Digging through piles upon piles of treasure that someone decided they’re better off without is incredibly addictive. If you’ve ever been thrift hunting, you probably know that. And if you haven’t had a chance to catch the thrifting craze yet, chances are it was not your lucky day.
Whether it’s fashion, interior design, historical artifacts, retro objects, secondhand goods, it seems like there’s something for everyone’s taste. As for any professional thrifter, they’d tell you not where but how to find them.
So today, we are diving into the treasure box of people’s thrift store findings. And it can’t get more random than that. So scroll down below, upvote your favorite miscellaneous thrift objects and be sure to check out our previous posts with the same goodness here, here and here.
Plus, scroll down for our interview with Sean Fowlow, the professional thrift hunter and creator of “Ridiculous Thrifter” who was happy to share some very useful tips and tricks to take your thrift hunting up to a whole new level.
More info:Facebook
To find out more about the art of thrift hunting, we reached out to Sean Fowlow, a professional thrifter from Atlantic Canada and the creator of the “Ridiculous Thrifter” Instagram account. We previously wrote about his entertaining page that features “the wonderful, bizarre and insanely overpriced items” found at secondhand points from Facebook marketplace to secondhand stores and charity shops. You can check out the article right here.
Sean told Bored Panda that making money from thrifting isn’t easy. “It requires a good knowledge of what will sell versus what won’t. There’s no consistency or predictability to thrifting… each time you visit a store it’s completely different.”
I’ve collected suitcases all my life. I have found them at thrift stores and garage sales and sitting on the side of the road. I also have had friends donate them to me when they know I collect. My father was in the Air Force and my brother and I were born in Germany and the two burgundy trunks on the bottom row are the steamer trunks that brought us back from Europe to Canada on the steamship. My mother used to share a story how a nun saved me on the ship trying to crawl over the side! I think some may be interested in what I may keep inside. The labels do tell what’s inside of each. I store lots of things in them. I have a knitting suitcase, with yarn and knitting books, etc., I have photograph suitcases, (when we used to have photographs), I have a collection of plastic animals for when my grandchildren come over as well as many other suitcases with toys in them for my grandchildren, material, beads, a sewing/mending suitcase, a suitcase for screws, a suitcase with a drill in it… I could go on and on and on and on. It’s all pretty organized and getting more organized all the time as I sort through and give away lots of things that I don’t need anymore. One of the trunks is a Christmas trunk and one of the trunks stores my patio cushions from my patio furniture and another trunk stores my mother’s dress form and material and patterns for when I’m going to get to those projects.
Then the next morning when I woke up I saw it sitting on my porch because the woman knew where I lived and there was a note attached to it instructing me to have it for free that she sending it over with love and that she believed it would be in the right home if it was with me… feeling over joyed!
For this reason, Sean argues, having a broad knowledge of every item category will make you more successful. “A beginner thrifter will usually concentrate on just one or two categories of items, say toys and video games… usually only finding a couple items a week. But an experienced thrifter can find items in just about every area of the store to re-sell (clothes, dishes, knick-knacks, books, etc.) A dedicated thrifter will always be researching Ebay, Amazon and Facebook Marketplace in their spare time to see what is valuable and what is selling.”
Just in case you’re curious, the 8 foot Sinclair Dinosaur will fit in a minivan. Second pic is his new home in my front yard.
If you want to be successful, you gotta take your thrifting skills to a whole new level and that means “following the trends, minimizing risks by not wasting money and time, knowing the profit margins,” Sean said and added that thrift stores are catching on and are pricing items high nowadays. “They are researching Ebay too!” the professional thrift hunter warned.
According to the creator of “Ridiculous Thrifter,” besides a broad knowledge of items, consistency is probably a thrifter’s most valuable tool. “Visit the same thrift store often… 4-5 times a week if you have time. Learn their trends: when they put out new items, when their sale days are & what coupons or promos are available.”
