We have already made more things than we will probably ever need. So why not take advantage of it and reuse and repurpose what we have and shop second-hand? Not only does it reduce waste, preserve the environment, save us money, and support the community, but it also blesses us with many hidden treasures and unique finds one couldn't buy new no matter how hard they tried.
The people we’re featuring today have truly lucked out on the second-hand lottery. From breathtaking vintage wedding dresses to mini furniture for cats, scroll down to see more of the best rare gems that these humans found while thrifting!
While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out a conversation with professional thrifters Kelly Handley and Alison Bossert, who kindly agreed to share their own most memorable catches from shopping secondhand.
#1 I'm An Electrician And I'm Constantly Saving Old Fixtures From The Dumpster, I Have A Whole Collection In My Basement
Today I brought home my greatest find to date. I noticed this beauty as soon as I walked through the door. One of the tentacles is slightly damaged (but easily fixed) so the homeowner didn't want it. It will someday hang in our future tiki bar.
Image credits: Jess Connolly MacLeod
#2 I Thought This Was Beautiful. A Person In My Apartment Complex Was Throwing It Out And I Grabbed It With A Smile. It Is Wood And Extremely Heavy. I Will Be Polishing It With Orange Oil Later. What Do You Guys Think? Good Find?
Image credits: Michal Elaine Johnston
#3 So This Happened Today.. I Work For A Major 2nd Hand Store In Australia, This Morning While Opening Up The Store I Stumbled Across The Corner Of This Woodburning Sticking Out
Immediately I knew it was my mums who i lost way back in 2005. I didn't even need to see her signature. So this is 29 years old and I couldn't tell you when i saw it last, closer to 91. Also I'm about an hr and a half from where my mum lived her whole life. My birthday was just 3 days ago and i definitely feel this was her saying happy birthday and giving me the gift of something she made. I feel so lucky and am pinching myself still.
Image credits: Zoe Keely
Kelly Handley, a seasoned thrifting and resale expert, author, and founder of Ultimate Thrifting, told Bored Panda that she got into it after moving to a bigger city for university and starting to visit secondhand stores looking for her beloved vintage aesthetic.
“Thrifting really ramped up for me after I had my son (who’s turning 16 this month!), as I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on clothing and toys that would be used for such a short period of time before he would grow out of them.
When I started looking at the women’s clothing, I was shocked by the amazing things that get donated, and soon it became difficult for me to pay retail prices when I could thrift such great outfits for so much less!”
#4 Finally I Have Something To Share,, My Beautiful Find At Abbie Ann’s In Akron Ohio,,i Am In Love
Image credits: Amy Love Starr
#5 I Found This Fantastic Antique Salesman’s Sample Chair Off Of Facebook Marketplace A Few Months Back. I Knew What I Needed To Do
August, my Himalayan, also knew what he needed to do.
Image credits: Michael James
#6 This May Be The Coolest Thing I Have Ever Found In A Second Hand Store!
Image credits: Jenna Arcidiacono
In her e-book launching in September, Kelly provides tips for people to uncover high-value finds and hidden gems, master the art of negotiating to get the best prices, identify and authenticate high-end items, and assess their resale value.
“My ultimate guide to apparel thrifting will help you discover the exciting world of thrifting, with expert insights, practical tips, and proven strategies that will help you find the very best deals. Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned thrifter, this book is your key to thrifting success,” the Ultimate Thrifting website writes.
#7 I Found This Wonderful Hutch At A Yard Sale This Past Weekend
Image credits: Bea Moser
#8 Found At My Local Thrift Store. Needed It For My Cats!!
Image credits: Sandi Slattery
#9 My Hoarding Of Old Garage Sale Christmas Junk Finally Paid Off. My Sister Turned It All Into This Masterpiece
Image credits: Missy Maynard
Meanwhile, Alison Bossert, a thrifter, online reselling entrepreneur, and YouTube content creator, shared with us that her journey in secondhand shopping started out of necessity.
