What happens when an antique dealer goes to a thrift store? Watch as I dig through thrift stores looking for treasures? Will I find anything or will it be a bust?
Forget the thrift stores like Value Village. Source out your local church thrift shops. Better prices and helpful friendly staff that volunteer their time.
Value Village is becoming more and more expensive. I think they’re now realizing that flippers are buying there and reselling higher on eBay etc. VV thinks it can get a bigger slice of the pie, but unfortunately it’s both chasing away the flippers and the people who need to shop there.
That place is expensive even considering those prices are in Canadian dollars. I recently saw a couch at my local Goodwill that was priced at $500. I asked one of the employees why it was so expensive & she said because it was brand new. I don't think they are going to sell it considering it is only $399 at one of our local furniture outlets. You can still find some amazing deals but like you said it can be a lot of work. It just makes the treasures you do find that much more special 😌 💘
I had something similar happen in my local Goodwill. I explained to them why it wasn't new, they had turned the cushions over and sprayed it with a deodorizer, which did not work at all for the kitty odor.
Here's the thing, ALL their inventory is in the form of donations under the guise of "helping the less fortunate", but they don't donate anything and they charge full price. Make no mistake, Value Village is a for profit organization with super low overhead because they prey on people's generosity.
I read that the Salvation Army Thrift Store is the only thrift store that the CEO doesn't take a salary ( just google what the CEO of Goodwill gets paid ) and I think 80 or 90% percent of profits go to charity. I noticed that prices have really gone up at Value Village.
@@rajjie100 Good to know. Goodwill doesn't help anyone as far as I have noticed. It still helps resellers make a living in certain areas of the USA but I went to the goodwill in San Mateo, California this past week and it was DEVOID of anything worth more than $1. Of course the prices were higher than in any GW I have ever been in. Those GW CEOs are greedy!!!!!!! When they see resellers making a living, they nip that in the bud, stat!
@@SECONDHANDUSA Skip Goodwill, like stated ; they mark anything of value and sell it off market. Places like Ross will stocked with brand new Merch that was just too overstocked in stores. So you can get $200 air jordans for 50$ sometimes
Yes, 12 years ago I could buy men's button down short sleeve cotton blend shirts for $3. Now the same shirts are $12. Crazy. Sadly goodwill isn't goodwill anymore.
Value Village is an effin' RIP-OFF! I recall seeing old t-shirts sold for almost $10. Back when SEARS was going out of business, it was literally cheaper to buy new clothes at SEARS.
Very interesting to read viewer comments. Alex, you gave really good tips while shopping today. Salvation pulled their store from my town. I knew a lady who attended their church and volunteered sorting donations. She was not embarresed to say that volunteers got to pick the best by volunteering. Also, there was a manager who hired only family and friends. She routinely kept things back for other friends, family, and favored family. Goodwill was always higher, but raised their prices once Salvation Army store was closed. But there were some really good managers at both stores at times, which made a big difference. Your videos are always fun and informative. Thank you!
The snow is beautiful. I am leaving Florida in February and heading to the Pacific Northwest to the mountains to live in my van. Can’t wait to get back to the mountains again. I am 66 and starting my new journey in life.
I just picked up a Coach purse (for myself) for $4.99 at Goodwill. I started frequenting thrift stores when I first became unemployed in 2012. I kept going even after I found another job and didn't "need" to any more. Now I just can't bear to pay full retail price, especially for clothing.
Absolutely nothing wrong with thrift store shopping for even the wealthiest among us. As many have mentioned it reduces waste, but many thrift stores also provide jobs to the special needs community and folks getting back on their feet, the non-profit stores directly support the community from their revenue too, so shop away!
Same with me. I have shopped at thrift store since college when I needed sweaters for winter. Now my husband and I work full time but I for to save money and for the thrill of the hunt.
@@matthewthiesen6098 Walmart doesn't own VV. Savers does. It's a false rumor saying it's owed by Walmart. However it is still a multibillion dollar corporation.
Tbh the bag thing is annoying because they put weird stuff together or something great with trashy items and you are forced to buy it all. It takes time looking through all the bags too... but it does look nice!