I went a lil crazy with it, but I love it! I found LED black light strips on Amazon and taped them on the bottom of each shelf. I found some black velvet fabric and used 5 thumb tacks and draped it down the back, then cut pieces to fit over each shelf. So no damage to the cabinet at all.
Moreover, being kind to the staff and becoming friends with them is also a huge asset, Sean explained. “Knowing the staff working there and always being kind, friendly and courteous to them is a huge asset to the thrifter. You always want them glad to see you, smiling and talking with you. Believe it or not, if a staff member really likes you, they sometimes give you inside tips on what items are out in the back being processed and when they will be for sale on the floor.”
Sean added that he sees many regular thrifters who the staff do not like because they are troublesome, sometimes rude, argumentative and impatient. “So… always be kind and warm, even if you don’t feel like it!”
When preparing yourself for going on a thrift shopping spree, Sean’s advice is “to be prepared to spend a long time at the thrift stores… it is a grind!” And that’s besides having a good overall knowledge of what will make you money. “Set aside the entire day if you can, bringing a backpack with water and snacks. Go early… be there when they first open. Sometimes there’s a lineup outside full of people doing the exact same thing as you. There is a lot of competition nowadays as the popularity of thrifting has increased immensely,” he explained.
We laughed. Three days later it was in our house. Apparently it was a show piece in a store previously. Updates as this really blew up: We paid $175. All lamps are wired to one plug and we turn it on through a smart socket app on our phones. We do not want to sell it. We love it as much as you do.
He went and knocked on the door to make sure they were really throwing it out. It’s an OLD sea captains chest. It was the guys great grandmothers that she had inherited. It’s awesome.
Moreover, “if you are looking for specific items, such as electronics or video games… bring along an assortment of chargers, batteries and cables so you can test the items in the store. Many thrift stores are final sale, so doing everything you possibly can to not waste money & time is so important,” Sean suggested.
Having said that, Sean’s final tip is “to be prepared to not find anything and don’t let that surprise you or upset you! After all… it’s a ‘hunt.’ So make it fun and enjoyable no matter what the outcome!”
Had to have him!! My mom has one and I always wanted my own. Hope y’all can appreciate my garden gater Steve. 🤩 he is placed where the water comes off the porch to look the most terrifying. 😁😁 I live in Alabama so kind of unusual to see a alligator running around unless your in southern Alabama where the swamps are.
I bought a pair of toddler-sized khaki pants and. Toddler-sized red polo at a local thrift store, then did a lot of dismantling/resewing to make them into a Jake from State Farm outfit.
Let me tell you, it has quickly turned into the #1 gathering spot in my garden too! “Ben Nanner” and the chipmunks love it!
I will always LOVE this door not only because of its beauty, but because of it’s “Why”…My boyfriend called me one afternoon and said he “got me something“ and I was going to love it and that he found it down one of the backroads thrown out to the trash near our 110 year old farmhouse we had just bought and were restoring. IT WAS THIS DOOR and I loved it “as-is”. He spent hours removing the old paint to restrain it and hung it in the entry way to my walk-in closet I will always LOVE this door not only because of its beauty, because of its “Why”
Found this beautiful piece at a local estate sale. Probably cost me less than a dollar? Purchase with a stack of things for $10. Has a chain to hang it, but I have a valance that would cover it, which I’m not willing to take down (so much sun!) So it leans against the window above my sink. *scale banana, for scale of course!*
I turned this vintage pink camper into a playhouse for my daughters. The camper was purchased at an auction near Newton, Kansas and the vintage contents have all been collected at thrift stores, garage sales, auctions and Goodwill.
