written by: Chiot's Run
Buying used however is not for the faint of heart. You really have to learn patience and the art of waiting. You learn to enjoy the search for that perfect item as much as having the item when you finally get it. It takes a little more time, particularly if you're trying to find these items locally.
So how do I go about finding used items? We look through our local paper for auctions and go to secondhand shops in the area. We have found however that our local Goodwill is not a great place to buy used items, they're overpriced (they sell single canning jars for several dollars each). After a few trips you'll discover which second-hand stores in your area are worth your time. Garage sales can also be a great resource, although I don't frequent them, I find auctions to be a better use of my time. Craig's list and Freecycle are both local sources and E-bay is an easy resource since it's searchable, although the item most likely won't be local and will require shipping. It is the perfect place to search if you need something specific or you need it right away. Salvage stores like ReStore, by Habitat for Humanity and other local places are great for finding used building supplies and furniture.
There are some things that I buy new, however, like shoes, undergarments, socks and most of my clothes. I could buy used clothes, but I find the time needed to seek them out is often not worth my time. In these areas I focus on buying a few well-made pieces that will last for years. We also often buy new when it comes to small power tools and items that diminish in quality as they're used.
Do you buy used or new? What's your best resource for used items?
19 comments:
Too few people and not enough money in circulation here for auctions. Garage sales are pitiful and Goodwill overpriced and/or very well picked thru.
I wait until I get to a more populated area to look for used things - about once a year.
EJ
I like thrift store, but not the Goodwill. Goodwill has an agreement with a large retail store - this red bullseye - to take all of their returned but opened, damaged, missing peices, and overstock items. The price for these items at the Goodwill is often as higher or higher than the store. They are greedy and counting on people thinking they are getting a steal.
Ex - this past weekend we went running all over trying to find two used prom dresses for halloween costumes. One we found was stained (I was willing to take it because I was going to modify it and I could deal with the front center stain). It was maked $40, it wasn't worth $5 with that stain. Its only use was as a Halloween costum, and they wouldn't budge.
I like the Salvation Army (but wish they were open on Sundays when I can go), Garage Sales are hit or miss, if it looks dirty and disorganized I won't stop. I love Plato's closet (cheaper than Salvation Army and Goodwill and cleaner) for my tweens clothing, and there are a couple of Jewish Thrift stores in my area - those I love. Priced right, clean and well made clothing.
I buy underwear new, shoes I will buy used, but clean with alcohol.
Would love to go to auctions, but we rarely have them and when we do they are way over priced.
I am thinking of embarking on a buy nothing New Year. The catch is that I can buy food and undies new.
Not a whole lot of luck with thifrt stores here, too. Mostly over-priced. My favorite place is called the Recycle Exchange, although it's a lot of garage sale cast-offs. People seems to send their better quality stuff to thrift stores. The prices are very reasonable. I needed 26 8x10 picture frames (still haven't completed that project) and got them there for about $8. Their deal is fill a grocery bag for $2. One day I got 5 handknit kids sweaters, two wooden cars, a t-shirt with a bulldozer on it for my machine-obsessed toddler, and a large dolly - all for $2. The other day I got a very nice wool trench coat for myself, a nice rain jacket for my kids, and a pair of shorts - again $2. I also got my popcorn popper there and a few other things.
Other stuff, not so lucky. We searched for used furniture but never found anything suitable. We bought our washing machine new because we do too much laundry to risk a dud, but we'll likely attempt to source our fridge and stove second hand when they die. Most clothes for my kids I do end up buying new because the stuff in thrift stores is often very worn or so over-priced I could get a clearance item new for the same price.
Both of our current vehicles were purchased used. Our next will likely be new, though, because you can get cheaper financing and the payments work out very similar.
