At a time when sustainability and individuality are getting increasingly more attention, thrifting has emerged as a beloved trend that combines both.
Just take a look at the Facebook page 'ThriftStore and GoodwillFind.' With an impressive following of 146,000, it celebrates this movement by showcasing the funniest, coolest, and downright weirdest items people have scored.
From vintage clothing to eclectic home decor and even quirky kitchen appliances, these pictures prove that you never know what you'll find when you shop secondhand. And that's the beauty of it!
More info: Facebook
#1 Found This Guy On Marketplace A Couple Of Months Back And Got A Friend To Make Me Some Sweet Ceramic Lilly Pad Coasters
Image credits: ThriftStore and GoodwillFind
#2 Someone Has A Sense Of Humor
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Experts believe that the quality you can find at traditional thrift stores appears to be declining.
"If you go to a local Goodwill, you will see a lot of fast fashion there, sometimes with the tags still on," Nicole Craig, a professor who teaches merchandising, trends, buying, and more at Arizona State University FIDM, told Business Insider.
"But at the same time, we're also seeing thrifting and resale exploding in the market."
#3 Took A Risk On This Toaster At The Goodwill Bins. No Regrets
Image credits: ThriftStore and GoodwillFind
#4 My Prize While Antiquing: This One Is In Perfect Condition And An Absolute Rare Find, I Cried A Bit
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#5 Found This Amazing Handbag At Savers For $8
Turns out it’s a rare Anne-Marie handbag that was sold in the 1940s at the Hotel Meurice in Paris. Many of her bags are in major fashion museums and even the NY metropolitan museum
Image credits: ThriftStore and GoodwillFind
While an abundance of fast fashion is partly to blame for the decline in quality at thrift stores, the explosive growth of the resale clothing market over the past decade —especially in the last five years — has also played a big role.
The value of the global secondhand clothing market is expected to reach $350 billion by 2027, according to a 2023 report by ThredUp, an online marketplace for used clothing.
#6 Found At Goodwill
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#7 At A Local Goodwill.. Charcuterie 80s Style
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#8 These Beauties Absolutely Came Home With Me Even Though I Promised I Wouldn’t Buy Anything
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#9 Nice Treasure From A Goodwill In
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Part of why buying used clothing has never been more popular is Generation Z.
In the past, Millennials tended to appreciate uniformity and with that, new goods. Think Abercrombie & Fitch in its original heyday around the 2000s.
However, Gen Z is more focused on individuality and finding pieces that are different from what everyone else is wearing.
#10 Thrift Store Find
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#11 You Could Say This Jumped Out At Me
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#12 Found This Teapot Purse At My Local Thrift Store For €6. Well That’s My Cup Of Tea
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#13 I Do Clean Outs For A Living, When I Saw This Old TV, I Knew I Had The Perfect Idea For It. I Guess All Those Years Of Surfing Pinterest Has Paid Off! There's No Back On It, So The Kitties Can Come And Go As They Please
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Gen Z has also embraced secondhand as a means to help the environment. The ThredUp report showed that sustainability was among the top five motivators for Gen Z when it comes to how they acquire apparel.
When secondhand shoppers feel like they're saving something from ending up in a landfill, buying used clothing is no longer viewed as inferior to buying new.
Thrifting today is "not only not a stigma," Craig said, "it's a badge of honor."
#14 Thrifted This Week- Instant Serotonin Boost Every Time I Walk Past
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#15 Found My White Whale While Thrifting With A Friend The Other Day- I’ve Never Imagined I’d Actually Find One In My Budget But I Snagged This Buckle For Only $62! Quick Made A Belt For It And Haven’t Taken It Off Since
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#16 Found This Iron Door Knocker Today Not Sure How Old It Is But Very Unique
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#17 Got This Huge Life-Size Xenomorph From Alien From A Very Talented Man Who Made It, Painted It, And Put It Together. And It Lights Up!
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But even as thrifting has grown in popularity, so have fast fashion brands.
"It's not designed and constructed to last," Elena Karpova, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro who researches sustainability in the apparel market, told about fast fashion to Business Insider.
"And so after a couple of washes, usually either fabric or construction, like seams and stitches, fall apart, and people then discard it or donate it."
#18 I Finally Saw One In Person! Mom Was A Little Startled Though
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#19 Todays Find. Doorknob
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#20 I Thought It Looked Cool So I Bought It. I Don't Know Much About It But It Holds My Coats And It's 6 Foot Tall
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#21 Omg I Cannot Stop Laughing At This Glorious Majestic Horse. Yes Its Coming Home With Me!
