#1 $200 Was Too High For Me But My Mom Insisted On Buying This Adorable Cabinet For My Daughter's Disney-Themed Bedroom
#2 Had To Convince Myself That Buying This Bear Was Worth It. Realized It Was A “Build A Bear” Store Display. Painted It Like A Washed Up Build A Bear
#3 Found A Signed Gabriel Iglesias Action Figure At Goodwill And He Confirmed It Was His Signature On Twitter
Part of the fun of going thrift shopping is that you never know exactly what you’ll come across. It’s often a mistake to go in search of one specific item, unless you have hours to kill and various stores to visit, because you might end up going home disappointed. But when you allow the spirit of Goodwill, Humana or Oxfam to guide you through the store, you might stumble upon some amazing gems. Almost all of my wardrobe came from secondhand shops, and because I’m such an avid thrifter, I find a trip to a retail store to be incredibly boring. Of course they have my size, they have everyone’s size! And there’s no need to sift through piles or racks upon racks. Everything is perfectly laid out for you already, and to be honest, there’s no thrill involved.
Thrifting, on the other hand, is so much more exciting. And nobody knows that better than the members of the Thrift Store Hauls subreddit. This group, which has been around since August 2011, has amassed an impressive 2.6 million members. They share anything and everything they find, from amazing deals on fabulous items to creepy clowns that will haunt their dreams. And as you can see, today we’re highlighting the most unsettling corner of the subreddit.
#6 This Old Lady Was Selling Her Painted Baby Dolls At The Flea Market And Nobody Had Bought Any, It Was $20 But I Couldn’t Find It In Me To Haggle Her Down. She Told Me She Made The Suit By Hand. My New Fav Office Decoration!
I cannot tell you how many trips I’ve made to thrift stores in my lifetime; I honestly couldn’t even begin to guess how many there have been. But as much as I love a great Goodwill, I will admit that there are always questionable items. About 95% of the store is full of things I would never ever purchase for myself, but that 5% of decent, and 1% of amazing, items makes the whole trip worth it. Plus, coming across these outlandish and frightening items makes the trip more entertaining as well. You don’t have to ever buy them, unless you need a gag gift or a great Halloween costume, but it’s still fun to see what you might discover!
Thrifting is exhilarating, but if you need some inspiration for why you should hop on the secondhand train yourself, we reached out to thrifting expert Hannah Rupp, aka The Outfit Repeater, to hear why “life is sweeter as an outfit repeater”. On her site, Hannah shares style tips, thrift finds, DIY projects and more, and lucky for us, she was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda about how she first got into secondhand shopping.
“I've been thrifting my entire life,” Hannah shared. “My mom would take my older siblings and me shopping at thrift stores when we were kids. I loved seeing the variety of stuff - I think that's what I still love about it!” As this list goes to show, there’s definitely no lack of variety in these stores!
#11 That Time I Found Two Winnie The Pooh Costumes. One Fit Me And The Other Was A Dog Costume That Fit Betty, Our Boston Terrier
#12 Found At Goodwill, Couldn't Pass Him Up For Our Home Theater. We Call Him Fes!
As a thrifting aficionado, Hannah has certainly come across some interesting items in her time, so we were curious if she remembered any particularly bizarre finds. “One item that stands out was a Ziploc bag of kids' toys,” she told Bored Panda. “I noticed a toy inside that I was interested in, and I opened the bag to get it and realized the entire bag was soaked in condensation. Rather than forget the item, I reached inside and grabbed it. I used hand sanitizer immediately following the interaction.” Yeah, I think that would give any shopper nightmares…
As great as shopping secondhand is, even thrifting enthusiasts don’t buy everything gently used, so we asked Hannah if there’s anything she tries to avoid buying secondhand. “In my opinion, buying secondhand electronics or gadgets is a very risky gamble,” she noted. “Aside from possibly being old and unusable, it could be a fire hazard. Most thrift stores don't test their items beforehand, so you're taking a big chance on buying them!”
If you’re interested in diving into the world of thrifting yourself, but you’re (understandably) a bit frightened by the photos on this list, Hannah recommends to “pick a store and just focus on one section and really take your time examining everything.” And always make sure to check the item for any damage or imperfections before buying it, Hannah warns. "Thrift shopping gets easier with practice, so just keep going, exploring, and enjoy the experience!”
If you’d like to gain more tips for your next secondhand shopping journey or hear more wise words from Hannah, be sure to check out her site The Outfit Repeater right here!
