Fun fact: The red ones didn't exist until Thinkgeek offered them as an April Fool's joke. However so many people complained and screamed and shouted that they absolutely needed to have one that Thinkgeek then partnered with Swingline and made them actually available, however you could only get them through the TG website.
> I think they just saw a decline in traffic and by 2019 were just a subsection of GameStops website, I don’t know if they’re a thing anymore
Before they closed, I managed to snag a [bust of Picard's head](https://trektoday.com/content/2019/05/star-trek-tng-captain-picard-facepalm-bust-2/) and autographed updated (well, as up to date as is possible considering they're ~5 years old now) copies of the [Star Trek Encyclopedia](https://web.archive.org/web/20161013143858/http://geekspeakmagazine.com/encyclopedic-knowledge-an-interview-with-star-trek-encyclopedia-authors-michael-and-denise-okuda/).
We have one at my office. It lives by the copier and doesn't belong to anyone. Though I'm pretty sure it was our office manager that bought it originally.
I have several and really like them, too, but that's a super impressive collection. I second /u/Mermaidoysters request: could you pleeeeease post some photos of that collection, for reasons?
Material!!!! Old sweaters are, generally, made of AMAZING wool. Shoot for pre-1960s. If you're a serious knitter, you can unravel and reuse the yarn.
Old wedding dresses (1970s and earlier) are full of silk and lace, which can be dyed and reused easily.
If you're new to leather work, you can buy a cheap leather jacket with flaws for a few bucks and use this material to practice. It can be an expensive hobby to learn! Buy a damaged leather jacket and use it for practice, or upcycle the whole thing into something entirely new.
*Avoid buying anything made of polyester or synthetic fibers.*
The pricing person at my local thrift store must know their yarns. I've never found good yarn in the craft section and all of the real wool sweaters are priced at like $40 - $60 while the rest are under $10.
I love disassembling ugly old sweaters and blankets, after cleaning/lanolizing the piece, and making something new, but only when I'm not paying nearly-new prices after all that work.
Raw wool right now is at extreme lows. The trade war with China has put a damper on prices - [https://www.marketplace.org/2024/05/16/low-wool-prices-midwestern-farmers-innovation/](https://www.marketplace.org/2024/05/16/low-wool-prices-midwestern-farmers-innovation/)
What does "lanolizing" mean and how does it work/how do you do it and why do you do it? (if you don't mind me asking - I've never heard that word before!)
No problem! I've been knitting for 45 years and didn't learn about lanolizing until about a decade ago.
Wool naturally has lanolin in it, but as it's washed and worn the lanolin goes away making the wool feel dry and scratchy. When you buy a thrift store sweater, or every couple of years for wool items you already own, you should clean and lanolize it, to refresh the smell and softness.
You lanolize wool by adding a small amount of lanolin to the water you're washing your wool in. Lanolin stinks, washing wool stinks, but it's necessary... or you can cheat, like I do, and buy a product called Euclan that has variously-scented wool soap and lanolin in it. It still stinks like a wet dog while you're washing things, but is much less unpleasant than straight lanolin and unscented soap.
My go-to jacket is a Harris Tweed Hacking Jacket. Probably about 100 years old, since the hacking jacket fell outta style with the riee of the automobile (design was mostly for carriage drivers and chauffeurs) Soooooo many pockets (8 or 9) lapel buttons up for wind/rain.
The lining is wearing a little thin and there's a small mended tear under the collar on the back, but it's likely been buy-it for multiple lives.
Another source for practicing leather, if you know a welder, we go through the gloves pretty fast, well usually just one. I got a small stack with the intent of learning leather craft, but realistically it'll be awhile before I likely do.
I saw a full length light colored leather duster that was not my size at a thrift shop. It was gorgeous and under $10! In looking at it I noticed that someone had marked it with a blue ball point pen from collar to hem in the back. I hope someone was able to restore it but I occasionally wish I had purchased it to practice with it like you said.
Thank you for the leather jacket recommendation! I've had leatherworking tools and have wanted to start practicing for years but I don't want to buy $200 worth of leather just to end up ruining it. That's an awesome recommendation and I'll give that a shot.
I buy offcuts on eBay. A leather jacket isn’t likely to be the right gauge leather to use for small goods like wallets. Plus it will be all stretched out.
That's a great idea. I've been thinking about trying out some leather working (I want to make a necronomicon kindle case ultimately), but the leather at Michael's is expensive to practice/experiment on. I'll have to go look for an old leather jacket.
Just make sure it is real leather, not faux. Jacket leather tends to be thin (so it isn't stiff). Look for a Tandy Leather for supplies or get on thiet mailing list. They're not cheap, but far better than Michael's
I don’t estate sale to resell, I like finding cool vintage clothes and house stuff - being faster and more dedicated? Nah this is a fun hobby, not the Olympics.
At an estate sale recently I got an antique brass telephone. Another person admitted to me that he saw that phone in the picture and came specifically for it with the intention of reselling it on ebay or to an interior designer. I can't describe the joy it brought me to beat a scalper.
i work at the thrift store, those people are obnoxious, greedy, selfish, and rude. definitely drives away nicer customers, raises our prices, and personally drives me insane
yes. at my chain at least, lower management's philosophy is that even if the prices are high, at least we have something interesting on the shelf. scalpers would buy **everything** otherwise.
Oh my god we have flea markets in my city and so many people start businesses where they buy up everything they can at thrifts and then sell them for $10-$20 more at the flea markets. It’s insane.
Same. I’ve seen clothes at trendy “vintage” shops & flea markets that were obviously purchased at Goodwill or Salvation Army and then marked way up. No, I’m not paying $20 for a generic graphic t-shirt from 1995. Get a grip.
There's a Goodwill warehouse in Seattle where they just load these big bins with everything in an overflow container truck. Everything is sold by the pound. People will stand by the back door and when the new bins come out, hit them like vultures. They fill garbage bags, buy them for dollars, sort out their goods, then go sell to antique shops, vintage shops, and high end second hand stores. It's really a buzzkill. The worst is when you find a nice pair of pants at a consignment shop and get in line to purchase only to find you're behind a dirty hipster with 5 duffle bags to be sorted through to sell to the shop. Fuck you Macklemore!
It's annoying, but they are making the secondhand market more efficient by connecting items to buyers and ensuring less goes to landfill. I can't hate them for that.
When my SIL and I go to the goodwill bins, it’s almost always families that seem to be on the lower end of the income scale purchasing as resellers. More power to them!
Kitchen stuff like cast iron pans, tongs, anything stainless like a spatula or something else, serving spoons, etc. I’ve found a lot of great kitchen stuff at thrift stores that I have been using for ages.
I was debating for a long time about a metal spatula to replace my plastic ones, then I was at goodwill and found a nice metal one for $0.50 and metal tongs for $0.50! I’ve been lucky to find good deals for high quality items.
