50 People Who Found The Best Things In Thrift Stores, Flea Markets And Garage Sales (New Pics)

To find out more about the art of thrift hunting, we reached out to Sean Fowlow, a professional thrifter from Atlantic Canada and the creator of the “Ridiculous Thrifter” Instagram account. We previously wrote about his entertaining page that features “the wonderful, bizarre and insanely overpriced items” found at secondhand points from Facebook marketplace to secondhand stores and charity shops. You can check out the article right here.

Sean told Bored Panda that making money from thrifting isn’t easy. “It requires a good knowledge of what will sell versus what won’t. There’s no consistency or predictability to thrifting… each time you visit a store it’s completely different.”

For this reason, Sean argues, having a broad knowledge of every item category will make you more successful. “A beginner thrifter will usually concentrate on just one or two categories of items, say toys and video games… usually only finding a couple items a week. But an experienced thrifter can find items in just about every area of the store to re-sell (clothes, dishes, knick-knacks, books, etc.) A dedicated thrifter will always be researching Ebay, Amazon and Facebook Marketplace in their spare time to see what is valuable and what is selling.”

If you want to be successful, you gotta take your thrifting skills to a whole new level and that means “following the trends, minimizing risks by not wasting money and time, knowing the profit margins,” Sean said and added that thrift stores are catching on and are pricing items high nowadays. “They are researching Ebay too!” the professional thrift hunter warned.

According to the creator of “Ridiculous Thrifter,” besides a broad knowledge of items, consistency is probably a thrifter's most valuable tool. “Visit the same thrift store often… 4-5 times a week if you have time. Learn their trends: when they put out new items, when their sale days are & what coupons or promos are available.”

Moreover, being kind to the staff and becoming friends with them is also a huge asset, Sean explained. “Knowing the staff working there and always being kind, friendly and courteous to them is a huge asset to the thrifter. You always want them glad to see you, smiling and talking with you. Believe it or not, if a staff member really likes you, they sometimes give you inside tips on what items are out in the back being processed and when they will be for sale on the floor.”

Sean added that he sees many regular thrifters who the staff do not like because they are troublesome, sometimes rude, argumentative and impatient. “So… always be kind and warm, even if you don’t feel like it!”

When preparing yourself for going on a thrift shopping spree, Sean’s advice is “to be prepared to spend a long time at the thrift stores… it is a grind!” And that’s besides having a good overall knowledge of what will make you money. “Set aside the entire day if you can, bringing a backpack with water and snacks. Go early… be there when they first open. Sometimes there’s a lineup outside full of people doing the exact same thing as you. There is a lot of competition nowadays as the popularity of thrifting has increased immensely,” he explained.

Moreover, “if you are looking for specific items, such as electronics or video games… bring along an assortment of chargers, batteries and cables so you can test the items in the store. Many thrift stores are final sale, so doing everything you possibly can to not waste money & time is so important,” Sean suggested.

Having said that, Sean’s final tip is “to be prepared to not find anything and don’t let that surprise you or upset you! After all… it’s a 'hunt.' So make it fun and enjoyable no matter what the outcome!”