I found this teapot at a secondhand shop a couple of years ago. I thought it was so beautiful that even though I knew deep down I would probably never use it, and even though I don’t typically like having knickknacks sitting around on shelves, I paid $50 for it and brought it home. The other day, on an impulse I decided to add it to a post I created in my neighborhood Facebook group to advertise some things I’m getting rid of in preparation for moving. I listed it for $20, hoping that price would deter anyone from buying it for use in a craft project, because as much as I support repurposing projects, I was really hoping to find someone who loved this teapot for what it was, same as I did. A few days later, someone offered me $10 for it. I said I would think about it. Then she explained that she would be willing to pay the full $20 that was asking if I could wait until her next paycheck, and that she wanted to gift it to someone in her life who collects teapots and had recently remarked that her collection was missing blue. I told her nevermind about the money, that she could just have it. Now instead of collecting dust on my shelf, this beautiful teapot will be used as an expression of love and go to a home where it will be treasured. And that wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been willing to let it go.
My cat tried to climb the corner shelf upon which it was displayed, and I watched in horror as the entire shelf and contents slowly tipped and crashed to the floor, destroying everything on it, including my beloved cat decanter. The only thing that survived was the cat head stopper. I’ve spent the last 6 months slowly replacing the broken items thanks to eBay, but I couldn’t find the exact cat replacement. Most of the ones I found were like the green one, with a bigger head, wider neck, and the ears sticking out to the side and not straight up. I bought several off eBay, thinking they were the same as my broken one, but my heart always sank when I’d open the box. I ended up re-selling most of them, but I kept the green one because I thought it was pretty. Finally, I found a matching amber decanter with a “Buy It Now” price, and so I did. I’m so happy I found an identical decanter at a reasonable price! I’ve seen them advertised as both “Empoli” and “Empoli inspired”, but I don’t know which one is correct.
Owner was a woman whose mother had just passed, it was passed down from grandma. It was listed at $150 obo, I offered $175 because I really wanted it! I’m head over heels in love with it.
At first there were two other ladies in front of it discussing what items they were going to purchase, as there were some other fall decor next to this picture. I creepily stuck around and looked at the other great items near this picture and as they decided to purchase other things, I grabbed this so fast. My fiancé asked if we were really going to get this and I’m sure I gave him a wild expression. Of course we’re purchasing this! Come to find out, the owners of the store know the lady who made this. She’s 90 years old and her memory isn’t there anymore, but she’s made needlepoint art her whole life. Her name is Pat and I’m so happy I have this piece. (Also, I’m obsessed with Halloween and everything spooky, so this is just everything.)
So I stopped at my local Goodwill on the way home from running errands the other day, it had been a while and I just wanted to see if there was anything that I absolutely had to have. The first thing I spot were these boots. They are so pretty and so very “me”, but I though “ugh, they’re probably pricier than is ideal”…nope! $6.99, then I thought “no way these are my size”…nope! Size 7! At this point I couldn’t resist, but had to look around the rest of the store, I couldn’t just get the first thing I saw! After looking around the rest of the store I found nothing else that made my soul as happy as these boots, so I made my way to pay for these bad boys. The cashier commented on how cool they were and ring them up, I put in my Goodwill “rewards” and the cashier told me that I could use my birthday month discount if I wanted to get 25% off, so I used it! It came out to $5.25, THEN they told me I also had a $5 off if I wanted to use *that* so, of course, I say sure! I ended up walking out with these lovely boots for a whopping $0.25!! Best Impromptu Goodwill trip!
Each glass is signed by Faberge and the authentication cards are with it… At first I am thinking. “Nice, but where do I display these…” So I walked away and sat in my car for a min. Grabbed my phone and looked these up online. My jaw dropped when I saw the value! And like what are the chances of this happening to me again…None! So I ran in and bought em. I love them. So colourful and damn fancy! It was my lucky day y’all *Paid $50.00!
For a child wasn’t what I had in mind…. I now await the chicken concert. There are two very short videos in the comments now.
They were found at Goodwill, estate sales and yard sales. This is what happens when you are denied a set of table grapes as a youth… it turns into an obsession. Bejeweled banana for scale
[ad_2]
Source link