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Some fast fashion pieces are so inexpensive that shoppers won't bother returning the ones that don't fit. As a result, piles of fast fashion get dumped in donation bins with their original tags still attached.
Prices at thrift stores have also been rising, partly because some people are reselling their "thrift hauls" at a premium on platforms like Poshmark and Depop.
These sellers have been branded as "scammers" by some on social media and compared to landlords who drive up rents and force people out of affordable housing. One could even call it "the gentrification of thrift stores."
#22 I Love It So Much, It’s Equally Cute And Creepy! Probably My Favorite Thing I Own Now LOL
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#23 An Iconic Bed For An Iconic Girl! Found In Southern California
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#24 My Delightful $1.99 Chili Pepper Couple From Goodwill. They Make Me Smile
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#25 Found An Old Lady That You Can Eat Chips Out Of Her Bathwater At Goodwill Yesterday. LOL Part Of A Bathing Beauty Line From Cardinal Inc... I Named Her Beverly
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People who still prefer the experience of shopping in person and stumbling across a surprise score are increasingly turning to curated vintage shops. Craig said many of her students who thrift weekly "prefer to go to some of these more curated thrift stores where it's a little bit nicer, it's a little bit more of a point of view." So as time goes on, gems like the ones we see in the pictures can become rarer and rarer. Let's enjoy them while it lasts!
#26 And There She Was, Across The Aisle. Looking At Me All Googly Eyed. Leather Black Cat Crossbody Purse
Image credits: ThriftStore and GoodwillFind
#27 Got This Aaahh!!! Real Monsters Cookie Jar Yesterday At An Estate Sale And It Has To Be In Contention For Coolest Ever!
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#28 My Weird Find Today
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#29 I Found This While Thrifting. Its Going Up On That Wall. Im In Love
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#30 Introducing My "Salt And Peppa" Shakers. Bought At Savers Liberty,missouri
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#31 What? And Take My Money
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#32 Been Wanting One Of These For A While But Was Only Finding Coca Cola Ones, Scored This Beauty Off Facebook Marketplace And He Arrived With Minimal Damage. Bought Some Red Plastic Cups To Match
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#33 The Guy At The Thrift Store Thinks It Cursed I Think It’s Spectacular I Got Confirmation This Is A Mary Azarian Original From The 1980’s Her Friend Burt Porter Wrote The Poem And Inspired Her To Create This Image!
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#34 Found At The Local Goodwill And Is Now Hanging On My Wall!
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#35 Talk About Weird.... I Picked This Up Off Of FB Marketplace. This One Is 6ft Long
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#36 I Found At The Everett, Wa Goodwill On Hoyt Ave. I Didn’t Know It Was Gucci When I Bought It. I Just Fell In Love At First Sight
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#37 Bought These Corelle Bowls Last Year And Misplaced Them During My Move. I Only Give My Grandsons Spaghettios Like Once Or Twice A Year, But They Taste So Much Better In These Fun Bowls
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#38 This Was At The Curb Of One Of My Neighbors. They Have A Big Dumpster Out Front Because They Are Downsizing
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#39 I Was Told I Should Share This Monstrosity With You Guys
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#40 This Has To Be One Of My Favorite $1.00 Flea Market Finds! It’s Called A Sugar Plum Tree. It Was In The Original Box. So Fun For Christmas! All I Had To Add Was Gumdrops
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#41 Flea Market Find From Some Years Ago. A Working Alf Phone
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#42 I Found The “Post Malona Lisa” At Goodwill In Scottsdale, Az!
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#43 Have You Ever Thrifted Something You Cannot Justify To Your SO?
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#44 Found And Unfortunately Purchased From Goodwill, However The Second It Starts Moving By Itself It Will Be Up For Grabs!
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#45 I Have Never Seen One Of These Before! I Love It And It Has Now Found Its Forever Home. Found While Antiquing With My Mom
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#46 Remember To Remove Your Old Pizza Rolls From Your Air Fryer Before You Donate It To The Thrift Store
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#47 I Saw This About A Week Ago And Decided Not To Get It. I Told Myself If It Was Still There Today, I’d Get It. It Was, So It Came Home With Me
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#48 Someone Was Cleaning House
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#49 Jo Meade Mermaid Chandelier. I Bought This From A Local Guy That Had It Hanging In A Side Room Of His Garage For 35 Years. I Have Had It For Three Years Or So. The Artist Was Active About 1965 To 1985
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#50 Found This Victorian Child's Casket With Body Board, Glass Window, And Metal Pan To Hold Ice While At The Wake/Transporting At The Market A Few Years Back
Image credits: ThriftStore and GoodwillFind
