Tips for Shopping Secondhand: Part 3
We’re pulling back the curtain on our secondhand buying practices in this week’s blog series: Tips for Shopping Secondhand. On Monday, we shared our most important tip: shop frequently. On Wednesday, we talked about utilizing Google Image to determine an item’s worth.
We’re back today with another tip that involves the hunt.
The third and final tip is to be prepared to go beyond a cursory glance of a shelf.
When I talk to people about how much I love frequenting thrift stores and yard sales, I always follow it up by likening the entire experience to a modern-day treasure hunt.
Those who go into the stores and scan the shelves without giving them a deeper exploration are bound to miss out on the good stuff.
Pack a bottle of hand sanitizer in your bag and prepared to get dirty.
I can’t stress this enough, if you’re not willing to pick up, flip over, rifle through, and bend down to get a closer look, you just won’t find much.
In fact, just in typing that, I’m tempted to contact the Olympic committee and ask thrift shopping to be added as a winter sport (not summer because I can’t sweat anymore than I already do).
The reality is that thrift store turnover is high. All day long, items are brought out from the back and tossed on top of other items. Those layers can get pretty deep before even the lunch hour hits. You’ll have to dig deep, at times, to make those great finds.
Once you’ve found something, you’ll want to really examine a piece. Uncovering maker’s marks, logos, or other markings will help you determine an item’s worth, age, and ultimately, its condition.
If you’re someone who is a little afraid of actually getting your hands (and your car, washing machine, etc.) dirty, there are plenty of products on the market that will help eliminate any remaining germs from your items. Don’t let that keep you from treasure hunting!
We’ve had a blast sharing our strategy with you this week. Do you have any other thrifting questions? Drop them below, and we’ll get them answered for you!