So true about the thrift store comment about "actual people". Years ago I had to volunteer at a local thrift store to help pay for a trip (a church member paid for portion of our trip if we volunteered). Anywho, we were each paired with a sorter in the back of the building. The lady I had would sit in the middle of a massive pile and she sorted things into 4 piles 1. Things to keep for herself 2. Things to put out on the floor/sell 3. Junk 4. Rags for to bale (they bale rags to sell to other countries). We volunteered for two days and we all were able to go home with our "keep pile". I had brand new toys and brand new clothes. And yes, some thrift stores do have brand new clothing items. I remember taking home these dresses that were $100, and the kicker was that they were actually trying to sell them for $100! Apparently, clothing stores give them out of season and unsold clearance items. The store employees usually have first say, and some things never make it to the floor.
It’s crazy how expensive big name thrift stores have gotten. It gets my feathers ruffled a bit sometimes. I prefer little locally owned and ran second hand stores.
I bought a book for a quarter once called "I Was Pagan" by V.C. Kitchen. Turns out Kitchen was a founding member AA. I sold the book awhile later for $75 (US).
You know what I like best about you Alex? You are a fair and honest man, who’s not interested in “ripping anyone off” when you purchase directly from them 😊 Happy Holidays from Vancouver Island 🎄😊
I’m so excited and happy for your channel! You helped me look closer to things that I get at thrift stores! I’m an avid lover of vintage aesthetics (dress, glamour, and of course the everyday living items!) I cant wait to shop at my consignment shops and goodwill! Thank you!
Hi! My first time watching your channel and I felt like I learned a lot from you. I appreciate knowing the thoughts that go through your mind when you look at things that you're considering buying. Especially when you don't buy them. Keep the good shows coming!
Dont get me wrong, I love your longer vids, but I'm really enjoying the shorter ones you've been posting lately. Its often easier for me to watch them while I take a quick break. Thank you for all the explaining you do! Idk how you keep track of all the info you have but these little nuggets of wisdom is really helpful!
Goodwill here prices Walmart brand children’s clothing at almost what one might buy it for new during a Walmart sale. In my mind it is better to just buy new !
A lot of Goodwill stores keep most of their good stuff back and sell it at auction on their website. You don't even get to see it in the store. Certainly no Legos.
A lot of thrift stores dispose of anything old. They either auction it, in lots or bins or toss it out. I used to buy paintings in wire cages turn of the century mixed with 70s and 80s lots of 50 go for $15 now I have started selling vintage clothes I get in bags from the dumpsters. When donations are high they will toss donations unopened. I get a lot of old school Levi's and hats and dresses
@@kathleenmichelet6585 They must be tossing a lot at my neighborhood Goodwill because the car lines for donations have been incredibly long on a daily basis. Everyone's been using the pandemic lockdowns to clean house. Goodwill can barely keep up with just the car unloads alone. I can't imagine they'd have enough shelf space to stock it all.
Very nice and interesting video Alex. I thought it would not be that interesting - AND IT WAS! Thanks for taking us along - you put such hard work into your videos - and it shows!!! Love your Vlog...
OMG! What a shop.... oooh those crafting stamps! I have never seen such an organised thrift shop. Thanks for the fun video Alex. I was right there with you enjoying it all 💫 oh, and the buttons. I’m a junk journal maker so that is what I would have bought too. Maybe one day I will come and visit your shop if I ever get to beautiful Canada 🇿🇦🇨🇦 I hope you and your family are well
Holy Moly, your thrift stores are huge. Just bought a set of air tight storage containers for the kitchen at my Goodwill. I usually search sheets,and curtains for the cloth..to sew with. I made a nice dress from a pair of Laura Ashley curtains.The fabric is lovely.
I Saved up to buy a 180 dollar 6 ft. xmas tree at Canadian Tire but first I thought I would go to value village for a curtain rod and low and behold I found a newer 7 half foot Xmas tree for 40 bucks then caught a wicked sale on lights, it all cost 80 bucks so I had a great day!! :)
My family is large, and most of us are lucky to have everything we could want. So a few years ago, we started doing a gift exchange, that was either a White Elephant, or maybe an unusual antique that is silly and cheap. We have a game we play with the gifts, and you never know what you are going to go home with. It's fun, and creative, and it gives me an excuse to check out the thrift stores a bit all year round looking for the perfect thing. I end up getting quite a few things that are very good, for myself, just by being there at the right moment. You can start out, or start over, and outfit an entire household for very cheap at Goodwill. And then just trade up pieces as you find better ones. It's fun going to one in a nicer neighborhood, and finding really cool decorating trends that are just old enough to get donated as people remodel their homes. I love finding the things I couldn't afford at the mall, at the time it was trendy. But then, things don't get seen again until the Estate sales drop them off. It's been fun to learn what things stay in style and become classics, and looking for those. Another thing I do, is pack up all my decor, and go buy everything at Goodwill in one color or material. When the kids were small, I put everything breakable away, and replaced it with brass decor. Another time, I got everything in white. Lately, I have only put out natural materials, zero plastic. Although I do like old melamine things. I have four boxes of decor that is seasonal. One for each season. And everything rotates, so you don't get tired of dusting it. It's a great way to try a certain look without breaking the bank, and if it doesn't work out, it just goes back to Goodwill for someone else.
