$ Thrifting - treasure hunting in the modern world

[💗Freddie Freaker💗]

Any thrifting enthusiasts here? What do you look for when it comes to flipping thrift store items?

This guide from /biz/ is pretty good but I'm sure there's more things to hunt for:

 

[Epic Fail Man]

Eww no, who would use stuff that was used by other people. What if it had their boogers and cum on it.

 

[💗Freddie Freaker💗]

Eww no, who would use stuff that was used by other people. What if it had their boogers and cum on it.

That just makes it better tbh. Only plebs walk around in clothes not covered in boogers and cum.

 

[TenMilesWide]

I'll stop by my local thrift shops every now and then, mostly just for stuff to add to my own hoard. Found a super nintendo for $10 a while back and some nerd bought it off me for $100, that was pretty neat.

 

[Florence Sargent]

The older the country the better the finds. Does not apply to shit countries. Do not attempt at brown or turban states.

 

[MG-34]

Warhammer 40k models (long out of print models can be picked up for cheap at goodwill and flipped easy on Ebay)

Warhammer 40k, battletech and other tabletop game rule and lore books, most will be sold for chump change and flipped for 20+ USD each

Old video games. If the store is run by boomers cartridges will be sold for a few dollars. Just stay away from sports games and google titles you've never seen before for their average price.

Military uniforms. Dress uniforms, camouflage, pouches can all be flipped easy as long as you get it for cheap.

 

[Celebrate Nite]

who would use stuff that was used by other people.

CRT (Tube) TVs are a fucking goldmine for a retro-gamer. Almost all HD/4K TVs can't handle older consoles for shit due to the sometimes HUGE input lag that happens when converting analog signal into digital signal.

Best example I can give of this is playing any of the PS2 DanceDanceRevolution games on a 4K TV. The good news is that you can change the timing settings (sync between steps and music) in the options menu. The bad news is that it only goes up to like +/-20 and even then it STILL isn't enough of a fix to get the steps to sync up with the music. On a CRT, depending if you use composite or component cables, you barely have to touch that shit at all.

 

[💗Freddie Freaker💗]

The older the country the better the finds. Does not apply to shit countries. Do not attempt at brown or turban states.

I had significantly more luck finding good stuff in the USA than elsewhere even though the country is young. Americans throw away nearly new brand name stuff all the time for some reason.

In yurop used goods always seem to be more expensive and in worse condition.

 

[wanddumpster]

not for profit but I'm a poorfag and most of my clothes (at least my shirts and pants) are thrifted.

Spoiler: These are a few of my favorite shirts

I also have shirts from a summer camp in NYC and a bar in Brewster, which I also like a lot but can't find online for obvious reasons

Once I found a painting someone did in the style of a Byzantine icon, signed as a gift to their art teacher on the back. I felt bad that someone would give it away but it's beautiful. You find so much random stuff on any given day, most of it's crap but some of it is really awesome.

Tips as purely a shopper: know what you're trying to find and pick out multiple options for those things, ie pick out more than one pair of dress slacks bc the ones you like will probably have a hidden stain or a hole in the crotch. Obviously be thorough but it's better to quickly comb through an aisle a few times than to inspect every item that sticks out to you. If a blazer you're looking at has polyester in it, don't buy it unless you're desperate. Check the seams of pants everytime or you will inevitably buy pants that give out after a week (learning to sew mitigates this obviously). Last thing: don't be turned off from buying clothes because they look "too old", as long as they're still intact and reasonably clean. If they made it through until you found them, they'll probably last you a while. Old jeans, old jackets, old dress shirts all clean up well; and they really don't make them like they used to.

 

[Cowboy Kim]

I like to visit my local fleamarket, and almost always leave with atleast one thing of note.
My most recent purchase was a Thinkpad T60 for $10 (just got a new battery and am posting from it right now, waiting on an SSD and RAM.)

CRT (Tube) TVs are a fucking goldmine for a retro-gamer. Almost all HD/4K TVs can't handle older consoles for shit due to the sometimes HUGE input lag that happens when converting analog signal into digital signal.

Best example I can give of this is playing any of the PS2 DanceDanceRevolution games on a 4K TV. The good news is that you can change the timing settings (sync between steps and music) in the options menu. The bad news is that it only goes up to like +/-20 and even then it STILL isn't enough of a fix to get the steps to sync up with the music. On a CRT, depending if you use composite or component cables, you barely have to touch that shit at all.

