In China, there is a taboo around buying second-hand clothes. Many people believe that wearing second-hand clothes brings bad luck. If the owner is dead, the ghost will be linked to his or her clothes.

In Europe of course, there are no such hang-ups, and it is a trend of sorts to buy second-hand clothes. But when a friend of mine suggested we check out a weekend flea market in Amsterdam, it couldn't help but recall a bad childhood memory associated with second-hand clothes.

Not far away from my childhood house in Guangdong Province, there was a public rubbish dump. From time to time, I saw piles of clothes left there. One day, I asked my mother why people got rid of their clothes.

"The owner is dead. Nobody wants dead people's clothes," she answered. Since then, my impression of second-hand clothes had been inextricably linked with the dead, disease and bad luck.

After listening to my childhood story, my friend encouraged me to give it a try: "You might be surprised what you can find over there. It is fun and unpredictable."

So I went, on one condition: I will only buy items for which the original owner is still alive.

In China, getting rid of second-hand clothes is not easy. People generally think that if you're selling them off, they must be cheap and low-quality. I once tried selling about a hundred pre-loved items online; I only managed to sell five in three months. Eventually, I just decided to donate the rest.

Nevertheless, living in Europe, I realized that buying second-hand clothing might be my only solution. With the cost of living being much higher than in China, the only place I had been able to afford to shop from so far was H&M.

Going to the thrift stores in Amsterdam turned out to be a lot of fun. I made friends with all the owners I brought clothes from. Of course, this was in part so I could ask them whether the original owners of the clothes I wanted to buy were still alive and kicking. But at the end of the day, I really enjoyed having great conversations with people who have the same fashion taste.

After four hours of shopping, I brought a designer sweater, a jacket, a silk shirt, a hand bag - all for only 15 euros ($17.34)! Now I totally regret the 150 euros I spent at "normal" stores last month.

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.