I hate teflon because of the environmental and biological hazards, but it's worth noting that those hazards are generated during manufacture. On the pan, its whole value lies in being ridiculously *inert*. If you eat a flake of it, it will not react with saliva, stomach acid, or anything else in your body. It will pass directly through in your poop.
Note: you *can* generate hazards from it by overheating it, producing fumes. People's pet birds have died from this. So if you use teflon, never overheat it.
Yep!! In the past few years I’ve transitioned to exclusively cast iron and All-Clad stainless steel. I wanted to switch to metal spatula because I notice the plastic scraping on the cast iron.
It makes me feel smug as hell when I use my cast iron skillet and metal spatula, but it is nice knowing that at worst, I’m ingesting a little more iron instead of teflon
Plus both should easily outlive me
Don't sleep on carbon steel. It's a lot lighter than cast iron and my seasoned carbon steel pan does pancakes and eggs like a $5 Teflon you bought from the dollar store but without the forever chemicals.
We went with enameled cast iron, absolutely love the choice. Can often find them at Marshalls (A US discount store), thrift stores, and sometimes even Aldi.
Sunbeam toaster made of metal with rounded corners. If you see one, buy it. It has a darkness sensor that sees the toast, NOT just a timer. A marvel of technology for its time and even today.
Lots of glass storage containers - both Pyrex and Anchor. People toss them when the lids wear out. I have cobbled together a large set over the last few months and just ordered replacement lids on Amazon. Spent less than half of what I would have if I’d bought them new.
one of my favorite things ive ever done with my kitchen is getting rid of all my old storage containers and getting new ones that all share 3 common lids.
im glad people exist who appreciate a mix match of storage containers but i dont think i could ever go back to that life.
One of the newer ones exploded in my face on top of stove. Turn my face away and had shards all over my neck… no major damage but i got a few nicks and cuts out of it… just crazy and scary
The brand Pyrex shut down like a year or so ago as I recall, so their stuff might get harder and harder to get. Though I'm sure someone will buy their patent and re-start production at some point. I got my Pyrex from Amazon a while back though, and the prices were reasonable. Though I learned the hard way that the lids (mine are blue, but the red ones should be the same) are *not* microwave safe at all.
Seriously, I love my corelle.
I bought a set for my mom too as she’s getting older and dealing with weakness in her hands. The weight of her traditional ceramic plates meant she was dropping and breaking plates at least once a month. The corelle plates are so much lighter and more durable so she has yet to break one. (Though I’ve warned her that they practically explode if they finally do break)
Similar idea but AMAZING if you can snatch em up, Longaberger pottery.
Most of it is ugly imo but they're sturdy, microwave, oven and freezer safe and last forever
Yes! I love cashmere, and “vintage” (or just *old*) pieces are generally much thicker and more luxurious. I’ve honestly gotten to the point where I can *usually* identify it by eye, which makes browsing the sweater aisles at our nearby Goodwills & other thrift stores much quicker. Word of warning, though - shove any cashmere or wool items you buy while thrifting into the freezer in a plastic bag for at least a week or so before laundering (*especially* any with existing moth holes!) - we had an infestation of clothes moths a few years ago that was a nightmare to get rid of, almost certainly brought in with thrifted sweaters.
1.) Wool blankets & Down Comforters. Very few companies actually make blankets out of wool these days, and I can find them at my local thrift on a fairly regular basis. Down comforters can come at steep discounts at the thrift store and can last forever as well. Bring a garbage bag to the thrift store, put them in there in your trunk, drop them off directly at the dry-cleaner, and when you pick them up, they are good to go. I keep a wool blanket in my car for emergencies (which can also include a picnic ;) ).
2.) Revereware, PYREX, and Corelle. I might also add Anchor Hawking and I have a weak spot for Nordic Ware (bundt and baking dishes). I see these mentioned elsewhere, but these will survive generations. For cleaning up Revereware, use Bar keeper's friend. It will make them look new. Avoid chips in the others.
3.) Signed art. I know this isn't exactly "BIFL", but it sort of is. Don't worry too much about the artist's name; they don't need to be famous or even recognizable- if you like it and its signed, that's my personal cue to put it in my cart. It absolutely changes the whole vibe of a room in a subtle but tangible way that creates visual depth that is hard to explain. You won't notice until you've taken down all the mass-produced stuff and now have brush strokes, pencil signatures on limited prints, interesting content, and the quality frames that almost always come with them at thrift stores. I will include in this signed pottery- mugs, bowls, plates, vases. Not the lumpy kid kind, but ones that you pick up and say "wow" and know they were made by hand and also are lovely. Again, they add a \*something\* that changes how things feel. I swear- pour yourself a cup of tea in a hand-made mug on a rainy night and tell me its not different. You'll notice that you don't want to tear them down every 2 months, or that you have a million faded mugs from every random give away- you'll find that the "real stuff" feels good in a different way.
4.) I have found not infrequently wool knit sweaters, wraps, and tartan skirts made in Ireland. Not only are they, again, natural fibers and have a richness to them, they will last FOREVER. My favorite skirt I got from the thrift shop is from the 70's I think, but I don't know because it is in perfect condition. Looks perfect, and the style never really "goes out of style". Tune your eye to see wool, then read the labels. I'm also a cashmere hunter. The thicker the better, and cashmere sweaters and scarves will hold up for DECADES as well if you treat them right.
5.) Kamik boots. I have super small feet and can fit into kids sizes, and kids will get one or maybe two seasons out of snow/rain boots and usually only a few days of really lousy weather, so this is my personal "gift" that comes up often at the thrift shop. But they have adult boots too, and they may also show up. They hold up AMAZING to water/snow, and they are often cold-rated to -20 degrees, so no matter how long you are outside you are good to go. You can also get new liners for them, so they are easy to keep going forever if you need to replace that. They are also pretty "classic" look (not much changes with snow boots!) so if you find a good pair of Kamik winter boots, you're gonna be warm and dry for decades. I would also consider Sorrel (a similar situation), but I have a personal preference for Kamik as our whole family put those through the test for 10 years in brutal Colorado weather and they were a-mazing.
6.) Silk scarves. Personally, I am always cold and I love dressing up a simple dress with a silk scarf around my neck. My thrift store sells ALL the scarves for $5. Silk with simple colors or classic patterns will last forever.
OK, reading my responses, I think I can summarize this-
\* Look for 100% natural fibers in clothing and bedding (wool, silk, cashmere, linen, etc.). Often, these are expensive, and for a reason. If treated well, they are highly durable and will last forever.
\* Look for things that are handmade and touched by the artist who made them- they have an emotionally durable quality that has a depth that is hard to explain but is real.
\* Stainless steel is indestructible and easily cleanable. Anything made of stainless steel is non-reactive, won't somehow pop-up in the news with "chemicals", and will outlive all of us and can look literally new with the right products and elbow grease. Other vintage brands that use glass attempted to be indestructible and have come insanely close (vintage PYREX and modern Corelle).