“I grew up in a thrifting household back before it was called “thrifting.” Both my parents were born in New York City during the Great Depression. My dad, especially, grew up very poor, so it was natural for them to find money-saving ways to meet the family’s needs.”
#10 Totally Forgot To Share This!! Look At The Bookchair I Found At The Thriftstore Here In The Netherlands. And Yes, I Totally Bought It
Image credits: Danique Faber
#11 My Grandma Spent Years Collecting Broken Pieces Of Jewelry From Family Members With The Hope Of Creating A Jewelry Christmas Tree
When she got too frail to make that dream come true, she gave me the box of jewelry. After she passed away, I finally sat down to create her dream. I remember her wearing some of the pieces and playing with some of the others as a kid. My husband thought it was fitting that the back of Grandma Dorothy's "D" pin was the hardest to remove as she could also be humorously stubborn
Image credits: Eleanor Ruth Fay Bradley
#12 I Ran Into This At A Yard Sale And I Had To Have It For All My Crystals. What Do You Guys Think. It Came Home With Me
Image credits: Nancy Toft Copeland
Alison further shared, “When they bought their home they furnished it with pre-owned items. Furniture, lamps, even cookware. My first bicycle was from a church flea market. It seemed totally normal to me. I thought that’s what everyone did, so thrifting has always made sense to me. As I got older, I always loved exploring thrift stores and garage sales.”
#13 Found This Sitting By My Neighbors Trash Can, She Thought I Had Lost My Mind Over How Excited I Was And Was More Than Happy To Let Me Dig It Out Of Her Trash. I’ve Named Her Peggy
Image credits: Cynthia Craig
#14 Found This Beautiful Stained-Glass Peacock Years Ago At A Yard Sale
Image credits: Kristi Higgins
#15 Before And After The Makeover! This Garden Dog Had Seen Better Days 10 Years Ago When I Found It By A Dumpster. The Florida Sun Did Even More Damage. It’s Spot On Now!
Image credits: Deidre Holmes
Now she documents her trips to thrift stores, garage sales, and flea markets and shares them on her YouTube channel Long Island Thrifter. She visits secondhand locations in Long Island and all over to teach people how to find bargains for as little as $1. “Discover the art of upcycling, recycling, and repurposing while learning unique strategies to make and save money. Let's transform the ordinary into the extraordinary together!” her YouTube ‘About’ section writes.
#16 The Rugrats...not Bad For $8.00 From Gw In Dallas Texas. So What I’m 55 Years Old I’m Still Going To Rock This!!!
Image credits: Danyelle Bridgewater
#17 I Love Stained Glass And Found This Piece In An Antique Mall. It’s My House Number!! Installed It On Our Front Porch
Image credits: Candy McDaniel
#18 My Beautiful Find On The Facebook Marketplace! I Could Not Love It More!
Image credits: Jessica Smith
What Kelly enjoys the most about thrifting is extending the life of clothing and other items. “I find it really sad how wasteful and consumerist the world has become, particularly with the rise of fast fashion. Clothing is probably the only household budget category that has seen prices decrease over time - crazy, right? It makes me happy to participate in circular fashion and promote buying secondhand over new.”
#19 Here’s My Vintage Thrifted Wedding Dress
Got at my local Goodwill in Worcester, MA last year for only $6.99!!!! I don’t even plan to have a big wedding but I could not leave this Edwardian beauty behind
Image credits: Jane Vargas
#20 Lamp I Found At An Antique Store, Loved It So Much I Had It Repurposed And Hung It From The Ceiling In My Bathroom. $120 Well Spent!