I remember getting a Samsung TX-R2735 for $20; really good display once you calibrate it.
I also got this exact model of portable black and white tv for $5 in the name of shit's n' giggles.

 

[Getwhatyou]

Shoes my friend. Everyone over looks the shoes.

That and sports coats. Most of them come from dead men. And the family usually throws them out, just note that the normal names such as Gucci and others aren't common but your looking at medium high end ie when bought 400-600 each resale at easy 100+

Check the tags.

Oh and another good one. Merino and possum fur can be easily mistaken for each other.

Possum fur is 4 times as expensive and lovely and warm and light. Check the tags on woolen clothing.

 

[User names must be unique]

In bongstan most charity shops won't sell electrical equipment they fear being held legally liable in there's a serious malfunction.

So check the bins you won't find big stuff like TVs or pc's donators are told about the policy if the shop sees anything electrical but stuff that can fit in a box will sometimes show up in the bins old consoles, mini-hi-fi's, turn tables shit like that.

 

[Apochrypha]

I usually go to the better sides of town where I live. All the upper middle class moms who live there dump all their once-used items. The richer the area, the better the finds. And they're almost always in better conditions, and good condition = more moolah.

 

[Pee Cola]

Back when I used to give a shit about my appearance, I spent many hours thrifting in well-off neighbourhoods. Not stuff for resale, but stuff for my own use. Suits, shoes etc. I always found it amusing when a thrift store mispriced things; they'd ask 50 dollarydoos for a shitty Country Road (Australian "designer label") suit whilst asking only 20 dollarydoos for a Canali just three suits over.

BTW if you're a dude (or someone wanting to buy men's clothing), check this thread out on StyleForum for equal parts inspo and envy.

One thing that sucks about thrifting in Australia is that very few thrift stores sell electrical or electronic goods, because of regulations forbidding the sale of electrical items unless they've been tested and tagged. This involves someone (usually a dude) who did a 2-day course to get his test and tag ticket coming in with a big box, plugging an electrical device into it, and making sure it doesn't throw any error codes before sticking a tag on the end of the power cord and putting an expiry date on said tag. Literally a 2 minute job.

Some of the bigger and/or niche stores (such as those run by Men's Sheds) have at least a couple of older dudes who have the equipment and the ticket to test and tag. Hopefully as more test and tag guys start retiring, more of them might start volunteering at thrift stores.

 

[Mariposa Electrique]

I only did high end designer items back in the day

Chanel, Lanvin, Gucci, Christian LaCroix, McQueen, Bob Mackie, Vivienne Westwood, and others.

 

[CryoRevival #SJ-112]

Keep an eye out for book collections at thrift stores. I got a complete 160 hard cover collection + 100 pulp fantasy books for $20 at a thrift shop because I asked how much the entife shelf full of books would cost and they didnt want to scan them individually

I could sell the hardbacks books online for $9 - $20 each but I wanna hold onto them.

 

[Chongqing]

If you can find older jeans in thrift stores in the US, I've heard they're worth a lot in Europe.

However you slice it, vintage denim is a great deal in thrift stores even if you're just shopping for your own wardrobe. As long as it's 100% denim (and not the new plastic stretchy denim) it'll last you your whole life.

 

[CryoRevival #SJ-112]

If you can find older jeans in thrift stores in the US, I've heard they're worth a lot in Europe.

However you slice it, vintage denim is a great deal in thrift stores even if you're just shopping for your own wardrobe. As long as it's 100% denim (and not the new plastic stretchy denim) it'll last you your whole life.

Those guys you know in their 60s who have jeans from the 80s and always talk about it, thats not because young men used to care for their pants properly 40 years ago. Quality has gotten worse.
Same with old tools.

Also, if you can find a car with no CPUs in it, entirely mechanical, there are mechanics out there who will pay very good money for it, because they hate processors in cars even more than gamers do.

 

[themasterlurker]

I got a gun case for $10 instead of paying $40, have never found anything else of value though

 

[Carpshoot Circuis-breaker]

Being totally honest...I like checking the CDs to see how many Michael Bolton albums I can find. My high score is [arbitrary number you find believable]!

I also like to skim the books for rare shit.