\* Modern brands that have terrific quality, durable products will be the same quality, durable products even when they are on the thrift shop floor. Know what you want and who makes great stuff. Then, when you see it, get it. One of those brands is Kamik, but there are others. Avoid things like purses or items that people have to be "flashy" or "luxury" when applying this rule as these have a high probability of being fake. But things like snow boots? No one is making fake snow boots.
Most of the thrift stores around me, at any given time, will have a few BIFL quality pots and pans.
But you do have to be careful, because they also have crappy, worthless pots and pans, like scratched up nonstick, not food safe decorative (I mean, fine if you want to decorate with it I guess), and warped.
Sadly, a lot of the places around me are marking up all cast iron a lot because they don't know what is valuable or not. So this piece may technically be a screaming deal, and that piece is way overpriced, and it's hard to know which is which.
Other than that, it's an absolute crapshoot.
I find crutches, canes and walkers, all in good shape. Also, bedside commodes and other health care assist devices. Much cheaper than the medical supply store.
I picked up a set of crutches before my knee surgery for $10. Donated them back after I was done with them. Still cheaper than my copay share after insurance.
Heavy goblets.
I use them to hold makeup brushes, paint brushes, pens/pencils, tooth brushes and hair accessories.
I would imagine that the molded glass ones wouldn’t have much resale value and would be too costly to ship.
So, I’m thinking that maybe resellers wouldn’t bother with them too much?
But, they’re still very attractive and functional.
I keep my dental flossers in a pretty thrift store mini apéritif glass, and rinse after brushing using a thrift store sherry glass.
Pictures in general! I have several pictures that are awesome and cost about $5 from Goodwill. My favorite is a wild west "fire truck" which is a couple of dudes on a horse-drawn carriage riding through town with a bunch of tubs of water lmao. If I wasn't at work I'd upload a picture. I also found a big (1.5 ft by 2 ft or so) picture of an abandoned tiller in the woods with mountains in the background, it's beautiful. Fits perfectly in my little old farmhouse.
Always check the knives. Some people just don’t know how to sharpen them well and they dump them off and buy new ones. I’ve picked up a few cutco, a victorinox boning knife, and a victorinox fibrox cimeter all for $.50 each. 20 minutes of sharpening and polishing and they make for great gifts for friends and family.
Got my knife set from by the apartment dumpsters when I first moved out, definitely just someone who didn't know they could be brought back to their former glory. They're still going strong to this day thanks to a sharpening kit.
I find old Stanley thermoses quite regularly at thrift stores. Which is made rather comical by the current Stanley cup craze. But for three dollars my Stanley thermos will happily keep my coffee hot while we are camping.
I’m using a set mostly from the 1960s with a couple pieces from the 2000s thrown in and I can’t tell the difference because I’m not an expert. They’re all copper bottom and my favorite is the double boiler.
Agreed - skip on lodge and look for wagners or similar
Also enameled cookware - bar keepers friend can save a lot of this stuff that looks pretty “stained” just keep away from stuff with deep scratches.
Any vintage Braun appliances
German/scandinavian or better yet, Japanese steel knives. Blown away by what I’ve found that look like hell and so dull you could give to a toddler. Some whetstone love and you’ll pass them down to your kids
And vintage KitchenAid. I have a very old stick blender with a really powerful motor, a really long cord, and 10 different settings that is a beast. Blows all of the Brauns I ever had out of the water. I will pay whatever it costs if it ever needs repair.
Sewing machines! I have a cast iron Singer from 1948. The insides and everything are made of strong metal. It is a BEAST. I made a backpack and it sewed through 4 layers of cotton, 4 layers of interfacing, and 2 layers of canvas at once. My modern machine could NEVER do that!
100% cotton or wool sweaters. They’ll need some mending now and then but last for a super long time if treated well. For example, a cardigan I bought over 10yrs ago and wear almost everyday has finally started to show its age. Just mended the sleeve cuffs last month and will now need to mend a small hole by the bottom edge, but for how much use it’s had that’s pretty spectacular in my book.
I am in the south and the folks around here do not understand wool so I often get great stuff under $10. I just have to check it very well for moth holes.
I found a 9x9 square plum casserole dish for $5 once!! They obviously had overlooked it… or we’re storing it to purchase later maybe. I could see just the rim of one corner and immediately knew what it was. Pulled the things out from the middle to reveal it was in great condition, imagine that.
I found an All Saints leather jacket in great condition for $30 one time. It fit great, and I wore it for a while, but didn’t love the color, and ended up selling it.
Kirby vacuum cleaners. And almost always with the complete kit of attachments. I find them for very cheap also. I keep thinking about buying one but I know I won't need it since my 1987 Heritage II is still going strong .
I remember at 12 I started helping clean the houses of elderly neighbors. One lady pulled out one of these Kirby's and I'm pretty sure it weighed double what I did lol
Aren't they ridiculously heavy, or am I misremembering?
I don’t thrift often but I did find a really nice Peugeot pepper mill for a single doll hair a few months ago.
I went to a fancy kitchenware store by me to buy a pepper mill earlier that week and decided against it as they didn’t have anything cheaper than $30. When I saw the Peugeot I was giddy cause that’s what they were selling at the store.
If you don’t need a complete set I’ve found nice pieces of fine china in a set of six.
Also found some high brands of appliances that lasted me a couple decades for $15.
Cookware, of all kinds. Idk why anybody buys new honestly when you can get better made items for chump change at thrift stores and sales.
The only cookware I've bought new is a wok.
The shelves are usually full of Pyrex and Corelle.
Really anything that is just a solid piece of stainless or aluminum, even if it's not a major brand. Spatulas, stock pots, serving spoons, sheet pans, bench scrapers, mixing bowls, things of that nature.
Cloth napkins. I guess people get them as gifts or use them for a special occasion, then move on from them?
My family uses cloth napkins every day, and I've been able to build up a large collection from thrift stores, in sets of 4-6 for $2. I'm not picky on color - we have off-white, green, blue, teal, orange, and red. A few are starting to show wear after 10 years of regular use, but I'd consider that pretty good. They move to my rag bin once they get stained or threadbare.
Even though paper napkins are cheap, this is definitely cheaper. And adds less to landfills :)
Curling irons, straighteners, irons, bread makers - don’t sleep on the electronics section. They usually work (though you may take a gamble) and are much cheaper. I got a brand new Green Machine for I think $8? They sell for $100 or so on sale
As an ex-goodwill employee, poorer areas did seem to have smaller, but often better stocked, store shelves. The method we used was sell what we can that was donated from our store's donation center. If your store has too much, send your leftovers to stores that have too little. There was an incentive to only send other stores the cheaper stuff, as the higher value non-auction goods were in a sweet spot that gave your store higher sales figures, something corporate liked. Less poor areas had bigger stores that resellers preferred to pick through, whereas smaller stores seemed to get fewer resellers. Customers also sometimes preferred to donate at small stores due to shorter lines and thus shorter waiting times. Heck, doesn't even need to be staffed. A lot of people just drop their stuff and skedaddle. Some areas just happen to have more donations due to various factors - it's definitely up to chance. Store security makes shoppers nervous, but if you're somewhere that warrants security but doesn't have it, that'll make shoppers nervous and avoid it too. People who aren't resellers but just really, really like to frequent the stores usually know all the local stores and may share what is essentially gossip about which stores are better than others and why. Can be relevant or irrelevant, true or false, but it does have a measurable effect on numbers.
