I bought so much stuff for my kids at resale shops & garage sales. I was able to score the big toys in perfect condition - Cozy Coupe, picnic table, turtle sandbox, trikes, etc. I’m fortunate to have a great resale shop nearby where I have purchased lots of great toys, books, a pack & play, stroller, Hiccapop toddler bed, boots, coat for GD.
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Friends of the Library has nice books that are practically new that they are literally giving away! If you buy one book for any price, you get 2 books (of your choice) with yellow stickers for free! I bought several books and ended up with a lot of lovely free books as well. I gift them to my loved ones for special occasions and include a card and a nice check or cash. They even had a paperback copy of “The Storied Life of AJ Fikry,” which CC Book Club enjoyed for $2 plus I got 2 free books! Loved the book!
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There was one family here with a daughter about 2 years older than mine. I knew them a little. They had a tag sale of gorgeous and very lightly used everything every fall and every spring. At some point, they took my phone number, and invited me to come the night before the tag sale.
We got a LOT of DDs stuff from them…some new with tags.
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At Goodwill, I once got a black, cableknit pullover turtleneck from Brooks Brothers (women’s size) that I wore for about ten years. Also got a black cashmere turtleneck from a thrift store that I wore for a decade or two.
Also got a pair of Sperry rain booties and a pair of brand new Cole Haan flats.
I have bought a LOT of housewares from GW over the years – a chip and dip dish, some platters, wine glasses for $1 each (because I"m prone to breaking them!). Yes, I know GW has a bad reputation, but they have really good stuff in the store near me.
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D2 and I went for a walk on Saturday with a women’s walking group here in San Diego for the first time. We had a nice walk and D2 talked afterwards with some of the women and asked if they would like to get together and do a clothing swap. They were all really excited to do it so D2 is going to set one up.
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A few years ago we splurged on new bedroom furniture from Stickley. But we didn’t get the matching floor mirror, which cost over $1,000.
I found a very similar style mirror at an local online estate sale. Minimum bid was $15, which was accepted! It blends in very nicely with the other furniture.
We also got our dining room furniture (table, chairs, hutch) several years ago from a neighbor’s estate sale. They were downsizing to go into independent living. It was just down the street so we carried the chairs ourselves, but hired someone to move the table and hutch.
I have a ton of clothes from Goodwill from over the years. I don’t know if this is a new policy, but where I currently live doesn’t have dressing rooms. Instead you have 2 weeks to bring items back for exchange/credit only (no refunds). The total amount I’m spending is pretty small so I am still purchasing clothes that way (recently have lost a lot of weight and especially need pants in smaller sizes) but it’s more of a hassle.
My DIL’s family loves going to garage sales. They have a tradition of buying Nancy Drew books and donating them to Little Free Libraries.
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Our next door neighbor’s sister ran an estate sale this past weekend (he’s now in permanent care and they need to sell the house), and she invited me to drop by. Their hutch was tagged $18K!!! Estate person said it appraised at $25K, so it’s a bargain. Sure. (It’s a hideously carved monstrous Victorian? piece.)
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Wow! I suppose there’s a market for expensive furniture, but that’s not me. I think we paid $250 for the table, 6 chairs, and large hutch (cupboard with doors/drawers on bottom, glass-door cabinets on top).
I do have my parents’ mid-century modern coffee table, and saw the same one for sale online for over $1,000. My parents last used it in the guest room as a place to put your luggage.
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I’m not sure there is a market for that stuff. Neighbor is coming over for dinner tomorrow night, so I’ll find out how it went. They had a very large bronze of the Wells Fargo stagecoach/horses that went for $14K (appraised at $22) that someone will need a crane to get out of there, but that and two paintings were the first things taken. I understand the bronze, but there is nothing in that house remotely appealing to me.
Sorry to digress, back to bargains.
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A Victorian hutch??! There’s zero market for it. They will be lucky if it sells for $1000.
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stopped by an estate sale and saw a lovely table for like $15,000. It looked to be in prime condition but at that price they may not sell it.
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Sounds good. We were able to find our DC a dinner table with four chairs (and extension leaf) for $12.50 when the local church thrift store lost their lease.
The hospice stores near where DC lives have the best deals. When we visit we work to go on Tuesday so we can take advantage of the extra 10% off senior day discount. We’ve found dishes, a three tier cooling rack, a smaller sized wok, etc. all in great condition, some brand new.
Love second hand shopping.
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Probably not, just what it looked like to me due to size and intricate carving.
Anything that expensive or supposed of value should be sold through an auction service or something. At least in our area those are not estate sale prices even for our ritzy neighborhoods!
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Agree, and that’s probably what will happen with anything of value that doesn’t sell.
TMI: The odd thing is that this is not a particularly “ritzy” house, it’s just jammed with items the art dealer husband of the original owner brought to a late marriage. He died before we moved next door. When she passed six years ago, the house went to her son and daughter. The son moved in but became disabled a couple of years ago, and the house became squalid as he couldn’t maintain it. He’s now in care, and the sister has come out from Ohio to clean it all out and get it ready for sale. It’s taken her two months of very hard work to get it to this point.
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These situations are so sad. But the main thing is assembling the cash to take care of the family member who needs it. Friends of mine who are former antique dealers say that persuading someone to get an appraisal when they just want everything gone is tough.
Sterling- that’s easy. For the most part, the values online are accurate so nobody is selling a service for 12 with serving pieces for $99 plus a battered box. But furniture, sculpture, the heavy stuff- the family just needs it gone as quickly as possible.
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Does second hand count coming from family?
I was so happy when my son and DIL said YES, they would like the wood kitchen/dining room table with multiple leaves and 6 chairs from my aunt and uncle, AND they took 5 shelving units/bookcases. These kids are very picky, so I was a little surprised they wanted the things (they were in great shape). They used the table fully extended this weekend, and sent my aunt a picture with all the food on it. She was so glad to see they are enjoying it.
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I don’t do many estate sales. This one seemed to be a lot of very nice and expensive pieces of wooden furniture.
I’m not a thrift store shopper. My kids on the other hand love estate sells and thrift stores. My kids also do a lot of Facebook marketplace buys and sells. Also the local two belong to a parents group that has a buy and sell board. They also use thie same group to borrow equipment when they need it.
Once decades ago, I brought in my huge old stereo equipment to a thrift shop to donate. It worked fine but was too big for our needs. While there, I found an adorable blue velvet washable dress with a white color in D’s size. It was under $5. I sunned it and washed it and D loved wearing it until sadly she outgrew it. It fit her perfectly!