>>9201079Yeah.
Thrifting is damn near dead.
My biggest gripe is anything that looks remotely old or valuable goes straight into a case at the front of the shop at straight up ebay Ask pricing. They're not even looking at completed listings or paying any mind to condition... Just "that's what it's going for on ebay"
What's even worse is their "Vintage Shoppe" clothing sections. The pricing and condition of most of that shit is abysmal.
People often blame resellers... But resellers are the least likely to buy any of that shit.
The problem is the corporate structures that run the large chain thrift shops capable of receiving near limitless donations. These places are a business and profits and growth are their bottom line. Managers have regionals breathing down their neck, they want to see steady growth so the way they try to achieve that is hiking up the prices on anything they think they can.
Here's a few tips...
>Smaller independent thrift shops: These places can't handle the volume of a Goodwill or DAV. Their prerogative is to cycle through as much product as quickly a possible. Prices tend to be much more reasonable as a result. Big box thrifts have the real estate to hold on to higher dollar items longer until they sell.
>Look for thrifts with geriatric staff:The younger the staff...the higher the higher the prices.
There's one particular thrift I've had extremely good luck at, especially with toys. It's operated entirely by seniors.
While they do have a high dollar display case... Everything in it is Boomer tier Tonka Trucks and vintage Fisher Price. The kind of stuff they remember or recognize as being old or valuable. Anything 80s/90s is effectively new junk in their mind and they just throw it in the regular toy section. I've scored TMNT, GI Joe, Dragonball, Sailor Moon and countless other finds that would have been taxed to hell elsewhere.