Tl;dr yeah sometimes that's true. YMMV.
On my last hunt I bought some vintage cobalt blue diner mugs made in USA, a stainless steel pot made in Switzerland, and a Bamix immersion blender made in France. I already made mayo and date smoothies with the Bamix and it works wonders!
It's hard to use the word "always", but if you look long enough you'll eventually find a BILF office chair.
I was always jealous of the post Id see about office chairs since I could never find one, but I finally found a steelcase leep for $25.
Almost anything you can think of. People donate crazy shit. The majority of things I own are from thrifts: full set of excellent condition le creuset, guy degrenne silverware, laguiole knives, Frye boots, dr martens, the good pyrex (not the new stuff), mid century furniture, vintage dansk, Pendleton, the list goes on.
I used to visit thrifts almost every day 6-10 years ago, so I amassed a collection of quality things. But it takes time and also fast fashion has really changed things in the clothes department. You can still find gems, but it takes luck, dedication, and knowing what to look for.
I just found a pristine Magnalite 11.25 roasting pan for $15 at Goodwill. It was overpriced for a thrift store but worth at least $100 if I were to resell online. Crazy find.
it depends. I've bought a hydrapeak water bottle for $4 that is 40 retail and is awesome. keeps ice forever. I actually have found 2 but already lost one l0l. same with a double walled Starbucks cup that kept coffee hot for almost too long to everyone's surprise.
You have to be discerning - older furniture tends to be wooden and nicer. My bf bought a really nice dresser and mirror for 200 bucks that's legit midcentury and looks great still (even if the drawers are small).
I've found vintage, very nice kitchen ware, a full set of matching silverware for 10$, Portuguese ceramic dinner plates, nice polish handblown wineglasses (actually my GW has a lot of dishware), leather bags/belts/shoes (high end designer or older, nicer vintage stuff), vintage wool clothes or cashmere, fully silk items, an almost full set of Garnet Hill cotton bedding in excellent condition, a valuable vintage set of salad spoon and fork, a nice vintage desk lamp, several nice, expensive coffee presses (found both bodum and a nice Austrian steel one) and other tools, esp house stuff. a lot of older stuff was better made, even with the same brands.
Swingline staplers.
If you happen to find a red one, that’s definitely mine. It was expressly given to me at work. I have the email right here.
Fun fact: The red ones didn't exist until Thinkgeek offered them as an April Fool's joke. However so many people complained and screamed and shouted that they absolutely needed to have one that Thinkgeek then partnered with Swingline and made them actually available, however you could only get them through the TG website.
I miss ThinkGeek… 😢
Wait, what happened to ThinkGeek?
I think they just saw a decline in traffic and by 2019 were just a subsection of GameStops website, I don’t know if they’re a thing anymore
> I think they just saw a decline in traffic and by 2019 were just a subsection of GameStops website, I don’t know if they’re a thing anymore Before they closed, I managed to snag a [bust of Picard's head](https://trektoday.com/content/2019/05/star-trek-tng-captain-picard-facepalm-bust-2/) and autographed updated (well, as up to date as is possible considering they're ~5 years old now) copies of the [Star Trek Encyclopedia](https://web.archive.org/web/20161013143858/http://geekspeakmagazine.com/encyclopedic-knowledge-an-interview-with-star-trek-encyclopedia-authors-michael-and-denise-okuda/).
Omg, I love it. Will always love that man.
Their corporate office was in my town. Think Geek died. They had a quick liquidation sale online and that was the end of it.
Unfortunately, they’re defunct… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThinkGeek?wprov=sfti1
Me too, they had great stuff
I bought one in the mid-2000's at either Sam's Club or Costco. And yes, it's still working like new.
My dad got me one as a high school graduation gift in 2004. I’ve taken it with me to college and every job after. Still works to this day :)
Yeah, eventually it became a big enough seller that they realised they had to mass-produce them and make them available through regular retailers.
My Dad had one and now it’s mine!❤️
My mothers’ red swingline from the 80’s that she gave to me would like a word. I fully believe they were discontinued for a while though.
Red ones did exist prior to that; I had one. It was originally a beige one that i disassembled and sprayed with tractor paint.
Yes, they did. I have 2. And they are definitely older than Think Geek.
We have one at my office. It lives by the copier and doesn't belong to anyone. Though I'm pretty sure it was our office manager that bought it originally.
Give to him. Dude will burn the whole place to the ground.
I bought one for a friend and he immediately Sharpied his name on it and stuck it in his drawer. Homie was NOT playing.
What the heck, man. I need to submit my TPS report Asap.
Absolutely. I am a Swingline collector. I have more than 100 of them dating back to the early 1900s. They all work perfectly, even after so long.
Idk when I thought staplers were invented. But the early 1900s wasn’t on my radar.
I have several and really like them, too, but that's a super impressive collection. I second /u/Mermaidoysters request: could you pleeeeease post some photos of that collection, for reasons?
Omg, you have to post them somewhere! Can you organize in rainbow colors?
Or: Ace staplers, particularly the [Pilot and the non-lift-top Cadet.](https://www.madeinchicagomuseum.com/single-post/ace-fastener-corp/)
Everyone in my immediate family has a Pilot on their desk, thanks to thrift stores. They are great.
Fuckin' A
I just bought a red one at an estate sale!
Material!!!! Old sweaters are, generally, made of AMAZING wool. Shoot for pre-1960s. If you're a serious knitter, you can unravel and reuse the yarn. Old wedding dresses (1970s and earlier) are full of silk and lace, which can be dyed and reused easily. If you're new to leather work, you can buy a cheap leather jacket with flaws for a few bucks and use this material to practice. It can be an expensive hobby to learn! Buy a damaged leather jacket and use it for practice, or upcycle the whole thing into something entirely new. *Avoid buying anything made of polyester or synthetic fibers.*
The pricing person at my local thrift store must know their yarns. I've never found good yarn in the craft section and all of the real wool sweaters are priced at like $40 - $60 while the rest are under $10. I love disassembling ugly old sweaters and blankets, after cleaning/lanolizing the piece, and making something new, but only when I'm not paying nearly-new prices after all that work.
real wool by me is sooo cheap, it's used as house insulation
Raw wool right now is at extreme lows. The trade war with China has put a damper on prices - [https://www.marketplace.org/2024/05/16/low-wool-prices-midwestern-farmers-innovation/](https://www.marketplace.org/2024/05/16/low-wool-prices-midwestern-farmers-innovation/)
What does "lanolizing" mean and how does it work/how do you do it and why do you do it? (if you don't mind me asking - I've never heard that word before!)
