50 Times People Hit The Jackpot While Thrifting And Had To Brag About It In This Online Group (New Pics)
InterviewIt’s a brand new year, and one of the promises we made to ourselves would be to reconnect with our hobbies. For some of us, that means setting aside more time for art, writing, and building boats. While for others that means rededicating themselves to the honorable pursuit of awesome thrift store goods.
Hunting for interesting finds in thrift stores, garage sales, and secondhand shops is an adventure in itself. You can never tell what treasures you’ll unearth by accident. And it takes a seasoned veteran to spot truly good deals. The next thing you know, you’re back at home, showing off your goods—from the wonderful to the peculiar—with everyone you can.
One of the places where people show off their awesome secondhand finds is the r/ThriftStoreHauls subreddit, an online community with a whopping 2-million-member count. Scroll down for the best furniture, clothes, jewelry, and other knick-knacks people found, and upvote the pics you enjoyed the most.
Bored Panda reached out to the moderator team running r/ThriftStoreHauls, and Casey, the founder of the subreddit, was happy to answer our questions. We spoke about the community, how thrifting has changed during the pandemic, and why people love thrifting so much.
The founder said that to them and a large majority of the subreddit's members, thrifting is a treasure hunt. "Sifting through racks upon racks of items. Seeing what could be useful to ourselves, or someone we may know. For some even, like myself, it's a place I enjoy going just for the number of things to look at and talk about. I love finding stuff I want/need or would be cool to own, but I also just like looking at neat stuff." However, within the last couple of years, there's been a shift in how some people, especially new members, view thrifting. Read on to find out about it.
Got any thrilling thrifting tales to share with all the other Pandas? Drop on by the comment section. In the mood for some more secondhand shopping fun? We’ve got you covered. Check out Bored Panda’s previous article about r/ThriftStoreHauls when you’re done enjoying this list.
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Me: “How Much Are These? There’s No Price.” Lady: “$10 For Both”
The reasons to go thrifting are as varied as the people who go bargain hunting in secondhand shops. "I think the thread that goes through most of them is the hunt. You can't go to a thrift store and get what you want. You have to spend the time going often, and at that point, you only increase your chances," Casey told Bored Panda.
"So when you finally go into that thrift store and you find that thing you have been looking for weeks/months/years. The end of the story you get, and the excitement of finally owning it. Everyone who thrifts for the experience gets that to some degree, whether consciously or subconsciously. That is why the subreddit works. We are sharing the ends of the hunting story with everyone else who knows that feeling. Sometimes it's a hunt that lasted a week, sometimes it's a year or more."
The Wedding Dress Of My Dreams (And In My Size) For $40 At Goodwill
Bought At My Local Small Town Thrift Store. I Love Him
The thrill of the hunt might be important to most members of the sub, but some new members see thrifting as a way to make cash. "The last couple years there has been an influx of people looking at thrifting purely as a place for monetary gain. Which, I am fine with. I understand their need/want for the extra cash. Where that line intersects the sub however is where I put my foot down," Casey, the founder of the r/ThriftStoreHauls subreddit, told Bored Panda.
"I don't care what you do with your stuff, just keep the 'this is for sale' or 'I want to buy this if you are selling' off of the sub. Furthermore, in our push to keep the reseller influx to a minimum we have made it a rule not to allow information-seeking titles. Which does sting a bit because we have such a lovely community of knowledgeable people. It was just getting to the point where people were just using us as a more specific google with less work."
When The Checker Asked Me What This Was, I Muttered That It’s For Making Coffee And Ran Away. $1200 La Pavoni Europiccola Espresso Maker For $6.50 At Goodwill. My Coffee Dreams Have Now Been Fulfilled
Fffff-Forty Dollars You Say?!!! Drexler Mcm Walnut Bookcase
For Years I Was Always Tempted By Miniature Chairs At Thrift Shops, And Then One Day I Finally Bought Nine Of Them
The founder stressed that when they made the sub, they simply wanted to create a place to show off what people got. "Simple as that. So far with our growth, it seems like that vision is shared with a lot of people, so we keep growing."
