We tend to think of the trade in used clothing and other goods in past economies as secondary to the trade in wholesale or luxury items. Instead, the medieval economy was a multifaceted one, with many points of entry. The concurrent expansion in both trade and fashion in the Middle Ages resulted in a larger inventory for secondhand dealers, and the ways in which credit undergirded exchange allowed for a deep and varied clientele. The purpose of this article is to suggest, through a review of what we know about the trade in secondhand goods, that by considering this vital commerce, we can expand our knowledge of asset preservation, sartorial expression, and commercial exchange in medieval Europe. Rather than an indication of poverty, the trade in used clothing and goods was an expansive and adaptable trade that ref lects the complexity of the medieval European economy. Further, it was a trade to which the majority of people had access. By selling, loaning, renting, coveting, valuing, and refurbishing secondhand clothing and other goods, women and men actively shaped their economy, and the space in which they lived and worked.
Video abstract (click to view)Throughout Europe beginning around the year 1000, trading networks increased, and wholesale commerce intensified. Regions began to specialize in finished products. These developments are well documented and well studied. Most people living in towns and the countryside witnessed a complex f low of goods, yet because of the limited availability of capital and the generally rigidified social structure, they would have experienced this f low secondhand. If we limit ourselves to urban spaces where sources concerning trade are rich, we can see that commerce for the majority of people did not involve the movement of raw materials, bulk foodstuffs, or luxury finished products. Instead, the secondhand market would have been an important market for most townsfolk to tap into.[Correction added on 6 August 2015 after first online publication: a video abstract has been added.]