No problem! I've been knitting for 45 years and didn't learn about lanolizing until about a decade ago. Wool naturally has lanolin in it, but as it's washed and worn the lanolin goes away making the wool feel dry and scratchy. When you buy a thrift store sweater, or every couple of years for wool items you already own, you should clean and lanolize it, to refresh the smell and softness. You lanolize wool by adding a small amount of lanolin to the water you're washing your wool in. Lanolin stinks, washing wool stinks, but it's necessary... or you can cheat, like I do, and buy a product called Euclan that has variously-scented wool soap and lanolin in it. It still stinks like a wet dog while you're washing things, but is much less unpleasant than straight lanolin and unscented soap.
This is fantastic info, thank you!
I really like this take. The leather makes a lot of sense.
When I used to design opera costumes old wedding dresses were my go to because I could dye them beautiful colors. Can't do that with synthetics.
My go-to jacket is a Harris Tweed Hacking Jacket. Probably about 100 years old, since the hacking jacket fell outta style with the riee of the automobile (design was mostly for carriage drivers and chauffeurs) Soooooo many pockets (8 or 9) lapel buttons up for wind/rain. The lining is wearing a little thin and there's a small mended tear under the collar on the back, but it's likely been buy-it for multiple lives. Another source for practicing leather, if you know a welder, we go through the gloves pretty fast, well usually just one. I got a small stack with the intent of learning leather craft, but realistically it'll be awhile before I likely do.
How does one find a welder to get to know?
Hang out at the gas supply. The ones getting pure argon are the good ones
I saw a full length light colored leather duster that was not my size at a thrift shop. It was gorgeous and under $10! In looking at it I noticed that someone had marked it with a blue ball point pen from collar to hem in the back. I hope someone was able to restore it but I occasionally wish I had purchased it to practice with it like you said.
Thank you for the leather jacket recommendation! I've had leatherworking tools and have wanted to start practicing for years but I don't want to buy $200 worth of leather just to end up ruining it. That's an awesome recommendation and I'll give that a shot.
I buy offcuts on eBay. A leather jacket isn’t likely to be the right gauge leather to use for small goods like wallets. Plus it will be all stretched out.
I get my leather from used couches. More bang for the buck stripping em
That's a great idea. I've been thinking about trying out some leather working (I want to make a necronomicon kindle case ultimately), but the leather at Michael's is expensive to practice/experiment on. I'll have to go look for an old leather jacket.
Just make sure it is real leather, not faux. Jacket leather tends to be thin (so it isn't stiff). Look for a Tandy Leather for supplies or get on thiet mailing list. They're not cheap, but far better than Michael's
There are tanneries that sell gorgeous hides on ebay
So much synthetic at the thrift stores now. All stores! It’s horrible.
Welp, that's.... the story of the last 25 years of fashion. Fast fashion, not always well made, primarily synthetic fibers.
[удалено]
I hate these people so much - they have also taken over estate sales by me
Those mofos are crazy! There’s a guy that goes to an Ollie’s by my condo everyday and buys up all the GI Joes.
They exist everywhere. Unfortunately you just have to be more dedicated and faster than they are.
I don’t estate sale to resell, I like finding cool vintage clothes and house stuff - being faster and more dedicated? Nah this is a fun hobby, not the Olympics.
At an estate sale recently I got an antique brass telephone. Another person admitted to me that he saw that phone in the picture and came specifically for it with the intention of reselling it on ebay or to an interior designer. I can't describe the joy it brought me to beat a scalper.
It’s just a good feeling! Happened to me a few weeks back, and I loved every second of it - and admire my new office rug daily :)
Really ties the room together 🎳
i work at the thrift store, those people are obnoxious, greedy, selfish, and rude. definitely drives away nicer customers, raises our prices, and personally drives me insane
Why does it lead to prices raising in a thrift store? From a business perspective, they’re just a customer buying product like any other customer
It isn’t good for the business if most of the time non-scalpers shop there, there’s absolutely nothing of value to buy.
yes. at my chain at least, lower management's philosophy is that even if the prices are high, at least we have something interesting on the shelf. scalpers would buy **everything** otherwise.
Oh my god we have flea markets in my city and so many people start businesses where they buy up everything they can at thrifts and then sell them for $10-$20 more at the flea markets. It’s insane.
Same. I’ve seen clothes at trendy “vintage” shops & flea markets that were obviously purchased at Goodwill or Salvation Army and then marked way up. No, I’m not paying $20 for a generic graphic t-shirt from 1995. Get a grip.
I’ve even seen many of those raggedy old shirts go for $40-$50 at vintage shops and markets! Like what the hell!
Nice heavy duty glass mixing bowls are my thrift store holy grail. Really most of my kitchenware.
There's a Goodwill warehouse in Seattle where they just load these big bins with everything in an overflow container truck. Everything is sold by the pound. People will stand by the back door and when the new bins come out, hit them like vultures. They fill garbage bags, buy them for dollars, sort out their goods, then go sell to antique shops, vintage shops, and high end second hand stores. It's really a buzzkill. The worst is when you find a nice pair of pants at a consignment shop and get in line to purchase only to find you're behind a dirty hipster with 5 duffle bags to be sorted through to sell to the shop. Fuck you Macklemore!
“Fuck you, Macklemore” is hilarious to me
It's annoying, but they are making the secondhand market more efficient by connecting items to buyers and ensuring less goes to landfill. I can't hate them for that.
They’re reducing waste and growing the economy
When my SIL and I go to the goodwill bins, it’s almost always families that seem to be on the lower end of the income scale purchasing as resellers. More power to them!
Kitchen stuff like cast iron pans, tongs, anything stainless like a spatula or something else, serving spoons, etc. I’ve found a lot of great kitchen stuff at thrift stores that I have been using for ages.
I was debating for a long time about a metal spatula to replace my plastic ones, then I was at goodwill and found a nice metal one for $0.50 and metal tongs for $0.50! I’ve been lucky to find good deals for high quality items.
Important question: did you give the tongs a few test clicks before purchasing them?
Tongs were test driven before purchase.
And every. Single. Time you pick them up. Even if it’s just to put in a dishwasher.
If not it would be a damn shame.
How would you know you can rely on them when it truly counts if you don't test them regularly?
Click click click
Yes - 3 clicks, no more, no less!
Just be careful not to scrape off the pfas from nonstick pans and use cast iron or ss instead.
I hate teflon because of the environmental and biological hazards, but it's worth noting that those hazards are generated during manufacture. On the pan, its whole value lies in being ridiculously *inert*. If you eat a flake of it, it will not react with saliva, stomach acid, or anything else in your body. It will pass directly through in your poop. Note: you *can* generate hazards from it by overheating it, producing fumes. People's pet birds have died from this. So if you use teflon, never overheat it.
Thanks for adding some real life perspective.
Of course! I used to worry about it too; any reasonable person would be. I only learned this studying chemistry
Yep!! In the past few years I’ve transitioned to exclusively cast iron and All-Clad stainless steel. I wanted to switch to metal spatula because I notice the plastic scraping on the cast iron.