A guy in the states recently bought a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Special from Goodwill, it was on their online auctions and I am sure he paid what it's actually worth but just being able to say you bought a 50s Les Paul from Goodwill is priceless. He has a RU-vid channel and videos about it.
Just catching up with your vlog, new subscriber and I love it. I also thinks it’s great the way your charity shops bag up stationery and tiny toys. Fabulous.
Alex, The problem today is that with a cell phone you can quickly identify the better stuff and cull it out. Thrift stores are bargain stores for the home buyer but resale treasures are few. Taco Stacks finds sport team shirts etc. and sometimes golf clubs for a few dollars that sell for fifty to a hundred dollars... not much for a professionals like yourself. You've found the best way to discover real treasures,though I wonder if home content auctions are productive. The days of finding junk stores with home clean-outs are long gone....blast you internet😒😒Cheers, Rik Spector
No long gone where I live. Our small town has two privately owned stores that sell everything from household to shop tools to antiques. Their prices lower than the Salvation Arm Store so they have zeroed in on mostly clothing and do such a good job of display that it’s like shopping in a regular retailer!!!
@@viviannefraser5974 It's good that some towns like yours have that alternative to those nationwide stores. They obviously have the support of your community. I wish them success! Cheers, Rik Spector
Coming from a UK perspective, I've always assumed "Thrift Store = Charity shop" but that's not necessarily the case, is it? Charity shops take in donations and raise money for their specific good cause - there's the big chains like Oxfam but then there's the local Hospice shop next door. So when you see the charity wising up on the good deals, sending the good stuff to auction to maximise their profits, there's a sense of "Well, good on them making the most of the donations!" But a quick google shows that Value Village is a for-profit, commercial business. What is the motivation to give them donations? Just that it's better stuff gets re-used than ends up in landfill?
I work at a Savers(same as Value Village) and they are a for-profit but each location works with a non-profit in the area. We weigh up the donations we get in and pay the non-profit so the donations do go back into the community.
They started out as being for charity (Diabetes Foundation) but turned for profit about a decade ago I think. By then we all knew where the donation bins were conveniently located. For most of us the motivation is to get rid of things that are still perfectly useable but we're tired of them and don't want to feel guilty about chucking it. Because not over consuming is un-North American.
As it shows at the beginning, the donator gets a 20% discount for the donation. VV is taxed because it is for profit. It males me mad to pay tax on something that was already taxed. I often go to Renaissance in Quebec, which is a non-profit. There is no tax on purchases.
Herein lies the issue with Canadian 'antiques' in general. What most Canadians consider as antiques are actually just Canadiana collectables and vintage items. It pales in comparison to the European market. The amount of _true_ antiques in Canada, especially Alberta, are few and far between.
A lot of thrift shops are raising their prices,which defeats the whole point of them. I did once get an old,very sturdy suitcase from a Goodwill in Dallas for only $1.99! The newer type,which weren’t as sturdy,more lightweight were $20 and over.
@@CuriosityIncorporated hi if u happen to find a Lucy clay slicer at one of Those shops or else pasta machine or silicone mold cutters ect plz email at my name with 0522 at gmail
I like to look for things most people have no idea the value, at Goodwill I recently found a 1970's hand held 5watt CB radio for $7.70 US with a value over $100, of course as a collector I'm not selling till I'm closer to my end, or beginning if you like.
Alex! Thanks for the Thrift Store show! I have gotten or at least seen some wonderful things. I know they are Vintage because I played with them, and I’m vintage👵🏻. Sometimes a store makes the mistake of “fair pricing” causes them to have things taking up space. Better to move merchandise quickly so more can be put out and go. It feels almost greedy when the items are given. I understand that overhead of store and employees must be paid and money put aside for future.
Love your channel, thanks for such amazing content! Quite a few of us resellers make a full time living flipping items from thrift stores and yardsales ( and sharing our adventures on RU-vid!) 😁 but its work for sure
I once worked as a thrift store pricer, we absolutely did not look anything up. We had set times that new items were taken to the floor and the dealers would be checking out the stuff as we were placing them on the shelves. We literally priced things based on our own opinions of what the items were worth. Also there was a quota ... we had to stock X amount of total value so sometimes things were overpriced to meet the quota.
