Thrifting 101 – Five Worthy Thrift Store Destinations

Finding Great Thrift Stores Near Me

Use the fitting room if you dare

Whether shopping for yourself or re-investing for resale like myself, it helps to know in advance how the local thrift store operates and what times of the week are best for the better selections and great prices. If you ever asked yourself, 'Where are the really good thrift stores near me,' the answer is right in front of your face. Not only are there plenty of unique thrift store opportunities in your community, but online thrift store culture is taking root and bringing a greater selection with comparable prices right into your living room. Each year, millions in desirable merchandise moves through their doors for pennies on the dollar.


Thrift Stores Near Me
 
Most of my bread and butter thrift store finds come from larger chains such as Goodwill and Savers. Both business models are roughly the same, where donations are dropped at the back door and the merchandise is sorted and place on the shelf for a cheap sell. The Savers' in my neck of the woods seems to have a larger selection of just about everything including items I cannot sell such as large furniture pieces and heavy electronics. Goodwill on the other hand often has the smaller items I can list online and sell at a decent profit.

If you want it, you can find it

Price wise, I find Savers is often about 50% more expensive to shop. A good judge of this is standard thrift store items, such as picture frames. While Goodwill will list a frame at .99, Savers will tag it at $1.99. This price difference works exponentially through most thrift store item categories. As for shopping experience, Goodwill brings out the bargains, but Savers definitely brings customer service to the forefront with clean, well lit aisles and easy to view merchandise.


Unique Thrift Stores
 
Not only are there larger national chains of thrift stores but several small independently owned unique thrift stores as well. These often rely on consignments from other customers or on storage unit auctions to fill the shelves. The prices are a bit higher in these cases, as the smaller places tend to make profit not on volume but on markup.

Never rush through- take your time

Thrift stores that have been around for a few years are often a good bet for the first time buyer, as their business model is one of satisfying both the customer and the consignment client. Seek stores that have a mix of items for sale rather than specializing in one type of merchandise. A store that has been around a while will know what their customers want and work to get it for them. One of the benefits of a more local shop is you can have the owner 'look out' for particular items you happen to resell. The only drawback is now they know you want it and may adjust a price accordingly.

Online Thrift Store Choices
 
Once again, Goodwill is a solid start for online thrift store buys. Stores across the country choose unique thrift store items to list, though it is often in a high bid situation. Don't forget eBay as a great online thrift store source and as always, Craigslist is there to pick up the pieces. Both of these online thrift store options are just like the large chain stores - Thanks to the internet, both are thrift stores near me.