Image credits: Sylvia Colbert
#21 I've Wanted To Share The Story Of My Special Lamp For Some Time
A little back story: my Dad left the poor family farm during the Depression to pursue his education at Appalachian State deep in the NC mountains. He earned his tuition by living in a basement boiler room and keeping the boilers fired for that building. He frequently ate on 10 cents a day: a nickel for a Coke, a nickel for a can of sardines, and the soda crackers that were free with the sardines. He picked up a bit of pocket money by playing his guitar for the little mountain churches on Sundays, and playing saxophone with a local dance band on Saturday nights. 75 years later, with my Daddy long gone, we were cleaning out the house I grew up in, preparing to sell it. Among the artifacts that turned up - Daddy's saxophone. It was never a high quality instrument, and 75+ years in basement storage had not been kind to it. It didn't make sense to try to restore it, but I couldn't bear to throw it out. It came home with me and collected dust for a couple of years, until I came home from school one day to find that my brilliant husband had transformed it into this awesome lamp
Image credits: Christian Beeker Rothwell
For Alison, it’s the thrill of the treasure hunt. “You just never know what you might find. From perusing a new thrift store or estate sale, to searching comps online, I love hunting down that next big find. I’m also a big history nerd, so it’s really fun for me to learn about the history or historical references of the different items I find. The provenance is often what makes those rare finds so valuable.”
#22 I Found A Cat Size Couch, I Repeat, A Cat Size Couch (And It Was Only 4.99) Thanks Goodwill
Image credits: Danielle Fisher
#23 I Was Always Super Skeptical Of Facebook Marketplace, Then I Found This Giant Tardis Reading Nook For $50
Image credits: Kati Stevens
#24 My Grandmother Made This Many Years Ago. She Passed In 2012 And It Is Now In My Uncle's Possession, But He Sent Me A Photo And Hopefully It Will Eventually Be Mine!
Image credits: Amber Ford Rempel
Her most memorable find was a small green bottle at a yard sale in Venice, CA. “I picked it up and immediately felt the weight, knowing that it was something special. It was only $1, and after some extensive research and tapping into a few great websites, I discovered it was a jade snuff bottle that originally had been remade from a Chinese belt buckle during the 18th or 19th century. Within two weeks, I flipped it on eBay for over $2100.”
#25 Saw This At An Estate Sale But Couldn’t Afford It…
Then the next morning when I woke up I saw it sitting on my porch because the woman knew where I lived and there was a note attached to it instructing me to have it for free that she sending it over with love and that she believed it would be in the right home if it was with me… feeling over joyed!
Image credits: Lynda Gumaskas
#26 Filled My Mantle As Much As I Can With Found Colored Glass! Some Thrifted, Some From My Grandparents, Some From Family. I’ve Loved Making This Collection!
Thinking about putting a strip of light underneath or behind them.
Image credits: Sam Matthews
#27 This Is My Little Thrifted Garden Room
Someone was throwing these windows away on a house demolition so we created this little room with them. Most of the decor came from my thrifted treasures or items I made.
Image credits: Carrie Ann Nau
Meanwhile, Kelly shares that her most prized finds often hold a lot of nostalgic memories. “For example, when my son was young, I found a complete Lite-Brite toy from the 1980s in its box, the same one I grew up with. It was so amazing to be able to share the fun with my son and create new memories with him. Another time I found a vintage 1970s flower power bedsheet set, the exact one my twin sister had on her bed growing up. I was screaming with excitement, calling my sister—and it now is used on my niece’s bed.”
#28 This Beut Is Mine!
Image credits: Odessa Cooley
#29 Goodwill Cashier: “You Know Cinderella Is Missing Her Head, Right?” Me: “Yep! And A Hand!” *happily Pays $1.99 And Goes Home To Complete Macabre Art Project*
Image credits: Janelle Scheffelmaier
#30 Was Wandering Goodwill In Elkton, Md Today And Thought I Recognized Soemthing...the Resemblance Is Uncanny
Image credits: Ashley Nicole Williams
#31 Not Crazy Weird But My Thrift Find Of The Day. I Couldn’t Turn My Back On Him So Home He Came With Me. His Name Is “2020”
Image credits: Janice Pawlowski Fox
#32 Some People Inherit Jewelry - Others, Ginormous Sofas!
