In ways visible only to my beloved wife, Christine Tan, and me, this book chronicles a conversation that started four years ago. My grandmother would have called her “a find,” and she’d be right. I am grateful for Christine’s advice, patience, and support during the years we lived and grew with this project.
Thank you to my agent, Wendy Sherman, for her enthusiasm and confidence. She makes everything possible.
Thanks to Anton Mueller at Bloomsbury USA. He embraced the concept behind this book and trusted me to follow it to unexpected places and conclusions. Additional thanks to Sara Mercurio for bringing my work to a much wider audience than I ever imagined possible.
Gratitude to David Shipley and Jonathan Landman at Bloomberg Opinion for their support of this project from its earliest stages. Thanks, too, to Nisid Hajari and Timothy Lavin. Many of my ideas about secondhand were developed in columns that they edited, and I am a better writer for having worked with them.
Joel Weber at Bloomberg Businessweek embraced my reporting on Japan’s home cleanout industry, and Jillian Goodman edited it brilliantly.
My interest in the globalized secondhand market was sparked during a 2015 reporting trip to Kenya and Ghana for Scrap. Thank you to Kent Kiser and Rachel Pollack for sending me and the many years of friendship and guidance.
Companies and organizations that allow a reporter to roam their operations take a massive leap of faith. In the course of reporting this book no organization took a bigger leap than Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona. I am particularly grateful to Judith Bucasas for putting it all together. Additional thanks to the many Goodwill employees who shared their time and knowledge: Lisa Allen, Mary Bremerman, Anissa Brown, Tara Carmody, Kevin Cunningham, Brittney Drake, Jason Flores, Chris Foster, Kathie Greco, Laurie Gulick, Liz Gulick, Michelle Janse, Frank Kaphan, Faye McCorry, Abel Medina, Lance Meeks, Mike Mellors, Kylene Parker, Lupita Ramos, Julie Sanchez, Erich Schmidt, Melinda Sparling, and Mackenzie Williams. A special thanks to Cathy Zach for hosting me in her store and making an introduction that enriched this book.
Finally, I’m grateful for the patience and trust of the international secondhand traders at the Goodwill outlets on Irvington Road in Tucson and Grand Avenue in Nogales.
To my friend “Shoe Guy”—thank you for taking me along for the ride and sharing your wisdom.
Sharon Fischman of Empty the Nest inspired more of this book than just the sections in which she and her company are featured. Sharon Kadet was a patient and generous teacher in the art, business, and metaphysics of the cleanout. Additional ETN inspiration and information came from Kristy Dueffert, Ally Enz, Tracy Luke, and Amy Rimington. Finally, thanks to Neal Simonson and Lesley Novich of Coldwell Banker Burnett for the hospitality and wisdom.
I am especially grateful to Denise Dixon and anonymous others in Minnesota and Japan who allowed me to attend that most personal of events, the cleanout of family property.
Diane Bjorkman of Gentle Transitions introduced me to the scale and professionalism of the American move management industry and the sorters so crucial to it. I am grateful for the wisdom and stories shared by the following Gentle Transitions employees: Melissa Doerr, Jill Freeman, Barb Holmquist, and Tammy Wilcox.
In Japan, Toubi Cho translated language and culture for me, and Rina Hamada, the editor of the Reuse Business Journal, shared her extensive knowledge and contacts in Japan’s secondhand industry. Thanks to both. Additional thanks to Pontus Nylén for his help in Kamakura.
Jeongja Han of the Tail Project brought me inside Japanese homes and the important work the Japanese cleanout industry performs. She also introduced me to Tetsuaki Muraoka of Muraoka. Hideto Kone of the Association of Cleanout Professionals offered crucial industry history, insights, and introductions.
One evening my friend Irfan Muhammad told me about Malaysia’s history with secondhand from Japan, and pointed me in the direction of Bookoff. I am very grateful to him. Thanks to the efforts of Takaharu Kominato, Bookoff opened its doors to me. Additional thanks to the following Bookoff employees: Mayumi Hashimoto, Toru Inoue, and Kenichi Tanwa; Hisato Mori and Harumi Yamakoshi of the New York City branch of Bookoff; and Koji Onozawa of Jalan Jalan Japan.
Finally, thanks to to Bookoff founder Takashi Sakamoto, now of Oreno Corporation, for sharing perspectives on his career.
My reporting at Midtown Antiques was coordinated and enriched by Dick Richter. Thanks to him, Julie Kranz, and the following Midtown dealers: Judi Gerber, Linda Hemberger, Joe Heyring, Trevor Kartarik, and Dale Kenney.
The Amcorp Mall weekend flea market in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, has been a source of secondhand market knowledge and stuff. I owe particular thanks to Azalina Zakaria.
BooksActually is a great bookstore and you should visit. Appreciation goes to its owner Kenny Leck, who shared his knowledge of Singapore’s antiques and culture. Additional Singapore thanks to Jamie Teo.
Nick Huzar of OfferUp provided me with insights into the evolving world of P2P e-commerce.
Shigeru Kobayashi of Hamaya revealed the scale of globalized Japanese secondhand. Thanks to him, and to Yuki Ohkuma, for arranging and translating my visit.
Among the most enjoyable visits I made while reporting this book was to daidai. Mio Ojima is the manager and—in my opinion—the artist-in-residence and curator. I am grateful for her time, wisdom, and art.