I miss thrifting ( or Charity shopping) as we call it in the UK. Our local ones have been shut all year so I've taken to eBay and Vinted now for clothes/toys. Doesn't have the same thrill of finding a bargain though!
These shops are so clean and organized! The only Goodwill I ever went into was a jumble, stuff scattered all over the shelves, and everything that was not hanging on a rack was sorted by color. So if you wanted to look at lamps for example, you had to wander the whole mess, stepping over things all over the aisles. It was a huge turn off for thrifting.
$1000 for a toy car? Maybe I should go through our collection of Hot Wheels! I find it hit or miss on the thrift stores. I'm not looking to buy and then resell, I'm usually looking for bargains. The stores themselves seem to be raising their prices. You can usually find things on clearance for the same or lower prices. Thanks for sharing! I really love watching your family and your videos! Take care!
I have worked/volunteered in many charity shops over the years and been a regular buyer from them since a child. Since the spread of the internet,bargains are harder to find as people can more easily learn about items. Having said that I still find things to resell with decent profit margins BUT alot less than in the '80's and '90's. A few years back I got a collection of books from the 1950's mostly science fiction and a second editon Guiness book of records for about £25,(from a charity bookshop) and the least valuable item was worth around £12, the best one sold for £100 or so. About ten minutes work to gather together and then six months to find buyers for all of them.- It can be done, but it takes alot of visits and alot of stores and a healthy dose of luck to make it.
Stamps.....those are a lot of money when you have to buy them from the craftstore or Amazon....omg I would go crazy in that section. I do a lot of crafts. I loved that catface bowl too.
I agree with you, Alex. Around my neck of the woods (southern California), all the "good stuff" is taken by antique dealers, etc so there's basically nothing of real value. I watch The Crazy Lamp Lady and she finds some "good stuff" at thrift stores, but it seems like the antique malls are a good source for her.
I’m a small time antiques dealer, and I’ve found some incredible things in thrift shops over the years. Hudson Bay blankets for $5, mid 19th century yixing teapots for $4, and a late 18th century faience stein for $6, griswold pans for $10, etc
We try to hit every VV when we come to Edmonton, Sherwood Park, St.Albert and Spruce Grove. It is crazy how the prices vary from place to place. I found a Sherrman necklace and earrings when we were in the city last month for $300, which i didn't buy. As far as the picking out of bags, I will buy the bag, pick out what I want and donate the rest to get a 20% coupon!
I've seen far too many back door deals at almost all thrift stores dating back more than twenty yrs. Far too many greedy people and if you don't believe me check into what happened to Goodwill in Ontario. How about all those truck loads of Salvation Army X-Mass toys that went missing??? Executives are not making enough money??? Rather too many grinches.
I Do so enjoy watching these thrift store adventures. Always welcome. Ps.....sorry to have to see your breath (for u : ) We were about 72 degrees today near St. LOUIS.
I always check the collectables and dish-ware isles first. I once found a Lampe Berger there for $8 and when I checked later found that it was a limited edition that sold originally for around $250 😁👍
Alex!! I am so jealous that y'all have snow!! Down here in Tennessee I was running the a/c today! I wasn't very happy about that. It was 84° in my house! I am ready for snow ❄️
Wow! I cant believe I didn't this channel earlier. You do awesome work, would love to get to your level one day. thanks for putting this video together, learned a lot. I just started my youtube might just take some pointers from your videos.
Between the thrift store employees picking out the good stuff and resellers going over the inventory, it is hard to find good deals at the thrift stores any more. Often the prices are near full retail prices. That said, I enjoyed your outing to the thrift stores, great change of pace.
I used to buy a lot at Village and thrift stores. I seldom go now because they are too pricey. I just wait a bit longer and save to buy new. Garage sales can be a good source . I enjoyed this it was an interesting take on what you look for. Keep Safe ❤ Keep Well❤
If it weren't for craft items I wouldn't go to goodwill any more. They have taken the fun out of shopping by taking 95% of the surprises you used to find and putting them on the online auctions. And over pricing the new items. With covid ravaging thru our country there are no flea markets and few garage sales - makes it tough for any one looking for resale items. :-/ I and am sure many others will be over joyed when we can look for treasures again! Thanks for sharing your explores. Helps those of us having withdrawal symptoms :-). Good luck hunting!
