Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale

Synopsis

When you drop a box of unwanted items off at the local thrift store, where do they go? Probably across the countryor even halfway across the worldto people and places eager to reuse what you dont want. In Secondhand, Adam Minter delves into the vast, multibillion-dollar industry that resells used stuff around the world. He follows the trail of unwanted objects from the closets, garages, and storage units of Middle America to epic used-goods markets in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Ghana, India, Malaysia, and beyond. Secondhand takes us through the often painful and heartbreaking process of cleaning out a lifetimes worth of possessions and shows that used stuff still has a place in a world that values the new and shinyit entertains us, makes fortunes, fulfills needs, and transforms the way we live and work.