I have similar issues with thrifting for clothing items that we really need; the driving, the time it takes, the not really finding what you're looking for. I think eBay is wonderful in this regard, especially since they added a location/mileage feature to their search engine. You pay more than when thrifting, certainly, but you also get exactly what you want most of the time. It's a step better than new, anyway :-)
We are big Craig's List users both for buying and selling. It is how I started my canning jars collection. Looking when it is NOT canning season helped me find a bunch of jars cheap. It is how we furnished our home gym as well. We find all sorts of things there.
I should have also mentioned talking to your friends/family about things you're looking for. Often one of them will have an item they'll be willing to sell you and sometimes they'll give it to you.
Tree Hugging Mama, a buy nothing for a year is a great thing. Mr Chiots and I did a "Don't buy anything we don't need" year several years ago. It's amazing how much that will change your buying habits. We have been spending much less per year every since.
No luck with resale here, either. Works better in larger cities, I think. We'd waste a lot of gas just going to sales out of town. Too far to go for the Freecycle types. Salvation Army store in the next town has the biggest collection of junk I've ever seen.
I think that the best deal for a small town would be for churches and the various ladies organizations to get together once or twice a year and do a "freecycle" together. Serve soup and cornbread and let everybody bring their stuff to give away or exchange. Think it could be a good community event. You'd know who owned the stuff and if it was well-cared for. Might discover some like-minded people and come up with some follow-up activities.
Oklahoma has some amazing thrift stores and the best estate/garage/church sales that I've ever seen. Sometimes the prices are ridiculous, but most times I can get just about anything that I need used at a great price. Buying used generally means higher quality, too. Things are made to be replaced now, but it wasn't always that way and I love buying things that were made to last. I buy used for almost all of my clothing--socks and undergarments are the exception. I do have a hard time finding jeans in the right size, so I sometimes break down and buy those new as well (maybe one pair a year).
The only other things I can think of that we don't always buy used are some of our big purchases. When we graduated from our Ronco dehydrator (thrifted) to an Excalibur, we waited and waited, but never saw a used one at a decent price. Making big new purchases like that that we've really researched and thought about don't bother me--it's all of the impulse crap that I see that drives me crazy! I mean, do you really need another piece of plastic from a big box store that's just going to break or be tossed out it 6 months?
I grew up a thrift store rat. Its in my blood and I love it. My mother dragging us through thrift stores as a child has made me be who I am today. I spend as little as $100 for 4 kids and 2 adults a year. How? Easy and here is how I do it.
-Free:Friends and family will give me lots of clothes each year. I do the same for them. We help each other out this way. This applies to anything. Food, clothes, shoe's, etc.
-Thrift Stores:Agreed Goodwill is expensive but remember they give jobs to people who otherwise would not be able to work. So think about that when your shopping. I love local owned thrift shops. They want stuff to sell so they sell it for cheap.
-Goodwill Outlet-unlike regular Goodwill stores, this place sells things by the pound. The more you buy the less it is per pound. I have one 10 miles from me that I hit up about once a month. I find seasonal decorations, Tupperware, decorative items for my girls rooms, shoe's, etc. You name it, its there. Plus their furniture is super cheap! I bought my girls dressers for only $1 . Dont give Goodwill a bad rap, try them out and support a company who helps people work.
-Yard/Garage sales-I dont actively go looking for them but if they are on my way, I will stop. Great way to get free stuff too. Most will have a free box that I like to dig in.
-Freecycle and other sites-another great place to find stuff for free. I will get something local first.
We buy everything used except undergarments. Even our furniture if bought used. We would much rather prevent things from going into the landfill before we go buy anything new. Yes it takes some time but worth it in the long run. I will accept anything for free and if I cannot use it, then I will pass it along to others.
Idea-have a clothing exchange party for you and your friends. Everyone bring one snack and anything they want to get rid of. Clothing, kitchen items, etc. People will come give and take what they want. Win win situation! Im having one in my home in 2 weeks and im so excited to see what people are going to bring.
Just remember, one mans junk is another mans treasure.