I knew someone who wanted to buy a horsehair couch at goodwill for several hundred to donate to the local museum. She was told by an employee that even though the couch was on the floor it was on ebay auction for another day and she should get online and bid on it... she came back in a couple days and was able to buy it. But still, pretty sketchy that it was both for sale in the store and on ebay, and that an item in goodwill was posted on ebay. Very strange
Goodwill runs it’s own auction site for local chapters to sell on, and some local chapters put items on eBay. Usually, these items aren’t on the floor, but since it was large they may have had no choice. Thrift stores have never been about selling things cheap, they’re about selling used/donated things to raise money for a charity’s main purpose.
We have Savers, here in the states. My wife collects dolls. She picked one up. Still in the origional box for $14. It has a serial number on it and we called the manufacturer to find out about it. The lady she talked to was upset. My wife would not sell it to her for $500, when, she only paid $14 for it. My wife collects them. She didn't want to sell it. She just wanted information about it.
Warm in Maryland today neighbors were cutting grass and we washed vehicles. Those stores are cool the goodwill by us isn't that clean nor organized at all
I buy to resell from thrift stores so really enjoyed seeing you in a thrift store. There are still bargains to be found but a lot of the pricing had gotten crazy. Hi from Oshawa Ontario.🇨🇦
I used to go to Goodwill and other thrift shops. I buy stuff so cheap and sell on Ebay and make a big profit. Then the last few years or so, these thrift stores caught on and started sellig on their own auction website. I then discovered a way around this..... well it worked for a while. I started going to local estate auctions. I bought a box one time that had 9 old framed pictures. Nobody wanted the box and the auctioneer asked if I buy it for $1. I said why not. I did not go through that box till about a month later and when I did I found something unique on the bottom of the box. It was an original framed Walt Disney 3 sheet ceeluloid painting from the movie Lady and The Tramp. I put that on Ebay and bids went so high I couldnt believe it. I sold it for $3,000 to someone that was once an artist for Walt Disney!
Alex great score from that ladies house. Nice looking typewriter. Yeah thrift stores in CA and USA are catching on to the flippers and resellers who are flocking to their stores to source. Especially in the larger urban areas where you have a bit more competition for things.
Snow oh no, no snow here in Ontario yet TG! I agree with other commenters that these second hand stores are overpricing the donated goods they put out :(. But us resellers have to be more choosy but there are still the odd bargains to find to make $ off of. The guy who runs our local Sally Ann store told my husband he could make an offer on the higher priced items. So last week i seen what i thought was a nice set of 50's style Franklin Mint diecast dinky cars with the shelf the store wanted $150 I offered the guy $100 he said $120 I told him no $100 is all i could do, he took the $100. Sadly there were 5 cars from the set of 20 that were no good but I still sold the shelf with 10 cars for $215 . So I still have 5 cars to sell for around $80 hopefully. At Value Village I found a 1976 Titanic game complete it's going for $80-$117 on Ebay I paid $5.50 for it on a Tuesday. So just keep searching :)
We furnished three houses from thrift, junk sales,private sales ect. Nice stuff. Very unique decor, lots of compliments. Prices have gone way up most places. Good ol days are over.
I love how the entire family is involved. Everyone smiles and looks so warm (no pun intended)... The thrif stores, pawn shops and antique dealers here in California, U.S.A are ALL rude as hell! They treat you like a dirty commoner offering fake gold trinkets for a bag of silver pieces or something like that out of a midevil movie scene.
Yep. I have been cleaning out closets, etc. I started selling lots on FB Market place, eBay, Nextdoor, just to get rid of it. I've turned some clothing items in to hot pads, cookie sheet hot pads and floormats.
I do like finding things in thrift stores but it is rare to find the valuable gem. It's interesting how they separate things at this store you were at.
Once I click on your videos, 2 hours later I'm still watching videos on your channel haha I actually found it when you had uploaded the second episode of the potters house :) I remember a couple of months back, maybe one year ago you found a storage space full of cards and figurines? Was there a lot of pokemon stuff in there? (the pokeball in my picture suggests I'm a pokemon collector/youtuber. And again, I absolutely love the videos. Best regards from Belgium, stay safe.
nice finds at lady's house. I saw similar framed photo today but the one they had in GW was a bad reprint from an original 1934 Golf team Augusta National. I didn't buy it because the reprint was very bad. Thanks for the video
I love Value Village! There aren't any around here anymore. They are so much better than Goodwill! Goodwill gets stuff free and then tries to sell it full retail. St Vincent DePaul has good prices too! What is your favorite thrift store?