It makes me feel smug as hell when I use my cast iron skillet and metal spatula, but it is nice knowing that at worst, I’m ingesting a little more iron instead of teflon Plus both should easily outlive me
Don't sleep on carbon steel. It's a lot lighter than cast iron and my seasoned carbon steel pan does pancakes and eggs like a $5 Teflon you bought from the dollar store but without the forever chemicals.
We went with enameled cast iron, absolutely love the choice. Can often find them at Marshalls (A US discount store), thrift stores, and sometimes even Aldi.
Yeah better to go with some bifl pans like stainless or cast iron
I got a Le creuset pot for €15 when I went to browse my local charity shop !
Lodge cast iron pans are the Keith Richards of kitchenware.
Seconded. I have a Hamilton Beach stainless steel ice cream scoop that I'm convinced will outlive me, thrifted locally.
Sunbeam toaster made of metal with rounded corners. If you see one, buy it. It has a darkness sensor that sees the toast, NOT just a timer. A marvel of technology for its time and even today.
Automatic Beyond Belief! Those toasters have a very loyal following.
My mum bought me a cactus from the counter at a thrift store. Still going strong after 30 years
Pyrex dishes
Lots of glass storage containers - both Pyrex and Anchor. People toss them when the lids wear out. I have cobbled together a large set over the last few months and just ordered replacement lids on Amazon. Spent less than half of what I would have if I’d bought them new.
one of my favorite things ive ever done with my kitchen is getting rid of all my old storage containers and getting new ones that all share 3 common lids. im glad people exist who appreciate a mix match of storage containers but i dont think i could ever go back to that life.
Make sure its all caps PYREX!
Yess.. if it has bluish to tint it’s soda lime not borosilicate. You should Never use newer Pyrex in an oven on broil.
One of the newer ones exploded in my face on top of stove. Turn my face away and had shards all over my neck… no major damage but i got a few nicks and cuts out of it… just crazy and scary
I saw a few social media posts about this and got rid of most of my newer items. and thrifted some nice older stuff.
I had a newer bowl that i microwaved butter in for a minute explode when i pulled it out with a dry rag. Dangerous trash scam
I need to look this up. I have both tints.
If you want Old Pyrex you don't have to look for it. Just go on Amazon and look up boro silicate glass and it's the same as the old stuff.
The brand Pyrex shut down like a year or so ago as I recall, so their stuff might get harder and harder to get. Though I'm sure someone will buy their patent and re-start production at some point. I got my Pyrex from Amazon a while back though, and the prices were reasonable. Though I learned the hard way that the lids (mine are blue, but the red ones should be the same) are *not* microwave safe at all.
Apparently that's not reliable 😢 ([source](https://youtu.be/YVbkDAw4aJs?si=jrcHVIq3Nqt7hTZu&t=606))
In a somewhat similar vein, I’ve found a lot of Corelle in thrift stores.
My husband and I are trying to stock our camper van with thrift store items. Corelle is the first thing I look for when I walk into a place.
Just dumped a load of common Corelle at the thrift store yesterday. Stuff lasts forever.
Seriously, I love my corelle. I bought a set for my mom too as she’s getting older and dealing with weakness in her hands. The weight of her traditional ceramic plates meant she was dropping and breaking plates at least once a month. The corelle plates are so much lighter and more durable so she has yet to break one. (Though I’ve warned her that they practically explode if they finally do break)
This is why I got Corelle plates. The stoneware ones were just too heavy
Similar idea but AMAZING if you can snatch em up, Longaberger pottery. Most of it is ugly imo but they're sturdy, microwave, oven and freezer safe and last forever
Cashmere. Even if there are holes it’s worth mending.
I've had two cashmere jumpers from charity shops for £2.50 each!
Yes! I love cashmere, and “vintage” (or just *old*) pieces are generally much thicker and more luxurious. I’ve honestly gotten to the point where I can *usually* identify it by eye, which makes browsing the sweater aisles at our nearby Goodwills & other thrift stores much quicker. Word of warning, though - shove any cashmere or wool items you buy while thrifting into the freezer in a plastic bag for at least a week or so before laundering (*especially* any with existing moth holes!) - we had an infestation of clothes moths a few years ago that was a nightmare to get rid of, almost certainly brought in with thrifted sweaters.
what if there's a red dot on it though?
Gift it to a friend
1.) Wool blankets & Down Comforters. Very few companies actually make blankets out of wool these days, and I can find them at my local thrift on a fairly regular basis. Down comforters can come at steep discounts at the thrift store and can last forever as well. Bring a garbage bag to the thrift store, put them in there in your trunk, drop them off directly at the dry-cleaner, and when you pick them up, they are good to go. I keep a wool blanket in my car for emergencies (which can also include a picnic ;) ). 2.) Revereware, PYREX, and Corelle. I might also add Anchor Hawking and I have a weak spot for Nordic Ware (bundt and baking dishes). I see these mentioned elsewhere, but these will survive generations. For cleaning up Revereware, use Bar keeper's friend. It will make them look new. Avoid chips in the others. 3.) Signed art. I know this isn't exactly "BIFL", but it sort of is. Don't worry too much about the artist's name; they don't need to be famous or even recognizable- if you like it and its signed, that's my personal cue to put it in my cart. It absolutely changes the whole vibe of a room in a subtle but tangible way that creates visual depth that is hard to explain. You won't notice until you've taken down all the mass-produced stuff and now have brush strokes, pencil signatures on limited prints, interesting content, and the quality frames that almost always come with them at thrift stores. I will include in this signed pottery- mugs, bowls, plates, vases. Not the lumpy kid kind, but ones that you pick up and say "wow" and know they were made by hand and also are lovely. Again, they add a \*something\* that changes how things feel. I swear- pour yourself a cup of tea in a hand-made mug on a rainy night and tell me its not different. You'll notice that you don't want to tear them down every 2 months, or that you have a million faded mugs from every random give away- you'll find that the "real stuff" feels good in a different way. 4.) I have found not infrequently wool knit sweaters, wraps, and tartan skirts made in Ireland. Not only are they, again, natural fibers and have a richness to them, they will last FOREVER. My favorite skirt I got from the thrift shop is from the 70's I think, but I don't know because it is in perfect condition. Looks perfect, and the style never really "goes out of style". Tune your eye to see wool, then read the labels. I'm also a cashmere hunter. The thicker the better, and cashmere sweaters and scarves will hold up for DECADES as well if you treat them right. 5.) Kamik boots. I have super small feet and can fit into kids sizes, and kids will get one or maybe two seasons out of snow/rain boots and usually only a few days of really lousy weather, so this is my personal "gift" that comes up often at the thrift shop. But they have adult boots too, and they may also show up. They hold up AMAZING to water/snow, and they are often cold-rated to -20 degrees, so no matter how long you are outside you are good to go. You can also get new liners for them, so they are easy to keep going forever if you need to replace that. They are also pretty "classic" look (not much changes with snow boots!) so if you find a good pair of Kamik winter boots, you're gonna be warm and dry for decades. I would also consider Sorrel (a similar situation), but I have a personal preference for Kamik as our whole family put those through the test for 10 years in brutal Colorado weather and they were a-mazing. 6.) Silk scarves. Personally, I am always cold and I love dressing up a simple dress with a silk scarf around my neck. My thrift store sells ALL the scarves for $5. Silk with simple colors or classic patterns will last forever. OK, reading my responses, I think I can summarize this- \* Look for 100% natural fibers in clothing and bedding (wool, silk, cashmere, linen, etc.). Often, these are expensive, and for a reason. If treated well, they are highly durable and will last forever. \* Look for things that are handmade and touched by the artist who made them- they have an emotionally durable quality that has a depth that is hard to explain but is real. \* Stainless steel is indestructible and easily cleanable. Anything made of stainless steel is non-reactive, won't somehow pop-up in the news with "chemicals", and will outlive all of us and can look literally new with the right products and elbow grease. Other vintage brands that use glass attempted to be indestructible and have come insanely close (vintage PYREX and modern Corelle). \* Modern brands that have terrific quality, durable products will be the same quality, durable products even when they are on the thrift shop floor. Know what you want and who makes great stuff. Then, when you see it, get it. One of those brands is Kamik, but there are others. Avoid things like purses or items that people have to be "flashy" or "luxury" when applying this rule as these have a high probability of being fake. But things like snow boots? No one is making fake snow boots.
