My Favorite Online Thrifting Tip
Thrift shopping has become one of my all-time favorite things to do in my free time (I would say that over half my closet is made up of items I have thrifted). I love the mystery of it - you never know what you might find. It’s like a treasure hunt, and although sometimes you just stumble upon the treasure, it is a lot easier to find great things if you know where to look. From all of the time I’ve spent thrift shopping, I’ve learned some great tricks that can help you whether you’re just browsing or if you’re searching for a specific piece. This particular tip may not be the most complicated, but sometimes just knowing a few basic things about thrifting can make all the difference.
Believe it or not, both the white jeans and the blue & white Tuckernuck Marguerite blouse were items I found while second-hand shopping online. The jeans are originally from Loft, and are the high waist, flare crop style. I found them on Poshmark, new with tags, for only $20. They originally retailed for $79.50 and are a current style. The Tuckernuck blouse was an incredible find, which brings me my best tip for thrifting - know all of the places you can look.
Knowing all of the potential places to search while thrifting is important, as it allows you to cover all of the bases while searching for an item. Sometimes, you may not be successful when you look at local thrift shops and consignment stores. However, with all of the online second-hand shopping sites available, you can broaden your search and strengthen the odds of finding something great.
Some of my favorite places to shop second-hand online are Poshmark, Thred-Up, eBay, and The Real Real. However, my secret gems are the online stores of Style Encore and Clothes Mentor. These stores are consignment shops, meaning they buy items from customers, then sell these items in their stores. Since consignment shops purchase the items they sell, they are often more selective when deciding what items to add to their inventory. They must buy pieces they believe are trendy and will sell well in their stores. Because of this, you are more likely to find newer items in better condition at consignment stores than you are at traditional thrift stores.
A lot of people do not realize that these consignment shops also have online shops that allow you to search the online inventory of local and national stores. The key to finding great items is searching a larger inventory, and with this feature on the Style Encore and Clothes Mentor websites, you can hunt for items from stores nationwide. This feature makes the possibility of finding exactly what you’re looking for even greater. Simply search any of the above stores and go to the main website, then head over to the search tab, where you can search for the brand, type, or style of item you are looking for, and it will bring you to a display of items matching your search from stores across the country.
You can also start with a broader search, then narrow it down by size, color, location, or brand. On the Style Encore website, you can even narrow it down further by price. These stores often put their best items online, so, already, you are narrowing down your search to include only the best pieces of clothing.
This tip is how I found the Tuckernuck blouse, which I ordered from a Clothes Mentor store in South Carolina. When you order from Clothes Mentor, there is a $7.99 flat rate shipping fee for orders under $100. I purchased this top for $9, and with the shipping fee, it came to only $16.99 for a top that normally retails for $128. I’d say that is a pretty incredible buy! I would highly recommend giving this trick a shot - you never know what you may find!
