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195 People Who Found The Best Things In Thrift Stores, Flea Markets And Garage Sales
In our opinion "One man's trash is another man's treasure" should be the slogan for every thrift store in the world. Thrift stores are magical places where you can be thrown back a couple of decades back and find something that you've wanted for a very long time. If your hunt succeeds, your goodwill finds will be something you can definitely brag about.
Some people think thrift stores, yard sales, and flea markets are nothing but places to find piles of junk that other people don't want. Others see them as veritable treasure troves full of goodies just waiting to be discovered. And, as you can see from this list of best thrift store finds compiled by Bored Panda, it seems like both of those camps are correct.
While some lucky folks have managed to add signed copies of Hemingway novels and Arnold Palmer's old trunk to their collection of thrift store finds other people have parted with their well-earned cash for...well...just see for yourself. Our picks of best goodwill finds are sure to make you at least a tiny bit jealous, so go out there and find your own pot o' gold!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
My Uncle Just Got This At A Yard Sale For Two Bucks
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#2
My Friend Guided Me To A Charity Shop That Had A Donation Of Brand New Wedding Dresses From A Boutique; This Had £1595 On The Tag. I Got It For £25 And It Fits Like A Glove
Hope Floats 9 years ago
It's absolutely stunning and you were destined to wear this.... Congratulations!!!
#3
Thrift Shop Score
#4
I Found This Random Painting In A Thrift Store That Looks Unsettling Similar To Me
#5
Best Find Yet
Ana-Maria Dan 9 years ago
Omg I want this so bad. You should make a mould and start mass-producing these!
#6
Thank You Thrift Store Gods. Just Found The Missing Piece To My 1978 Creators Hanging Rain Lamp, At The Same Thrift Store, A Month And A Half After I Found The Lamp Itself. Here Is It, Complete With The Swinging Couple And Original Foliage
#7
Prom Night! Our Outfits And Accessories, Minus The Headband And Hat, Are Entirely Thrifted
#8
Found Some New Pictures For My Bathroom. $1 Each
#9
I Collect Old Purses From Thrift Stores. I Used One Yesterday For The First Time. I Pulled This Out Of A Hard To See Zip Pocket In The Side
#10
Not The Best Find I've Ever Had, But Definitely My Favourite. $.99 At Goodwill
#11
Brother Said Said He Wanted "Art Stuff" For His Birthday. Best 20$ Ever Spent At A Thrift Store
#12
10 Years Ago, I Played Bass In A Local Rock Band. Yesterday, I Found My Band's T-Shirt At Goodwill
#13
Easter Island Head Tissue Box For $3 At Goodwill
#14
My Mom Bought Me A Cane Off Some Dude At A Flea Market. Little Did She Know...
#15
My Wife Is Still Calling The Cat Throne She Found At The Thrift Store A 'Chair'
#16
Salvation Army Find. Apollo 11 Cuff Links, The Exact Same Pair Are On Display At The National Air And Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
#17
I'm Done With Thrift Shopping. I'll Never Find Anything Better Than This
#18
Jackpot. 10k Gold, Diamond, And Emerald Ring For $1
#19
$12.99 For A Nikon D3200 And $9.99 For A Cannon Eos Rebel Xs. Both Basically Brand New. Thanks Goodwill!
#20
So I Bought A Wallet For 25 Cents At A Thrift Store Two Days Ago
#21
I Found A Smeagol Cutout At A Flea Market. I Live With Two Other People. Let The Games Begin
#22
My $36 Wedding Dress From Goodwill! Luckiest Find Of My Life
#24
Found Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here Vinyl Still In Plastic Wrap. It Has The Numbers On The Record Of The First Pressing... For $1
#25
Went To Goodwill For A $3 Poster Frame - Came Back With A Wurlitzer Organ For $0.50
#26
Found These Guys At A Thrift Shop And Decided To Recreate What I Assume It's Like To Have Cats Since I Can't Have Cats Of My Own (Damned Family And Their Allergies)
#27
Chairs Like This Are The Reason I Thrift, $35
#28
Thrift Shop Find For A Dollar. The Entire Thing Inside The Bamboo Is Complex And Handmade
#29
Should I Write Him On Twitter And See If He Wants It Back?