Bored Panda spoke to the creator of the community about how the pandemic has impacted the thrifting lifestyle. Here's what they had to say.
"Early in the pandemic, I had a sticky post stating that we should just remain at home. Wash your hands, stay away from people. I said that that was just my opinion, but regularly I would see people (pre-pandemic) state that the sub had inspired them to go thrifting. Which that, I felt a bit of guilt since I would assume people were still going based on seeing all the cool stuff people were posting. I told everyone that I can't force them to not go, just be mindful. As time passes, and more people are vaccinated, I still urge people to be safe," they told Bored Panda, adding that they literally got their booster shot 30 minutes before writing back to Bored Panda.
It Finally Happened To Me. After Years Of Being Jealous Of People On Here For Finding Them. I've Finally Found My White Whale! For Ten Dollars
I would kill to have one... they are just too damned expensive! In purple yet!! This is the ultimate kitchen gadget!
Internalized Homophobia And Misogyny I Thought I Had Long Ago Dealt With Has Always Kept Me From Exploring This Side Of Myself. Well, On My Last Thrift Run I Said To Hell With That, And When I Tell You I Have Never Felt So Elegant, I Mean That In A Heart Changing Way
He looks good. The dark blue dress at the top is the nicest in my opinion.
My Luck Has Truly Been Bananas. Broyhill Brasilia Set. Couple Bought A House, Previous Owner Left It, It “Wasn’t Their Style”, They Wanted It Out. $100 For The Set
The founder of the sub said that they haven't gone to their local thrift shops a lot these past few months. "My local Goodwill is having staffing problems. I don't know if it is because of Covid, the r/antiwork movement, or other factors. The same amount of people is going to the stores as I have always seen, if not more."
What's more, they noticed that the prices of secondhand items have been going up, too. "We could only assume it's because with more people going, maybe they think they can find people that would spend that amount. I just don't want to see non-sold eBay listings taped to random items at a thrift store. I think it's tacky," Casey said.
I Found A Suit For My Son At A Yard Sale. $15.00
I Found Hundreds Of Love Letters Between A Sailor And His Wife During 1918 (Ww1). They Start Out As A Secret Couple, Then Marry After A Few Months! He Also Has The Mumps For A Bit
Another Dress I Made From A Vintage Bedsheet I Found At The Bins, Aka Treasure Trove
The last time that Bored Panda got in touch with the r/ThriftStoreHauls community’s moderators, the subreddit had 1.6 million members. In just a year, they’ve added a whopping half a million new redditors to their ranks. We think it’s very impressive. And it shows that a lot of people relate to the content they post. There are far more thrift shoppers than you think!
The founder of the subreddit shared with Bored Panda last time why they created r/ThriftStoreHauls in the first place. They told us that, at the time, there weren’t any subs with strong communities that were dedicated entirely to thrifting and secondhand shopping.
“I wanted to have a place where people could share the items they found, but the subreddits that existed at the time were not active at all," the founder told Bored Panda.
My Mum Bought A Load Of Yarn From A Thrifters And Made This For Me! It’s So Good!
Cute Baby Side Table For $25!
My Husband And I Turned This Antique Fire Extinguisher He Got For Free From A Co-Worker Into A Side Table Using A Marble Top We Found At A Garage Sale For $1. Really Pleased With How This Turned Out!
I love antique fire extinguishers. Making it into a side table is such a great idea.
According to them, moderating a subreddit of such size is actually “fairly simple.” It’s not as time-intensive that many of us would think. It takes roughly 30 minutes of work each to approve new posts, go through spam and reports, remove posts, and enforce bans.
"I don't want people selling or advertising their blog or anything like that. A picture of the thing you got, that is it. That makes the subreddit easily digestible," the founder said that the r/ThriftStoreHauls is supposed to be straightforward, focused, and pure. "We thrive in having a singular focus."
Thrifted Nwt Couch From The Local Salvation Army. Couldn’t Believe My Luck!
Just Found This Beautiful Baldwin Organ. Works Perfectly, And Got It For Only 170$. My Biggest Thriftstore Haul Of All Time , I’ve Wanted One Forever!!