In 1958, my grandparents moved into a beautiful, new mid-century modern home. To make the best use of the cavernous great room, my grandfather designed this gorgeous sofa with matching tables and three stools. If you look under the table on the right, you can just see one of the stools. When the time came to pass it along, I was the only one with a just-barely-large enough living room!
Image credits: Deborah Bossen Lorber
#33 I About Squealed When I Found This Frank Lloyd Wright Glass Panel At The Salvation Army In Elk River, Mn For, Get This....$4.99! I Display It Proudly In My Kitchen Window
Image credits: Mary Vires
#34 I Started Collecting Vintage Swag Lights While They Were Considered 70s Trash. Picking Them Up At Garage Sales For Practicality Nothing. It Seemed Like Overnight They Became Highly Collectible
Image credits: Rick Murray
#35 I Was Driving In The Neighborhood And Found This Floor Rug Rolled Up At The End Of Someone’s Sidewalk. As I Was Looking Over It, The Owner Of The House Came Out And Asked If I Wanted It. He Told Me It Was A Tapestry Rug That He Hung In His Wall. It Had Never Been Used As A Rug. I Asked Why He Was Getting Rid Of It And He Said He Was Changing His Decor. I Told Him I Couldn’t Lift It In My Car. It Was Super Heavy. He Helped Me Put It In My Car. He Told Me It Was Free, Merry Christmas! I Almost Fainted. I Had Wanted One For So Long, But It Was So Expensive To Buy. I Paid 0 For It! Win!!!
Image credits: Helen Espinosa
#36 Suitcase Wall
I’ve collected suitcases all my life. I have found them at thrift stores and garage sales and sitting on the side of the road. I also have had friends donate them to me when they know I collect. My father was in the Air Force and my brother and I were born in Germany and the two burgundy trunks on the bottom row are the steamer trunks that brought us back from Europe to Canada on the steamship. My mother used to share a story how a nun saved me on the ship trying to crawl over the side! I think some may be interested in what I may keep inside. The labels do tell what’s inside of each. I store lots of things in them. I have a knitting suitcase, with yarn and knitting books, etc., I have photograph suitcases, (when we used to have photographs), I have a collection of plastic animals for when my grandchildren come over as well as many other suitcases with toys in them for my grandchildren, material, beads, a sewing/mending suitcase, a suitcase for screws, a suitcase with a drill in it… I could go on and on and on and on. It’s all pretty organized and getting more organized all the time as I sort through and give away lots of things that I don’t need anymore. One of the trunks is a Christmas trunk and one of the trunks stores my patio cushions from my patio furniture and another trunk stores my mother’s dress form and material and patterns for when I’m going to get to those projects.
Image credits: Theresa Rose
#37 My Late Mother Bought These At An Estate Sale In California And Then She Gifted It To Me. She Wasn’t Sure It Had Any “Value” But They Made Her Happy, So They Are Valuable To Me
Image credits: Kerrie Reid
#38 My Favorite Mug. Got It At A Garage Sale A Few Years Ago
Image credits: Laura O'Brien
#39 Our New Repurposed Lawn Flamingos. Picked Them Up At A Yard Sale Not Long Go. The Skeletons Last Year Off The Marketplace. And Well This Is What Happened
Image credits: Dorian Graycat
#40 I Found This Sue Wong Dress At An Antique Store In Hagerstown, Md Last Month
Not exactly antique, but definitely vintage. My eldest child fell head over heels for it. Her dad and I decided to buy it for her birthday, when she noticed it was gone from the shop she was so sad but said she was glad someone would get to love it instead of it wasting away on display. She had no idea that someone was going to be her. I fixed up the minor repairs that it needed on the centrepiece before giving it to her. Her reaction was worth every bead re-stranded.