#30
1894 Elgin Wrist Watch, 121 Years Old. Purchased At Local Thrift Shop For $10.00
#31
$2.98 For All
#32
One Of My Favourite Finds: My Burger Phone
#33
My Mom Finds The Best Gifts At Thrift Stores
#34
Got This For $14.99. The Name Plate Reads: "Dr. William DeVries." He Was The Lead Surgeon For The First Implantation Of The First Artificial Heart On December 2, 1982
Lance d'Boyle 9 years ago
I was expecting another picture of the box opened and fishing lures and a heart inside. Very disappointed.
#35
My Favourite Goodwill Find. A Harry Potter Table
#36
I Think I Won The Thrift Store
#37
WW2 Champagne. Found At A Garage Sale
cassiushumanmother 9 years ago
I'm french, you have to give it to me for free because it say " (purchase and resale prohibited)". Haha^^
#38
Found This At A Goodwill. I Laughed Out Loud In The Store When I Found It
#39
Usually I Hate It When People Write On Vinyls But This Is Pure Gold
Zsoldos Szabina 9 years ago
actually he is a hungarian music composer, and his name, LISZT means flour :)
#40
Unused Picnic Set With Wine Glasses And A 12 Year Old Bottle Of Wine. $15
#41
Forget Everything You Knew About Ties. Because This Thrift Store Find Just Took It To A Whole New Level. Presenting: The Feather Tie
#43
Apparently There Was A Ship Captain Who Had No More Need Of His Coat
Tim Fischer 9 years ago
Who cares about the captain? Look at my future husband on the left side!
#44
Found This At A Flea Market For $35! Already Framed And With The First Moon Landing Stamp
#45
I Bought This Incredibly Rare 1851 Smith's Illustrated Astronomy Textbook For $0.25! The Last Similar One Sold On Ebay For $227
#46
I Found Found A Keyboard Keyboard
#47
Thrift Stores Always Have The Best Books
#48
Got This Amazing Globe
#49
Heaviest Thing I've Ever Bought From Goodwill. Paid 57.77 For This 1939 Schumann, After A Little Adjusting All The Keys Work
#50
$1. The Best Yard Sale Find Ever
#51
Quite Possibly The Best Thrift Store Find In History
#52
So I Just Found Two Old Elvis Tickets Behind The Drawer Of An Old Jewellery Box From Goodwill. I Don't Know If They Have Any Value But I Thought This Was Really Cool
Kevin Donegan 9 years ago
So quickly did an "inflation calculator" to see what this ticket would cost today. $53.72! WTF? I practically pay that in service fees when buying tickets. College costs have gone up by 156% ... Concert prices have skyrocketed by at least 2534%!
#53
Found At A Flea Market. Vintage Creepy
#54
Pretty Royal Typewriter Scored At Savers For $15
#55
I Have Been Thrifting Cameras For A Few Years Now
Connie Martin 9 years ago
I like the cats interspersed with the cameras. That's a good eye for display.
#56
Undeniably My Favourite Thrift Find Yet! What Makes Them Amazing Is That They're Actually From The 80's
#57
It's Yard Sale Season In My Town
#58
Leveled Up My Crazy Cat Lady Game This Weekend With A Tiny Couch, Toy Piano And Paw-Shaped Rug For $8 At Goodwill
Valentijn 101 9 years ago
Give him a treat every time he plays. Soon you will be welcomed with a concert. (In the middel of the night)
#59
Picked This Up At A Flea Market. Best. Purchase. Ever
logical fallacy 9 years ago
Ancient Greek statues were actually colourful. Paint it and cardiologists will be the newest trend.
#60
I Went To A Garage Sale Today
#61
Couldn't Handle The Almost $1000 Price Tag In The Store, But For $75...
#62
Found This Naughty Giraffe Sweater For 2 Bucks
#63
My Dad With The Ridiculous Thrifted Mug I Got Him
#64
Picked This Bad Boy Up At The Thrift Store For $45. It Drove My 200 Lbs. Fatass All Over The Neighbourhood... For Testing Of Course
#65
Thrifted My Costume For A Party: Pants $3, Hawaiian Shirt $5
#66
A 73-Year-Old Woman Bought A Painting From A Thrift Store For $5 Only To Later Discover That, Thanks To A Fingerprint On The Canvas, It Was Actually An Unsigned Jackson Pollock Worth Millions Of Dollars
#67
A Friend Of Mine Bought A Weezer CD Without Looking Inside
#68
This Framed Art Piece, Made With Six Uncut Dollar Bills, Cost Me 50 Cents At A Yard Sale
Kevin Donegan 9 years ago
I'm guessing you took apart the picture frame and have spent the $6?