$50 For This Old Heavy Dresser And Mirror. I’m In Love
A year ago, the founder of the sub told Bored Panda that they hadn’t been to any thrift stores in person since January of 2020. "There was a lot of talk about how great it would be once they opened since people were stuck at home and probably were cleaning out their garages/attic/closet. From the content I have seen, nobody seemed to get amazing scores. So, other than a limit to how many people can be in a store, I really don't know,” they explained what the thrifting situation was like at the time.
My Thrifting Has Peaked: Kitty Sweater With Hand Painted Fish Buttons!
My Thrift Store Find. Emerald And Diamond 18k Gold Ring. $16
I've Been Wanting A Piece Of Stained Glass And Found This
"There is always the hope of finding something awesome when out thrifting. Not finding anything can take its toll and take away the fun of going. What I tell people is to go and just enjoy looking at stuff. Bring a friend and have some laughs. Buy a random CD and have that be the CD you listen to while out thrifting. Then, if you do happen to find something awesome, it's a bonus,” they shared with Bored Panda what the thrill of thrifting is like.
My Smoking Hot Duck I Found Today. I Did Not Even Know It Was An Incense Burner, I Just Loved Him
Visited A Salvation Army For The First Time Yesterday And Picked Up This (Possibly Vintage?) Dress! It Was 25% Off So I Paid Less Than $5!
$15 Dollars At A Thrift Store.. It's An Original! Holy Cow I Could Look At It Forever
The Covid-19 pandemic had changed how thrift stores and secondhand shops operate. Some shops have focused on increasing their online presence and setting up delivery services. Online ordering and curbside pickup have become the norm in some areas.
Other shops have taken to limiting the number of customers who can be inside the store at any one time. Mask mandates, plexiglass barriers, and hand sanitizers are some of the ways that these shops keep their employees and their customers safe as they go bargain hunting.
A $40 Thrifted Vintage Lace Wedding Dress. I’m Eloping In July And It Fits Perfectly!
The Most Amazing 2 Piece Vintage Set That I Just Thrifted For $10
All I see is Dolores Umbridge, but if it makes you happy, more power to you!
I’m So Stoked On This $1.29 Find
Thrifted This Rattan Etagere For $30!! Favorite Find So Far
I Got This From Fb Marketplace , I Think He Likes It
In Love With These These Gold Earrings!!
Found A Van Gogh Classics 4-PC Fine Bone China Mug Set For $7!
In 1978, My Mom Made A Ceramic Tree For My Grandma. When Grma Passed In 2001, My Uncles Gave It Away To Goodwill. In 2002, I Found It (Confirmed Marked On Bottom) At A Local Thrift, For $15
My Thrifted Living Room!
5 Euro Strawberry Halter Dress Thrifted In Paris!
Well I Don’t Know How To Say This But I Bought A Bedroom Set At The Local Gallery And Didn’t Check The Drawers, After Moving It All Up 3 Flights Of Stairs I Found Photo Albums, Notes, Cards, And This Exorcism Kit
This Behemoth 80s Lotus Lamp Was A Literal Haul... Its Huge! Brass, Pink, 80s And Floral Are My Weaknesses
Found At Local Goodwill: An Exact Copy Of The Sweater My Mom Has Owned For At Least A Couple Decades
I Love Lemon Print And Found This Gorgeous Dress At Goodwill For Less Than 5 Bucks
$15 Vintage Dress At An Estate Sale That Fits Like A Glove. I’m Feeling Little Bo Peep Meets Gunne Sax Meets Pride & Prejudice!
One Of My Most Cherished Thrifts To Date
So Happy With This Goodwill Find! Nwt $50
One Of My Very First Quirky Finds In 2022. A Beehive Shelving Unit
A Selection Of My Haul From Today!
Could Not Leave Bernie At The Thrift Store
Almost Died When My Husband Came Home With This Beautiful Piece Last Year From Goodwill!
You Guys. Look What’s Coming Home With Me Today! Nils Jonsson Troeds Lyon Credenza, Made In Sweden, $20. Needs A Lot Of Tlc But This Is My Dream Find!!!