Image credits: Alanna Cristin
#41 Happy Hippo Day! Here’s Mine. Found At An Estate Sale
Image credits: Jin Cho
#42 He Is From Facebook Marketplace
Had to have him!! My mom has one and I always wanted my own. Hope y’all can appreciate my garden gater Steve. ? he is placed where the water comes off the porch to look the most terrifying. ?? I live in Alabama so kind of unusual to see a alligator running around unless your in southern Alabama where the swamps are.
Image credits: Carlie Tinsley
#43 I Have Wanted A Lenox Spice Village For 3 Or 4 Years Now But The Online Prices Skyrocketed So I Held Hope I'd Stumble Upon A Set At A Thrift Store One Day
But one popped up on my local FB marketplace this week. There was a lady with the set and no listed price so I reached out on the longest shot ever and was like hey I have wanted a spice village forever, by any chance would you be interested in a trade or partial trade for some of my art? TOTALLY expecting to be shot down but to my shock she said yes and we did a *straight trade with no money* and I am still in shock that she agreed and this went down and my dream village is now minneeeee. Other artists will truly get it - sometimes it feels like nobody sees the value in you and what you do. But she was so into all of it and was also so happy I was going to use it and not resell it.
Image credits: Lisa Eff
#44 My Dad Drove By This Up On The Side Of The Road For Trash Pick Up
He went and knocked on the door to make sure they were really throwing it out. It’s an OLD sea captains chest. It was the guys great grandmothers that she had inherited. It’s awesome.
Image credits: Jamie Murphy Flynn
#45 Here's My Vintage Dress Find For $15 Bucks From The Salvation Army. I Bought It To Dye Black For Halloween But Decided Against It When I Realized What A Beautiful Dress It Is. I'm In Love With It
Image credits: Veronica Silva
#46 Bucket-List Buy In Indiana Last Weekend, Found On Ebay
Just in case you're curious, the 8 foot Sinclair Dinosaur will fit in a minivan. Second pic is his new home in my front yard.
Image credits: Amy Wade Ernst
#47 I Just Found This On The Side Of The Road. I Guess Out For Trash
Image credits: Kendra Yo
#48 My Copy Of Pride And Prejudice That I Found At A Used Book Store! It’s So Beautiful And In Really Great Condition Too. It Was A Gift To Someone In 1899!
Image credits: Jazmine Clair Eugelmi
#49 If Any Of You Are Of A Fragile Constitution, Look Away Now
STEP RIGHT UP AND WITNESS THE MOST FEARSOME AND FEROCIOUS FELINE THIS SIDE OF THE MISSISSIP. HAILING FROM THE WILDS OF A WEST MILWAUKEE USED BOOKSTORE BASEMENT, THE WOVEN WICKER WONDER WILL SHOCK AND AWE YOU. WATCH AS ESTHER JELLYBEAN AND HER LOVELY ASSISTANT EUNICE MARSHMALLOW BRAVE THE JAWS OF THE THE RATTAN RASCAL, BARELY ESCAPING WITH THEIR LIVES AND A FANCY FEAST CRAB AND BEEF TREAT SQUARE. DARE YOU TANGLE WITH THE MILWAUKEE MANED MANIAC? THE TOOTHY TYRANT? THE PLANT PANNIERED BLOODTHIRSTY BOOKSTORE BEAST?
Image credits: Erin P Jadin Christie
#50 I Found My Dream Dining Table On Marketplace In Minneapolis
5 extremely strong individuals, a truck, and days of haggling later, I finally was able to bring this beauty home. The table is all single solid wood, and is EXTREMELY heavy. Just a chair takes 2 people to lift up (or I guess one if you’re really really strong). No clue what type of wood it is or how old it is. It was supposedly purchased at an auction a decade or so ago and given as a gift to the last owners who decided to sell because and I quote “when you have kids, you just can’t have nice things.”.
Image credits: Sarala Sameera Morusupalli