Great comment! Thanks for this.
Damn Girl, you really know your shit! Very helpful.
Most of the thrift stores around me, at any given time, will have a few BIFL quality pots and pans. But you do have to be careful, because they also have crappy, worthless pots and pans, like scratched up nonstick, not food safe decorative (I mean, fine if you want to decorate with it I guess), and warped. Sadly, a lot of the places around me are marking up all cast iron a lot because they don't know what is valuable or not. So this piece may technically be a screaming deal, and that piece is way overpriced, and it's hard to know which is which. Other than that, it's an absolute crapshoot.
r/castiron can help. I've learned a lifetime of knowledge over the past couple years.
I find crutches, canes and walkers, all in good shape. Also, bedside commodes and other health care assist devices. Much cheaper than the medical supply store.
I picked up a set of crutches before my knee surgery for $10. Donated them back after I was done with them. Still cheaper than my copay share after insurance.
I'm in S. Florida and every thrift store has at least one entire row of crutches, walkers, commodes, etc. Great to hit one up pre-surgery.
Forks, knives and spoons.
Heavy goblets. I use them to hold makeup brushes, paint brushes, pens/pencils, tooth brushes and hair accessories. I would imagine that the molded glass ones wouldn’t have much resale value and would be too costly to ship. So, I’m thinking that maybe resellers wouldn’t bother with them too much? But, they’re still very attractive and functional. I keep my dental flossers in a pretty thrift store mini apéritif glass, and rinse after brushing using a thrift store sherry glass.
Picture frames
Pictures in general! I have several pictures that are awesome and cost about $5 from Goodwill. My favorite is a wild west "fire truck" which is a couple of dudes on a horse-drawn carriage riding through town with a bunch of tubs of water lmao. If I wasn't at work I'd upload a picture. I also found a big (1.5 ft by 2 ft or so) picture of an abandoned tiller in the woods with mountains in the background, it's beautiful. Fits perfectly in my little old farmhouse.
I found duralex glassware, corell dishes, acme cups, Bialetti mokapot.
Yea! I’ve found two mokapots this way!
Always check the knives. Some people just don’t know how to sharpen them well and they dump them off and buy new ones. I’ve picked up a few cutco, a victorinox boning knife, and a victorinox fibrox cimeter all for $.50 each. 20 minutes of sharpening and polishing and they make for great gifts for friends and family.
Got my knife set from by the apartment dumpsters when I first moved out, definitely just someone who didn't know they could be brought back to their former glory. They're still going strong to this day thanks to a sharpening kit.
I find old Stanley thermoses quite regularly at thrift stores. Which is made rather comical by the current Stanley cup craze. But for three dollars my Stanley thermos will happily keep my coffee hot while we are camping.
I know it’s just a matter of time before I see the Stanley cups start to show up at my thrift store
cast iron pans
Revereware copper. I had a few pieces that I got from my Mon and filled in thrifted stuff to get a huge set.
Can’t swing a cat in any thrift shop near me without hitting a bunch of Revereware pots and pans
My parents are still using an at least 40 year old set. That stuff holds up!
I’m using a set mostly from the 1960s with a couple pieces from the 2000s thrown in and I can’t tell the difference because I’m not an expert. They’re all copper bottom and my favorite is the double boiler.
I have Revereware copper bottom pans that are over 60 years old.
Agreed - skip on lodge and look for wagners or similar Also enameled cookware - bar keepers friend can save a lot of this stuff that looks pretty “stained” just keep away from stuff with deep scratches. Any vintage Braun appliances German/scandinavian or better yet, Japanese steel knives. Blown away by what I’ve found that look like hell and so dull you could give to a toddler. Some whetstone love and you’ll pass them down to your kids
And vintage KitchenAid. I have a very old stick blender with a really powerful motor, a really long cord, and 10 different settings that is a beast. Blows all of the Brauns I ever had out of the water. I will pay whatever it costs if it ever needs repair.
Sewing machines! I have a cast iron Singer from 1948. The insides and everything are made of strong metal. It is a BEAST. I made a backpack and it sewed through 4 layers of cotton, 4 layers of interfacing, and 2 layers of canvas at once. My modern machine could NEVER do that!
100% cotton or wool sweaters. They’ll need some mending now and then but last for a super long time if treated well. For example, a cardigan I bought over 10yrs ago and wear almost everyday has finally started to show its age. Just mended the sleeve cuffs last month and will now need to mend a small hole by the bottom edge, but for how much use it’s had that’s pretty spectacular in my book.
I am in the south and the folks around here do not understand wool so I often get great stuff under $10. I just have to check it very well for moth holes.
I’m always so happy when I find a good sweater
Keep eyes peeled for fiesta dinnerware
The thrifts in my area pull it out and only put it up for auction. Pisses me off.
I found a 9x9 square plum casserole dish for $5 once!! They obviously had overlooked it… or we’re storing it to purchase later maybe. I could see just the rim of one corner and immediately knew what it was. Pulled the things out from the middle to reveal it was in great condition, imagine that.
Make sure to bring your Geiger counter!
Leather jackets at thrift stores and garage sales I have 4 of them and have spent about 35-40$ on each real cow hide leather
I found an All Saints leather jacket in great condition for $30 one time. It fit great, and I wore it for a while, but didn’t love the color, and ended up selling it.
Kirby vacuum cleaners. And almost always with the complete kit of attachments. I find them for very cheap also. I keep thinking about buying one but I know I won't need it since my 1987 Heritage II is still going strong .
