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thrift store finds 3 5d10bce936053  700 e1564039414612.jpg?resize=1200,630 - 40 (Almost) Successful Treasure Hunting In Thrift Stores, Flea Markets And Garage Sales

40 (Almost) Successful Treasure Hunting In Thrift Stores, Flea Markets And Garage Sales

 Walking into a thrift store is always adventurous and exciting as you have no idea what you are going to find. For some poeple it may look like a junk, but as they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. When you’re just about to give up, there is that treasure right around the corner. The truly weird and wonderful object you were looking for!

The Facebook group  ‘Weird Secondhand Finds That Just Need To Be Shared’  is a goldmine of oddities and curios. Check out these bizzare items and get ready to head down to your local thrift store.

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#1

My Best Thrifted Find. I Especially Loved The Previous Owners Little Message, As It’s Now Used As An Art Studio In A Box

My Best Thrifted Find. I Especially Loved The Previous Owners Little Message, As It’s Now Used As An Art Studio In A Box

Melissa Charpentier Report

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We know that thrifting is great fun and can be really interesting too, but what are the wider benefits of shopping second hand? With thanks to Unwrinkling, let’s explore some more positive aspects of heading to your local thrift store!

Environmental impact: Re-wearing clothes reduces waste and pollution. Every garment purchased second-hand means one less new one produced, which is important because regardless of material, the production of clothing is costly to the environment. Producing synthetic fibers like polyester requires lots of energy, as well as crude oil like petroleum; byproducts include toxic gases and chemicals. Sadly, pesticides used on most plants mean that even cotton and linen garments have a negative impact. Transportation-related pollution also decreases when clothing is re-used, as new clothes are much more likely to travel long distances before being sold than are their second-hand counterparts.

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#2

Was In A Thrift Store With My Partner When I Saw This Painting

Was In A Thrift Store With My Partner When I Saw This Painting

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Thought it was just abstract, until closer inspection, when we saw the “About the artist” paper taped to the painting – it was painted by a snapping turtle named marshmallow! I knew at that moment I needed to take it home with me.

Erin Anne Report

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#3

Found This At A Goodwill Today. Too Good

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Found This At A Goodwill Today. Too Good

Jonny N Emerick Report

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Social impact: Thrift stores make it easier to know where your money is going. To track the money you handed over for that brand-new Old Navy polo, you would need to trace the brand back to the corporation behind it, the assembly factories used by the corporation, their textile providers, and those textile providers’ raw materials suppliers—at a bare minimum.

In evaluating all these steps (and the many others involved in the production chain), there are numerous considerations to keep in mind: Was your farmer using environmentally responsible methods? Was your seamstress of legal working age, paid a fair wage to work in a safe factory? Is the corporation behind it the kind you want to support, or one whose views you wouldn’t like to see perpetuated?

In short, it can be a bit of a nightmare to track the impact of your seemingly trivial purchase. However, with most thrift stores, this burden is greatly reduced. For better or worse, the original purchaser’s money has already supported the whole chain of production that led to your second-hand Old Navy polo. Since most thrift stores in Europe, North America, and Australia rely heavily (if not exclusively) on donated clothing, this means you only have to question one link in the whole chain—the store right in front of you.

Many thrift stores also directly support charity. It’s no coincidence that in the UK and Ireland, the term “thrift store” doesn’t even exist—they call them “charity shops” instead. In America, the best-known thrift stores are Goodwill and The Salvation Army, organizations which provide services to the unemployed, homeless, and disabled. In Europe, NGOs like Oxfam commonly use thrift stores to raise funds for humanitarian aid. By shopping at these kinds of establishments, your clothing purchase can go from supporting Third World child labor to supporting Third World children’s’ education.

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#4

Found This Jar To Put Your Coffee Grounds In. Love It. Bought It. Has A Fake Little Electrical Cord Too

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Found This Jar To Put Your Coffee Grounds In. Love It. Bought It. Has A Fake Little Electrical Cord Too

Mary Ruggeri Report

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#5

My Husbands New Coffee Cup!

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My Husbands New Coffee Cup!

WeirdSecondhandFinds Report

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#6

Thought I Saw Massive Vertebrae As I Was Driving Home Today

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Thought I Saw Massive Vertebrae As I Was Driving Home Today

 
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Whipped around after about half a mile of “I need to know” repeating in my brain; my husband was mildly annoyed when I told him what I had seen, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to rest.

Guess what.

ETA: They’re massive vertebrae. Husband wouldn’t let me put garbage bones in the car with our babies, because he’s a square.

Edit two: I have texted him to hurry home so I can get them. He is not thrilled, but I am so happy to see that I’m not the only one who thinks this is the coolest stuff ever.

Edit three: kids are loaded into the car, keep your fingers crossed that the remains remain!