My partner and I have committed to buying nothing new that we can avoid, including shoes and clothing. We are trying to achieve a zero impact lifestyle without sacrificing core ideals. This means being quite inventive sometimes and quite patient at others. It also means sometimes making hard choices. I have written bits about it already in my personal blog.
More will follow our journey continues.
Check it out at http://damnthebroccoli.blogspot.com/ for some of the things I do.
I love to shop thrift stores. In my area, thrift stores are the prefered place for people to unload unwanted items. So, they are always well stocked. I get about half of my clothing there and most of my shoes. I like to shop thrift stores in more affluent areas of the city where I can usually find name brand clothing in current styles. I also like to find household items, furniture, books and videos. I always get baskets at thrift stores because they always have a huge selection. I often find valuable items. I recently posted on my blog about some of my really great finds: http://greenfornothing.blogspot.com/2009/09/amazing-thrift-store-finds.html
I also like to go to Plato's Closet and area consignment shops although they are priced higher then thrift stores.
The only things I will not buy at thrift stores are socks, underwear, and plastic kitchen items.
Every room in my house has furniture I have found on the side of the road in my town. I have gotten oak (huge) desks, armoires, dressers, lamps, patio furniture, side tables, wine glasses, brass birdcage, huge pickle crock with small crack -I could keep on going!! My fav shopping is at church rummage sales. I have gotten cashmere coats for both myself and my husband and wore them for years, vintage jewelry, linens for my beds, towels (the real good kind), dvds, dishes, knick knacks, books, toys and clothes for my children and now my grandkids. Thrift stores not so much, but my husband has had great luck at the 2 thrift stores in our area. I love the hunt!
Karen in CT
I love thrifting...doing it long enough that I'm savvy to where the best place to find stuff I need. Out Goodwill's have markdowns on Mondays, so an early visit to the local Goodwill will find name brands for only .99. I re-repurpose good clothing for my daughter by using the fabric from some of these clothes for sewing. Likewise, my husband has a closet stuffed with Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hillfinger and Columbia brand to name a few. All in brand new condition, often just dry cleaned with the dry cleaners tag still on. I buy ALL my shoes at Goodwill and I literally have 30+ pair of designer shoes (UGG, Born, Faragamo) that I never pay more than $5/pair for--and in hardly worn condition (like someone took them out of the box, wore them enough to put a few scuffs on the soles, and donated them). Housewares and decorator items, on the other hand, are better found at garage and estate sales. As far as furniture---google furniture re-purposing and you'll find hundreds of bloggers taking ugly, 1970's vintage furniture pieces and updating them into stuff like you'd find at anthropology.....
Besides, thrifting is fun, challenging, creative, cost effective and green....and did I mention fun?
I live in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and my favourite source for used items is Kijiji. It's like E-bay, but with local pickup only. (I just did a search and see that Kijiji is in the U.S. too, but as in Canada it's only in select cities.) I've bought and sold lots of stuff through Kijiji. Most notably we sold my husband's motorcycle pain-free. I love meeting all the different people that our once-loved things go to and I also enjoy meeting those who have used our new treasures. Craigslist isn't as popular around here, but I have bought and sold a few things via that site too.
I do my best to buy whatever I can new. I have two boys ages 1 year and 3.5 years. My best source (other than Kijiji) is Mom-to-Mom sales. There's a lot of selection, great quality, great prices, local, and it's a great way to help out other moms. (I'll be selling at my first Mom-to-Mom sale in a few weeks and will be posting about my experience on my blog fortuitouslyfrugal.ca.)
Another great source for used children's clothes is Once Upon A Child. They only accept brand name in-style clothing in excellent condition. They also sell just about everything else you can think of for a baby or young child.
We've also got a few consignment stores for children's items in the city which are full of good things.
The Hamilton area is full of thrift stores and used stores. Some are better than others and the more affluent areas generally have a better selection. Vlue Village has a large inventory. I found some like-new brand name t-shirts for my husband for $3 each and some like-new shoes for $10/pair. Until recently they had the best Halloween Costume selection around (new and used), but this year they had mostly new. A source for good quality used clothing is Talize.
