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If Alice was an avid thrift hunter, aka hipster girl, and fell into a rabbit hole, she would have landed in a charity shop with these bizarre finds shared on Charity Shop Junk.

Spreading across both Instagram and Twitter, the project is dedicated to sharing “weird and wonderful nonsense found in charity shops.” And while it’s more on the weird side than wonderful, it’s clear that the creators of these two pages have a sharp eye for selecting truly monstrous gems.

So today we take you on a walk to a charity shop where you are about to see things like a one-eyed doll and a weird crochet piece, numerous odd card games, vases, mixers, candles, posters and random stuff that hasn't found its place in someone’s home yet, and there’s near zero chance it will.

More and more people are turning to charity shops to buy their clothes in the cost of living crisis. Some charities have said sales are up to a whopping 22% when compared to pre-pandemic times. The reason for such a soaring demand may come down to the fact that shoppers are looking to save money where possible.

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Ches Yamada
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Aw, that company makes a ton of silly cooking/home items! I have quite a few like the "manatea" strainer, lol

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Salvation Army revealed retail sales are over 22% higher than pre-pandemic trading, with some retail shops trading at more than double. Sarah Heaney, Regional Manager for Salvation Army Trading Company, told “I News”: “We keep our prices reasonable and affordable and at this time of increasing fuel, energy, and other costs, we believe this is one of the reasons why we are attracting new customers into our shops as well as welcoming our existing customers.”

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Lunakadi
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’m shocked BP didn’t censor every one of those little cr@ps.

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Meanwhile, Marie Curie charity shops in the UK have also seen increased popularity recently. The driving demand has spread across all products including second-hand clothes. The rising rate of inflation, the cost of living crisis, and increased public awareness of sustainability when it comes to shopping, are the main factors.

A substantial amount of thrift hunters, however, opt for charity shops not because of financial reasons but rather in a bid to find some vintage gems. Rare and old-school clothing pieces, as well as accessories, jewelry, and shoes, are huge right now so no wonder that the prices are not staying frozen.

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Gavin Johnson
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

C’mon, that’s one word away from what it should be. Give me a tea break….

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In fact, an expert in thrift hunting and the creator of “Ridiculous Thrifter” named Sean Fowlow previously told Bored Panda that just about everything has gone up in price.

According to him, there are a few reasons why thrift buyers have to open their wallets more these days. “Partly because of inflation, but I would have to argue it’s mostly because of the explosion in popularity of re-selling used items on the internet for extra income,” he said.

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PandaPops
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I bought this for my brother for Christmas. He loved it and it is now his breakfast bowl

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Fowlow argues that “the thrift shop owners have caught on to this and are now researching the current market values of items before pricing them for sale,” so in some cases the prices may be inflated deliberately. He recounted how several years ago, a particular thrift shop would have a set price for all video games of $3.99. “Now, at most shops, you will find the more valuable games priced separately and locked in a glass showcase with a price tag of whatever it sells for currently on eBay.”

It’s the same for retro toys, collectibles, and cookware now as well. “The days of finding a treasure for cheap at a thrift store are unfortunately almost behind us,” Fowlow told us in a previous interview.

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Debby Keir
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Needs filling with cold water and a steel knife and it will keep for weeks...

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PSquared
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ah this is because a lot of the donations come from family clearing homes of deceased elderly people.

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LK
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a passport *cover* that's being sold, not an actual passport. :o)

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Danielle Edwards
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a joke about Brexit. Passports were blue before the UK joined the EU, at which point they became maroon in line with the rest of the EU. Post Brexit they made them blue again. You often hear people say re Brexit: all this for a blue passport.

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Chewie Baron
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What’s really funny about all the Brexiteers wanting a blue passport again (the colour is actually black but hey) is that they’re made by a French company in Poland!

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Rostit .
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

it basically ruined their economy and was entirely and thoroughly pointless. The UK is part of europe whether they like it or not. Brexit just showed them how much that was true. It was a huge mistake and history will continue to prove that. Just a bunch of whiny ultra-conservatives that are too short sighted to have a clue about the reality of the world.

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Andrew Goodhall
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1 year ago

This comment has been deleted.

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Steve Robert
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That male pig from above must have gotten it right because now he's bringing her breakfast

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Ches Yamada
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Isn't this one of those bears they sell in Spencers stores in the US? They had ones flashing, etc. Their whole point was they were "naughty", but this is kind of over the top.

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Zsolt Hegedűs
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Realize these images are from the 80s, probably even older. People will cringe how you look now in the 2050s

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Note: this post originally had 97 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.