Fully Thrifted Bedroom Dresser Set Up
Ik sorry... i have to ask you what you paid. That looks a lot like a Johnson Carper. In good condition worth well over 10.000. Congrats!
One Of My Favorite Finds In A While. 1970s Toucan Tea Set
Thrifted These Two Comfy Chairs For My Coffee Shop For $70 Total!!
Catch & Release But Now I Regret It
that is horrible. Beyond your butt hanging out in public the plastic will make you super sweaty
Found This Gorgeous Designer Allen Schwartz Dress For $7 At My Local Resale Shop With Tags, Retails $350. Looks Like I Found My Prom Dress!
Finally Found The Thrifted Lamp Of My Dreams. My White Whale
Photos Of My Elopement In My $25 Thrifted Wedding Dress! I Know It’s Not Anything Fancy, But I’m Very Happy With How It Turned Out!
I Collect Old Drinking Glasses And Came Across This Beautiful Cabinet Last Week At Salvation Army! It’s Perfect
My Blazer $.99,pants $.99 And Shirt $6.00. I’m A Business Woman On A Budget. Outfit Came From Goodwill And A Consignment Shop
I Know Painting Furniture Is Unpopular In This Sub, But What About Painting On Thrifted Hand Bags? Saw This Purse At Gw And Just Felt It Needed Some Dugtrio!
Little Stained Glass Peach I Got For $1 At An Estate Sale
Found This Handmade Jumpsuit At The Goodwill Outlet That Fits Me Perfectly!
My Boyfriend Found This Vintage Sofa On Facebook Marketplace For $100! We Were The Second Party To Inquire - Luckily The First People Never Showed Up To Pick It Up! We Just Finished Fully Cleaning It And Re-Stuffing The Seat Cushions
Glad to hear they cleaned it. I always am leery about second hand fabric stuff. May be bringing bed bugs or something soaked in cat wee home
Was So Happy When I Found This Dress Second Hand And I'm Happy To Say I'll Be Carrying On It's Legacy And Putting It Back Out Into The World
You look amazing in it! I know you'll give it new life! Knock 'em dead!
Thrifted A $1k Espresso Machine For $15. Made Many Coffees. Have Yet To Remove The Tag
Found This Tiny Portable Dishwasher On Facebook Marketplace For $40. It Was Barely Used, The Protective Film Was Even Still On. These Go For $380 New!
Catten approved! (I love calicoes! I have 2 myself and one of them is a definite chonk! LOL!)
I Bought A Box At An Estate Auction And Found A Wallet Full Of Old Money
How cool! Does anyone recognize this money and can tell us approximately when or where it's from?
Le Creuset Mortar And Pestle For $3.99!!
Made Monochrome Outfits This Week! Everything Pictured Is Thrifted!
I Found A Matching Vest For A Skirt I Purchased Over A Year Ago! I Had No Idea It Was A Set Until Today
Not Really A Haul But I Work At A Thrift Store And Found A Polio Vaccine Card Today. Felt Kind Of Fitting Lately
Maybe if we put covid vaccines in sugar cubes anti-vaxxers would take it
Hallucinogenic Plants Golden Guide. Just 30 Cents
Pour One Out For The Homies…looks Like The World Lost A Pimp
I Followed My Gut On This Stunning, Unmarked Lapis Pendant. Jeweler Confirmed 18k Gold And Diamond. I Paid $20
Found This For $15 At Goodwill
These are worth so much. Have it steam cleaned and that’s all you need.
This 100% Silk Emerald Green Dress For $8! Here Are Some Different Fits With Stuff From This Weeks Haul. I Got 2 Pairs Of Shoes, 2 Belts, A Scarf, Necklace, Dress, And 2 Shirts For $62 Found At Goodwill And Local Thrift Stores
Rockin' the outfit... especially the middle pic! It looks like it was made just for you!
Update: I Got The Couch!! Thank You All For Your Support. I’m In Love
Picked Up This 50s 60s Pendleton Jacket Today For $25. It's Brand New!
