How do you find something valuable at a thrift shop ?

Answer 1

You have to be thorough.
Look at labels & markings.
Also when it comes to clothes, touch everything. By touch you can tell if something is high quality or not.
It also helps if you know brands...

Answer 2

sometimes you can come across a gem right away, but the key to thrift store shopping is patience. You need to go with the time and the patience to take the time to go through things. Often times things are displayed in bins that you literally have to go through. My philosophy for selling is if a person cannot see it, they won't buy it- so a good thrift store will do their best to dislay everything as openly as they possibly can - but often times for space reasons you will have a bin that one has to go through- often it won't be sorted through by the customer because people don't have the time or patience to want to do it. Take a day- go without small children and take the time to root through the racks, bins, baskets, etc. It is time consuming and takes patience and sometimes you will still leave empty handed- but most often you will wind up finding a gem.
I generally go for clothes- there are the creative few who can go and see an old funky piece of furniture or some kind of home decor accessory and see the potential in it. For me- it is just junk, but for them it is a gem- often times finding a gem is in how you see things- if you are creative and have the time and ability to make a funky table a beauty or a pice of art then it might be a little easier to find a gem- it really depends on what you are looking for and what you are able to do with it. I can do this with clothing- a dress that 10 people may have passed up, I will buy, take apart and make a costume, an apron, a skirt, add to a pair of jeans , etc.

The main things are you have to be willing to look, you have to have patience and you have to be open to creative possibilities

Answer 3

Hmmm - well first you have to know value and quality when you see it; then you look for it.

Also thrift store shopping requires consistently frequent visits as they get products in every day so what may not be there one day, will be the next.

If you want something in particular, and don't know what brand, characteristics, etc should be present for it to be of worth and value; do some research before you go.

For instance if you were looking for a piece of furniture, learn the difference between veneer and solid wood - learn about drawer structure and which type is better...etc.

Clothing: check labels....for maker and for material type...wool, acetate, etc.

Answer 4

One other way is to befriend the owner or sales clerks and ask them to call you when new items arrive -- that way, you can have the new pickings and you may be able to find something of value before others can find it.

It really depends on the items. If you're talking of clothing, the items of value of course are the branded ones (Chanel, Prada, etc).

But if it's collectibles or other items, then you need to know what is valuable in those items. Sometimes you think you hit a jackpot only to be told by an appraiser that you got a cheap knockoff.

Answer 5

Only last week I was shopping at a charity shop in London and I came across a vintage Chanel bag that I paid £50 for its valued at least £1000 so that was a good day thrift shopping!!

Answer 6

All of the above suggestions are great.

However, one of the biggest keys in finding something of value is KNOWING what is of value.

My additional suggestion would be to daily cruise the listings on ebay.com and craigslist.com to see what types of antiques people are selling. See which items are getting the most "hits" (by watching the counters at the bottom of the page) as well as which items are receiving the most bids.

After all, an antique will only be as valuable to you (in your case) as it would be to someone else in a selling exchange.

The best of luck!

Answer 7

You have to look around really good and look at alot of different thrift shops!

Answer 8

Keep looking. Eventually something will turn up. Try stores that are in areas with an older population, since they'll have heirlooms and such they might donate. Also, if you spread out your search over several stores, you should be luckier.

Answer 9

Keep looking...hours and hours of digging through crap to find a gold nugget.

But...it's so cool when you find one. Also read up on Antiques and collectibles in magazines and catalogs, so that when you find something you'll know it.

Answer 10

Take your time and hunt.