#69
One Of My Better Finds. Unopened
#70
Found This At A Local Goodwill. Came With 30 Pins And 4 "Bowling Balls". $15
Pamela Grove 9 years ago
I think everyone in the country must have far better Goodwills than in the city closest to me. They carry NOTHING but junk and the place is awful to even go to.
#71
I Bought A Case With A Bunch Of Slides For $10. I Sold The Case For $40 And Bought This Table For $20 And Made The Shade From The Slides In The Original Box
#72
Bruce Wayne Must Have Really Needed That Tax Break
#73
Found A Tiny Hat At A Garage Sale. It Only Really Fits One Member Of My Household
#74
"They're Not That Noticeable On Your Face" - Night Vision Goggles, $3
#75
I Never Pick Up Tacky Items, But I Made An Exception This Time
Mimis Nachbarin 9 years ago
It's japanese. There's a long tradition of painting anthropomorphic cats. I don't see that as tacky.
#76
Grandpa Bought An Old Trunk At The Flea Market In South Florida, Inside He Found Signed Letters, Pictures And More Of The Late Great Arnold Palmer. He Paid $5.00 For The Old Trunk
Danny Lee 9 years ago
My grandfather actually grew up and was best friends with Arnold Palmer. Both were taught golf by Arnie's dad, Deacon Palmer. He was in my Grandad's wedding, and he said my grandad could have gone pro if it wasn't for health which kept him bedridden the last 3 years of his life. I always think about how my life would have been different if he wasn't sick. I probably would have taken up golf myself, but I never did. Rudolph Melichar will be the legend that could have been.
#77
Best $5 I Ever Spent At The Thrift Store
#78
My Girlfriend Purchased A Platinum, Diamond, And Spinel Ring For 35 Dollars. Here Is The Proof
#79
My Fave Item Of Clothing. Still The Best Thrift Shop Purchase I've Ever Found
#80
While Everyone Is Obsessed With That Unicorn Frappuccino, I Get To Have This Unicorn Mirror. $13
Bridget Wright 9 years ago
Oh my! I have this! I never knew it was a mirror. 003-5977f9...9e4b52.jpg 
#81
Found An Authentic Elephant Painting At A Garage Sale This Weekend
#82
Best $10 I Ever Spent At A Flea Market
#83
We Found The Vase From The Infamous Watch Scene From Pulp Fiction
Tex Houston 9 years ago
They were called valets, they came in all shapes and designs, we have had that kangaroo valet 2x at the Vintage store I work!
#84
One Of My Favourite Finds, A Piece Of History For $2.00
Mimis Nachbarin 9 years ago
... you're aware they sold so many "original pieces" of the Berlin Wall they could easily rebuilt it five times...
#85
AM Transistor Radio From Goodwill
#86
Fell In Love With This Vintage Poster As Soon As I Saw It. $2
#87
A Can That I Found At Flea Market
#88
"Frozen Moments" By Jeff Rose. Paid $2.99 Because I Thought It Looked Cool, Turns Out It Goes For A Couple Hundred On Ebay
Andi Sobek Cohen 9 years ago
OMG my mom and I both had a bunch of these! I wonder if I still have one or two - probably gave them to goodwill! LOL
#89
One Of My Favourite Finds Of All Time
#90
One Of The Best Finds Ever. $3. Garage Sale
#92
I Have Found My Grail
#93
So I Was At The Flea Market
#94
Best $10 I Have Ever Spent
#95
Thank You Flea Market
#96
$13. I'm Done. Game Over
#97
Best Flea Market Find
#98
Just Picked Up At A Thrift Store For 96 Cents
#99
Life-Sized Model Human Brain For $3.99 From Goodwill
#100
A Man Wanted To Malt This Egg For Gold But It Turned Out To Be A Missing Fabergé Egg, Which He Sold For 33 Million Dollars
#101
The Best $ 0.88 I've Ever Spent
#102
All I Need Is A Fireplace To Put This Over
Aahzmandus Pervect 9 years ago
"I sense great vulnerability. A man-child crying out for love. An innocent orphan in the post-modern world." "I see a parasite. A sexually depraved miscreant who is seeking only to gratify his basest and most immediate urges." "His struggle is man's struggle. He lifts my spirit." "He is a loathesome, offensive brute. Yet I can't look away." "He transcends time and space." "He sickens me." "I love it." "Me too."
