies such as Apple, which was a pioneer in engineering items that deliberately could not be repaired. He notes there is a small trend once again focusing on durability and quality, but with the continued success of fast-fashion and the continued trend toward downsizing and decluttering, the secondhand trade is likely to be booming for a long while. VERDICT Well written and packed with intriguing details, this is a great look at a global industry to which virtually all of us contribute, in one way or another.--Susan Hurst, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2019
In a follow-up to Junkyard Planet (2013), Malaysia-based Bloomberg Opinion columnist Minter looks at what happens to our discarded stuff, the used household goods and clothing donated to thrift stores or sold at garage sales. While conducting his research, the author traveled widely in North America, Asia, and Africa to interview people involved in every aspect of the secondhand business. Because statistics on the business are scanty, Minter tells much of his story through the people he met at the many stops in his global journey. These include home cleanout businesses in Minnesota and in Japan, a swap meet in Mexico, a used clothing exporter in Canada, a sorting warehouse in Nigeria, and a Goodwill store in Arizona (in 2016, Goodwill International "generated $4.16 billion in retail sales, making it the king of an American thrift trade that generated at least $17.5 billion in revenue"). Chronicling the work of the employees at these various businesses, Minter shows readers their expertise, what special knowledge they need to have to operate successfully, what problems they face, and how the secondhand business is changing. China, for instance, used to be an importer of used clothing, but it is now an exporter. The author's respect for the people working in the business is clear, but the character-driven approach tends to lengthen the report and blur its clarity. Still, readers will come away with an understanding that the supply of secondhand goods is vast, the amount of stuff in the world is still growing, and that the secondhand business is supplying billions of people around the world with goods they want and need. The author also offers some recommendations, especially about the quality of goods, noting how the manufacture of more durable and repairable goods would have a positive effect on the secondhand business, something he notes that is beginning to happen already. The handful of black-and-white photographs, unfortunately, are generally small, murky, and unhelpful. A character-driven, detailed, eye-opening report far richer in description than analysis.

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October 15, 2019
On the surface, an entire book detailing the world's obsession with stuff (including a pointed analysis of reduce, reuse, recycle ) seems dry. In Minter's capable hands (Junkyard Planet, 2013), the topic comes alive. People have needs and wants, and the global economy depends on consumerism. Once purchased, things eventually break, tastes eventually change, and people eventually die. So what can we do with all that stuff? Minter takes the reader on an international journey of reuse. In Tucson and Nogales, Mexico, Minter reviews Goodwill Industries and the thriving secondhand resale culture. In Minneapolis and Tokyo, he provides examples of companies that resell items removed from a deceased person's home. In Toronto and Cotonou, Benin, there's a thoughtful analysis of the used clothing trade. With dozens more stops on this world tour, Minter designs a workable path forward to combat the glut of stuff, including a plea for solid construction that can be used for years and legislation that promotes repair rather than disposal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)