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Good will-graveyard or buried treasure

AmericanDevil

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Recently I have begun to frequent the goodwill in my town and have found all sorts of great clothes, is this wrong, or should I just buy'em and keep my mouth shut about where I got them?
 

j

(stands for Jerk)
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I get a large percentage of my clothes at thrift stores. I've learned long enough by buying and drooling over good clothes what to look for, and I can spot a quality item quickly now. I've gotten things I can't fathom buying new, for example a $285 Lorenzini shirt in perfect condition for $3. I have come out of a store with at least $1500 retail worth of clothes without breaking $50. It's ridiculous and a shame what people buy and then just toss, but hey, more for me. I wear more expensive and nicer clothes than most people I know, and I spend a lot less.

Besides, who cares where you bought something? Only a shallow, insecure buffoon would think less of you for paying less than full price.
 

Mike C.

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Preception is everything. Look good and keep your mouth shut.
Its kinda cool if people think you've spent alot on your clothes, while only you know how much it really cost. Just brag to people who can appreciate good bargain hunting (Steve B.).
What did you find? Please share.
 

AmericanDevil

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Sure, ill tell you what i got. Nothing too fancy, im a pretty young guy so i can get away with bold fashion moves. I got an adidas shirt that has an early 80's urban feel to it, i like it a lot and have gotten many compliments on it. Also I bought two kacky suit jackets that ive also gotten compliments on. Ties, Ive even bought shoes there, but i dont tell anyone where i get those.
 

Timothy

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It is my opinion that thrift stores are a great place to shop for they are almost an undiscovered treasure of clothes since they carry such a stigmata about them with a large percentage of people. Only problem with them is that you have to check the clothes very, very carefully for I've found many a great shirt ruined by nasty sweat stains or other defects. Though, on the other hand I too also found some great items like tons of Burberry shirts and a polo, a Gucci polo, button down shirts by Jhane Barnes, Paul Smith, Ike Behar, Cacharel, Christian Dior, YSL,  and even ties by Versace, Armani, Hermes, and Valentino. They are also great places to find Leather jackets, french cuff shirts, cowboy shirts, and whatever other trend item you may be looking for at the time. Happy hunting.
 

PConsultant

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My older brother started going to thrift stores in high school (we didn't have a lot of money to go buying new clothes at retail stores) and he started discovering incredible clothes. As I grew older, he started giving me some of his finds and would let me accompany him on some trips. I can't even list here all the amazing stuff we've found over the past 10 years. Even though he now has a well-paying job and will buy from retailers, he still goes thrift-shopping all the time and he and his wife are the best-dressed couple I know. Because of him, I was well-dressed through high school and college and still find great things at thrift stores. In addition, I now only buy things that are total bargains (like recently making out with $240 of merchandise from J.Crew for $71 - check out their clearance sale online)
biggrin.gif
). And I don't tell most people where I find my stuff - only those people who would appreciate it and those who I encourage to go there, too.
 

VWpete

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Alright...
You guys have me jonesin to check out some thrift shops in my town.
Any rules of thrift shopping or some good tips?
Brands to watch out for outside the usual greats?
Thanks,
Pete
 

AmericanDevil

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My suggestion is first just give it a couple of tries, trust me, its really like treasure hunting, cause you can walk by the same rack 50 times and never see an article of clothing that you might love. Dont by underwear there. Thats not something youll be bragging about, and you can find cheap, unused, underwear anywhere. Once you start finding the clothes you like, then start checking out the labels. If you dont recognize the label, dont worry, it only costs a couple of bucks anyways, and most people notice the clothes before they even ask who the designer is, if they ask at all. Hope this helps.
 

Timothy

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Here are some tips for thrift shopping: First and formost realize that you will most likely not have some designer garment jump right out at you. Prepare to make the long haul and search through tons of uninteresting clothes before you may come across something that can catch you eye. If you're one who can't spend a couple of hours going through rack after rack of garments then limit your search to what you may want the most like looking through the t-shirts for that vintage t, or through the dress shirts for a high end label. Then once you build up an 'endurance' will you be able to go through the whole store quickly, plus learn how to spot items earlier and other personal tricks. The next big thing to keep in mind is to search the clothes very, very carefully over. As I said before there may be sweat stains in the arm pit area of the shirts, but even worse would be to buy an item that may have some infestation of creature like lice, fleas, or the worse moth eggs. Also look for other defects like food or other stains; rips, tears, & holes;  missing buttons; broken snaps, buttons, or zippers; shrinkage; and other careless treatment of the item like washing of a dry clean only garment. Most likely though, I have found that the better the item is brand wise the more the owner takes care of it. You will also want to make sure to try the item on, if you can, so to make sure it actually fits as it should. That's about the main points I think, everything else you should quickly pick up as you gain experience in thrift shopping like the stores where your local "rich" drop off their old clothes, or the ones to find rare and quirky jems. As a side note there are those who may be considered almost phobic in their repulsion to the idea of wearing a garment worn previously by another, to them I say don't pass up thrift stores though for you may still benefit from them too. They are a great place to find ties (it seems in my experience that hardly know one uses thrift stores to find designer ties for I find them by the armful) and suit jackets, both of which have minimal body contact with the owner. Happy hunting.
 

Jofaile

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I myself have found countless items at thrift stores. I have expensive tastes which means I usually use up most of my money on retail items, so the money I have left over (allotted for clothing) goes to Thrift store shopping. There are definitely big finds to be had. One visit I bought a $1200 Franco Fortini dark olive two-button suit that fit me perfectly (like a pair of gloves, it was amazing, and I have received a great many compliments when I wear it) for $9. On another occasion, I found a pair of Louis Raphael cuffed dress slacks for $3, as well as a $80 Donna Karen light grey spread-collar for $5. Not to mention countless other finds. Definitely a worthwhile use of your time to frequent these stores; you will soon be incredibly well dressed for very little money.
 

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