#103
I Just Bought This Piece Of My Childhood At A Flea Market. It Works!
Zombie Gurl 9 years ago
Spy hunter is an old game similar to Tomb Raider and James Bond. A classic hit in the 70s
#104
My Father Hit The Jackpot At A Garage Sale This Morning. He Bought All Of This For $5
#105
$7.99 For This Creepy Alien Lamp. I'm In Love
#106
Wife's Thrift Store Find Leaves Me Speechless
#107
Found This Sign At A Thrift Shop, Added My House Rules
#108
Found This Mask At A Thrift Store, Best 20 Bucks I've Ever Spent
#109
Saran Wrapped Out Of Order, Still One Of My Favorite Finds
#110
For $2 At A Flea Market, I Am Now The Proud Owner Of The Worst Game Ever Made
#111
Found This At My Thrift Shop. It's A Bike Helmet
#112
Jurassic Park TLW Film Crew Jacket For $9
#113
Found This In A Thrift Store. It's From 1979. And It's Canon
#114
I'm Not A Cat Person, But For $30 Brand New Jeffrey Campbell's I Can Be
Marie-Eve Barette 9 years ago
My aunty has a chair that looks just like that in her livingroom! Not kidding!
#116
By Far The Best Find At The Thrift Store Today
#117
Found This At The Thrift Store Today
#118
This Is The Best Find Of My Thrifting Career, $200 Worth Of Silver For $1.50
#119
Thrift Store Gold
Damien McDallydally 9 years ago
Is that Vader fighting the knight from the Monty Python Holy Grail movie?
#120
$200 Down And I Flew A Thrift Store Hot Air Balloon
#121
Did I Need It? No. Is It Ten Dollars Of Stupid Goofy Fun? Absolutely
#122
It Looks Like It Might Be What's Sometimes Called A "Hospital Kit" From The Byzantine (Russian Orthodox) Tradition
#123
Friend Found This At A Local Flea Market. Tease It To Jesus!
#124
I Just Had To Buy It
#125
Good Find For The Holidays
#126
Yogi Bear Wearable Head For $5
#127
This Shirt Was A Great Thrift Store Find
#128
I Found Jabba's Briefcase At A Garage Sale
#129
Awesome Shirt I Picked Up The Other Day
#130
Thrift Shop Win
#131
Hit The Jackpot At The Thrift Store
#132
Thrifted This Watch For $7, It'll Come In Handy On My Travels
#133
Thrift Store Find
#134
I Present Nib Dagobah Frog Habitat I Got For $5 At The Flea Market
#135
Found A Vial Containing Dust From Mars For $2
#136
Found In A Flea Market
#137
As A "Grown Up" It's Going To Be Hard To Explain This 25 Dollar Garage Sale Purchase Made Today
M O'Connell 9 years ago
Lets be realistic, all the guns in the world aren't going to save you if you haven't got any ammo!
#138
Best Fishing Hat Ever, And Thrift Store Find
#139
Flea Market Find Of The Day
#140
I Got Played By My Thrift Shop
#141
$4.99 Gameboy Pocket Found On A Salvation Army Shelf
#142
Found This Vintage Butter Dish At Goodwill And Put It To Good Use
#143
I Found This Picture For $8. It Now Graces My Wall Above My Television
#144
Was Looking For Art For My First Office At My New Job At An San Francisco Bay Area Based BBQ Accessories Company. $7.50
#145
Found This At The Flea Market At The Nc State Fairgrounds
#146
I Found A Cowboy Bathtub At The Flea Market Today
#147
I Couldn't Stop Laughing But It Was $10
#148
This Book In My Local Thrift Store Caught My Eye
Pamela Grove 9 years ago
You do know that is the proper name for a female dog and existed long before it was turned into an insult against women?
#149
Flea Market Jackpot
#150
My Best Thrift Store Find
#152
Found This Fancy Mirror At A Flea Market
#153
So I Found This At A Flea Market
#154
Found This At My Local Thrift Store
#155
Okay I Probably Didn't Need This But It Was $3.50
Leah Curtis 8 years ago
I really want to learn to ride a unicycle, but they are all so expensive.
#156
Found This Sweet Armchair For Only 20 Bucks
Francesca Johnson 9 years ago
Oh my God that is the ugliest chair I've ever seen! I should know I have the same one in my house along with the matching ottoman. It's lovingly called the Cosby sweater chair!