Edit four, the final edit (?): It took some driving and some bonus tablet time for my 3yo, but your girl got not only the bones, but a full on spine section!!! My only regret was not having a small enough flat head on hand to remove the plaque, and the box, which was large and on castors, was dry rotted and full of spiders (I like spiders, but this was too many to put in my car).

Edit five: Who is finding us “Trash Bones” members only jackets?

Edit six: Husband has seen the light and majesty in the bones, and is even excited about how much fun the kids are going to have! He’s a keeper.

Edit seven: Couldn’t walk by my Bonehenge without hastily stacking it up after grabbing the mail. Photo attached!

Edit eight: I was told to make a hashtag, so…

Edit nine: Can’t stop thinking about the plaque. Gonna drive by and see if it’s still there.

Edit ten: I GOT THE PLAQUE!!!!!

Amanda Stewart Report

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Personal impact: Thrifted clothing offers more room for uniqueness. While it’s not the end of the world to see some other guy sporting the same sweater as you, most of us would choose to avoid such incidents, if possible. Since thrifted clothing infrequently comes in multiples, you’re much less likely to bump into someone wearing the exact same thing. In addition, there’s bound to be lots of clothes that were produced decades ago, or on the other side of the country, or in some other circumstance that makes them different than what the average shopper is buying off the sale rack at the mall.

Thrift shopping allows for more creativity. Thrift stores are notorious for the wacky and bizarre items they often contain. (Remember Macklemore’s footed Batman jammies?) While these items can be downright eyesores, many just need a person with vision to re-interpret them in a contemporary way. For some, this may mean simply adding the right accessories; others may completely reconstruct their garment with shears and a trusty Singer. Either way, thrifting can allow one to do more than mindlessly mimic what one sees on the display-window mannequin, by providing more varied and interesting materials as inspiration.

Sources: Unwrinkling, The Ecologist

#7

I Found An Entire Bag Of Babies At A Local Thrift Store

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I Found An Entire Bag Of Babies At A Local Thrift Store

 
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Of course I bought them and put them in a bowl. I didn’t know what to do with them, but they became my bird’s favourite toy (he would toss them out of the bowl with glee).

Jen D Popein Report

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#8

Found And Purchased… Framed And Hung In Our Restaurant

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Found And Purchased... Framed And Hung In Our Restaurant

Billy Scrape Report

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#9

Found Him At A Booth At A Local Peddler’s Mall For $15! Had To Get It

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Found Him At A Booth At A Local Peddler

Jarell Gant Report

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#10

My Tissue Box On My Wall At Work

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My Tissue Box On My Wall At Work

WeirdSecondhandFinds Report

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#11

This Awesome (Albeit Plastic) Medusa Crown (Headband)! Found In Roanoke, Va!

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This Awesome (Albeit Plastic) Medusa Crown (Headband)! Found In Roanoke, Va!

Bee Ford Report

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#12

Pac Man Suit

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Pac Man Suit

Megan Prater-Sanders Report

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#13

I Found Thing At Hartville Flea Market For $4. Of Course, He’s Now Mine

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I Found Thing At Hartville Flea Market For . Of Course, He’s Now Mine

Jennifer Ruof Report

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#14

Best Find Ever, A Certified Authentic Autographed Jesus Picture

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Best Find Ever, A Certified Authentic Autographed Jesus Picture

Mike Rosko Report

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#15

On My Way To Work, I Saw This Outside On Someone’s Lawn With A Free Sign On It

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On My Way To Work, I Saw This Outside On Someone’s Lawn With A Free Sign On It

 
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I knew that if I waited until after I got done with work, it would be gone. So I pulled over, folded down the seats, and maneuvered it into my xterra. It was not easy going, and my rear visibility while driving sucked. And I still managed to make it to work on time.

Neringa Marija Perminas Atkinson Report

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#16

Saw This Coffee Cup At A Local Flea Market And Was Prepared To Pay Whatever It Cost Since It Looks Exactly Like My Husband

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Saw This Coffee Cup At A Local Flea Market And Was Prepared To Pay Whatever It Cost Since It Looks Exactly Like My Husband

 
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I put a cactus in his head cause he can be a real prick. Septum piercing added due to public outcry

Kristina Hinesly Report

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#17

My Daughter (11) Found This Today At Our Local Thrift Store

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My Daughter (11) Found This Today At Our Local Thrift Store

 
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She brings it over to me and says “Mom I don’t understand what this means what does it do! Oh my

Jesse Stuck Report

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#18

Dinner Party Anyone?

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Dinner Party Anyone?

