A Redditor impressed the subreddit r/ThriftStoreHauls by finding an expensive bottle of Chanel perfume on sale for $5 at Goodwill.
A seemingly unopened bottle of Bleu de Chanel was priced at $4.99 — a bottle that regularly retails at over $100.
"Congratulations, I hate you," one person joked.
The poster followed up with good news — they had returned to the same Goodwill and found more unopened bottles.
"Absolute steal of a score," another person commented.
Becoming an expert thrift shopper has grown into a passion for many people, especially as the financial and environmental impacts of buying secondhand become more and more publicized.
Shoppers buying thrifted or upcycled goods — or even just swapping out old clothes for store credit –— usually spend around one-third of what they'd spend buying new. Those savings add up quickly since the average American spends roughly $1,945 per year on clothing and related services, according to the data accumulator Statista. One report from Coupon Follow found that shoppers who consistently buy used goods save more than $1,700 annually on average.
Another benefit of shopping secondhand is that it fights the mounting issues of fast fashion — the practice of manufacturing low-quality, low-cost clothing, much of which ends up polluting landfills and waterways. Each year, Americans alone send over 22.6 billion pounds of clothing and textiles to landfills, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Fortunately, buying thrifted garments keeps dollars out of the fast fashion pipeline and cheaply made clothes out of landfills. And in good news, the thrift market is continuing to grow in popularity.
The 2023 Resale Report from used clothing sellers thredUP reported that globally, the secondhand market is set to nearly double by 2027, reaching a $350 billion value. RetailDive estimates that resellers will account for nearly 20% of the clothing market by 2031.
And, of course, there are the finds like the Chanel perfume –— treasures hiding in plain sight, from art to furniture, decor, and more. Some shoppers have even found wads of cash tucked away in a pocket, long forgotten. Earning money on buying clothes? Yes, please.
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