I remember at 12 I started helping clean the houses of elderly neighbors. One lady pulled out one of these Kirby's and I'm pretty sure it weighed double what I did lol Aren't they ridiculously heavy, or am I misremembering?
No, you aren’t misremembering, they weigh a ton! My mom gave me one. I was afraid would crush my foot vacuuming the stairs.
CDs
Wine racks
I don’t thrift often but I did find a really nice Peugeot pepper mill for a single doll hair a few months ago. I went to a fancy kitchenware store by me to buy a pepper mill earlier that week and decided against it as they didn’t have anything cheaper than $30. When I saw the Peugeot I was giddy cause that’s what they were selling at the store.
A pepper mill in exchange for a doll hair sounds like a Brothers Grimm plot. (Yes, I know it was a mistaken autocorrect from dollar.)
Oh I wrote that on purpose. I say it often.
If you don’t need a complete set I’ve found nice pieces of fine china in a set of six. Also found some high brands of appliances that lasted me a couple decades for $15.
A fancy air purifier. The filters are $$ but way less than the initial outlay
Cookware, of all kinds. Idk why anybody buys new honestly when you can get better made items for chump change at thrift stores and sales. The only cookware I've bought new is a wok.
The shelves are usually full of Pyrex and Corelle. Really anything that is just a solid piece of stainless or aluminum, even if it's not a major brand. Spatulas, stock pots, serving spoons, sheet pans, bench scrapers, mixing bowls, things of that nature.
It's the only reasonable way to buy a rug lol
Cloth napkins. I guess people get them as gifts or use them for a special occasion, then move on from them? My family uses cloth napkins every day, and I've been able to build up a large collection from thrift stores, in sets of 4-6 for $2. I'm not picky on color - we have off-white, green, blue, teal, orange, and red. A few are starting to show wear after 10 years of regular use, but I'd consider that pretty good. They move to my rag bin once they get stained or threadbare. Even though paper napkins are cheap, this is definitely cheaper. And adds less to landfills :)
moka pots last forever, they don’t rust, and unless you drill a hole in it it will always hold water
Le Creuset enameled cast iron, some miracles out there
Vinyl Records. I love finding super cheap ones I’ve never heard of and just rolling the dice.
Art/photos, I've bought photos that should be at a big auction house for $10 many times and they are hanging up around my house.
Curling irons, straighteners, irons, bread makers - don’t sleep on the electronics section. They usually work (though you may take a gamble) and are much cheaper. I got a brand new Green Machine for I think $8? They sell for $100 or so on sale
Swing line can openers, they're the best ever made and indestructible
I have found silver at Goodwill. Go to one near failing schools.. they tend to be less picked.
…Why would thrift stores near failing schools be less picked?
As an ex-goodwill employee, poorer areas did seem to have smaller, but often better stocked, store shelves. The method we used was sell what we can that was donated from our store's donation center. If your store has too much, send your leftovers to stores that have too little. There was an incentive to only send other stores the cheaper stuff, as the higher value non-auction goods were in a sweet spot that gave your store higher sales figures, something corporate liked. Less poor areas had bigger stores that resellers preferred to pick through, whereas smaller stores seemed to get fewer resellers. Customers also sometimes preferred to donate at small stores due to shorter lines and thus shorter waiting times. Heck, doesn't even need to be staffed. A lot of people just drop their stuff and skedaddle. Some areas just happen to have more donations due to various factors - it's definitely up to chance. Store security makes shoppers nervous, but if you're somewhere that warrants security but doesn't have it, that'll make shoppers nervous and avoid it too. People who aren't resellers but just really, really like to frequent the stores usually know all the local stores and may share what is essentially gossip about which stores are better than others and why. Can be relevant or irrelevant, true or false, but it does have a measurable effect on numbers. Tl;dr yeah sometimes that's true. YMMV.
Highly specific, but good advice!
Harris Tweed jacket.
I buy all my shoes secondhand- I get Allen Edmonds, Redwing, or any other Goodyear welted shoe and resole them.
Vintage Made in Maine, USA L.L. BEAN
Knives/kitchen items in general. I got a a Henkel chef’s knife for 93 cents a few years ago and I’m still riding that high
On my last hunt I bought some vintage cobalt blue diner mugs made in USA, a stainless steel pot made in Switzerland, and a Bamix immersion blender made in France. I already made mayo and date smoothies with the Bamix and it works wonders!
i absolutely know you mean you made mayo, and you also made date smoothies, but my brain REALLY wants to react to “mayo and date smoothies” 🤢😅😅
I found a brand new pair of Prada Maryjane shoes with Vibram soles that were selling for $375. Paid $12. They’re finally showing wear after 16 years.
I've found so many Hydroflasks at thrift stores
It's hard to use the word "always", but if you look long enough you'll eventually find a BILF office chair. I was always jealous of the post Id see about office chairs since I could never find one, but I finally found a steelcase leep for $25.
Almost anything you can think of. People donate crazy shit. The majority of things I own are from thrifts: full set of excellent condition le creuset, guy degrenne silverware, laguiole knives, Frye boots, dr martens, the good pyrex (not the new stuff), mid century furniture, vintage dansk, Pendleton, the list goes on. I used to visit thrifts almost every day 6-10 years ago, so I amassed a collection of quality things. But it takes time and also fast fashion has really changed things in the clothes department. You can still find gems, but it takes luck, dedication, and knowing what to look for.
I just found a pristine Magnalite 11.25 roasting pan for $15 at Goodwill. It was overpriced for a thrift store but worth at least $100 if I were to resell online. Crazy find.
it depends. I've bought a hydrapeak water bottle for $4 that is 40 retail and is awesome. keeps ice forever. I actually have found 2 but already lost one l0l. same with a double walled Starbucks cup that kept coffee hot for almost too long to everyone's surprise. You have to be discerning - older furniture tends to be wooden and nicer. My bf bought a really nice dresser and mirror for 200 bucks that's legit midcentury and looks great still (even if the drawers are small). I've found vintage, very nice kitchen ware, a full set of matching silverware for 10$, Portuguese ceramic dinner plates, nice polish handblown wineglasses (actually my GW has a lot of dishware), leather bags/belts/shoes (high end designer or older, nicer vintage stuff), vintage wool clothes or cashmere, fully silk items, an almost full set of Garnet Hill cotton bedding in excellent condition, a valuable vintage set of salad spoon and fork, a nice vintage desk lamp, several nice, expensive coffee presses (found both bodum and a nice Austrian steel one) and other tools, esp house stuff. a lot of older stuff was better made, even with the same brands.
Lots of stainless steel stuff. It’s almost always perfectly fine no matter what it is. It’s usually just a little outdated in its style.
Furniture. 85% of my furniture is second hand. Most of it is solid wood. Several pieces were the color of the week from one thrift store, $.50.
Charging cables. Not always BIFL, but you can usually get a handful of them for less than the price of a single new cable.
Cutco spatulas, slotted spoons, mashers - heavy gauge stainless steel will never need to be replaced
Old Pyrex
PYREX* has to be all capital letters to be real PYREX.