Habitat for Humanity's Restore is a favourite spot of mine for anything house-related. It blows my mind what you can find there! Hamilton Mountain waster management site has a Drop N Shop which is a little sparse but worth a look if you're in the area. Burlington has the Re-Use Centre which is great. I love hunting around for buried treasure in there.
Admittedly it is easier to find good used items in a larger city, but the internet is becoming very useful for smaller areas.
I whole-heartedly second the idea of getting things from friends and family. One of our cars, a -94 Honda Accord, was lovingly donated to us by my Aunt. Our house is full of furniture and books from generous people who were downsizing or replacing or clearing out a house after a loved one passed away.
The concept of buying used can and should be extended as far as possible, especially to big-ticket items. These things require enormous amounts of energy and materials to construct and it is more environmentally responsible to choose used. Aside from our first condo purchase, our houses have been older. Our cars have all been acquired or purchased used.
Thanks for a great post and I loved reading all the great suggestions from other readers!
Thanks for all the comments. It's interesting how each area has it's own place that are good resources. What's good in one area isn't so great in another.
Sounds like you're all into buying used, which is music to my ears! I don't know many people around here that buy used.
Recently, I've been buying only used clothes, because there are several thrift stores near my school, and one of them is extremelly cheap! That is, they have a policy of gradually lowering the prices of some clothes over the week, so I always go there when it's 10, 5 CZK a piece - and I often find something that's still nice and wearable and fits into my wardrobe. But it's no use if it's too far away. I'm lucky that I live very near and can just drop by on my regular grocery shopping walks.
We buy some things used, especially furniture, but I get too overwhelmed by thrift stores, garage sales and good will, I feel like I can't concentrate on what I really need to get and that I get distracted by everything else. I really don't like to shop. So mostly we buy things new, usually on sale, but we usually try to get stuff that will last and that is made according to principles that we support, we take really good care of our things, and we repair them when they are broken. All this means that we generally tend to keep stuff for a really long time. If we realize that we don't need something anymore, we try to find it a good home with someone who does or turn it into something else.
Effective thrift-store (op-shop here in Australia) shopping is something you get better at the more you do it. It is time-consuming to browse the whole store. Getting to know your local outlets and having in mind what you are looking for is key. I rarely head out specifically to go op-shopping. If I'm going out anyway I think of the op-shops on my route and call in if I have time. I go straight to the areas I'm interested in (craft & sewing section; kitchen wares; books and sometimes clothing).
I also love garage sales but these are a rare treat. (Sometimes I need sleep or quiet time at home on Saturday mornings. Also, if I don't need anything, its too tempting to bring home more stuff). Once again, know what you need and don't waste time and money browsing everything!
Second-hand furniture outlets here are overpriced. Then again, much of what is new in furniture is of poor quality and buying secondhand at least stops something going to landfill. I prefer to buy larger secondhand items privately, from online auctions or the newspaper.
Some suggestions (the second I've tried several times, the first I would like to do.)
Organise a private kerbside recycling day for your street. On a designated day, put things out on the kerb to swap or giveaway. One man's trash, another's treasure, as they say. I guess this would work better in a small street rather than on a busy thoroughfare!
The above concept works well for young mum's or others with similar interests- organise a swap meet with friends or family. Each person brings along things that they are happy to give away. (This can be done with money but I prefer to make everything free.) Lay out your items, for everyone to browse. Each person is responsible to take home their 'unsold' items, or drop them at a charity bin on the way. Done with morning tea or lunch, this is a fun way to exchange unwanted items.
i've posted about this on my blog as well. we are challenging ourselves to buy nothing new for a year (with a few exceptions, like underwear). it has been both easy and challenging, but i am so glad we've put ourselves to the test. i'm an advocate for used.
nicola
http://whichname.blogspot.com
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