Thrift shop bargains

[An Officer]

I decided to drop off a few clothes at a local charity shop recently, and took a browse around while I was at it. This then opened up a whole knew pastime, where in the last few days, I've popped into several shops and picked up some excellent bargains:

J.Lindeberg black jeans, brand new, tags still attached.
Energie tan leather ankle boots, next to new.
Vintage white, navy, and red Fred Perry sweater, never worn.
Handmade embroidered, one-off pink boutique t-shirt, tags still attached.

And that's just what I've managed to spot with some concentrated digging in three days. I also saw a leather Burberry side bag today, but the strap was a little worn, so I didn't bother with it. There were loads of fantastic deals all over the place - clothes by Ralph Lauren, D&G, Max Mara, a pair of brand new Miu Miu shoes.... none of which were my size, unfortunately.

I am a very happy shopper right now. I think I've just found my new addiction.

What have you picked up lately on the cheap? And how pleased with yourself were you afterwards? I unfortunately am not as expert as my mother yet, who has managed to pick up brand new Prada bags for under a tenner, jewellery with valuable gems for just a few pounds, etc.

 

[kathryn i am]

Most of my clothing comes from thrift shops. I cringe whenever I have to buy something from a shop - it seems ridiculously expensive.

My best buys have been jeans never worn, and a London Fog trench coat in perfect condition. But I always have good luck clothing shopping at thrift shops

 

[Amaris]

You all are lucky. Our thrift shops generally consist of broken things and damaged clothing.
Once in a while, you can find something decent, but usually there's nothing very well maintained.

That, and the prices are a little high. I saw a pair of Lee blue jeans going for $8 a pair.
I can buy them new for $14, so I don't think our thrift stores quite get the gist of it all.

J.

 

[SeerSGB]

It's amazing the buys you can get at a thirft store or Catholic Charity-- Yeah I know, same thing, but around here we tend to call the seperate things ~shrug~. I love diving into the book sections of the stores, all kinds of old sci-fi books long out of print and on the cheap

 

[Amaris]

It's amazing the buys you can get at a thirft store or Catholic Charity-- Yeah I know, same thing, but around here we tend to call the seperate things ~shrug~. I love diving into the book sections of the stores, all kinds of old sci-fi books long out of print and on the cheap

Last time around I donated 250 Star Trek books from my collection (which is still huge) to our local Thrift store. I came by the next week to look for a few things and noticed they weren't there. I asked the clerk (who I see often when I'm there) if they had been put out. She said yes, and that somebody bought them all in one purchase. So somewhere, a Star Trek fan was absolutely giddy with excitement.

J.

 

[An Officer]

...But I always have good luck clothing shopping at thrift shops

Yep, you need a lot of luck, and patience. 95% seems to be junk, but the gems make up for it.

 

[kathryn i am]

...But I always have good luck clothing shopping at thrift shops

Yep, you need a lot of luck, and patience. 95% seems to be junk, but the gems make up for it.

I love the fact that I can find unique clothing as well - I don't enjoy dressing exactly like everyone else - if I can find something nice and different, I'm a happy banana

 

[ITL]

My last thrifty purchase from such a shop was a nice, thick Bill Bryson book for 50p.

 

[An Officer]

So somewhere, a Star Trek fan was absolutely giddy with excitement.

Friday, I took about 7 pairs of jeans to the nearest charity shop, and they were all either Diesel, Gas, or Energie. I have a terrible jeans fixation and needed to get rid of a few. Some jeans lover out there, the same size I used to be, is going to be having a jeans Christmas. Most of them were next to new, or otherwise very well preserved. I could have sold them on ebay or something, and got some money back, but it makes me feel good to think some student is going to nab themselves a bargain, while a charity also benefits at the same time. Triple WIN!

 

[Amaris]

My last thrifty purchase from such a shop was a nice, thick Bill Bryson book for 50p.

Ah, that reminds me (good deal by the way!), we just had a little thrift shop open in the town next to ours, and they're advertising the lowest price thrift bargains around. One lady told me that you could purchase a large hardcover book for 75 cents, which is way, way cheaper than our own local thrift stores which charge $5-$10 for a hardcover book.

So I'm very interested in seeing what they've got, because as you can see:



I have a bookshelf that is in desperate need of some good, hardcover books.

J.

 

[John Clark]

I usually use ours to check out authors I haven't read before. Found some good ones that way

 

[An Officer]

I remember when you could find a book from Oxfam for 50p. Those days are no more.

I did find a signed by the author copy of Moondust: In search of the men who fell to earth at the Southbank book fair though. £2.50 I believe. Very honest. I love it and am so pleased I happened upon a signed copy, only discovered that little fact after I went home.

 

[SeerSGB]

Whenever I need uniform or work pants for a job, I hit the thirft-stores first. Just makes since to buy a pair of good, but used, pants for 5 or 6 bucks over buying a new pair for $20+ only to have them ruined in a month from cleaning fluid, spilled food, or unloading trucks and stocking

 

[Zulu Romeo]

The charity shop down the road has provided our house with some neat bargains. Our sofa, for example; and most recently this week, a glass cabinet for my CDs and DVDs.

 

[John Clark]

I remember when you could find a book from Oxfam for 50p. Those days are no more.

That's usually the case, but when I was in Scotland earlier in the year, one of the Charity shops were doing books 1 for £1 - or if you could find enough 3 for a quid. Didn't make much sense, but when I'm on holiday, I tend to buy even more books than normal.

Locally though, they've gone up a fair bit, but it's in a good cause I guess.

 

[An Officer]

^ If I do buy books from there, I usually read them and then take them right back, taking care to keep them in good condition - could potentially be an endless source of revenue for them, not to mention great for the environment.

 

[Mallory]

My wife goes to a couple of Goodwill stores every two weeks with a friend of hers. She's pretty diligent and often finds stuff for the family. She also keeps an eye open for things she can sell on eBay. This summer she found a really fancy purse for five dollars that retails for seven or eight hundred dollars that still had it's tags on it and sold it on eBay for $300.

We also have a Goodwill disposal center near here where the stuff they can't sell in the stores goes. Everything there is sold by the pound, including clothes and shoes. Good things are more difficult to find, but boy a pound of tshirts for my son can last him all summer.

 

[An Officer]

This summer she found a really fancy purse for five dollars that retails for seven or eight hundred dollars that still had it's tags on it and sold it on eBay for $300.

I'm surprised she didn't keep it!

 

[Mallory]

She's a grad student now and a purse like that is somewhat out of place when university uniform is basically jeans and a clean tshirt. And since our only real income are my disability checks, we can always use a little extra cash.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

Friday, I took about 7 pairs of jeans to the nearest charity shop, and they were all either Diesel, Gas, or Energie. I have a terrible jeans fixation and needed to get rid of a few. Some jeans lover out there, the same size I used to be

That's positive thinking, right there. Realizing that you won't need those jeans that are too big for you.

I haven't been to a thrift store in a long time, my dad was the king of that. He was always coming home with "treasures".

I did pick up two all metal milk crates yesterday at an estate sale for $1. A quick swim through e-bay shows them at about $30 each.