#157
Flea Markets Are Weird. Then There's This Booth
#158
Strangest Thing At Flea Market
#159
This Piece Of Art On A German Christmas Market
Mimis Nachbarin 9 years ago
That is acutally a funny reprint of a very famous Botero from 1977 (just with the Nutella-Addition)...
#160
I Hear Y'all Like Perpetual Calendars. $1.99
#161
Removable And Rollable D20 Mace From The Punk Rock Flea Market In Seattle
Damien McDallydally 9 years ago
This cane is perfect if you're the game master in a DND board game. :)
#162
Found This Record In A Thrift Store... Wonder If It Will Save Me?
#163
Found An E.T Mug For $3
#164
So I Found This On The Flea Market For Only 20 Bucks
#165
Picked Up This Vintage Microsoft Windows 98 Strapback Hat The Flea Market Yesterday
#166
Flea Market Find $5 For All!
#167
I Went To A Thrift Mall And Found A Keyboard Cat Shirt
#168
One Of My Weirdest But Coolest Thrifted Pieces
Damien McDallydally 9 years ago
Jesus has the same facial expression i just had after seeing this shirt.
#169
A Local Flea Market Stall Was Selling Baseball Bats Wrapped In Barbed Wire
#170
Found This At The Flea Market, Best $2 Ever Spent
Connie Martin 9 years ago
If she were to straighten her arms, her man-hands would be below her knees.
#171
Flea Market Find. 22 Karat Gold
Mimis Nachbarin 9 years ago
22 Karat GODL LEAF... Gold leaf worth nothing. Literally. But still nice.
#172
Shameless Selfie Showing Off My Greatest Thrift Store Find: This Tie
#173
I Found The Most Ridiculous Looking Chips & Dip Bowl At The Thrift Store Today. There's No Way I Could Ever Eat Chips And Salsa From This
#174
I Think My Best Thrift Find So Far
#175
Epic Garage Sale Find
#176
The Lady Toilet Seat For Real Men
#177
Oh Flea Market, You Amuse Me
#178
Found At A Local Flea Market
#179
$5.00 Masterpiece At Salvation Army
#180
I Saw This At Flea Market On The Weekend
#181
Garage Sale Gold
#182
A Man Tried To Sell This Badboy To Bad At My Local Flea Market This Past Weekend
#183
My Boyfriend Found This At Goodwill. So Many Questions
Damien McDallydally 9 years ago
shelfies dot com sells clothing with your own face on it (if you feel someone elses face is just too creepy).
#184
Found This Masterpiece At A Flea Market
#185
$15 Flea Market Find! Brand New!
#186
Thrift Shops Never Disappoint
#187
I Found A Strange Hybrid Animal In A Paris Market
#188
You Never Know What You'll Find At A Redneck Flea Market
#189
I Found This In A Thrift Store Today
#190
Flea Market Find
#191
Weird Things I Found At Our Local Antique Market
#192
Flea Market Find. I Need These?
#193
Thrift Shop Find. Yeah, That's Michael Jordan
#194
Saw This At A Flea Market Today
Damien McDallydally 9 years ago
Loads of internet stores sell this for around 10 bucks. No need to buy a used candy bra.
If you're fascinated by unique discoveries in thrift stores, you might also enjoy exploring how creative photography can transform everyday settings into something extraordinary.
For instance, in the world of photography, the blending of fantasy and reality can produce stunning results, much like a magical photoshoot that adds a touch of magic to the mundane.
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What do you think ?
Zori the degu 9 years ago
I'm obsessed with second-hand book shops... I suppose I should try to persuade my poor tortured relatives to go to a thrift shop/flea market as well, because sometimes I really hit the jackpot. Who knows, I might even become a millionaire overnight! :D
Pamala Vela 9 years ago
LOVE bookshops! My sister in law works at one in Berkeley. She gave me an original printing of Tom Sawyer in good condition for my birthday.
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Zori the degu 9 years ago
I'm obsessed with second-hand book shops... I suppose I should try to persuade my poor tortured relatives to go to a thrift shop/flea market as well, because sometimes I really hit the jackpot. Who knows, I might even become a millionaire overnight! :D
Pamala Vela 9 years ago
LOVE bookshops! My sister in law works at one in Berkeley. She gave me an original printing of Tom Sawyer in good condition for my birthday.
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