Mohammad Faisal Moledina of Used Clothing Exports introduced me to Mississauga’s secondhand textile industry. Thanks to him and his father, Abdul Majid Moledina. Additional thanks to Maple Textiles, and Ashif Dhalwani and Salim Karmali of Five Star Rags.
In Cotonou I relied upon the translations, guidance, and negotiations of Michael Ogbonna. I gratefully acknowledge the traders, trading houses, and sorting houses that we visited and which asked that their businesses remain anonymous.
Nobody I met in the course of my reporting was more enthusiastic about secondhand than Todd Wilson of Star Wipers. Thank you for your hospitality and example. Additional thanks to Amity Bounds and her colleagues.
Thanks to Nohar Nath of Kishco Group for his insights into India’s shoddy industry and for inviting me to accompany him to Panipat. I also thank Ramesh and Puneet Goyal of Ramesh Knitting Mills, and Sumit Jindal of Jindal Spinning Mills.
My education in child safety seat regulation was helped along by several individuals who asked to remain unnamed. They know who they are. Additional thanks to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Maria Krafft at the Swedish Transport Administration, and Professor Anders Kullgren at Folksam.
Poshmark hosted me at the 2017 Poshfest and during a visit to their headquarters. Thanks to Sera Michael for arranging everything, and Manish Chandra and John McDonald for their insights into the evolving world of secondhand P2P. I benefited from the wisdom of several poshers, including Kristin Bachman, Estrella Gallegos, Jade Myers, Kate Ray, and Priscilla Romero.
I am grateful to Phil Graves of Patagonia for agreeing to speak with me about the company’s Worn Wear program.
My journey to Alliance Laundry Systems was inspired by my aunt Jane Zeman and her new Speed Queen washer. Thanks to Jane and the following members of the Alliance Laundry Systems family: Tom Friederick, Jay McDonald, Susan Miller, Randy Radtke, and Mike Schoeb.
Wahab Odoi Mohammed introduced me to Ghana and the intrepid West African entrepreneurs who supply their home region with secondhand stuff. I am grateful for his patience, insights, and friendship.
Additional thanks to the representatives of Ghana’s tech sector who contributed to my education in West African repair and reuse, starting with Steve Edison at Bugi Computers in Accra and Kamil Chendiba at Chendiba Enterprises in Tamale. I received additional instruction from Kamaldeen Abdulasalam, Ibrahim Alhassan, Clement Atinyo, Zachariah Karim, Abdul Jaleel Musah, Olu Orga, Awudu Pan, Ishmael Rahman, and Elvis Yawson. In Agbogbloshie, I was hosted by Awal Muhammad, Razak Muhammad, and Yaro Muhammad. Finally, thanks to Suleiman Jawula, who shone light on the accident car export trade in the South Bronx.
For a decade Robin Ingenthron has shared his observations on secondhand with me. He also invited me to accompany him for portions of three business trips to Ghana, and (with his wife, Professor Armelle Crouzières) hosted me in Middlebury while I poked around Good Point Recycling. I am grateful for his friendship, trust, and guidance. In addition, I thank the following Good Point employees: Elias Chinchilla, Dan Emerson, Andy Huntley, Jhimmy Sabillon, and Jim Tighe.
Kyle and Jen Wiens hosted me in their home and at iFixit. Thanks to both of them, Luke Soules, and the following iFixit emmployees: Kay-Kay Clapp, Samantha Lionheart, Brittany McCrigler, and Kelsea Weber.
Scott O’Connell at Dell was one of the first people to hear that I was working on this book, and he quickly extended an invitation to visit the Dell refurbishment facility run by FedEx Supply Chain. Thanks to him and Andrea Falkin, and John Coleman and Sean Templin of FedEx Supply Chain.
Additional thanks to Tom Becker, Colin Hall, and Joseph Suchodolski at Allen Edmonds Shoes; Jennifer Killinger at the American Chemistry Council; Yusuke Mitsumoto of Bank; Hans Eric Melin of Circular Economy Storage; Jeff Coyne and Jack Hawkins at Earthworm Recycling; Takeshi Futagami, Kaori Goda, Kazunari Kuwata, Yasuyuki Mizobe, and Tatsuya Tsukimura at EcoRing; Zubair Ahmed and Saddam Ali of Golden Power; Hiromasa Kobayashi of Happy Price Group; John Atallah, Ellen Jackowski, and Jade McNorton at Hewlett-Packard; Alec Oxenford at LetGo; Adele Meyer at NARTS: The Association of Resale Professionals; Jackie King at the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association; Jimmy Vosika at Shopjimmy.com and MN Home Outlet; and Tom Allison, Arun Karottu, and my dear friend Shelly Li at Smart Metals Recycling.
As I researched and wrote this book, the following academics inspired me with their scholarship on the past, present, and future of the secondhand world: Grace Akese, Jenna Burrell, Chen Liwen, Josh Goldstein, Josh Lepawsky, Dagna Rams, Yvan Schulz, Eiko Maruko Siniawer, Susan Strasser, and Carl Zimring.
With gratitude, I recognize the family members who were so critical to completing this project: John Tan and Michelle Ku, Bruce and Joanne Gruen, Amy Minter and Michael Bachrach, Michael Minter, Rita Sandstrom, and Edward and Jane Zeman.
Finally, my son, Samuel. When he was three and a half, I asked him what this book was about. His response: “Blah, blah. Let’s play cars.” That’s a good idea.