The Best $3 I’ve Spent In A While, And A Rare Find For My 4yo. Full Circle Skirt, Perfect Cuffs & Collar, Complete With Heart Buttons
Found A 20 In The Back Pocket Of Some Jeans I Bought Today. I Have Been Blessed By The Thrift Gods
Picked Up This Drexel Playpen Sofa At A Local Thrift Shop For $249 Yesterday
This Is How The Mandela Effect Began
The Mandela Effect in action! The says both Berenstain and Berestein. Our matrix has glitched and world's have collided. 🤔
Found This Dope Sweatshirt At Gw For A Couple Bucks
Herman Miller Marshmallow Sofa For £200!
Not a fan. Looks like bar stool tops stuck together and it would be terrible for napping
I Call My Latest Thrift Find As A Hammerhead Shark Lounge Chair
Continuing My Quest To Cosplay Like A 90s Sitcom Character In My Fully Thrifted Outfit. Top Was $3.99 And Skirt Was $1!
Probably My Most Unique Rattan Find Yet; A Gossip Bench
I think its actually a telephone bench. Gossip benches usually have two seats
Been Thrifting For Years, But This Has Got To Be My Favorite Sweater Yet!
Update On The Diamond Earrings I Thrifted. Just Picked Them Up From The Jewelers, Cleaned And Appraised
My First Post Here And My Best Find Ever. Selig Lounge Chair From The Goodwill
Sergio Bustamonte Toucan. The Thrift Knew What They Had, But Also Supports A Women’s Shelter, So: Everyone Wins
Been Thrifting For 28 Years Now. Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day With My All-Time Favorite Thrift Find. I’ve Donned This Polyester Gem For Well Over Twenty Years
My Sister Thrifted This Pair Of Radical 90s Pants With An Intact Ticket Stub From The Opening Weekend Of Jurassic Park At The Mall Of America In 1993
It's amazing thift stores miss pockets. It's one of my favorite personal life stories of all time, but it's the story of when my brother became a drug dealer. He was around 20, working at a cheap consignment store. He sold this teen and grandma a jacket he just priced. A woman comes in an hour later LIVID that her boyfriend had sold her clothes to the store. There's nothing the shop can do about the pieces that have already sold. The shop returns the unsold pieces. The woman returns some of the money and storms out. Soon after, Grandma comes raging in with a baggie of white powder. My brother hadn't checked the pockets of the jacket. He had sold the teen and grandma drugs. The police got involved. He was questioned at length but of course had no idea. The cops of course took the drugs, and my brother was lectured by his manager about checking pockets. Still, my family loves to tell the story of the time my brother accidentally became a drug dealer.
I Have No Words For What I Did Today
I Like To Paint Nonsense Over Pictures I Buy At The Thrift Store
I had a great idea for a reality TV show. Contestants have to decorate a whole house from op shops (as we call them in Australia). Not sure how you pick a winner, and I don't really care. I just want to compete in it.
You know I love decoration games on my phone so i would definitely watch that
Load More Replies...yes i like this kind of posts too : https://www.ohmondieu.ovh
Load More Replies...We found a Bruno Mathsson "Maria" trestle table at a flea market for $800.00. That was the day AFTER we saw one on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York City! I showed my husband the Southeby auction program with a similar table in it when we brought her home. He was speechless. She's going to be my retirement fund someday!
I hope for your sake the vintage furniture market doesn’t nosedive again! It stinks when you’re planning on using some antique item as an investment and the market is like “nah”
Load More Replies...I had a great idea for a reality TV show. Contestants have to decorate a whole house from op shops (as we call them in Australia). Not sure how you pick a winner, and I don't really care. I just want to compete in it.
You know I love decoration games on my phone so i would definitely watch that
Load More Replies...yes i like this kind of posts too : https://www.ohmondieu.ovh
Load More Replies...We found a Bruno Mathsson "Maria" trestle table at a flea market for $800.00. That was the day AFTER we saw one on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York City! I showed my husband the Southeby auction program with a similar table in it when we brought her home. He was speechless. She's going to be my retirement fund someday!
I hope for your sake the vintage furniture market doesn’t nosedive again! It stinks when you’re planning on using some antique item as an investment and the market is like “nah”
Load More Replies...