The possibility of chancing upon the perfect designer outfit or piece of furniture at a bargain price exists each time you walk into a thrift store.
“They can be treasure troves, because you just never know what you’re going to see or get,” said Jennifer Barger, with Washington Consumers’ Checkbook. “It can be everything from the worst shirt from a fast fashion retailer to something like a designer lamp from the 1960s.”
She speaks from experience.
“I got a lamp that I’d seen on 1stDibs, the auction website, I’ve seen it there for $1,500,” Barger said. “I got it for $7 at a thrift store in Arlington, Virginia, and they were like ‘Please, take that, it’s so ugly.'”
Unlike walking into a store to buy something specific, thrifting isn’t something that can be done in a hurry.
“Particularly with housewares or furniture, that is not probably a quick thing — that’s why a lot of people buy from Facebook Marketplace,” where individual items are offered for sale, Barger said.
Barger’s advice for thrifters: “Go often,” and keep an open mind — and eyes.
In a recent interview with Virginia Chamlee, who shares her secondhand buying tips with readers in her book, “Big Thrift Energy,” she said older consumers have long thought of thrift stores as a place to buy someone else’s stuff.
“Millennials and xennials love thrifting, I think people have become a lot more environmentally conscious,” Barger said. “For as many people that are buying fashion there are people that are backing away from that, and a big way to get away from fast fashion is just to buy everything secondhand, and at thrift stores.”
Pro tip on haggling at thrift stores: Don’t
While haggling is part of the flea market experience, it’s not a great idea at a thrift store, said Barger.
“Particularly if it’s a church thrift store, or hospice — if it’s a thrift store benefiting a charity, don’t bargain, just buy it,” Barger said. “It’s not really a place for bargaining — you’re (already) getting bargains, so why sort of try to haggle them down even more?”
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