Tammy Falcon Report

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#19

Found At Ohio Thrift In Columbus, Ohio! Salt-N-Pepa Salt & Pepper Shakers

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Found At Ohio Thrift In Columbus, Ohio! Salt-N-Pepa Salt & Pepper Shakers

Pam Limbacher Report

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#20

A Friend Gave This To Me. A Congratulation Letter 1941, From A Dentist To His Patient, On The Birth Of Her Son

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A Friend Gave This To Me. A Congratulation Letter 1941, From A Dentist To His Patient, On The Birth Of Her Son

 
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Since the baby was born with no teeth, the dentist sent a set to the new baby. Teeth attached at bottom of letter

Dave Graham Report

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#21

My Thrift Store Had $1 Mystery Boxes For Stuff They Can’t Get Rid Of. I Decided To Buy One, And It Ended Up Having 35 Lorax Plushes Inside

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My Thrift Store Had  Mystery Boxes For Stuff They Can

Jared Gomez Report

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#22

Don’t Let The Wheelchair Distract You From The Perfect Coffee Table For Parents With Toddlers

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Don’t Let The Wheelchair Distract You From The Perfect Coffee Table For Parents With Toddlers

Philip Schnepp Report

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#23

Ctrl+alt+del-Icious

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Ctrl+alt+del-Icious

Joshua Natzel Report

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#24

Found In Good Ole New Orleans

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Found In Good Ole New Orleans

Summer Oliver Report

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#25

I Had To Have It

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I Had To Have It

Suze Datz Report

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#26

Y’all!! Call Off The Search!….i Found Him!! The Placement Of The Eyes Is The Best!!

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Y’all!! Call Off The Search!....i Found Him!! The Placement Of The Eyes Is The Best!!

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Judy Ebert Report

You know that moment when the first thing that comes to your mind is something, that is almost definitely unappropriate and you have to stop yourself from saying/writing it? Me neither. That’s why “Finding Menopause” found its way into this comment section. And yes, i feel bad. A little. Almost.

 
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#27

I Feel Attacked By This Relatable Dish

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I Feel Attacked By This Relatable Dish

Susan Hunter Report

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#28

I’m Not Sure What’s Going On Here, But I Had To Take It Home

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I

Sam Davies Report

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#29

I’m 240lbs 56 Years Old Dude And I Want These Xs Leggings. My Freak Wants To Shine

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I’m 240lbs 56 Years Old Dude And I Want These Xs Leggings. My Freak Wants To Shine

Dean Proctor Report

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#30

I Bought An Antique (1910ish) Glass Eye At A Vintage Show

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I Bought An Antique (1910ish) Glass Eye At A Vintage Show

Had a local jeweler set it into a necklace! I love it!

Alison Camilleri Report

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#31

This Find From Around 3 Years Ago In Franklin, Va. He’s A Pillowcase But I Can’t Deal With That So He’s On My Wall

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This Find From Around 3 Years Ago In Franklin, Va. He’s A Pillowcase But I Can’t Deal With That So He’s On My Wall

Samantha Gizara Report

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#32

My Mom Found This On One Of Her Thrift Store Adventures. I Gave It To My Husband For An Emergency

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My Mom Found This On One Of Her Thrift Store Adventures. I Gave It To My Husband For An Emergency

‎Kat Rodriguez‎ Report

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#33

And Then I Came Across This…

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And Then I Came Across This...

Martin Cunningham Report

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#34

My New Salt And Pepper Shakers

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My New Salt And Pepper Shakers

Jennifer Trimble Report

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#35

Found This Rubber Chicken Pocketbook At A Garage Sale Last Weekend

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Found This Rubber Chicken Pocketbook At A Garage Sale Last Weekend

 
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So far, I’ve worn it to the doctor’s office, a dinner party and the grocery store thinking it would get lots of comments

Sandy Murphy Report

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#36

Now That’s A New One

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Now That’s A New One

Cinder Buss‎ Report

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#37

I Need Ideas For What I Can Make For My Firefighter Husband With This Lovely Bit Of Fabric I Found At A Small Town Thrift Store

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I Need Ideas For What I Can Make For My Firefighter Husband With This Lovely Bit Of Fabric I Found At A Small Town Thrift Store

Kendall Chmielewski Report

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#38

Now I Have My Very Own Pair Of…. These

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Now I Have My Very Own Pair Of.... These

Natalie Baldassano Report

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#39

This Is My Fav Goodwill (San Diego) Find. Wool Ottoman On Wheels

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This Is My Fav Goodwill (San Diego) Find. Wool Ottoman On Wheels

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Cost Me A Pricey $15. Everyone Made Fun Of It. Said It Looked Like Spaghetti-O’s, Cheerios Even Maggots. But I Loved It Just The Same. After I Got It, I Did A Little Research And Found Out It Was A Piece That Retails For Around $2k. Lol. I Use It Every Day And Love, Love, Love It. My Hairy Find.

Annie O’Brien Report

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#40

Today The Antiquing Gods Smiled Down And Blessed Me With This Absolute Beauty

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Today The Antiquing Gods Smiled Down And Blessed Me With This Absolute Beauty

Kelly M. Remo Report

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